It shall be on that day, a great shofar will be blown, and those who are lost in the land of Assyria and those cast away in the land of Egypt will come, and they will bow down to Hashem on the holy mountain in Jerusalem (Yeshayahu 27:13)
Why are the inhabitants of these two nations specifically singled out as ones that will bow down to Hashem in the future? Additionally, why does the verse refer to those in Ashur as being “lost”, while it calls those in Egypt “cast away”?
The Meshech Chochmah explains that throughout Tanach, the two nations of Ashur and Egypt notoriously represent two attitudes that are antithetical to Torah:
- Ashur is known for blaspheming against Hashem and glorifying their own might, as illustrated by the diatribes of its king, Sancherib, when he sought to conquer Jerusalem.
2 See Melachim II 19:20-22. - Egypt is known as a place of physical immorality, where people are ruled by their base desires.
Our verse states that in the future, those who were ensnared by both of these attitudes will abandon them and embrace the path of truth.
- “Lost in the land of Assyria” – the term “oved” (lost) is used in Tanach to refer to someone who blundering due to being misguided. These are people who subscribe to misguided notions regarding who controls the world, claiming all might and power for themselves.
- “Cast away in the land of Egypt” – this refers to those who are governed by their lusts. They are cast away and pushed aside in the sense that they do not have control over their lives, rather, it is their desires that control them.
In the future, each of these will see the emptiness of their path, and will come and:
- “Bow down to Hashem” – those ‘lost in Ashur’ will recognize that Hashem is the true Master of the world.
- “On the holy mountain” – those ‘cast away in Egypt’ will come to seek out a life of holiness and sanctity on Hashem’s holy mountain in Jerusalem.
3 See Yechezkel 23:20.
