Ezekiel 32:16-26

16 It is a wailing, and the daughters of heathen men shall bewail him; they shall bewail him on Egypt, and they shall bewail him on the multitude thereof, saith the Lord God. (It is a wailing, and the daughters of the heathen shall bewail it; they shall bewail it over Egypt, and they shall bewail it over its multitude, saith the Lord God.)
17 And it was done in the twelfth year, in the fifteen day of the month (on the fifteenth day of the month), the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,
18 Son of man, sing thou a song of wailing on the multitude of Egypt, and draw thou down it the same, and the daughters of strong heathen men, to the last land, with them that went down into the pit. (Son of man, sing a song of wailing, thou and the daughters of the strong heathen men, for the multitude of Egypt, whom I shall draw down to the last land, with those who go down into the pit.)
19 Inasmuch as thou art fairer, go down, and sleep with uncircumcised men. (And even though thou art beautiful, go down, and sleep with the uncircumcised.)
20 In the midst of slain men they shall fall down by sword (In the midst of the slain they shall fall down by the sword); a sword is given, and they draw it to, and all the peoples thereof.
21 The mightest of strong men shall speak to him, from the midst of hell, which with their helpers went down, and slept uncircumcised, and slain by sword. (The mightest of the strong men shall speak to him, from the midst of Sheol, they who went down with their helpers, and slept uncircumcised, killed by the sword.)
22 There is Assur, and all his multitude; the sepulchres of them be in the compass of him; all slain men, that fell down by sword, (Saying, There is Asshur, or Assyria, and all her multitude; their tombs, or their graves, be all around her; all the slain, who fell down by the sword,)
23 whose sepulchres be given in the last things of the pit. And the multitude of him is made (there) by the compass of his sepulchre; all slain men, and falling down by sword, which gave sometime their fearedfulness in the land of living men. (whose tombs, or graves, be found in the last things of the pit. And her multitude is buried there all around her tomb, or her grave; all the slain, and those fallen by the sword, who spread abroad their fearfulness, or their terror, in the land of the living.)
24 There is Elam, and all the multitude thereof by the compass of his sepulchre; all these were slain, and falling down by sword, that went down uncircumcised to the last land; which setted their dread in the land of living men, and bare their shame with them that go down into the pit. (There is Elam, and all her multitude all around her tomb, or her grave; all these were slain, and fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised to the last land; who spread abroad their terror in the land of the living, and bare their shame with those who go down into the pit.)
25 In the midst of slain men they putted his bed in all the peoples of him; his sepulchre is in the compass of him. All these were uncircumcised and slain by sword, for they gave dread in the land of living men, and bare their shame with them that go down into the pit; they be set in the midst of slain men. (In the midst of the slain they put her bed with all her peoples; yea, their tombs, or their graves, be all around her. All these were uncircumcised and slain by the sword, for they spread abroad their terror in the land of the living, and bare their shame with those who go down into the pit; they be set in the midst of the slain.)
26 There be Meshech and Tubal, and all the multitude thereof; the sepulchres thereof be in the compass thereof. All these men uncircumcised were slain, and falling down by sword, for they gave their dread in the land of living men. (There be Meshech and Tubal, and all their multitudes; their tombs, or their graves, be all around them. All these uncircumcised men were slain, and fallen by the sword, though they once spread abroad their terror in the land of the living.)

Ezekiel 32:16-26 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.

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