John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 19:10

"And the pillars [of Egypt] shall be broken in pieces; all they that work for hire [shall be] grieved in soul." — Isaiah 19:10 (ASV)

And all that make ponds. As for the word שכר (secher), there is no absolute necessity, in my opinion, for translating it as a net; for the derivation shows it, on the contrary, to denote a lucrative occupation.

Where fish are very abundant, they are also preserved in pools and ponds, because the fishers would otherwise be constrained to sell them at a very low price. Besides, when they throw a net, they are not always successful. He therefore develops the same subject: “It will not be possible either to take or to preserve fish. Pools will be of no use.”