1 The judgment of Pharaoh for his treachery to Israel. 8 The desolation of Egypt. 13 The restoration thereof after forty years. 17 Egypt the reward of Nebuchadrezzar. 21 Israel shall be restored.
Eze 29:1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Eze 29:2 “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt.
Eze 29:3 Speak, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, Who has said, ‘My River is my own; I have made it for myself.’
Eze 29:4 But I will put hooks in your jaws, And cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales; I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers, And all the fish in your rivers will stick to your scales.
Eze 29:5 I will leave you in the wilderness, You and all the fish of your rivers; You shall fall on the open field; You shall not be picked up or gathered. I have given you as food To the beasts of the field And to the birds of the heavens.
Eze 29:6 “Then all the inhabitants of Egypt Shall know that I am the LORD, Because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.
Eze 29:7 When they took hold of you with the hand, You broke and tore all their shoulders; When they leaned on you, You broke and made all their backs quiver.”
Eze 29:8 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will bring a sword upon you and cut off from you man and beast.
Eze 29:9 And the land of Egypt shall become desolate and waste; then they will know that I am the LORD, because he said, ‘The River is mine, and I have made it.’
Eze 29:10 Indeed, therefore, I am against you and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Ethiopia.
Eze 29:11 Neither foot of man shall pass through it nor foot of beast pass through it, and it shall be uninhabited forty years.
Eze 29:12 I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and among the cities that are laid waste, her cities shall be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.”
Eze 29:13 ‘Yet, thus says the Lord GOD: “At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered.
Eze 29:14 I will bring back the captives of Egypt and cause them to return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they shall be a lowly kingdom.
Eze 29:15 It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms; it shall never again exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations anymore.
Eze 29:16 No longer shall it be the confidence of the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity when they turned to follow them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.” ‘ ”
Eze 29:17 And it came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Eze 29:18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it.
Eze 29:19 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army.
Eze 29:20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they worked for Me,’ says the Lord GOD.
Eze 29:21 ‘In that day I will cause the horn of the house of Israel to spring forth, and I will open your mouth to speak in their midst. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.’ ”
Eze 29:1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
1. In the tenth year. Of Jehoiachin’s captivity (see on ch. 1:2). The month date here given is Jan., 587 The prophecy may have been delivered shortly after the time the Babylonians temporarily lifted the siege of Jerusalem because of the approach of the Egyptians under Hophra (Jer. 37:5, 11). Jeremiah had prophesied the failure of that attempt (ch. 37:6–10). The news of these events may have stimulated the exiles to fresh hope in the deliverance of Jerusalem, and Ezekiel’s prophecy against Egypt may have found its occasion in these circumstances.
Eze 29:2 “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt.
Eze 29:3 Speak, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, Who has said, ‘My River is my own; I have made it for myself.’
The Pharaoh now on the throne was Hophra, the Apries of the Greeks, 589–570 B.C.
The great dragon. Heb. tannim, “jackals.” However, a number of Hebrew manuscripts read tannin, “a dragon.” The latter reading would suggest the crocodile, a characteristic animal of Egypt.
My river. According to Herodotus (ii. 170), Apries boasted that he was so well established that not even a god could dispossess him of his power. The monuments of Egypt bear full testimony of the pompous pride of the Pharaohs.
Eze 29:4 But I will put hooks in your jaws, And cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales; I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers, And all the fish in your rivers will stick to your scales.
4. Hooks in thy jaws. Herodotus (ii. 70) describes how the Egyptians caught the Nile crocodiles with baited hooks. God would break the stubborn pride of this boastful monarch.
Fish of thy rivers. Probably representing the Egyptian armies, or Egypt’s allies. Pharaoh was not to perish alone. He would involve others in a common ruin with him.
Eze 29:5 I will leave you in the wilderness, You and all the fish of your rivers; You shall fall on the open field; You shall not be picked up or gathered. I have given you as food To the beasts of the field And to the birds of the heavens.
5. Open fields. Thrown into the open fields, they would be devoured by the birds and beasts of prey. Egypt was to be given over for a spoil.
Eze 29:6 “Then all the inhabitants of Egypt Shall know that I am the LORD, Because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.
