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Why did Isaiah oppose Judah’s plan to seek military help from Egypt?

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The prophet Isaiah — Isaiah Miniature of Isaiah, manuscript illumination from *The Siegburg Lectionary*, 12th century.

Isaiah’s opposition to seeking military alliances, such as those with Egypt, was rooted in his theology regarding the Covenant between God and his people.1

Isaiah believed that this relationship was conditional and required moral conduct rather than reliance on foreign powers. He viewed God as the ultimate shaper of history who could use foreign nations, such as Assyria, as instruments of divine wrath to chastise an aberrant nation. By seeking military help from Egypt, Judah was essentially attempting to rely on human agents rather than trusting in the divine protection that was contingent upon their faithfulness to the Covenant. For Isaiah, turning to foreign alliances was a failure to recognize God's sovereignty and a distraction from the moral and religious reforms necessary to maintain their special bond with God.1