Ezekiel 30:8-18

8 "And they will ¹know that I am the LORD, When I set a ²fire in Egypt And all her helpers are broken.

9 "On that day ³messengers will go forth from Me in ships to frighten ⁴secure Ethiopia; and ⁵anguish will be on them as on the day of Egypt; for behold, it comes!"

10 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "⁶I will also make the hordes of Egypt cease By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

11 "He and his people with him, ⁷The most ruthless of the nations, Will be brought in to destroy the land; And they will draw their swords against Egypt And fill the land with the slain.

12 "Moreover, I will make the ⁸Nile canals dry And ⁹sell the land into the hands of evil men. And I will make the land desolate And all that is in it, By the hand of strangers; I the LORD have spoken."

13 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "I will also ¹⁰destroy the idols And make the images cease from ¹¹Memphis. And there will no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt; And I will put fear in the land of Egypt.

14 "I will make ¹²Pathros desolate, Set a fire in ¹³Zoan And execute judgments on ¹⁴Thebes.

15 "I will pour out My wrath on Sin, The stronghold of Egypt; I will also cut off the hordes of Thebes.

16 "I will set a fire in Egypt; Sin will writhe in anguish, Thebes will be breached And Memphis will have distresses daily.

17 "The young men of ¹⁵On and of Pi-beseth Will fall by the sword, And the women will go into captivity.

18 "In ¹⁶Tehaphnehes the day will be ¹⁷dark When I ¹⁸break there the yoke bars of Egypt. Then the pride of her power will cease in her; A cloud will cover her, And her daughters will go into captivity.

Ezekiel 30:8-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 30

This chapter is a continuation of the prophecy against Egypt, both against the country and the king of it. It is introduced with expressions of lamentation, because of the destruction coming on, Eze 30:1-3, and not only Egypt, and the cities thereof, should be destroyed, but all her friends, associates, and allies; the Ethiopians, Lydians, Lybians, and others, Eze 30:4-9. Nebuchadnezzar and his army were to be the instruments of her ruin, Eze 30:10-12, particular cities are mentioned by name, which should suffer much, and become desolate, Eze 30:13-19 and then Pharaoh king of Egypt himself is threatened with broken arms, and his people to be scattered among the nations, Eze 30:20-23, and the king of Babylon is again mentioned, whose arms should be strengthened to do all this, Eze 30:24-26.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 58:11; Ezek 29:6, 9, 16
• 2. Ezekiel 22:31; Ezekiel 30:14, 16; Amos 1:4, 7, 10, 12, 14
• 3. Isaiah 18:1, 2
• 4. Isaiah 47:8; Ezekiel 38:11; Ezekiel 39:6
• 5. Isaiah 19:17; Isaiah 23:5; Ezekiel 32:9, 10
• 6. Ezekiel 29:19
• 7. Ezekiel 28:7
• 8. Ezekiel 29:3, 9
• 9. Isaiah 19:4
• 10. Isaiah 2:18
• 11. Isaiah 19:13; Jeremiah 2:16; Jeremiah 44:1; Jeremiah 46:14; Ezekiel 30:16
• 12. Isaiah 11:11; Jeremiah 44:1, 15; Ezekiel 29:14
• 13. Psalms 78:12, 43; Isaiah 19:11, 13
• 14. Jeremiah 46:25; Ezekiel 30:15, 16; Nahum 3:8
• 15. Genesis 41:45; Genesis 46:20
• 16. Jeremiah 43:8-13
• 17. Ezekiel 30:3
• 18. Leviticus 26:13; Isaiah 10:27; Jeremiah 27:2; Jeremiah 28:10, 13; Jeremiah 30:8; Ezekiel 34:27

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "Cush"
• [b] Or "people;" lit "crowd," and so throughout the ch
• [c] Lit "her fullness"
• [d] Or "futile ones"
• [e] Or "Noph"
• [f] Or "No"
• [g] Or "Pelusium"
• [h] Or "No"
• [i] Or "Pelusium"
• [j] Or "No"
• [k] Or "Noph"
• [l] Or "adversaries"
• [m] Or "Aven"
• [n] Lit "they"
• [o] So with many mss and ancient versions; M.T. "restrain"