Egypt’s Moses

Isaiah prophesies that Egypt will have oppressors, but that the Lord will remove them (19:20). An altar in the center of Egypt, and a pillar of Yahweh at the boundary (v. 19) will mark Egypt as Yahweh’s land, and when they cry out the Lord will save.

It is entirely an exodus story: Egyptians will cry out for relief from taskmasters, as the officers of Israel and Moses cried out for relief (Exodus 5:8, 15; 8:12). The same word “oppress” describes the Egyptian treatment of Israel (Exodus 3:9). In response, Yahweh will send a “savior”; the Hebrew is moshiya’ , based on the root that gives us the name yeshua and close in sound to the name “Moses.” This “Moses” will also be a ” rab ,” a great one, a word that already in the Hebrew Bible means “chief” and later comes to be the root of Rabbi. Egypt’s Moses will “deliver,” as Moses delivered (Exodus 2:19; 3:8, 22; 18:4).

The original exodus introduced Pharaoh to Yahweh, the God he did not know, and Egypt’s exodus will result in the knowledge of Yahweh spreading throughout Egypt (v. 21). As Israel moved from Egypt to Sinai to offer sacrifice, so Egypt will be delivered so that they can worship and sacrifice to Yahweh.