Ezekiel 29:6

6 Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the Lord, for they^[a] have been a staff [made] of reed to the house of Israel.

Ezekiel 29:6 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 29:6

And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord,
&c.] Who could eject their king from his kingdom, and deliver him into the hands of his enemy; though he thought no God could, as he boastingly said, before observed: because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel;
alluding to the country of Egypt, which abounded with reeds that grew upon the banks of the river Nile, and other rivers. This signifies that either the Egyptians were weak, and could not help the people of Israel when they applied to them; or rather that they were treacherous and deceitful, and would not assist them, according to agreement; and were even pernicious and hurtful to them, as a broken reed; see ( Isaiah 36:6 ) . The Targum renders it, ``the staff of a reed broken.''

Ezekiel 29:6 In-Context

4 I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your streams cling to your scales. I will haul you up from the middle of your Nile, and all the fish of your streams will cling to your scales.

5 I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open ground and will not be taken away or gathered [for burial]. I have given you to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky as food.

6 Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the Lord, for they have been a staff [made] of reed to the house of Israel.

7 When Israel grasped you by the hand, you splintered, tearing all their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you shattered and made all their hips unsteady.

8 "Therefore this is what the Lord God says: I am going to bring a sword against you and wipe out man and animal from you.

Footnotes

• [a]. LXX, Syr, Vg read you