Ezekiel 29

Yahweh’s Judgment upon Egypt

1 In the tenth year, in the tenth [month], on the {twelfth} [day] of the month, the word of Yahweh {came} to me, {saying},

2 "Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against Egypt, all of it.

3 Speak, and you must say, 'thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Look! I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great sea monster, the [one] lying down in the midst of his Nile streams, who says to me, "[It is] my Nile, and I made [it] [for] myself."

4 And so I will put hooks in your jawbones, and I will make the fish of your Nile streams stick to your scales, and I will bring you up from the midst of your Nile streams, and all of the fish of your Nile streams [which] cling to your scales.

5 And I will fling you [to] the desert, you and all the fish of your Nile streams. On the surface of the field you will fall; you will not be gathered, and you will not be assembled. To the animals of the field and to the birds of the heavens I will give you as food.

6 And all of the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I [am] Yahweh, because of their being a staff of reed for the house of Israel.

7 When they took hold of you with the hand, you snapped, and you split their every shoulder. And when they leaned on you, you broke, and you caused all of their loins to wobble."

8 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Look! I [am] bringing on you [a] sword, and I will cut off from you human and animal.

9 And the land of Egypt will become [a] desolation and ruins, and they will know that I [am] Yahweh because he said, 'The Nile [is] {mine}! And I, I made [it]!'

10 Therefore look! I [am] against you and against your Nile streams, and I will make the land of Egypt into ruins, [a] pile of rubble, [a] desolation from Migdol [to] Syene and up to the boundary of Cush.

11 A foot of a human will not pass over it, and a foot of an animal will not pass over it, and so it will not be inhabited [for] forty years.

12 And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated countries, and its cities [to be] in the midst of ruined cities. They will be [a] desolation [for] forty years, and I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and I will disperse them among the countries."

13 For thus says the Lord Yahweh: "At the end of forty years I will gather Egypt from the peoples [among] whom they were scattered.

14 And I will restore the fortunes of Egypt, and I will bring them back [to] the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and they will be a lowly kingdom there.

15 Of [all] the kingdoms it will be [the most] lowly, and it will not exalt itself again over the nations, and I will make them small [so as] not to rule over the nations.

16 And it will not be again for the house of Israel an object of trust, bringing to remembrance [their] guilt {when they turned back to them}, and they will know that I [am] the Lord Yahweh."

17 {And then} in {the twenty-seventh year}, in the first [month], on the first [day] of the month, the word of Yahweh {came} to me, {saying},

18 "Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, he made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was rubbed bare, and every shoulder [was] rubbed raw, but a wage was not [paid] for him and for his army from Tyre for the labor that he did against it."

19 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Look! I [am] giving to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon the land of Egypt, and he will carry its wealth [away], and he will plunder its plunder, and he will loot its loot, and it will be [a] wage for his army.

20 [As] his wages that he worked for, I will give to him the land of Egypt, because they worked for me," {declares} the Lord Yahweh.

21 "On that day I will cause {power} to grow [up] for the house of Israel, and for you I will give an opening of [your] mouth in the midst of them, and they will know that I [am] Yahweh."

Ezekiel 29 Commentary

Chapter 29

The desolation of Egypt. (1-16) Also a promise of mercy to Israel. (17-21)

Verses 1-16 Worldly, carnal minds pride themselves in their property, forgetting that whatever we have, we received it from God, and should use it for God. Why, then, do we boast? Self is the great idol which all the world worships, in contempt of God and his sovereignty. God can force men out of that in which they are most secure and easy. Such a one, and all that cleave to him, shall perish together. Thus end men's pride, presumption, and carnal security. The Lord is against those who do harm to his people, and still more against those who lead them into sin. Egypt shall be a kingdom again, but it shall be the basest of the kingdoms; it shall have little wealth and power. History shows the complete fulfilment of this prophecy. God, not only in justice, but in wisdom and goodness to us, breaks the creature-stays on which we lean, that they may be no more our confidence.

Verses 17-21 The besiegers of Tyre obtained little plunder. But when God employs ambitious or covetous men, he will recompense them according to the desires of their hearts; for every man shall have his reward. God had mercy in store for the house of Israel soon after. The history of nations best explains ancient prophecies. All events fulfil the Scriptures. Thus, in the deepest scenes of adversity, the Lord sows the seed of our future prosperity. Happy are those who desire his favour, grace, and image; they will delight in his service, and not covet any earthly recompence; and the blessings they have chosen shall be sure to them for ever.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "two ten"
• [b]. Literally "was"
• [c]. Literally "to say"
• [d]. Or "mortal," or "son of humankind"
• [e]. Hebrew "animal"
• [f]. Hebrew "bird"
• [g]. LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate: "you"
• [h]. Hebrew "be"
• [i]. That is, Pharaoh
• [j]. Literally "to me"
• [k]. Hebrew "year"
• [l]. Literally "at their turning"
• [m]. Literally "and it happened"
• [n]. Literally "twenty and seven year"
• [o]. Literally "was"
• [p]. Literally "to say"
• [q]. Or "mortal," or "son of humankind"
• [r]. Or "and"
• [s]. Literally "declaration of"
• [t]. Literally "a horn"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 29

This chapter contains a prophecy against Pharaoh king of Egypt; and of the destruction of the land of Egypt; and of the restoration of it after a certain time. The time of prophecy is noted, Eze 29:1, the order to prophesy against Pharaoh, who is described as a large fish, lying in his rivers, and boasting of them, Eze 29:2,3, his destruction and the manner of it, Eze 29:4,5, the reason of it, his treachery to the Jews, Eze 29:6,7, hence the whole land of Egypt is threatened with desolation, from one end to the other, so as to be uninhabited by man or beast for the space of forty years, Eze 29:8-14, but shall not arrive to their former glory as a kingdom, nor be any more the confidence of the house of Israel, Eze 29:15,16, then follows a prophecy seventeen years after this, showing the reason why Egypt was given to the king of Babylon, Eze 29:17-20, and the chapter is closed with a promise of happiness to Israel, Eze 29:21.