Yechezkel 29:7

7 When they took hold of thee by thy palm, thou didst splinter, and tear all their katef (shoulder); and when they leaned upon thee, thou broke, and madest all their loins unsteady.

Yechezkel 29:7 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 29:7

When they took hold of thee by thy hand
When the Israelites entered into an alliance and confederacy with the Egyptians, called for their assistance according to treaty, and put their confidence in them: thou didst break and rend all their shoulder;
as a reed which a man puts under his armhole, and leans upon, and it breaks under him, the splinters run into the flesh up to the very shoulder, and tear the flesh to pieces; so, through Zedekiah's trusting to the king of Egypt, he rebelled against the king of Babylon, which brought on his ruin, and the destruction of his kingdom: and when they leaned upon thee thou brakest, and madest all their loins
to be at a stand;
when they put their confidence in the king of Egypt, and sent to him for help when besieged by the king of Babylon, and he failed them, they were obliged to raise up themselves, as a man is forced to do when his staff breaks under him, whose loins before were bowed, but now erects himself, and stands and walks as well as he can without it; so the Jews were forced to stand upon their own legs, and exert all the force they had, and make all the efforts they could against the king of Babylon, being left in the lurch by the king of Egypt; in which, though they were rightly served for their vain confidence and not trusting in the Lord, yet the treachery of the Egyptians was resented by him, as follows:

Yechezkel 29:7 In-Context

5 And I will throw thee out into the midbar, thee and all the dag (fish) of thy river channels; thou shalt fall upon the open sadeh; thou shalt not be picked up together, nor gathered; I have given thee for food to the beasts of ha’aretz and to the oph HaShomayim.

6 And all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim shall know that I am Hashem, because they have been mishenet kaneh (a staff of reed) to Bais Yisroel.

7 When they took hold of thee by thy palm, thou didst splinter, and tear all their katef (shoulder); and when they leaned upon thee, thou broke, and madest all their loins unsteady.

8 Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Hineni, I will bring a cherev upon thee, and cut off adam and behemah from thee.

9 And Eretz Mitzrayim shall be desolate and in ruins; and they shall know that I am Hashem; because he hath said, The Nile is Mine, and I have made it.