6. A staff of reed. The figure is local. Reeds grew abundantly on the banks of the Nile (see Ex. 2:3). God had long since warned against placing trust in Egyptian aid (Isa. 30:6, 7; Isa. 31:3; Jer. 2:36; cf. 2 Kings 18:21; cf. Isa. 36:6). Zedekiah’s league with Egypt was doomed to dismal failure (Jer. 37:5–7).
Eze 29:7 When they took hold of you with the hand, You broke and tore all their shoulders; When they leaned on you, You broke and made all their backs quiver.”
Eze 29:8 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will bring a sword upon you and cut off from you man and beast.
8. Bring a sword. Israel suffered for trusting in Egypt against God’s direct command. Egypt too would suffer for her perfidious mischief.
Eze 29:9 And the land of Egypt shall become desolate and waste; then they will know that I am the LORD, because he said, ‘The River is mine, and I have made it.’
Eze 29:10 Indeed, therefore, I am against you and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Ethiopia.
The two towns, Migdol and Syene, represent the northern and southern extremities of the land.
Eze 29:11 Neither foot of man shall pass through it nor foot of beast pass through it, and it shall be uninhabited forty years.
11. Forty years. The state of desolation described in vs. 9–12 must be understood comparatively. The language is that of a poetic prophet who must not be denied the use of the powerful figure of hyperbole. History records no utter depopulation, and no such 40-year period is known.
Eze 29:12 I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and among the cities that are laid waste, her cities shall be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.”
Eze 29:13 ‘Yet, thus says the Lord GOD: “At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered.
13. Gather the Egyptians. Unlike Tyre, and other Canaanitish states and later Babylon, Egypt was to have a revival. It is difficult to determine what historical event is here forecast.
Eze 29:14 I will bring back the captives of Egypt and cause them to return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they shall be a lowly kingdom.
14. Pathros. A transliteration of the Hebrew form of the Egyptian Pa’–ta’–reśy and the Akkadian Paturisi, the region of Upper Egypt.
Eze 29:15 It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms; it shall never again exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations anymore.
15. The basest. Meaning, “the lowliest.” Historically this has been fulfilled. Egypt came under foreign domination a little over half a century after this time, and though she has survived all her foreign rulers, she has never risen to her former greatness and prestige.
Eze 29:16 No longer shall it be the confidence of the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity when they turned to follow them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
16. The confidence. God’s people had repeatedly transgressed by looking to Egypt for aid (2 Kings 17:4; 23:35; Isa. 30:2, 3; cf. ch. 36:4, 6). This temptation would be entirely removed.
Eze 29:17 And it came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
17. The seven and twentieth year. Of Jehoiachin’s captivity (see on ch. 1:2); the month date falls in April, 571 or 570 (see p. 572). This is the latest date appearing in Ezekiel. The message of vs. 17–21 was evidently placed here in order that all the prophecies concerning Egypt might appear together.
Eze 29:18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it.
18. Yet had he no wages. The 13-year siege of Tyre ended in 573. Nebuchadnezzar failed to conquer the island city (see on ch. 26:7). The siege of Tyre is here represented as a service to God for which Nebuchadnezzar had not been duly rewarded.
Eze 29:19 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army.
19. Unto Nebuchadrezzar. Cuneiform tablets of Nebuchadnezzar tell of a campaign against Egypt in the king’s 37th year (see J. B. Pritchard, editor, Ancient Near Eastern Texts, p. 308). The tablet is broken off, so that the complete account of the campaign is not known. This is believed to be the event here referred to by Ezekiel. For a more complete discussion of the historical aspects of the problem see on Jer. 46:13; see also Vol. III, p. 46. For a discussion of the variant spelling, “Nebuchadrezzar,” see on Dan. 1:1.
Eze 29:20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they worked for Me,’ says the Lord GOD.
Eze 29:21 ‘In that day I will cause the horn of the house of Israel to spring forth, and I will open your mouth to speak in their midst. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.’ ”
21. Horn. A symbol of power (see Deut. 33:17; Ps. 92:10). When Israel would learn to put her trust in God alone, rather than in an earthly power, such as Egypt, that horn that had been cut off would begin to sprout again.
Open your mouth.
Probably not a reference to the enforced silence of ch. 24:27, but to the prophet’s work as teacher of the people.
Eze 24:27 At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.”