at Egypt's frontier 'in that day', a respect for the sovereignty of both

Israel and of Egypt in their own allotted lands.  The reader should note the

paronomasia of the two Hebrew words translated 'altar' and 'pillar'.

An altar is

(M Z B CH), and

a pillar is

(M TS V H),  as

between them was intentional and important.

It appears from Isaiah 19:18 that there will be a number of cities in

Egypt that will have become converts to the teaching of the Bible,

'In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language

of Canaan'.

The following passages will indicate the attitude of Israel and their

conception of truth with a 'language'.

'When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of

strange language' (Psa. 114:1).

'He went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I

understood not' (Psa. 81:5).

'Jews ... had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: and their

children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the

Jews' language' (Neh. 13:23,24).

'For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all

call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent' (Zeph.

One of these cities that speak the language of Canaan and who are loyal

to the Lord will be 'The City of the Sun' (Isa. 19:18).  The Hebrew word for

'sun' is cheres, and for destruction is heres, hence the different renderings

(see margin of R.V. and note in The Companion Bible).  Heliopolis, 'the city

of the sun', is the Greek name for the Egyptian city named 'On' at the apex

of the delta of the Nile.  It will be remembered that Joseph married a

daughter of a priest of On (Gen. 41:45).  Helios is Greek for the sun, polis

for city.  In the Hebrew this would be represented by beth, a house, and

shemesh, the sun, hence the city called Bethshemesh in Jeremiah 43:13 is the

same city of Isaiah 19:18, even as the 'images' which are to be broken there

are the same as the 'pillar' of Isaiah 19:19.  In the former reference, the

sanctity of frontiers found no respect from Nebuchadnezzar.

Returning to Isaiah 19, we find that associated with this altar and

pillar is the sending of 'a Saviour, a great one' Who shall deliver such as

cry unto the Lord, and as a consequence 'the Egyptians shall know the Lord in

that day' (verse 21).  If these events take place at the time of the end 'The

Saviour, a great One' could refer to the Lord Himself, particularly as the

word translated 'Saviour', which occurs nine times in Isaiah in every

reference apart from Isaiah 19:20, refers to God beside Whom, he declares,

'is no Saviour'.  Egypt is to be smitten, but is to be healed, they shall

return unto the Lord and He shall heal them.  Every one of these words is

said in like manner of Israel.  Once the Lord smote the Egyptians in the day

of Israel's exodus, and no healing followed (Exod. 12:23,27), but at long