1 The desolation of Egypt and her helpers. 20 The arm of Babylon shall be strengthened to break the arm of Egypt.
Eze 30:1 The word of the LORD came to me:
Eze 30:2 “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘Wail and say, “Alas for that day!”
Eze 30:3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near— a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.
Eze 30:4 A sword will come against Egypt, and anguish will come upon Cush. When the slain fall in Egypt, her wealth will be carried away and her foundations torn down.
Eze 30:5 Cush and Libya, Lydia and all Arabia, Kub and the people of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt.
Eze 30:6 “‘This is what the LORD says: “‘The allies of Egypt will fall and her proud strength will fail. From Migdol to Aswan they will fall by the sword within her, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Eze 30:7 “‘They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will lie among ruined cities.
Eze 30:8 Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I set fire to Egypt and all her helpers are crushed.
Eze 30:9 “‘On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to frighten Cush out of her complacency. Anguish will take hold of them on the day of Egypt’s doom, for it is sure to come.
Eze 30:10 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
Eze 30:11 He and his army—the most ruthless of nations— will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.
Eze 30:12 I will dry up the waters of the Nile and sell the land to an evil nation; by the hand of foreigners I will lay waste the land and everything in it. I the LORD have spoken.
Eze 30:13 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis. No longer will there be a prince in Egypt, and I will spread fear throughout the land.
Eze 30:14 I will lay waste Upper Egypt, set fire to Zoan and inflict punishment on Thebes.
Eze 30:15 I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and wipe out the hordes of Thebes.
Eze 30:16 I will set fire to Egypt; Pelusium will writhe in agony. Thebes will be taken by storm; Memphis will be in constant distress.
Eze 30:17 The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall by the sword, and the cities themselves will go into captivity.
Eze 30:18 Dark will be the day at Tahpanhes when I break the yoke of Egypt; there her proud strength will come to an end. She will be covered with clouds, and her villages will go into captivity.
Eze 30:19 So I will inflict punishment on Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.'”
Egypt Shall Fall to Babylon
Eze 30:20 In the eleventh year, in the first month on the seventh day, the word of the LORD came to me:
Eze 30:21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. It has not been bound up to be healed or put in a splint so that it may become strong enough to hold a sword.
Eze 30:22 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break both his arms, the good arm as well as the broken one, and make the sword fall from his hand.
Eze 30:23 I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.
Eze 30:24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him like a mortally wounded man.
Eze 30:25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he brandishes it against Egypt.
Eze 30:26 I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
Eze 30:1 The word of the LORD came to me:
1. The word of the Lord. Chapter 30 consists of two separate prophecies against Egypt: (1) vs. 1–9, undated, but probably belonging to the preceding prophecy of ch. 29:17–21; (2) vs. 20–26, definitely dated, and given about three months after the prophecy of ch. 29:1–16 if Ezekiel began the year in the spring, or a year and three months if he counted from the fall.
Eze 30:1 The word of the LORD came to me:
1. The word of the Lord. Chapter 30 consists of two separate prophecies against Egypt: (1) vs. 1–9, undated, but probably belonging to the preceding prophecy of ch. 29:17–21; (2) vs. 20–26, definitely dated, and given about three months after the prophecy of ch. 29:1–16 if Ezekiel began the year in the spring, or a year and three months if he counted from the fall.
Eze 30:3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near— a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.
3. The day of the Lord. See on Isa. 2:12.
Time of the heathen. Or, “time of the nations.” God keeps an account with the nations. He determines when their cup of iniquity is full (see 5T 208, 524; 7T 141; 9T 13; see on Dan. 4:17).
Eze 30:4 A sword will come against Egypt, and anguish will come upon Cush. When the slain fall in Egypt, her wealth will be carried away and her foundations torn down.
4. Multitude. Heb. hamon, also meaning “wealth,” or “abundance,” and preferably so translated here.
Eze 30:5 Cush and Libya, Lydia and all Arabia, Kub and the people of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt.
5. Ethiopia. Heb. Kush. The Cushites inhabited Nubia, which included part of the present Sudan (see on Gen. 10:6).
Libya. Heb. Puṭ (see on ch. 27:10, there translated Phut).
Lydia. Lud (see on Gen. 10:13; Jer. 46:9; cf. Eze. 27:10).
The mingled people. Compare Jer. 25:20. The expression probably applies to the foreign mercenaries in the Egyptian army or to foreigners generally.
Chub. This name is unknown geographically. Various conjectures as to its identity have been made and various changes in the text proposed to make it into a known country. The LXX reads “Persians and Cretans” in place of “Ethiopia” and omits Chub. It probably describes one of Egypt’s allies.
Men of the land that is in league. Literally, “sons of the land of the covenant.” The LXX reads “they of the children of my covenant.” If the LXX reading is correct, the reference is possibly to the Jews who had sought refuge in Egypt after the murder of Gedaliah (Jer. 42–44). Jeremiah had told them that the sword and famine they were attempting to flee would overtake them there (Jer. 42:16–18).
Eze 30:6 “‘This is what the LORD says: “‘The allies of Egypt will fall and her proud strength will fail. From Migdol to Aswan they will fall by the sword within her, declares the Sovereign LORD.
6. That uphold Egypt. Probably Egypt’s allies and supporters. Some think the foundations of v. 4 are referred to.
From the tower of Syene. Better, “from Migdol to Syene” (see on ch. 29:10).
Eze 30:7 “‘They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will lie among ruined cities.
7. Desolate. Compare ch. 29:12.
Eze 30:8 Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I set fire to Egypt and all her helpers are crushed.
8. Know that I am the Lord. This clause is a constant refrain throughout the book of Ezekiel. It is a statement of the great objective of God, namely, to bring a saving knowledge of Himself to all mankind. He employs various means of declaring His counsels to the human race. He speaks through the voice of conscience, through inspired prophets, and through His providences and judgments. His ultimate aim is to have a knowledge of His name cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14). The inspired message against Egypt may be regarded as God’s attempt to reveal the divine solicitude for Egypt’s vast multitudes. See on ch. 6:7.
Eze 30:9 “‘On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to frighten Cush out of her complacency. Anguish will take hold of them on the day of Egypt’s doom, for it is sure to come.
9. Messengers. Either the fleeing Egyptians who, arriving in Ethiopia, alarmed its population with the news of Egypt’s fall, or a special envoy sent to warn the Ethiopians.
Careless. Heb. beṭach, “secure,” “unsuspecting.”
Eze 30:10 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
10. The multitude of Egypt. Or, “wealth of Egypt” (see on v. 4).
Hand of Nebuchadrezzar. See on ch. 29:19.
Eze 30:11 He and his army—the most ruthless of nations— will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.
Eze 30:12 I will dry up the waters of the Nile and sell the land to an evil nation; by the hand of foreigners I will lay waste the land and everything in it. I the LORD have spoken.
12. Rivers. Heb. ye’orim, from the later Egyptian irw, “the Nile.” Ye’orim, is a plural form and may be used to describe the Nile with its branches and network of canals.
Eze 30:13 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis. No longer will there be a prince in Egypt, and I will spread fear throughout the land.
13. Noph. A transliteration of the Heb. Noph, a contraction of the Egyptian Mnnfr, modern Memphis (see on Jer. 2:16).
A prince of the land. Literally, “a prince from the land.” The Heb. ‘od, here translated “no more,” does not necessarily denote unending perpetuity (see on ch. 26:14). The expression could mean either that for a long time there should be no prince from the land of Egypt, or, by understanding the passage relatively, that there should be no more a native prince possessing the power of former kings.
Eze 30:14 I will lay waste Upper Egypt, set fire to Zoan and inflict punishment on Thebes.
14. Pathros. For comment see on ch. 29:14.
Zoan. Identified with the modern village of Ṣân el–Ḥagar on the Tanitic branch of the Nile (see on Isa. 30:4). Many temple buildings and monuments have there been excavated, and royal tombs of the Twenty-second Dynasty discovered.
No. Another name for Thebes, a city on the east bank of the Nile about 310 mi. (496 km.) south of Cairo (see on Jer. 46:25).
Eze 30:15 I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and wipe out the hordes of Thebes.
15. Sin. Heb. Sin. No Egyptian city of this name is known, but it may be the same as Pelusium, or was probably in the vicinity of that town. Pelusium was a frontier town, strongly fortified and considered rightly as the key to Egypt, and hence called in the text its “strength.” Many important battles were fought there. It was also close to the sea, and is believed to be Tell ei–Farạ, 14 mi. (22.4 km.) east of the Suez Canal.
Eze 30:16 I will set fire to Egypt; Pelusium will writhe in agony. Thebes will be taken by storm; Memphis will be in constant distress.
Eze 30:17 The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall by the sword, and the cities themselves will go into captivity.
17. Aven. The same as On of Gen. 41:45, 50 (the place from which Joseph’s wife came), and as Beth-shemesh (house of the sun) of Jer. 43:13, the Heliopolis (city of the sun) of the Greeks, so called because from the remotest times it was the chief seat of Egyptian sun worship.
Bubastis. A town in the Delta, 83 km. northeast of Memphis. It was the center of the worship of the cat-headed goddess, Bastet, who was worshiped with disgusting orgies (see Herodotus ii. 66). A cemetery for cats has been found on this ancient site, which now exists only in ruins.
Eze 30:18 Dark will be the day at Tahpanhes when I break the yoke of Egypt; there her proud strength will come to an end. She will be covered with clouds, and her villages will go into captivity.
18. Tehaphnehes. Or, Tahpanhes, a town about 23 mi. (37 km.) southwest of Pelusium (see on Jer. 2:16; Eze. 30:15). This is the city to which the Jews fled after the murder of Gedaliah. As a sign of the destruction of the remnant in Egypt, Jeremiah was commanded to hide stones in the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes to mark the spot where Nebuchadnezzar was to spread his pavilion (Jer. 43:9–11). Excavations at the site by W. M. Flinders Petrie in 1886 disclosed a platform of brickwork, which some have identified with high probability as the place where Jeremiah hid his stones. Tahpanhes was called Daphnae by the classical writers and is now known as Tell Defenneh.
Darkened. A common prophetic symbol describing coming calamity (see Isa. 13:10; Joel 2:10, 31; Joel 3:15; Amos 8:9).
Eze 30:19 So I will inflict punishment on Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.'”
Egypt Shall Fall to Babylon
Eze 30:20 In the eleventh year, in the first month on the seventh day, the word of the LORD came to me:
20. In the eleventh year. Of Jehoiachin’s captivity (see on ch. 1:2). The month date falls in April, 587 or 586 b.c. (see p. 572). Compare ch. 29:1; see p. 347.
Eze 30:21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. It has not been bound up to be healed or put in a splint so that it may become strong enough to hold a sword.
21. Pharaoh king of Egypt. Hophra, or Apries (589–570 b.c.), a man of enterprise and military genius (see Vol. II, p. 91).
Eze 30:22 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break both his arms, the good arm as well as the broken one, and make the sword fall from his hand.
Eze 30:23 I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.
23. Disperse the Egyptians. For the historical fulfillment of vs. 23, 24 see on ch. 29:19.
Eze 30:24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him like a mortally wounded man.
Eze 30:25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he brandishes it against Egypt.
Eze 30:26 I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
26. Know that I am the Lord. See on v. 8.