Ezekiel 32:7-32

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

8 All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you; I will bring darkness over your land, declares the Sovereign LORD.

9 I will trouble the hearts of many peoples when I bring about your destruction among the nations, among^[a] lands you have not known.

10 I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you, and their kings will shudder with horror because of you when I brandish my sword before them. On the day of your downfall each of them will tremble every moment for his life.

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

12 I will cause your hordes to fall by the swords of mighty men— the most ruthless of all nations. They will shatter the pride of Egypt, and all her hordes will be overthrown.

13 I will destroy all her cattle from beside abundant waters no longer to be stirred by the foot of man or muddied by the hooves of cattle.

14 Then I will let her waters settle and make her streams flow like oil, declares the Sovereign LORD.

15 When I make Egypt desolate and strip the land of everything in it, when I strike down all who live there, then they will know that I am the LORD.’

16 “This is the lament they will chant for her. The daughters of the nations will chant it; for Egypt and all her hordes they will chant it, declares the Sovereign LORD.”

Egypt’s Descent Into the Realm of the Dead

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 for the hordes of Egypt and consign to the earth below both her and the daughters of mighty nations, along with those who go down to the pit.

19 Say to them, ‘Are you more favored than others? Go down and be laid among the uncircumcised.’

20 They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; let her be dragged off with all her hordes.

21 From within the realm of the dead the mighty leaders will say of Egypt and her allies, ‘They have come down and they lie with the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.’

22 “Assyria is there with her whole army; she is surrounded by the graves of all her slain, all who have fallen by the sword.

23 Their graves are in the depths of the pit and her army lies around her grave. All who had spread terror in the land of the living are slain, fallen by the sword.

24 “Elam is there, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword. All who had spread terror in the land of the living went down uncircumcised to the earth below. They bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.

25 A bed is made for her among the slain, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword. Because their terror had spread in the land of the living, they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are laid among the slain.

26 “Meshek and Tubal are there, with all their hordes around their graves. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword because they spread their terror in the land of the living.

27 But they do not lie with the fallen warriors of old,^[b] who went down to the realm of the dead with their weapons of war—their swords placed under their heads and their shields^[c] resting on their bones—though these warriors also had terrorized the land of the living.

28 “You too, Pharaoh, will be broken and will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.

29 “Edom is there, her kings and all her princes; despite their power, they are laid with those killed by the sword. They lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit.

30 “All the princes of the north and all the Sidonians are there; they went down with the slain in disgrace despite the terror caused by their power. They lie uncircumcised with those killed by the sword and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.

31 “Pharaoh—he and all his army—will see them and he will be consoled for all his hordes that were killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign LORD.

32 Although I had him spread terror in the land of the living, Pharaoh and all his hordes will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign LORD.”

Ezekiel 32:7-32 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.

Cross References

• 1. S Isaiah 13:10; Isaiah 34:4; S Ezekiel 30:3; Joel 2:2,31; Joel 3:15; S Matthew 24:29; Revelation 8:12
• 2. S Psalms 102:26
• 3. S Job 9:7; S Jeremiah 4:23; Joel 2:10
• 4. S Isaiah 30:32
• 5. S Jeremiah 46:10
• 6. S Ezekiel 26:16; S Ezekiel 27:35; Ezekiel 30:9; Revelation 18:9-10
• 7. S Ezekiel 21:19
• 8. S Isaiah 19:4; S Jeremiah 46:13; Jeremiah 46:26
• 9. S Ezekiel 29:19
• 10. S Ezekiel 28:7
• 11. Ezekiel 31:11-12
• 12. S ver 2; S Ezekiel 29:8,11
• 13. Exodus 7:5; S Exodus 14:4,18; Psalms 107:33-34; Ezekiel 6:7
• 14. S Genesis 50:10; S Ezekiel 19:1; 2 Samuel 1:17; 2 Chronicles 35:25; Ezekiel 26:17
• 15. S ver 1
• 16. Jeremiah 1:10
• 17. Ezekiel 26:20; S Ezekiel 31:14,16; Micah 1:8
• 18. ver 29-30; S Ezekiel 28:10; Ezekiel 31:18
• 19. Psalms 28:3
• 20. Ezekiel 31:17-18
• 21. S Isaiah 14:9
• 22. Ezekiel 28:10
• 23. S Isaiah 14:15
• 24. Nahum 1:14
• 25. S Genesis 10:22
• 26. S Jeremiah 49:37
• 27. S Job 28:13
• 28. S Ezekiel 26:20
• 29. Ezekiel 28:10
• 30. Genesis 10:2; S Ezekiel 27:13
• 31. Ezekiel 28:10
• 32. S Psalms 137:7; Isaiah 34:5-15; Jeremiah 49:7; Ezekiel 35:15; Obadiah 1:1
• 33. Ezekiel 25:12-14
• 34. S Isaiah 14:31; Jeremiah 25:26; Ezekiel 38:6; Ezekiel 39:2
• 35. S Genesis 10:15; S Jeremiah 25:22; Ezekiel 28:21
• 36. Ezekiel 28:10
• 37. S Ezekiel 26:20; S Ezekiel 28:8
• 38. S Ezekiel 14:22; Ezekiel 31:16
• 39. S Jeremiah 44:30
• 40. S Job 3:14

Footnotes

• [a] Hebrew; Septuagint "bring you into captivity among the nations, " / "to"
• [b] Septuagint; Hebrew "warriors who were uncircumcised"
• [c] Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text "punishment"