ישעיהו, פרק י״ט, פסוק ח׳

The severe drying of Egypt's water sources brings about the total economic collapse of its massive fishing industry, leaving the workers completely destitute. The primary approach among commentators is that the disaster is described through parallel imagery, repeating the same tragic reality to emphasize the sheer scale of the ruin [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. The citizens who rely heavily on the abundant fish of the Nile and its branching rivers are plunged into deep grief over the loss of their livelihood [רש״י, אבן עזרא, מצודת ציון].

This sorrow unfolds in distinct psychological and chronological stages. At first, the workers experience an immediate, internal pain the moment they see the waters drying up. As time passes and the economic loss becomes an undeniable, permanent reality, this quiet sadness turns into a public, outward mourning [מלבי״ם].

The crisis strikes the two primary methods of fishing in different ways. The first method relies on an iron hook to pull large fish from the water one by one [רד״ק, מצודת ציון]. Because larger fish can survive longer in shallow, receding waters, the hook fishermen do not feel the full weight of the shortage right away. Their realization comes later, corresponding directly to the delayed, outward stage of mourning [מלבי״ם].

The second method involves spreading wide nets across the water to capture large quantities of fish at once [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Typically, even when fish become scarce and hooks fail to catch anything, a wide net can still gather a modest haul. Yet the devastation is so absolute that the waters empty entirely. The net fishermen are left ruined and cut off [מצודת ציון], as the total disappearance of the fish destroys the livelihood of everyone involved [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].