Ezekiel 30:21

21 "Son of man, I have broken the arm^[a] of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Look, it has not been bandaged-[no] medicine has been applied and no splint put on to bandage it so that it can grow strong [enough] to handle a sword.

Ezekiel 30:21 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 30:21

Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt,
&c.] Not Pharaohnecho, king of Egypt, whose army was overthrown at Carchemish by the king of Babylon, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim; when the latter took from the former all that belonged to him between the river of Egypt and the river Euphrates; by which he was so weakened and dispirited, that he could not stir any more out of his own land, ( Jeremiah 46:2 ) ( 2 Kings 24:7 ) and of him Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it; but Pharaohhophra, or Apries, who was defeated by the Cyreneans, and saved himself by flight; (See Gill on Ezekiel 29:4): and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind
it;
a metaphor taken from chirurgeons, who, having set broken bones, put on a bandage or rollers of linen, or such like stuff, to keep them tight; but nothing of this kind should be done; hereby suggesting that Egypt should receive such a blow or wound as would be incurable; see ( Jeremiah 46:11 ) : to make it strong to hold the sword;
which it should not be able to do, or to make war any more, at least with success, or to defend itself.

Ezekiel 30:21 In-Context

19 So I will execute judgments against Egypt, and they will 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 "Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Look, it has not been bandaged-[no] medicine has been applied and no splint put on to bandage it so that it can grow strong [enough] to handle a sword.

22 Therefore this is what the Lord God says: Look! I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one [already] broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand.

23 I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them among the countries.

Footnotes

• [a] Ps 10:15; 37:17