Ezekiel 30:14

14 I will make southern Egypt desolate and set fire to the city of Zoan in the north. I will punish the capital city of Thebes.

Ezekiel 30:14 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 30:14

And I will make Pathros desolate
A country in Egypt; (See Gill on Ezekiel 29:14), perhaps it was the first place that Nebuchadnezzar entered, and so went from place to place in the order hereafter mentioned: and I will set fire in Zoan;
or Tunis, a famous city in Egypt in the times of Moses, ( Numbers 13:22 ) ( Psalms 78:12 Psalms 78:43 ) . The Targum and Septuagint version call it Tanis here; and from hence a nome in Egypt was called the Tanitic nome. This city was burnt down by the king of Babylon: the place now built on the spot is called Mansourah, as Dr. Shaw F23 says: and I will execute judgment in No.
The Vulgate Latin version renders it Alexandria; and so does the Targum; of which place Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech interpret it; and so does Jerom; which, though built after these times by Alexander, and called so after his name, yet is supposed to be built on or near the place where ancient No stood. The city is now called Scanderoon, or Scanderea; the Turks calling Alexander Scander: here the judgments of God were executed in the destruction of it by the Chaldean army; and great devastations have been made in it since it was rebuilt by Alexander, by the Saracens, who destroyed all places where they came; so that, as Dr. Shaw F24 observes, it is somewhat extraordinary that the greatest part of the ancient walls, together with their respective turrets, should have continued entire quite down to this time. The Septuagint version calls it Diospolis, or the city of Jupiter, as does the Arabic version, that is, of Jupiter Hammon; the city of Thebes, where he was worshipped; as it is in a following verse called Hammon No; though Hillerus F25 thinks neither of these places are meant, neither Alexandria nor Diospolis; but Memphis, as it is rendered by the Septuagint in the next verse; (See Gill on Nahum 3:8).


FOOTNOTES:

F23 Travels, p. 304. Ed. 2.
F24 Ib. p. 292.
F25 Onomastic. Sacr. p. 571

Ezekiel 30:14 In-Context

12 I will dry up the Nile and put Egypt under the power of evil people. Foreigners will devastate the whole country. I, the Lord, have spoken."
13 The Sovereign Lord says, "I will destroy the idols and the false gods in Memphis. There will be no one to rule Egypt, and I will terrify all the people.
14 I will make southern Egypt desolate and set fire to the city of Zoan in the north. I will punish the capital city of Thebes.
15 I will let the city of Pelusium, Egypt's great fortress, feel my fury. I will destroy the wealth of Thebes.
16 I will set fire to Egypt, and Pelusium will be in agony. The walls of Thebes will be broken down, and the city will be flooded.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.