NOTE: The term Egypt has three geographical possibilities. There is lower Egypt (towards the Mediterranean) meaning the primary lands at the mouth of the Nile on the Mediterranean Sea and what we see as the Egypt of 2025. Then [2nd] there is upper Egypt which includes parts of the lands of Sudan and Ethiopia. And third, the combined territories of Lower Egypt, and upper Egypt which includes parts of Sudan and Ethiopia.

Confusing? Yes, BUT not unusual when one references, any place below the equator. The confusion comes from Africa being below the equator. Consider Egypt as flows the Nile River. It starts in the upper Ethiopian and flows north to lower Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. It flows from south to north.

V1 When a verse in scripture stars with WOE, pay attention. It is like a rider stopping a horse. It is expressing true consequences if one continues doing what ever the woe is addressing.

V2 The Bible mentions other groups or tribes as having large, tall, or giant people, but not in combination with also having smooth skin. Ethiopians with Ethiopia are the only ones that mention all three characteristics: tall, smooth skinned,… and divided by many rivers.

AHAMOMENT: MOST of the giants mentioned in the Bible include:

• Emim: A tall people who lived east of the Jordan River. Their name translates to “the dreaded ones” or “terrors“. They were a branch of the Rephaim and lived in the land later occupied by the Moabites. They were descended from Lot and his daughter.
  Zamzummim: Also called the Zuzim, who also lived east of the Jordan River. Deuteronomy 2:20 states that the land previously inhabited by giants called Rephaim is considered by the Ammonites to be the land of the Zamzummim. These giants were a people of great size, but God destroyed them before the Ammonites took their land. 
• PS: The Ammonites and the Amorites are two different people.
  Amorites: Described as being exceptionally tall. Their name means westerner [Syria]. A Westerner of the Middle East.  
  Rephaim: A group associated with the conquest of the promised land, with Goliath being a member of that Tribe; Rephaim.
  Anakim: Descendants of Nephilim who battled the Israelites in Canaan. Sometimes the term refers to the departed dead in the underworld (Sheol). 

V3-4: This verse is part of the overall prophecy in Isaiah 18. It deals with God’s plans for a nation beyond Egypt (likely Ethiopia) and the impending threat of an empire like Assyria. The words ALL nations, as we have discussed many times before, (all=KOLE in Hebrew) means that there are no exceptions. This means all/kole the people of the world; present, and future. God is looking at earth from His Throne which is above all things. God will differentiate in his judgement between the good and bad ACCORDINGLY… a global judgement.

V5: Symbolically Isaiah uses man’s judgement as a vineyard about to be harvested. It is part of the larger prophecy of Isaiah 18 addressing the powerful nation of Ethiopia (Kush) and the world’s armies. John Wesley: “Before they (Israel) receive/reach the end of their hopes.” When? When the bud or flower is turned into a grape, which gives hopes of good vintage. He – The Lord. The branches – Instead of gathering the grapes, shall cut down the tree, and throw it into the fire.

V6: The prophecy warns against Israelis trusting in worldly alliances instead of God. The Amplified Bible states it: “They (dead warriors) will be left together for the mountain birds of prey, And for the beasts of the earth; And the birds of prey will [spend the] summer feeding on them, And all the beasts of the earth will spend harvest time on them.”

V7: Here for a second time in Isaiah 18 we find this unnamed nation of tall and smooth skin people. They are described as people who were mean from the beginning. Plus, once again they are from a land that is divided by many rivers. Geographic research points to the land of Ethiopia.

At first glance one might wonder how the Bible in the Old Testament Middle East is connected to south-eastern Africa, Ethiopia. Chapter 18 in scripture call this chapter A Proclamation Against Ethiopia. In the Bible, “Ethiopia” (the Greek translation of the Hebrew “Cush”) primarily refers to a geographic region south of Egypt, encompassing parts of modern-day Sudan and parts of northern Ethiopia. Cush plays a major role in End Time scriptures. During this time in history, the Ethiopians were a powerful nation.

The Queen of Sheba during King Solomon’s time ruled over Ethiopia. In her time, it was much larger than it is today. It even reached across the Red Sea into a portion of south-western Saudi Arabia and Yemen. From a point of curiosity, the giants mentioned in scripture hail from nearby territories to the north. The Bible refers to Ethiopia and Egypt as nearly synonymous terms. There is a connection between Biblical Ethiopia and Judah when Ethiopia was hoping for a coalition against Assyria (NKJV-Jeremiah Study Bible).

Next article is Isaiah 19… The Burden Against Egypt. It is a powerful vision of End Time.

Rev. Dr. Jstark – 2025