Ezekiel 30:14

14 I will completely destroy Upper Egypt. I will set Zoan on fire. I will punish Thebes.

Ezekiel 30:14 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 30:14

And I will make Pathros desolate
A country in Egypt; (See Gill on Ezekiel 29:14), perhaps it was the first place that Nebuchadnezzar entered, and so went from place to place in the order hereafter mentioned: and I will set fire in Zoan;
or Tunis, a famous city in Egypt in the times of Moses, ( Numbers 13:22 ) ( Psalms 78:12 Psalms 78:43 ) . The Targum and Septuagint version call it Tanis here; and from hence a nome in Egypt was called the Tanitic nome. This city was burnt down by the king of Babylon: the place now built on the spot is called Mansourah, as Dr. Shaw F23 says: and I will execute judgment in No.
The Vulgate Latin version renders it Alexandria; and so does the Targum; of which place Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech interpret it; and so does Jerom; which, though built after these times by Alexander, and called so after his name, yet is supposed to be built on or near the place where ancient No stood. The city is now called Scanderoon, or Scanderea; the Turks calling Alexander Scander: here the judgments of God were executed in the destruction of it by the Chaldean army; and great devastations have been made in it since it was rebuilt by Alexander, by the Saracens, who destroyed all places where they came; so that, as Dr. Shaw F24 observes, it is somewhat extraordinary that the greatest part of the ancient walls, together with their respective turrets, should have continued entire quite down to this time. The Septuagint version calls it Diospolis, or the city of Jupiter, as does the Arabic version, that is, of Jupiter Hammon; the city of Thebes, where he was worshipped; as it is in a following verse called Hammon No; though Hillerus F25 thinks neither of these places are meant, neither Alexandria nor Diospolis; but Memphis, as it is rendered by the Septuagint in the next verse; (See Gill on Nahum 3:8).


FOOTNOTES:

F23 Travels, p. 304. Ed. 2.
F24 Ib. p. 292.
F25 Onomastic. Sacr. p. 571

Ezekiel 30:14 In-Context

12 I will dry up the streams of the Nile River. I will sell the land to evil men. I will use the powerful hands of strangers to destroy the land and everything in it. "I have spoken. I am the Lord."
13 The LORD and King says, "I will destroy the statues of Egypt's gods. I will put an end to the gods the people in Memphis worship. Egypt will not have princes anymore. I will spread fear all through the land.
14 I will completely destroy Upper Egypt. I will set Zoan on fire. I will punish Thebes.
15 I will pour out my burning anger on Pelusium. It is a fort in eastern Egypt. I will cut off the huge army of Thebes.
16 I will set Egypt on fire. Pelusium will groan with terrible pain. Thebes will be ripped apart. Memphis will suffer greatly because of everything that happens.
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