ישעיהו, פרק י״ט, פסוק ט״ו

A total collapse of leadership and wisdom sweeps through Egypt, leaving the nation in a state of absolute paralysis and deep confusion. The entire country loses its ability to carry out any plans or maneuvers to save itself from the approaching disaster. The primary approach among commentators is that no action or advice Egypt attempts to apply will succeed or bring any benefit.

The sweeping nature of this failure is understood in three main ways. The most common approach views the collapse as a breakdown of the entire social and political ladder. The highest ranks—the great leaders, elders, and respected figures—will fail just as miserably as the lowest classes, commoners, and minor officials [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, מצודת ציון]. This total societal failure is mirrored in the natural world: the strong and powerful, likened to high treetops, will fall alongside the weak masses, who are compared to soft, flexible water plants [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Neither the great nor the small will find success. Some focus specifically on the failure of Egypt's wise men and magicians across all ranks [רד״ק], while others view this directly as a collapse of kings, rulers, and officials [רש״י, רד״ק].

In contrast, a second approach shifts the focus away from the people acting and instead looks at the nature of the actions themselves. From this perspective, Egypt will simply be unable to produce any complete, well-planned endeavor that has a clear beginning and end [שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Overwhelmed by confusion, the Egyptians will lose the ability to tell the difference between major, central issues and minor, marginal details [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. These concepts parallel all areas of life, encompassing both the animal and plant kingdoms, to emphasize that no whole or functional result will grow from anything they attempt [שד״ל].

A third, unique approach connects this breakdown to the world of Egyptian astrology and magic. The focus here is on the stargazers who study the heavens and the constellations. Even with their supposed expertise in reading the skies, these astrologers will fail to predict the coming disaster and will find no way to escape it [רש״י, רד״ק].