Ezekiel 29:12-21

12 I will make the land of Egypt desolate among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.

13 “ ‘Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were scattered.

14 I will bring them back from captivity and return them to Upper Egypt, the land of their ancestry. There they will be a lowly kingdom.

15 It will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the other nations. I will make it so weak that it will never again rule over the nations.

16 Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence for the people of Israel but will be a reminder of their sin in turning to her for help. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.’ ”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Reward

17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month on the first day, the word of the LORD came to me:

18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre; every head was rubbed bare and every shoulder made raw. Yet he and his army got no reward from the campaign he led against Tyre.

19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder the land as pay for his army.

20 I have given him Egypt as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign LORD.

21 “On that day I will make a horn^[a] grow for the Israelites, and I will open your mouth among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Ezekiel 29:12-21 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.

Cross References

• 1. S Isaiah 34:10
• 2. S Jeremiah 46:19; Eze 30:7,23,26
• 3. S Isaiah 11:11; Ezekiel 30:14
• 4. Ezekiel 17:14
• 5. S Isaiah 19:22; Jeremiah 46:26
• 6. Zechariah 10:11
• 7. 2 Chronicles 32:10; Isaiah 36:4,6
• 8. S Numbers 5:15
• 9. S Lamentations 4:17
• 10. Isaiah 20:5; S Isaiah 30:2; Hosea 8:13
• 11. S ver 1; S Ezekiel 24:1; Ezekiel 30:20; Ezekiel 40:1
• 12. Jeremiah 27:6; Jeremiah 39:1; Ezekiel 26:7-8
• 13. S Leviticus 13:40; S Job 1:20; S Jeremiah 48:37
• 14. Genesis 49:15
• 15. S Isaiah 19:4
• 16. S Ezekiel 26:5
• 17. Jeremiah 43:10-13; Eze 30:4,10,24-25; Ezekiel 32:11
• 18. S Isaiah 43:3
• 19. Isaiah 10:6-7; Isaiah 45:1; S Jeremiah 25:9
• 20. S Psalms 132:17; S Luke 1:69
• 21. Ezekiel 33:22
• 22. S Ezekiel 3:27; Ezekiel 24:27

Footnotes

• [a]. "Horn" here symbolizes strength.