The Meaning of Isaiah 11:15 Explained

Isaiah 11:15

KJV: And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.

YLT: And Jehovah hath devoted to destruction The tongue of the sea of Egypt, And hath waved His hand over the river, In the terror of his wind, And hath smitten it at the seven streams, And hath caused men to tread it with shoes.

Darby: And Jehovah will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind will he shake his hand over the river, and will smite it into seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.

ASV: And Jehovah will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his scorching wind will he wave his hand over the River, and will smite it into seven streams, and cause men to march over dryshod.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the LORD  shall utterly destroy  the tongue  of the Egyptian  sea;  and with his mighty  wind  shall he shake  his hand  over the river,  and shall smite  it in the seven  streams,  and make [men] go over  dryshod. 

What does Isaiah 11:15 Mean?

Context Summary

Isaiah 11:10-16 - A Song Of Thanksgiving
The prophet's vision extends. He has seen the effect of redemption, as it emanates from Jesus Christ, upon the whole physical creation; now he beholds also the ingathering of all Israel. The ancient enmity between Ephraim and Judah would pass away. As Paul puts it afterward, "All Israel shall be saved," Romans 11:25-26. As they were brought out of Egypt, so shall they be brought from all the countries of the world, where they have dwelt during these Christian centuries. The return of the Jews under Ezra included those of one tribe only, and cannot fulfill the great dreams of all the prophets as here of Isaiah. The following chapter is the counterpart of Exodus 15:1-27. When their enemies are overwhelmed in the great battle of Armageddon, the ransomed hosts of Israel shall break forth in this anthem.
The Isaiah 12:3 was chanted by the priests on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, John 7:37-38. The little possessive pronoun my is the bucket with which we draw water from the depths of God. Our pilgrimage way is lined by these wells of saving help. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 11

1  The peaceable kingdom of the Branch out of the root of Jesse
10  The victorious restoration of Israel, and vocation of the Gentiles

What do the individual words in Isaiah 11:15 mean?

And will utterly destroy Yahweh - the tongue of the Sea of Egypt and He will shake His fist over the River with mighty His wind and strike it in seven the streams and make [men] cross over dry-shod
וְהֶחֱרִ֣ים יְהוָ֗ה אֵ֚ת לְשׁ֣וֹן יָם־ מִצְרַ֔יִם וְהֵנִ֥יף יָד֛וֹ עַל־ הַנָּהָ֖ר בַּעְיָ֣ם רוּח֑וֹ וְהִכָּ֙הוּ֙ לְשִׁבְעָ֣ה נְחָלִ֔ים וְהִדְרִ֖יךְ בַּנְּעָלִֽים

וְהֶחֱרִ֣ים  And  will  utterly  destroy 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָרַם 
Sense: to ban, devote, destroy utterly, completely destroy, dedicate for destruction, exterminate.
יְהוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֵ֚ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
לְשׁ֣וֹן  the  tongue 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: לָשֹׁון  
Sense: tongue.
יָם־  of  the  Sea 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
מִצְרַ֔יִם  of  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
וְהֵנִ֥יף  and  He  will  shake 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הֲנָפָה 
Sense: to move to and fro, wave, besprinkle.
יָד֛וֹ  His  fist 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
עַל־  over 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הַנָּהָ֖ר  the  River 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
בַּעְיָ֣ם  with  mighty 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֲיָם  
Sense: glow, heat.
רוּח֑וֹ  His  wind 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
וְהִכָּ֙הוּ֙  and  strike  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
לְשִׁבְעָ֣ה  in  seven 
Parse: Preposition-l, Number, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁבַע  
Sense: seven (cardinal number).
נְחָלִ֔ים  the  streams 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: נַחַל 
Sense: torrent, valley, wadi, torrent-valley.
וְהִדְרִ֖יךְ  and  make  [men]  cross  over 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּרַךְ  
Sense: to tread, bend, lead, march.
בַּנְּעָלִֽים  dry-shod 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: נַעַל  
Sense: sandal, shoe.