Ezekiel 30

1 The word of the Lord came to me:

2 Mortal, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Wail, "Alas for the day!"

3 For a day is near, the day of the Lord is near; it will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.

4 A sword shall come upon Egypt, and anguish shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain fall in Egypt, and its wealth is carried away, and its foundations are torn down.

5 Ethiopia, and Put, and Lud, and all Arabia, and Libya, and the people of the allied land shall fall with them by the sword.

6 Thus says the Lord: Those who support Egypt shall fall, and its proud might shall come down; from Migdol to Syene they shall fall within it by the sword, says the Lord God.

7 They shall be desolated among other desolated countries, and their cities shall lie among cities laid waste.

8 Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set fire to Egypt, and all who help it are broken.

9 On that day, messengers shall go out from me in ships to terrify the unsuspecting Ethiopians; and anguish shall come upon them on the day of Egypt's doom; for it is coming!

10 Thus says the Lord God: I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt, by the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon.

11 He and his people with him, the most terrible of the nations, shall be brought in to destroy the land; and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain.

12 I will dry up the channels, and will sell the land into the hand of evildoers; I will bring desolation upon the land and everything in it by the hand of foreigners; I the Lord have spoken.

13 Thus says the Lord God: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis; there shall no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt; so I will put fear in the land of Egypt.

14 I will make Pathros a desolation, and will set fire to Zoan, and will execute acts of judgment on Thebes.

15 I will pour my wrath upon Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and cut off the hordes of Thebes.

16 I will set fire to Egypt; Pelusium shall be in great agony; Thebes shall be breached, and Memphis face adversaries by day.

17 The young men of On and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword; and the cities themselves shall go into captivity.

18 At Tehaphnehes the day shall be dark, when I break there the dominion of Egypt, and its proud might shall come to an end; the city shall be covered by a cloud, and its daughter-towns shall go into captivity.

19 Thus I will execute acts of judgment on Egypt. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.

20 In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:

21 Mortal, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; it has not been bound up for healing or wrapped with a bandage, so that it may become strong to wield the sword.

22 Therefore thus says the Lord God: I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, both the strong arm and the one that was broken; and I will make the sword fall from his hand.

23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them throughout the lands.

24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand; but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him with the groans of one mortally wounded.

25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall stretch it out against the land of Egypt,

26 and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.

Ezekiel 30 Commentary

Chapter 30

A prophecy against Egypt. (1-19) Another. (20-26)

Verses 1-19 The prophecy of the destruction of Egypt is very full. Those who take their lot with God's enemies, shall be with them in punishment. The king of Babylon and his army shall be instruments of this destruction. God often makes one wicked man a scourge to another. No place in the land of Egypt shall escape the fury of the Chaldeans. The Lord is known by the judgments he executes. Yet these are only present effects of the Divine displeasure, not worthy of our fear, compared with the wrath to come, from which Jesus delivers his people.

Verses 20-26 Egypt shall grow weaker and weaker. If lesser judgments do not prevail to humble and reform sinners, God will send greater. God justly breaks that power which is abused, either to put wrongs upon people, or to put cheats upon them. Babylon shall grow stronger. In vain do men endeavour to bind up the arm the Lord is pleased to break, and to strengthen those whom he will bring down. Those who disregard the discoveries of his truth and mercy, shall know his power and justice, in the punishment for their sins.

Footnotes

• [a]. Heb lacks [of doom]
• [b]. Or [Nubia]; Heb [Cush]
• [c]. Or [Nubia]; Heb [Cush]
• [d]. Compare Gk Syr Vg: Heb [Cub]
• [e]. Meaning of Heb uncertain
• [f]. Or [Nubians]; Heb [Cush]
• [g]. Heb [the day of Egypt]
• [h]. Heb [and they]
• [i]. Heb [she]

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 30

This chapter is a continuation of the prophecy against Egypt, both against the country and the king of it. It is introduced with expressions of lamentation, because of the destruction coming on, Eze 30:1-3, and not only Egypt, and the cities thereof, should be destroyed, but all her friends, associates, and allies; the Ethiopians, Lydians, Lybians, and others, Eze 30:4-9. Nebuchadnezzar and his army were to be the instruments of her ruin, Eze 30:10-12, particular cities are mentioned by name, which should suffer much, and become desolate, Eze 30:13-19 and then Pharaoh king of Egypt himself is threatened with broken arms, and his people to be scattered among the nations, Eze 30:20-23, and the king of Babylon is again mentioned, whose arms should be strengthened to do all this, Eze 30:24-26.