Isaiah chapter 19 - Psalms

There is a strange word that we find in the nineteenth chapter of Isaiah. The word is Zoan. It is quite possibly the name of a man who lived in Egypt, or it could be the name of a people group in Egypt, but whichever it is, it is something that was in Egypt. The entire nineteenth chapter of Isaiah is directed at Egypt, and the name of Zoan occurs twice in the chapter.

It’s sort of a strange name, as so many Biblical names are, and it can be found only seven times in the Bible; once each in the books of Numbers, Ezekiel and the thirtieth chapter of Isaiah, and then twice in Isaiah chapter nineteen and twice in Psalm seventy-eight. Even though ‘Zoan’ is in the Bible seven times, there are only three places where it is found to be in the same chapter with the word ‘Egypt’, and in all three of those places, it is not only in the same chapter, both words are in the same verse. Here are the three verses.

“And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)” (Numbers 13:22)

“Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.” (Psalm 78:12)

“How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:”
(Psalm 78:43)

The mention of Zoan in the book of Numbers appears to be parenthetical. Also notice that both references in the book of Psalms are in the same Psalm. So, we have Zoan and Egypt mentioned twice in Isaiah nineteen, and twice in Psalm seventy-eight. Nowhere else in the Bible is this the case. The pair of names only occurs once in Numbers.

In the context of Egypt and the field of Zoan in Psalm chapter seventy-eight, we find another verse that speaks of something that happened there.

He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them. (Psalm 78:49)

And, in the nineteenth chapter of Isaiah we find the same thing happening.

“The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.” (Isaiah 19:14)

The wording is different, but the connotation is very similar. Psalm 78:49 says; “evil angels”, and Isaiah 19:14 says; “perverse spirit”. Did Egypt have problems in each case? This is Isaiah chapter nineteen, and Psalms is the nineteenth book of the Bible. They are connected.