Ezekiel 32:18

18 "Son of man, wail over the hordes of Egypt and bring Egypt and the daughters of mighty nations down to the underworld,^[a] [to be] with those who descend to the Pit:^[b]

Ezekiel 32:18 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 32:18

Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt
Sing a funeral song or dirge, or compose one, to be sung by the mourning women, on account of the vast numbers of the inhabitants of Egypt that shall be slain; for the prophet himself would not mourn, but rejoice, on this occasion; but this is said to show the certainty of the destruction, and the lamentation that would be made on that account: and cast them down, even her and the daughters of the famous nations;
Egypt, and all those countries, and the inhabitants of them, that were in alliance and friendship with her; that is, declare by prophecy that they shall be cast down and destroyed, or be brought down from the height of grandeur and prosperity in which they now were: unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down to the pit;
not unto stately sepulchres built on high, such as were made for the kings of Egypt; but unto common pits or graves, dug in the lower parts of the earth, where the meaner and common sort of people were buried; there should be no distinction between them and others, they should have one common burial. The Targum is,

``son of man, prophesy concerning the multitude of Egypt, and break her, even her, and the villages of the mighty people; prophesy that they shall be delivered unto the lowest earth, with those that go down to the pit of the house of perdition.''

Ezekiel 32:18 In-Context

16 "This is a lament that will be chanted; the women of the nations will chant it. They will chant it over Egypt and all its hordes." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God .

17 In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth [day] of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:

18 "Son of man, wail over the hordes of Egypt and bring Egypt and the daughters of mighty nations down to the underworld, [to be] with those who descend to the Pit:

19 Whom do you surpass in loveliness? Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised!

20 They will fall among those slain by the sword. A sword is appointed! They drag her and all her hordes away.

Footnotes

• [a] Lit the lower parts of the earth
• [b] Ezk 26:20; 31:14,16,18