Ezekiel 30:12-22

12 And I shall make dry the bottoms of floods, and I shall give the land in(to) the hand of the worst men; and I shall destroy the land, and the fullness thereof in the hand of aliens; I the Lord spake. (And I shall dry up the bottoms of the rivers, or the riverbeds, and I shall give the land into the hands, or into the power, of the worst people; and I shall destroy the land, and its fullness, by the hands of foreigners, or of strangers; I the Lord spoke.)
13 The Lord God saith these things, And I shall lose simulacra, and I shall make idols to cease from Memphis, and a duke of the land of Egypt shall no more be. And I shall give dread in the land of Egypt, (The Lord God saith these things, And I shall destroy the idols, and I shall make the idols to cease to exist in Noph, and a prince, or a leader, shall no more be in the land of Egypt. And I shall bring fear into the land of Egypt,)
14 and I shall lose, [or destroy,] the land of Pathros. And I shall give fire in Tanis, and I shall make my dooms in Alexandria. (and I shall destroy the land of Pathros. And I shall set fire to Zoan, and I shall bring in my judgements upon No.)
15 And I shall shed out mine indignation on Pelusium, the strength of Egypt; and I shall slay the multitude of Alexandria, (And I shall pour out my indignation upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I shall kill the multitude of No,)
16 and I shall give fire in Egypt. Pelusium, as a woman travailing of child, shall have sorrow, and Alexandria shall be destroyed, and in Memphis shall be each day's anguishes. (and I shall set fire to Egypt. Sin, like a woman labouring with child, shall have sorrow, and No shall be destroyed, and in Noph shall be each day's anguishes.)
17 The young men of Heliopolis and of Bubastis shall fall down by sword, and those cities shall be led captives (and these cities shall go into captivity).
18 And in Tahpanhes the day shall wax black, when I shall all-break there the sceptres of Egypt (when I shall all-break there the yoke of Egypt), and the pride of the power thereof shall fail therein. A cloud shall cover it; forsooth the daughters thereof shall be led into captivity,
19 and I shall make dooms in Egypt (and I shall bring in my judgements upon Egypt); and they shall know, that I am the Lord.
20 And it was done in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month (on the seventh day of the month), the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,
21 Thou, son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and lo! it is not wrapped [about], that health should be restored thereto, that it should be bound with clothes (that it should be bound with a dressing), and wound (about) with linen clothes, and that he might hold (a) sword (again), when he had received strength.
22 Therefore the Lord God saith these things, Lo! I to Pharaoh, king of Egypt; I shall make less his strong arm but broken, and I shall cast down the sword from his hand. (And so the Lord God saith these things, Lo! I am against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt; I shall make less, or I shall break, both his arms, his strong arm, and his broken arm, and I shall throw down the sword from his hand.)

Ezekiel 30:12-22 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.