Ezekiel 29:1-6

1 In the tenth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month (on the first day of the month), the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,

2 Thou, son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and thou shalt prophesy of him, and of all Egypt. (Thou, son of man, set thy face toward Pharaoh, the king of Egypt; and thou shalt prophesy against him, and against all of Egypt.)

3 Speak thou, and thou shalt say, The Lord God saith these things, Lo! I to thee, thou Pharaoh, king of Egypt, thou great dragon, that liest in the midst of thy floods, and sayest, The flood is mine, and I made (it for) myself. (Speak thou, and thou shalt say, The Lord God saith these things, Lo! I am against thee, O Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, O great dragon, that liest in the midst of the River, that is, the Nile, and sayest, The River is mine, and I made it for myself.)

4 And I shall set a bridle in thy cheeks, and I shall glue the fishes of thy floods to thy scales; and I shall draw thee out of the midst of thy floods, and all thy fishes shall cleave to thy scales. (And I shall put a bridle on thy cheeks, or a hook in thy jaw, and I shall glue the fish of the River to thy scales; and I shall draw thee out of the midst of the River, and all thy fish shall cleave to thy scales.)

5 And I shall cast thee forth into desert, (thee) and all the fishes of thy flood; on the face of (the) earth thou shalt fall down, thou shalt not be gathered [up], neither shalt be gathered together (to thy people); to the beasts of (the) earth, and to the volatiles of the air, I gave thee to be devoured. (And I shall throw thee forth into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy River; thou shalt fall down upon the face of the earth, thou shalt not be gathered up, nor shalt thou be gathered to thy people, or buried; I shall give thee to be devoured by the beasts of the field, and by the birds of the air.)

6 And all the dwellers of Egypt shall know, that I am the Lord (And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know, that I am the Lord). For that that thou were a staff of (a) reed to the house of Israel,

Ezekiel 29:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

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.