Ezekiel 32:1-21

1 On March 3, during the twelfth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the LORD :

2 “Son of man, mourn for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and give him this message: “You think of yourself as a strong young lion among the nations, but you are really just a sea monster, heaving around in your own rivers, stirring up mud with your feet.

3 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will send many people to catch you in my net and haul you out of the water.

4 I will leave you stranded on the land to die. All the birds of the heavens will land on you, and the wild animals of the whole earth will gorge themselves on you.

5 I will scatter your flesh on the hills and fill the valleys with your bones.

6 I will drench the earth with your gushing blood all the way to the mountains, filling the ravines to the brim.

7 When I blot you out, I will veil the heavens and darken the stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give you its light.

8 I will darken the bright stars overhead and cover your land in darkness. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!

9 “I will disturb many hearts when I bring news of your downfall to distant nations you have never seen.

10 Yes, I will shock many lands, and their kings will be terrified at your fate. They will shudder in fear for their lives as I brandish my sword before them on the day of your fall.

11 For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “The sword of the king of Babylon will come against you.

12 I will destroy your hordes with the swords of mighty warriors— the terror of the nations. They will shatter the pride of Egypt, and all its hordes will be destroyed.

13 I will destroy all your flocks and herds that graze beside the streams. Never again will people or animals muddy those waters with their feet.

14 Then I will let the waters of Egypt become calm again, and they will flow as smoothly as olive oil, says the Sovereign LORD .

15 And when I destroy Egypt and strip you of everything you own and strike down all your people, then you will know that I am the LORD .

16 Yes, this is the funeral song they will sing for Egypt. Let all the nations mourn. Let them mourn for Egypt and its hordes. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!”

17 On March 17, during the twelfth year, another message came to me from the LORD :

18 “Son of man, weep for the hordes of Egypt and for the other mighty nations. For I will send them down to the world below in company with those who descend to the pit.

19 Say to them, ‘O Egypt, are you lovelier than the other nations? No! So go down to the pit and lie there among the outcasts. ’

20 The Egyptians will fall with the many who have died by the sword, for the sword is drawn against them. Egypt and its hordes will be dragged away to their judgment.

21 Down in the grave mighty leaders will mockingly welcome Egypt and its allies, saying, ‘They have come down; they lie among the outcasts, hordes slaughtered by the sword.’

Ezekiel 32:1-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 32

This chapter contains two more prophecies concerning the destruction of Egypt. The date of the first is given, Eze 22:1, in which the king of Egypt is compared to a large fish taken in a net, and brought to land, and left on it, to be the prey of the fowls of the air and beasts of the field, Eze 32:2-4, and the ruin of that kingdom is further amplified by the casting of it on the mountains and valleys; by the land flowing with its blood; by the darkness of the heavens; by the vexation in the hearts of many people; and by the amazement of kings and nations, Eze 32:5-10, the means and instruments of all which will be the king of Babylon and his army, Eze 32:11,12, the devastation made by him, which would be such as would cause lamentation in other nations, is described, Eze 32:13-16, then follows the other prophecy, whose date is given, Eze 32:17, the prophet is bid to lament the fall of Egypt, which is represented under the funeral of a corpse, Eze 32:18-20, saluted by those gone down to the grave before, or were become desolate; which are mentioned, to assure Egypt of its destruction, Eze 32:21 as the Assyrian empire, and all its provinces, Eze 32:22,23, the Persians and Medes, with all their dominions, Eze 32:24,25, the posterity of Meshech and Tubal, or the Scythians, those warlike people, Eze 32:26-28, the Edomites, the princes of the north, and all the Zidonians, Eze 32:29,30 which would be a comfort, though a poor one to the king of Egypt and his subjects, to have such company with them, Eze 32:31,32.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew On the first day of the twelfth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This event occurred on March 3, 585 ; also see note on 1:1 .
• [b]. Hebrew On the fifteenth day of the month, presumably in the twelfth month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar (see 32:1 ). This would put this message at the end of King Jehoiachin’s twelfth year of captivity, on March 17, 585 ; also see note on 1:1 . Greek version reads On the fifteenth day of the first month, which would put this message on April 27, 586, at the beginning of Jehoiachin’s twelfth year.
• [c]. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
• [d]. Hebrew the uncircumcised; also in 32:21, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32 .
• [e]. Hebrew in Sheol.