Isaiah 19:20

“And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt, &c.] This refers either to what goes before, that the altar and pillar were signs and witnesses that the Lord was believed in, professed, and worshipped there; or to what follows after, that the Lord’s hearing the cries of men, and answering them, by sending a great Saviour to them, is a token and testimony for him of his great love unto them: for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors; as men awakened and convinced do, feeling the oppressions of a guilty conscience, and a tempting devil, and an ensnaring wicked world: and he shall send them a Saviour, and a great one, and he shall…”

“it--the altar and pillar. a sign--(of the fulfilment of prophecy) to their contemporaries. a witness--to their descendants. unto the Lord--no longer, to their idols, but to Jehovah. for they shall cry--or, "a sign . . . that they cried, . . . and He sent to them a saviour"; probably, Alexander the Great (so "a great one"), whom the Egyptians welcomed as a deliverer (Greek, Soter, a title of the Ptolemies) out of the hands of the Persians, who under Cambyses had been their "oppressors." At Alexandria, called from him, the Old Testament was translated into Greek for the Greek-speaking Jews, who in large numbers dwelt in Egypt under the Ptolemies, his successors. Messiah is the antitype…”

“And it shall be for a sign - The altar, and the pillar. This shows that the altar was not to be for sacrifice, but was a “memorial,” or designed to designate a place of worship. They shall cry to the Lord because of the oppressors - That is, oppressed and borne down under the exactions of their rulers, they shall seek deliverance from the true God - one instance among many of the effect of affliction and oppression in leading people to embrace the true religion. And he shall send them a saviour - Who this “saviour” would be, has been a subject on which there has been a great difference of opinion. Grotius supposes that it would be “the angel” by which the army of Sennacherib would be…”

“It - The altar or pillar last mentioned. A witness - To testify that they own the Lord for their God. Cry - Being sorely distressed, they shall turn unto the true God. A great one - A great or mighty Saviour, even Christ. Isaiah 19:21”

“19:20 The altar (19:19) would be a sign and a witness of the Egyptians’ religious connection with Israel (see 19:24-25). • God answers the prayers of those who cry to the Lord for help. • The Lord is a savior; he would protect the Egyptians even as he protected Jerusalem from the Assyrians.”

“for a: Isa 55:13; Jos 4:20, Jos 4:21, Jos 22:27, Jos 22:28, Jos 22:34, Jos 24:26, Jos 24:27 they shall: Isa 19:4, Isa 20:4, Isa 52:5; Exo 2:23, Exo 3:7; Kg2 13:4, Kg2 13:5; Psa 50:15; Jam 5:4 he shall send: Isa 37:36, Isa 45:21, Isa 45:22; Luk 2:11; Tit 2:13 Isaiah 19:21”