And they shall turn the rivers far away; [and] the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.
Ver. 6. And they shall turn the rivers far away.] The Assyrians shall, or some of their own fond and vainglorious princes shall drain the river Nile at several passages and in several places, to the impairing of the river and the impeaching of the state. a
The reeds and flags shall wither.] These were of great use there; for of flags they made their barks and boats, mats also, wheels, baskets, &c.; of reeds they made their sails, ropes, paper, and a kind of juice serving them for food, b &c. As therefore the palm tree is to the Indians a cornucopia, yielding many commodities, so are reeds and flags to the Egyptians.
a Herodot., lib. ii.
b Plin., lib. xiii. cap. 11.