1The desolation of Egypt and her helpers. 20The arm of Babylon shall be strengthened to break the arm of Egypt.
1THE word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
2Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woea worth the 1day!
a Alas for the day
1 The time of punishments and plagues. See Psalm 37:13; Joel 1:15, with the annotations.
3For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a 2cloudy day; it shall be the time of the 3heathen.
2 Hebr. day of cloud. See Joel 2:2 with the annotation.
3 That is, the time which is appointed for their punishment. Or, the time wherein the heathen shall destroy Egypt. Compare Ezek. 22:3 with the annotation.
4And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great 4pain shall be in 5Ethiopia, when the slain 6shall fall in Egypt, and 7they shall take away 8her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.
4 They shall be in such a strait by reason of all kind of misery, as a woman who is in travail. Also verse 9.
5 As verses 5, 9; Ezek. 29:10. Hebr. Cush.
6 Hebr. the slain shall, etc. in the singular number.
7 The Chaldeans.
8 Understand the plenty or the multitude of Egypt, as verse 10; Ezek. 29:19.
5Ethiopia, and 9Libya, and Lydia, and all the 10mingled people, and 11Chub, and the 12men of the land that is in league, shall fall with 13them by the sword.
9 As Ezek. 27:10; that is, Ethiopians, Phutians and Lydians.
10 See Jer. 25 on verse 20.
11 This is held to be a region in Libya, situated near Egypt.
12 That is, the other confederates of the Egyptians, or a certain neighboring people, who were in a close league and fellowship with Egypt. Some understand the Jews, who had formerly inhabited the land of Canaan, which was given them by God’s covenant, and were fled into Egypt, and it may be they had served the king of Egypt in his war against his enemy. See Jer. 43:7; 44:27, and compare the phrase children of the land with Job 1:3; Ezek. 16:28, and see the annotations there.
13 The Egyptians.
6Thus saith the LORD; They also 14that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the 15pride of 16her power shall come down: from the tower of 17Syene shall they fall in 18it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD.
14 That is, all her helpers, as verse 8.
15 Or, haughtiness, pomp, highness. Likewise excellence, eminence; also verse 18.
16 Of Egypt.
17 See Ezek. 29 on verse 10.
18 In Egypt.
7And they shall be desolate in the 19midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.
19 See Ezek. 29:12.
8And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have set a 20fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed.
20 Of war, misery and plagues (see Job 15 on verse 34; Jer. 49:27; Ezek. 28 on verse 18; Amos 1:4, etc.), whereby Egypt shall be consumed; also verses 14 and 16.
9In that day shall messengers go forth from 21me in ships to make the 22careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come 23upon them, 24as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, 25it cometh.
21 That is, I will order that the news of the Chaldeans’ invasion into Egypt shall be carried over into Ethiopia. God speaks here as Judge, sitting upon His judgment seat in Egypt, and governing this entire business.
22 That is, Cush of security, or, of confidence, namely, that secure and careless Ethiopia, that is, the Ethiopians.
23 Namely, among the Ethiopians, as verse 4.
24 As there was in Egypt, when it was destroyed, verse 4. Or (as some), when God smote the firstborn in Egypt, Exod. 12:29, 30.
25 That is, it shall certainly come. Or, it (the aforesaid pain) shall come upon them.
10Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also make the 26multitude of Egypt to cease by the 27hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.
26 Or, noise, stir. See verse 4; Ezek. 29 on verse 19.
27 That is, by the power or ministry.
11He and his people with him, the 28terribleb of the nations, shall be 29brought to destroy the land: and they shall 30draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain.
28 As Ezek. 28:7.
b Ezek. 28:7.
29 By My secret government. See Ezek. 29:19, 20.
30 Hebr. empty, or make empty or vain, as Ezek. 28:7.
12And I will make the 31rivers dry, and 32sell the land into the hand of the 33wicked: and I will make the land waste, and 34all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the LORD have spoken it.
31 See Ezek. 29 on verse 3.
32 That is, deliver, give, as sold merchandise is delivered into the hand and power of the buyers. See Psalm 44:12; Ezek. 29:19.
