Irha-heres

Irha-heres appears in Isaiah 19:18 in a prophecy about Egypt's future conversion: "In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction (Ir ha-heres)." The phrase is textually uncertain — some Hebrew manuscripts read Ir ha-heres (city of destruction) while others read Ir ha-heres (city of the sun, i.e., Heliopolis). The Septuagint reads "city of righteousness" (polis asedek), and the Dead Sea Scrolls support the "city of the sun" reading.

The most probable original reading is "City of the Sun" (Ir ha-Shemesh), referring to Heliopolis (On), the great center of Egyptian sun-worship, which Isaiah prophesies will be converted to worship of the LORD. The alternative reading "city of destruction" may have been introduced by later scribes as a polemic against the Jewish temple at Leontopolis near Heliopolis, founded in the second century BC. The passage as a whole (Isaiah 19:16–25) presents one of the most striking universalist prophecies in the Old Testament, envisioning Egypt and Assyria worshipping alongside Israel as "my people" and "the work of my hands."