It’s always striking to read Isaiah 19 and hear these words:

In that day, Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria … Blessed is Egypt my people, Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance. (Isa 19:24–25)

As I wrote in a previous post, Isaiah 19 is a vision of the end of our story, the goal of the gospel. Today, I’m struck by how the story of Joseph provides precedent for Egypt’s inclusion.

Genesis 47 repeatedly says that, just before his death, “Jacob blessed Pharaoh” (Gen 47:7, 10). In Genesis, Isaac and Jacob’s blessings carry transformative, irrevocable weight (Gen 27:33; 48:17–22; 49:1–27).

Furthermore, similar to the way Abraham bought the field of Ephron in Machpelah from the Hittites (Gen 23:19; 49:29–32), Joseph bought all of Egypt for Pharaoh (Gen 47:20). You might say, “Yes, but that purchase was for Pharaoh.” That’s true, but as described above, Pharaoh was blessed by Jacob at this point.

Just as Abraham’s purchase of the field in Canaan was a precursor to the inheritance of the promised land, Joseph’s purchase of “all the land of Egypt” (Gen 47:20) was a precursor to the vision of new creation we see in Isaiah 19.