33 Of the Chaldeans, who were indeed in this matter as God’s ministers and executioners of His judgments, but were of themselves wicked, and intended nothing else but to satisfy their own lusts by doing mischief, and by violence and oppression; whose wickedness God made use of to execute His holy and blameless judgments upon the Egyptians. Compare Ezek. 29 on verse 20, and see 2 Sam. 12 on verse 12.
34 The gifts, wherewith God had endowed, enriched and adorned Egypt. Compare Psalm 24:1.
13Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also destroy the 35idols, and I will cause their 36images to cease out of 37Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.
35 See Lev. 26 on verse 30.
36 Hebr. elilim, that is, mere nothing. See Lev. 19:4.
37 See verse 16; Isa. 19:13; Jer. 44:1.
14And I will make 38Pathros desolate, and will set fire in 39Zoan, and will execute judgments in 40No.
38 See Gen. 10 on verse 14; Jer. 44:1; Ezek. 29:14.
39 See Num. 13 on verse 22; Psalm 78 on verse 12.
40 See Jer. 46 on verse 25.
15And I will 41pour my fury upon 42Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the 43multitude of No.
41 See Job 12:21; Psalm 79 on verse 6.
42 Some hold this to be Pelusium, in the uttermost borders of Egypt, agreeing with the names of the wilderness of Sin and of Mount Sinai.
43 Compare Jer. 46:25.
16And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have 44great pain, and No 45shall be rent asunder, and Noph 46shall have distresses daily.
44 Hebr. as if one said: shall suffering pain suffer pain.
45 Hebr. shall be to be split.
46 Hebr. shall be daily, or by day, in the daytime distresses. Other, by the daily distressers.
17The young men of 47Aven and of 48Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword: and these 49cities shall go into captivity.
47 This is held to be On, which some conceive to be Heliopolis, that is, the city of the sun. See Gen. 41:45.
48 This is held to be Bubastis or Bubastus, where the idol Diana was worshipped.
49 This word is here inserted from the opposition. Hebr. they. Other, these cities shall, etc., that is, the inhabitants of these cities, or the dependent adjoining cities and villages, as in the next verse.
18At 50Tehaphnehes also the day shall be 51darkened, when I shall break there the 52yokes of Egypt: and the 53pomp of her strength shall cease in 54her: as for her, a 55cloud shall cover her, and her 56daughters shall go into captivity.
50 Hebr. here: Thechahneches. See Jer. 2:16; 43:7, 8, with the annotations.
51 Or, withheld, hindered.
52 Or, axletrees, cords, wherewith or whereunto the yoke is fastened; understand the burden of bondage which they imposed on other nations, and see Jer. 27 on verse 2.
53 As verse 6.
54Tehaphnehes.
55 See verse 3.
56 As verse 17. Others understand the dependent cities and villages, that is, its inhabitants. See 2 Kings 19 on verse 21.
19Thus will I execute 57judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
57 As Ezek. 28:22.
20¶And it 58came to pass in the 59eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
58 Other, it was come to pass.
59 After the deportation of Jeconiah or Jehoiachin. See Ezek. 1:2; 33:21. From this is gathered that in the writing and joining together of these prophecies there is not followed the order of time, but the conjunction and similarity of the matters. Compare Jer. 35 on verse 1; Ezek. 29:17.
21Son of man, I have broken the 60arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, 61it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.
60 That is, I have made him weak and impotent by the defeat of Pharaoh-Necho at Carchemish, Jer. 46:2, etc. (to which some point to this) after which the kings of Egypt were not able to effect any matter of weight or concernment. Compare the following figurative words with Jer. 46:11. Others understand it of Pharaoh-Hophra and his defeat by the Cyrenians.
61 The arm of Pharaoh.
22Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I 62am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the 63strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.
62 See Ezek. 29:3.
63 That is, all his strength, as well that which is left as that which is already decayed.
23And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will 64disperse them through the countries.
64 As verse 26; Ezek. 29:12.
24And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put 65my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall 66groan before him 67with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.
65 As the next verse; Ezek. 21:9; 32:10. See Jer. 47 on verse 6.
66 Or, sigh, howl, groan before the face of the king of Babel. See of the Hebrew word Job 24 on verse 12.
67 Hebr. shall wail the wailings or sighs of a deadly wounded man. Compare Ezek. 26:15.
25But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall 68down; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt.
68 All his strength and courage shall fail him.
26And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD.