Ezekiel 30

Ezekiel 30 FALL OF EGYPT AND HER KING FALL OF EGYPT Ezekiel 30:1-19 The third oracle against Egypt is likely to be dated the same as the previous one (see Ezekiel 29:17). Ezekiel focuses on Egypt’s (1) gloom, (2) destruction, (3) adversary, and (4) cities and gods. Egypt’s Gloom(Ezekiel 30:1-5) Sadness over the gloom (Ezekiel 30:1-3): The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (Ezekiel 30:2) Son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus says the Lord GOD: Wail, woe be the day! (Ezekiel 30:3) For the day is near, yes the day of the LORD is near! A cloudy day, it will be the time of the nations. The oracle begins with direct address to the Egyptians. They are urged rhetorically to wail over their fate. Egypt’ s day of reckoning looms on the horizon (Ezekiel 30:2). The proclamation of the day of Yahweh is expressed in language familiar from Ezekiel 7. The day of the Lord— a day of divine reckoning— will be a gloomy day for the Gentile nations (Ezekiel 30:3). Reasons for the gloom (Ezekiel 30:4-5): A sword will come upon Egypt. Consternation will be in Cush, when the slain will fall in Egypt. They will take away her abundance. Her foundations will be broken down. (Ezekiel 30:5) Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all the mingled peoples, Cub, and the children of the land that are in league, will fall with them by the sword. Egypt experiences invasion in the day of the Lord. Her satellite state Ethiopia will fear for her own safety when she sees what transpires across the border in Egypt. The foundations of Egypt— the allies and mercenaries— upon whom the Egyptian state rested will be broken down (Ezekiel 30:4). Six groups are mentioned who will fall by the sword: Ethiopia (Cush), Put, Lud (see on Ezekiel 27:10) and Cub, a people not as yet identified, had alliances with Egypt. The multi-racial character of the Egyptian army is indicated by the expression all the mingled people. Along with the children of the land (native Egyptians), these allies will fall by the sword of the invaders (Ezekiel 30:5). Egypt’s Destruction (Ezekiel 30:6-9) Invasion (Ezekiel 30:6): Thus says the LORD: those who uphold Egypt will fall. The pride of her strength will come down. From Migdol to Syene they will fall in her by the sword (oracle of the Lord GOD). Throughout the land, from Migdol to Syene (see on Ezekiel 29:10), the sword will mow down Egypt’s inhabitants. As that sword of divine retribution had raged in Judah (ch 21), so now it rages in the much mightier kingdom of the pharaohs. Egypt’ s pride was in her military and economic power.

However, this pride will be humbled. Desolation (Ezekiel 30:7-8): And they will be desolate in the midst of lands that are desolate. Her cities in the midst of cities will lie in ruins. (Ezekiel 30:8) They will know that I am the LORD when I place a fire in Egypt, and all her helpers are shattered. Desolation will follow invasion (Ezekiel 30:7; cf. Ezekiel 29:12). The desolation caused by war here, as frequently in the Bible, is likened to fire.

The fulfillment of this prediction to bring conflagration to Egypt will be a demonstration of the sovereignty of the true God (Ezekiel 30:8). Seldom had Egypt seen a foreign foe bring all the horrors of war within its borders. Confusion (Ezekiel 30:9): In that day messengers will go from before me in ships to terrify the secure Ethiopians. Confusion will come on them in the day of Egypt; for behold, it comes. In the day of Egypt’ s downfall, messengers will be dispatched, as though by God himself. Traveling the waterways to every part of the land of Ethiopia, the messengers will spread the alarming news of Egypt’ s fall. Confusion will fill their land as they contemplated the possibility that their own country might be invaded. Egypt’s Adversary (Ezekiel 30:10-12) He is ruthless (Ezekiel 30:10-11): Thus says the Lord GOD: I will cause the multitude of Egypt to cease, by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. (11) He and his people with him, the most ruthless of the nations, will be brought in to destroy the land. They will empty their swords against Egypt. They will fill the land with the slain. Ezekiel emphasizes that the native population (multitude of Egypt), as well as the mercenary forces, will perish in the overthrow of Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar is specifically named as the conqueror (cf. Ezekiel 29:19). He and his ruthless warriors (cf. Ezekiel 28:7) leave a trail of corpses wherever they go. He is devastating (Ezekiel 30:12): I will make the rivers dry. I will deliver the land into the hand of evil men. I will make the land and all that is in it desolate by the hand of strangers. I the LORD have spoken. The much heralded Egyptian irrigation system will be destroyed by the evil men, i.e., the pitiless and lawless troops, that comprised Nebuchadnezzar’ s army. Without irrigation the land will become (temporarily) desolate. Egypt’s Cities and Gods(Ezekiel 30:13-19) Ezekiel again employs the technique of emphasis by enumeration. The complete collapse of Egypt is underscored by reference to the fate of the leading cities of the land. Ezekiel did not stand in awe of the ancient and magnificent cities of Egypt. These verses reveal an amazing knowledge of Egyptian geography The execution of judgment (Ezekiel 30:13-16 a) Threat against the idols (Ezekiel 30:13 a): Thus says the Lord GOD: I will destroy the idols, and cause the non-entities to cease from Noph. A new theme emerges in v 13. The gods of Egypt prove worthless in the face of the mighty conqueror raised up by the Lord. Noph (Memphis) was famous for its numerous gods and elaborate temples, especially those of Ptah and Apis. But the non-entities (lit., things of naught) will be made to cease from Noph. So it has happened. An enormous, albeit prostrate, figure of Pharaoh Ramases is the only image of note to mark the spot where once stood the magnificent capital of Egypt. Wilbur Smith summarizes the situation well when he writes: The temples of Egypt and the elaborate carvings and drawings of her gods and goddesses are still the wonder of modern students; but her gods are gone. No temple to an Egyptian god or goddess has a priest in attendance today; no offering is presented to any of these once powerful deities representing the sun, the stellar bodies, the river Nile, and the underworld; no one bows the knee to any of these ancient images.Threat against the princes (Ezekiel 30:13 b): There will no longer be a prince out of the land of Egypt. Following her destruction Egypt will never again be ruled by a native prince. So it has been. Persians, Greeks, Ptolemies, and Romans ruled Egypt in olden times. Since A.D. 638 Egypt has been ruled by Moslems. James Breasted summarizes the situation: With the fall of Psamtik III [to Cambyses in 525 B.C.], Egypt belonged to a new world, toward the development of which she had contributed much, but in which she could no longer play an active part. Her great work was done, and unable, like Nineveh and Babylon, to disappear from the scene, she lived on her artificial life for a time under the Persians and the Ptolemies, ever sinking, till she became merely the granary of Rome, to be visited as a land of ancient marvels by wealthy Greeks and Romans, who have left their names scratched here and there upon her hoary monuments, just as the modern tourists, admiring the same marvels, still continue to do. But her unwarlike people, still making Egypt a garden of the world,show no signs of an awakening and the words of the Hebrew seer, ‘ There shall be no more a prince out of the land of Egypt.,’ have been literally fulfilled. Threat against the land (Ezekiel 30:13-14): I will put a fear in the land of Egypt. (Ezekiel 30:14) I will make Pathros desolate… Pathros is southern or Upper Egypt extending as far south as Aswan. Threat against the specific cities (Ezekiel 30:14 b):I will set a fire in Zoan, and execute judgments in No. (Ezekiel 30:15) I will pour out my wrath upon Sin, the stronghold of Egypt. I will cut off the multitude of No. Zoan, classical Tanis, was an important city in the eastern Nile delta. No (or No-Amon) is classical Thebes (RSV), modern Karnak and Luxor, located about five hundred miles south of Cairo. No was capital of Egypt during much of Egyptian history, and the worship center for the sun-god Amon. The multitudes of No will be cut off, i.e., the place will be uninhabited. Final threat (Ezekiel 30:16 a): I will set a fire in Egypt. Fire is figurative for warfare. God will not use supernatural means to judge Egypt, but the destructive force of an invading army. Result of judgment(Ezekiel 30:16-19) Devastation (Ezekiel 30:16 b): Sin will be in great upheaval. No will be torn asunder. Against Noph adversaries will come by day. Sin is probably Pelusium (RSV) on the Mediterranean coast. This stronghold guarded Egypt from attack from the north. No will be rent asunder, i.e., breached and penetrated by an invading army. Death (Ezekiel 30:17 a): The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth will fall by the sword. Aven is also called On in the Old Testament. The Greeks knew the town as Heliopolis, the city of the sun god. The ruins are found in the outskirts of modern Cairo. Pi-beseth is the modern Basta, about forty miles northeast of Cairo. Like the other cities mentioned in Ezekiel 30:13-18, Pi- beseth was a cultic center. The cat was particularly sacred there. Deportation (Ezekiel 30:17 b): These (cities) will go into captivity. See discussion on Ezekiel 29:12 b. Humiliation (Ezekiel 30:18): At Tehaphnehes the day will withdraw itself, when I break there the yokes of Egypt. The pride of her strength will cease in her. As for her, a cloud will cover her. Her daughters will go into captivity. Tehaphnehes— spelled Tahpanhes in Jeremiah— was known to the Greeks as Daphni. The modern Tel Defenneh on the Suez canal is the spot to which Ezekiel refers. Jeremiah was taken there after the assassination of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 43:7). What a dark day that will be for Egypt! A great cloud of despair will hover over that land. The yokes of Egypt— the tyranny that Egypt inflicted on other nations— will be broken. The daughters of Egypt, i.e., her various cities, will go into captivity (Ezekiel 30:18). Reason for judgment (Ezekiel 30:19): Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt. They will know that I am the LORD. The ultimate purpose of these judgments was the vindication of the sovereignty of Israel’ s God.THE FALL OF PHARAOH Ezekiel 30:20-26 It came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying… About four months before the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar (July 3, 586 B.C.), Ezekiel received another revelation against Egypt. Pharaoh’s Arms Shattered (Ezekiel 30:21-23) The first army broken (Ezekiel 30:21): Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Behold, it has not been bound up to be healed, to put a bandage that it be bound up to become strong that it might hold a sword. Pharaoh’ s arm had been broken. The allusion is probably to the defeat of Pharaoh Hophra when he tried to come to the aid of beleaguered Jerusalem (cf. Jeremiah 37:1-10). Nebuchadnezzar had inflicted irreparable damage upon the military machine of Egypt (cf. 2 Kings 24:7). Pharaoh’ s arm— symbol of his military might— could not be mended. Never again will he attempt to launch a military offensive against Nebuchadnezzar. The second army broken (Ezekiel 30:22-23): (Ezekiel 30:22) Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, the strong, and the one that was broken. I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. (Ezekiel 30:23) I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through countries. The defeat at the borders of Judah indicated that God was opposing Pharaoh. That setback signaled the beginning of a succession of defeats. Both of Pharaoh’ s arms— the good one and the bad one— will be broken. The sword will drop from his hand. Egypt will be rendered completely powerless (Ezekiel 30:22). Egyptians will be scattered among the nations (Ezekiel 30:23; cf. Ezekiel 29:12; Ezekiel 30:26) Pharaoh’s Adversary Strengthened (Ezekiel 30:23-26): I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon. I will put my sword in his hand. But I will shatter the arms of Pharaoh. He will groan with the groanings of the slain before him. (Ezekiel 30:25) I will uphold the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall down. They will know that I am the LORD when I put my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon. He will stretch it out against the land of Egypt. (Ezekiel 30:26) I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the lands. They will know that I am the LORD. The king of Egypt will decrease, while the king of Babylon will increase in power. Before the advancing army of Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh will appear as helpless as a mortally wounded soldier (Ezekiel 30:24). The king of Babylon will wield the sword of divine judgment against the helpless land of Egypt (Ezekiel 30:25). The dispersal of the Egyptians will establish the sole divinity of Israel’ s God (Ezekiel 30:26). Ezekiel Chapter Thirty Verse 1 ORACLES (3) Ezekiel 30:1-19 AND (4) Ezekiel 30:20-26 AGAINST EGYPTWe may outline this chapter thus: A. Announcement of the Day of the Lord (Ezekiel 30:1-5) B. Allies, Dependents also destroyed (Ezekiel 30:6-9) C. Wealth of Egypt to be carried away (Ezekiel 30:10-12) D. Princes and Cities to be destroyed (Ezekiel 30:13-19) E. God breaks Pharaoh’s arm (Ezekiel 30:20-26) THE DAY OF THE LORD COMES TO EGYPT (Ezekiel 30:1-19) Ezekiel 30:1-5“The word of Jehovah came again unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah: Wail ye, alas for the day! For the day is near, even the day of Jehovah is near; it shall be a day of clouds, a time of the nations. And a sword shall come upon Egypt, and anguish shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt; and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. Ethiopia and Put and Lud, and all the mingled peoples, and Cub, and the children of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.“The announcement here that the Day of Jehovah is near cannot be separated from its eschatological overtones relating to that final and Eternal Day of the Lord when his righteous judgments shall be executed upon the fallen and rebellious race of Adam, that day of Doom and Destruction mentioned in Genesis, upon which God said, “In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die!” (Genesis 2:17) Regarding that particular day, upon which God promised the death of Adam and Eve in the case of their eating of the forbidden tree, it was the seventh day of creation, a day, which, according to Hebrews 4th chapter, is still going on and has not ended yet. The meaning of that sentence upon the sinful progenitors of our fallen race is that Adam and Eve in the person of their total posterity shall be totally destroyed, the redeemed of all dispensations and all ages “in Christ Jesus” being the sole exceptions to that universal destruction that shall at last terminate God’s Operation Adam on that Day of Jehovah. We have already written many comments relating to the Day of Jehovah, especially in Joel, Amos, and Zephaniah, etc. These will be found in the appropriate volumes of our commentaries under the following references: Isaiah 13:6-9; Joe 1:15; Joe 2:1; Joe 2:11;Joe 3:14; Amos 5:18-20; Obadiah 1:1-15; Zephaniah 1:7; Zephaniah 1:14; Zechariah 14:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 9:27; Matthew 25:31-46, and many other references. Many other signal judgments of God executed upon wicked nations, just like the one here prophesied for Egypt, are token judgments pointing forward to that great and final Day when, as John Milton expressed it: “God shall cast his throne in middle Air And judge before Him all the nations there!” As Feinberg wrote, “Thus we take God’s judgment on Egypt here as identified in principle with that Day upon which he will call all nations to give an account."[1] As this same author declared, “We would not dare to interpret this chapter as if it were not related to the many other references in the Word of God to The day of Jehovah.'"[2]The prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem given by Christ himself in Matthew 24 is another example of an earthly judgment against a wicked city that promises also an ultimate fulfillment in the Final Judgment. We also believe that there are multiple examples of this in Amos 1-2. One of the most impressive features of this chapter is the list of the principal cities of Egypt; but critics like Cooke have brought vigorous allegations against the list which he called "haphazard; three of the cities belong to Upper Egypt and five to Lower Egypt; but they are named without any sense of their geographical location, as though the writer knew them only by hearsay."[3] Like many another allegation of some radical critic, intent upon denying the passage to Ezekiel, this comment also is inaccurate, as indicated by the opinions of many able scholars. "All of the towns singled out for mention here, without exception, are of religious, political, or military importance."[4] "Every single center of cultural and political power in Egypt was mentioned."[5] "The listing here indicates an exact knowledge of the chief cities of Egypt for that period."[6] In this light, it is clear that Cooke's allegations should be rejected. Some interpreters divide this oracle into four subdivisions, each of which begins with, "Thus saith the Lord," as in <a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/2" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:2</a>; <a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/6" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:6</a>; <a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/10" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:10</a>; <a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/13" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:13</a>. However, we cannot see any necessity for such fragmentary divisions. It should be remembered that the necessity for God's destruction of the pagan nations of that period derived from their false view that God's punishment of Israel that resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of her people constituted a victory for their pagan gods over Jehovah. Upon the occasion of God's deliverance of Israel from Egyptian captivity, that matter of which God was really God had been settled in the great victory for Jehovah; but the apostasy of the Chosen People and God's ensuing destruction of them had changed all that; and it was very necessary for God, all over again, to demonstrate his own superiority over the pantheon of paganism. Each one of the cities mentioned later in the chapter was the seat of some pagan god. The allies and dependencies of Egypt would do her no good when the judgment fell. "Put, Lud, and Cub ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/5" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:5</a>). "Put and Lud were two tribes living west of Egypt in Africa;"[7]however, "Cub is an unknown name."[8] These peoples were allies of Egypt and were considered part of her strength (see <a href="/bible/parallel/NAH/3/9" class="green-link">Nahum 3:9</a>). What is stressed here is that allies and dependents alike will experience destruction along with Egypt. "The children of the land that is in league ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/5" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:5</a>). The marginal reading in our version has "children of the land of the covenant"; and if this is allowed, the reference is to the Jews who, following the murder of Gedaliah had returned to Egypt contrary to the stern warnings of Jeremiah. Beasley-Murray denied that this reading should be followed; but, in any case, whether stated here or not, those Jews who had returned to Egypt would (and did) suffer the same destruction as that of Egypt. Verse 6 "Thus saith Jehovah: They also that uphold Egypt shall fall: and the pride of her powers shall come down: from the tower of Seveneh shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord Jehovah. And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted. And they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and all her helpers are destroyed; in that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid; and there shall be anguish upon them, as in the day of Egypt, for, lo, it cometh." TO INCLUDE ALLIES AND The meaning of this paragraph is stated both at the beginning and at the end of it. "They also that uphold Egypt shall fall." "All her helpers are destroyed." Fear and anguish are prophesied here as coming upon Egypt and all of her helpers. Verse 10 "Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease, by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought in to destroy the land; and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain. And I will make the rivers dry, and will sell the land into the hand of evil men; and I will make the land desolate, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I, Jehovah, have spoken it."THE WEALTH OF EGYPT TO BE CARRIED AWAY"And I will make the rivers dry ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/12" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:12</a>). We have no historical record of such a drought falling upon the Nile; but that cannot mean that it never happened. The forty years of desolation that has been mentioned again and again with reference to God's judgment upon Egypt would indeed have followed such a disaster as the drying up of the Nile. There is also the possibility that the language here may be allegorical or figurative. However, there is one overwhelmingly good reason for believing that all of the disasters here prophesied came to pass exactly as God's prophet said they would. Here is that reason: Egypt was steeped and settled into the most arrogant paganism. They worshipped dogs, cats, snakes, their king, the Nile river, etc. Why did they quit? Why did they renounce paganism? That they did so cannot be denied. Why? The only imaginable events that could have caused such a change are the very disasters mentioned in these prophecies. Why did they stop worshipping the Nile? It dried up for forty years! Alexander has given us an excellent summary of what is promised here against Egypt: "Egypt's Day of the Lord is a day of doom (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/9" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:9</a>), a day of clouds (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/3" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:3</a>), a dark day in her history. The masses would fear as Egypt's proud strength ceases before the sword of Nebuchadnezzar. Many would be slain (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/6" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:6</a>; <a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/10" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:10-11</a>; <a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/13" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:13</a>; <a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/18" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:18</a>). Not even a prince (leader) would be left in the country (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/13" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:13</a>). Many idolatrous statues of the Egyptian gods would be destroyed or carried away in the Babylonian quest for victory and wealth. All of Egypt's allies would fall to the sword: Ethiopia and Lydia in western Anatolia (modern Turkey), Arabia in the east, Lydia in the west (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/5" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:5-7</a>), Put and Lud in the west; and even those people of the covenant land,’ the Jews who fled to Egypt following the murder of Gedaliah would suffer the ravages of the Babylonian invasion.

The judgment of God would be comprehensive; it would be awful; but the purpose of God would be accomplished."[9]Egypt would learn that Jehovah is God! Did they really learn it? of course, they did! None of the silly old pagan gods has been worshipped in Egypt for millenniums of time. Verse 13 “Thus saith the Lord, Jehovah: I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause the images to cease from Memphis; and there shall be no more a prince from the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt. And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set a fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments upon No. And I will pour my wrath upon Sin, the stronghold of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No. And I will set a fire in Egypt: Sin shall be in great anguish, and No shall be broken up; and Memphis shall have adversaries in the day-time. The young men of Avert and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword; and these cities shall go into captivity. At Tehaphnehes also the day shall withdraw itself, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt and the pride of her power shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity. Thus will I execute judgments upon Egypt; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.“THE CITIES TO BE “Memphis …” (Ezekiel 30:13) “This was the principal city of Lower Egypt, built on the left bank of the Nile 10 miles south of Cairo."[10] “This city was also called Noph.'"[11]"I will destroy the idols, and I will cause the images to cease ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/13" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:13</a>). "The idols’ here were great men and princes, as indicated in NEB."[12] Since the Pharaohs themselves pretended to divine honors, the term “idols” is appropriate. “Pathros, Zoan, and No …” (Ezekiel 30:14) “Pathros was the native name of Upper, or Southern Egypt; Zoan, called Tanis' by the Greeks, was mentioned by Moses in <a href="/bible/parallel/NUM/13/22" class="green-link">Numbers 13:22</a>. It was an important city of the Eastern Delta."[13]No was located some 400 miles south of Memphis; it was the capital of Upper Egypt, known to the Greeks as Thebes, and featured in the Book of Nahum under the name of No-Amon. There is nothing haphazard about this list of Egyptian cities. Memphis, the capital of Lower Egypt, and its supporting cities was named first, and then Thebes, or No, the capital of Upper Egypt was named next. No was famous as a residential city for the Pharaohs between 1380,930 B.C.; and many of the greatest of the Pharaohs were buried there.[14] The sun-god Amon was worshipped there; and his name was often incorporated into that of the city, as in No-Amon (<a href="/bible/parallel/NAH/3/8" class="green-link">Nahum 3:8</a> f). Each one of the cities mentioned here, "was identified with a particular pagan deity; and therefore God's prophecies against these cities may be construed as a frontal assault upon the paganism of Egypt."[15]"Sin ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/16" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:16</a>). This place is called the "stronghold of Egypt." It is usually associated with Pelusium, but the actual location is disputed. "Avert ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/17" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:17</a>). "This word means nothingness,’ or ‘wickedness,’ and is a contemptuous rendition of On (Heliopolis), the words being spelled exactly alike in Hebrew. Joseph’s father-in-law was Potiphera the high priest there (Genesis 41:45). It was the center of sun-worship. “Pibeseth …” (Ezekiel 30:17). At this place, “The cat-headed goddess Ubastet was worshipped."[16]Herodotus has the report of a Persian ruler, Cambyses, who won a victory over this city by deploying several thousand dogs and cats in front of the Persian army. The Egyptians would not attack through fear of killing some of the animals which were sacred to their god. “Tehaphnehes …” (Ezekiel 30:18). “This place is now Tel-Deffeneh, 10 miles west of E1-Kantara on the Suez Canal."[17] It is the place where Jeremiah prophesied that the king of Babylon would erect his throne (Jeremiah 43:8 f). The list of cities mentioned here has now been noted; and we appreciate Eichrodt’s comment that, “This list provides a very suitable means of representing the almost inexhaustible resources of that kingdom on the Nile."[18]“When I shall break there the yokes of Egypt …” (Ezekiel 30:18). Some of the versions have “yokes and bars.” “Both words are used as a figure of tyranny, and of Egyptian tyranny in particular."[19]Verse 20 “And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and lo it hath not been bound up, to apply healing medicines, to put a bandage to bind it, that it be strong to hold the sword. Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and I will break his arms, the strong arm, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. And 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 shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man. And I will hold up the arms of the king of Babylon; and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I shall put my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt. And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the countries; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.“GOD HAS ALREADY BROKEN PHARAOH’S ARM"Eleventh year, first month, seventh day …” (Ezekiel 30:20). “This was April 29,587 B.C."[20] “This was three months before the fall of Jerusalem and three months later than the prophecy of Eze 29:3."[21] In the meanwhile Pharaoh-Hophra’s attempt to aid Jerusalem had collapsed (Jeremiah 37:5), a fact that history is strangely silent about. Evidently Nebuchadnezzar inflicted a humiliating defeat upon Egypt that prevented any substantial relief of Jerusalem and resulted in Nebuchadnezzar’s renewal of the siege almost immediately. “Nebuchadnezzar’s defeat of Pharaoh-Hophra appears in this paragraph as the breaking of Pharaoh's arm.'"[22] This greatly weakened Pharaoh (<a href="/bible/parallel/EZK/30/21" class="green-link">Ezekiel 30:21</a>); but further defeats were promised in this prophecy. Note in verse 22 that there is a distinction between what has already been broken and that which will be broken later. "I will break his arms, the strong arm, and that which was broken." "The flexed arm was a common symbol for the strength of Pharaoh. Statues and images of Pharaoh showed the flexed arm, wielding a sword in battle. A king with a great biceps was a popular conception during the Saites Dynasty in the times of Ezekiel. Also another title taken by Pharaoh-Hophra was, The Strong armed.’ Thus the defeat of Pharaoh-Hophra was most appropriately described by the expression `breaking his arm.’"[23]“I will strengthen the arm of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand …” (Ezekiel 30:24). God commissioned Nebuchadnezzar as the destroyer of nations; and here the sword of Nebuchadnezzar is understood to be the very sword of God Himself. “The groanings of a deadly wounded man …” (Ezekiel 30:24). “Figuratively, when Ezekiel wrote this, Egypt is represented as a man mortally wounded in battle standing before the Lord who will destroy him."[24]The dispersion of the Egyptians among the nations and countries is again mentioned here, that being the almost invariable result of any conquest of one nation by another in those times. Also, the reason and purpose of God’s punitive judgment upon the pagan nations of that era was focused in the divine intention of teaching them, by the hard way, who was really God. “And they shall know that I am Jehovah.”

Ezekiel 30:1-2

Ezekiel 30:1-2. The prophet is told to express lamentation or howl in view of what is to happen to Egypt. Worth has no word in the original as a separate term, but is included with the same one for woe and means the same as saying “Ah, alas!”

Ezekiel 30:3

Ezekiel 30:3. The events just predicted are to take place in the near future from the time Ezekiel is writing this. Time of the heathen means the time when the nations are to come together in the manner alluded to in the predictions just made by the prophet.

Ezekiel 30:4

Ezekiel 30:4. Two chapters are given to Egypt, this and the preceding one. Ethiopia is included because that country lies just south of Egypt and becfime an ally in times of trouble. That is why its people will be in pain or fear when they see the people of Egypt being slain by the invading Babylonians.

Ezekiel 30:5

Ezekiel 30:5. Libya. Lydia and Chub were parts of Africa that were allied with Egypt for common support. If would follow, then, that when the land of Egypt is attacked, these allies will have to suffer with it.

Ezekiel 30:6

Verse 6. The remarks offered in the preceding verse are verified in this. It is expressly stated that they also that uphold Egypt shall fall. It is as bad in God’ s sight to endorse an evildoer as it is to be the actual doer of it (Romans 1:32),

Ezekiel 30:7

Ezekiel 30:7. Shall be in the midst. None of the cities of Egypt were to be actually moved into the territory of Others. The expression means these cities were to Share the same fate as the other cities suffered; would be in the same condition.

Ezekiel 30:8

Ezekiel 30:8. The fire to be set in Egypt will be the destructive raids of the Babylonians. The helper or allies of Egypt were destined to be defeated, and the whole transaction will cause the people to knosw that I am the Lord.

Ezekiel 30:9

Ezekiel 30:9. In that day refers to the day when Egypt would be attacked by the Babylonians. The Lord will then send men in ships to terrify Ethiopia for having been an ally of Egypt in her evil attitude toward the interests of His people.

Ezekiel 30:10

Ezekiel 30:10. Multitude to cease is a prediction that Nebuchadnezzar will attack the spoils of the country as well as its citizens. It will be by the hand of the Babylonian king, but he will be acting as the agency of God.

Ezekiel 30:11

Ezekiel 30:11. He and his people means Nebuchadnezzar and his military forces. Terrible of the notions is said of the Babylonians who had the reputation of being a fierce people. The Lord is going to bring these forces against Egypt to throw’ the country into a state of desolation and national humiliation.

Ezekiel 30:12

Ezekiel 30:12, In some way the Lord will interfere with the irrigation system of the country which will result in assisting the Babylonians in their attack upon the land. The effect of this interference with the watering program will be to lay waste the land.

Ezekiel 30:13

Ezekiel 30:13. The general subject of this chapter is the fate of Egypt, and the several verses specify certain cities or parts of the country. The prophet also reveals God’ s wrath against the idolatry that the country had practiced for centuries. The Egyptians worshiped everything in nature, both living and nonliving, and also set up their idols made of stone and other materials. God decreed that the manmade idols should he destroyed. That would teach them the uselessness of such gods, and also would prove that It Is vain to rely on the things in nature as a means of superhuman assistance. The modern name for Noph is Memphis, which was an important city even then.

Ezekiel 30:14

Ezekiel 30:14. Pathros was a division of the country, and Zoan and No (Thebes) were cities, and the Egyptians had their idolatrous worship practiced in all of these places, God’ s jealousy against all forms of idolatry is bo intense He will not tolerate it.

Ezekiel 30:15

Ezekiel 30:15. Strength is from an original word that Strong defines, “ A fortified place; figuratively a defence,” and the city of Sin is so described. The prediction is that with such a city on which to rely, it nevertheless will prove a failure as help for the Egyptians when the Lord brings the invading army against it.

Ezekiel 30:16

Ezekiel 30:16. This fire is explained at verse 8 where it is shown to refer to the upheaval that will be raised by the Babylonians. When it is started the people of these cities will have great pain which means they will be terrified by the presence of the invading forces that will be laying waste their strongest cities.

Ezekiel 30:17

Ezekiel 30:17. The captivity is not a formal or national one such as the Israelites were then suffering in Babylon, but refers to the capture of the citizens by the army of Nebuchadnezzar, Aven and Pi-beseth were cities where many of the young men or heroes of the country resided. These ‘‘ braves” were to be destroyed by the Babylonian sword.

Ezekiel 30:18

Ezekiel 30:18. Smith’ s Bible Dictionary says the following of Tehaphnehes: “It was an important town, being twice mentioned by Jeremiah with Noph or Memphis. Here stood a house of Pharaobhophra before which Jeremiah hid great stones. Jeremiah 43:8-10.” The prediction is that even as strong a place as this city will be darkened which means to be subdued. Yokes is used in the sense of power or control, and this will be overthrown when Nebuchadnezzar comes into the country. The city will have her pride brought down by the death of her chief men, and her daughters shall be scattered among the cities of the various other heathen countries.

Ezekiel 30:19

Ezekiel 30:19. Again the main purpose of the judgments to be brought against an offending nation is stated, which is to make the people know that I am the Lord.

Ezekiel 30:20

Ezekiel 30:20. Another date is given for the message that God was giving to Ezekiel. The eleventh year is dated from the time the prophet was taken to Babylon.

Ezekiel 30:21

Ezekiel 30:21. Broken the arm means to destroy the force of the king of Egypt. Shall not be bound up is modified by the words to be healed following immediately. The idea is that nothing can prevent the calamity that is declared to be coming upon Pharaoh. Roller means bandage and the statement means the same as the preceding one explained above.

Ezekiel 30:22

Ezekiel 30:22. The Lord is using the imagery of a swordsman in the present form of speech, A man is holding a sword in his hand with the intention of using it against the approaching foe. But the Lord will strike and break the swordsman’ s arm which will cause the sword to fall from the hand holding it and it will fall to the ground,

Ezekiel 30:23

Ezekiel 30:23. If the ability to use their weapons is taken from them, the Egyptians will be helpless and will be at the mercy of their attackers.

Ezekiel 30:24

Ezekiel 30:24. Not much new is added in this verse, but a specific statement of what is to happen to the land of Egypt is made. I will strengthen denotes that God wili cause the weapons of the king of Babylon to be successful when he attacks Pharaoh. That will fulfil! the prediction that was made to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 29:18.

Ezekiel 30:25

Ezekiel 30:25. God will perform two and opposite acts as regards Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh. He will strengthen the arms of the former and weaken those of the latter. Either one of these would have indicated defeat for Pharaoh, and hence the two will make It doubly certain and guarantee the fulfillment of the prediction.

Ezekiel 30:26

Ezekiel 30:26. Being utterly disarmed, the Egyptians will have no recourse on which to rest. As a result they wili be scattered out in various places where they will languish for the period indicated in Ezekiel 29:12-13.