ישעיהו, פרק י״ט, פסוק ה׳

Egypt's impending doom is painted through a powerful image of its water sources completely drying up. Because the land receives no rain and relies entirely on the Nile for its crops and fish, its coming downfall—such as losing its power and falling under the control of foreign empires—is compared to the sudden failure of its rivers [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. The waters will face a sudden removal and disappearance [רד״ק, שד״ל, מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This disappearance brings a profound thirst and dryness [אבן עזרא], ultimately representing a state of total devastation and ruin [רש״י].

There are several ways to understand the warning that waters will drain from the sea. One approach suggests this refers to the literal ocean. As the waters recede, ships will be unable to deliver goods and food, severely worsening the famine [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. Another perspective connects this to the mechanics of the Nile itself. The sea will no longer push the river's waters backward to flood and irrigate the land [רש״י]. Alternatively, reflecting ancient beliefs that the ocean directly feeds the rivers, severing the sea’s waters will naturally dry out the Nile. Through this, God proves His absolute dominance over the false Egyptian beliefs that assigned separate divine powers to the sea and the river [מלבי״ם].

A historical approach suggests that this sea was actually a massive artificial lake constructed by ancient Egyptian kings to capture the Nile's overflow. The disaster will unfold in stages: first, this enormous reservoir will empty out, and only then will the river itself run dry [שד״ל, מלבי״ם]. However, others maintain that the sea in this context is simply another title for the mighty Nile itself [שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The prophecy then focuses on the river drying up, which undoubtedly refers to the Nile [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. The description of its ruin features a deliberate, twofold process rather than a mere repetition. First comes the initial loss of moisture as the drying process begins. This is followed by a final, absolute stage where the riverbed is left completely parched, without a single drop of water remaining [מלבי״ם].