Rabah’s Sabbath

Yahweh makes up an insulting nickname for Egypt, which the NASB translates as “Rahab who has been exterminated” (Isaiah 30:7). The Hebrew is rahab hem shavet , and each of the main terms of the phase is significant.

Rahab means “fierce” but it is used mainly in contexts where Yahweh speaks of His victory over Egypt at the Red Sea, when he cut fierce Egypt in pieces (Psalm 87:4; 89:10; Isaiah 51:9). shavet puns on shavat , “to cease” or, more technically, “to keep Sabbath.” It is a multilayered pun: Egypt offers a false rest, a false Sabbath; Israel should know, since the Egyptians offered them no Sabbath at all during Israel’s Egyptian sojourn. But fierce Rahab will come to a sabbath, an end, a ceasing, and so will not be able to protect Judah from Assyrian attack. Rahab’s fierceness will cease, and leave Judah ashamed.