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1 Kings 10:28
And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.

Proverbs 7:16
I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carvedworks, with fine linen of Egypt.

Ezekiel 27:7
Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee.

net works.

and the weavers of fine linen will turn pale
The weavers of fine linen were skilled artisans, and their turning pale indicates fear or distress, likely due to the collapse of their industry. Fine linen was a luxury item, often associated with wealth and status, and its production was a source of pride for Egypt. The mention of their distress underscores the comprehensive nature of the judgment, affecting both the common workers and the skilled craftsmen. This can be seen as a metaphor for the spiritual and moral decay of a society that has turned away from God, similar to the warnings given to Israel and Judah in the prophetic literature. The imagery of turning pale can also symbolize the loss of hope and vitality, a theme echoed in the New Testament where spiritual renewal is found in Christ, the true source of life and righteousness.

– Isaiah places this line immediately after describing the Nile’s waters drying up (Isaiah 19:5-6). When the river fails, the flax plants that rely on its irrigation wither, so the people who cultivate and process flax are “dismayed.”

– Flax was central to Egypt’s economy and identity; it supplied the linen used for clothing, burial wrappings, and temple décor (cf.Exodus 9:31, where flax is listed among Egypt’s chief crops). God’s judgment would strike not only food supplies but these emblematic industries as well.

– The dismay is personal and economic:

• livelihoods collapse; families lose income (compare God’s threat to remove “wool and linen” inHosea 2:9).

• Egypt’s famed self-reliance is exposed as fragile, highlighting the Lord’s supremacy (seeIsaiah 31:1-3 for the danger of trusting Egypt rather than God).

– Skilled artisans who transformed flax into luxurious “fine linen” now stand helpless. As raw materials vanish, so does the craft; the weavers “turn pale,” a Hebrew idiom for shock or terror (note similar imagery inJeremiah 14:2;Nahum 2:10).

– Fine linen symbolized purity and prestige (Exodus 28:39;Revelation 18:16). By stripping Egypt of it, God denies the nation both status and security.

– The pallor also hints at moral judgment: what once clothed priests and pharaohs cannot shield them from divine wrath (Ezekiel 30:12). Egypt’s brightest industry becomes a testimony to the Lord’s power to humble the proud.

Isaiah 19:9 foretells a specific piece of God’s wider judgment on Egypt: the collapse of its flax-to-linen economy. As the Nile dries, field laborers are thrown into dismay and master weavers stand aghast. In one verse, God dismantles agricultural foundations, artisanal expertise, and national pride, proving that every human resource—however celebrated—can evaporate when the Lord withdraws His sustaining hand.

They that weave networks.--Better,white cloths,the cotton or byssus fabrics for which Egypt was famous.