1A lamentation for the fearful fall of Egypt. 11The sword of Babylon shall destroy it. 17It shall be brought down to hell among all the uncircumcised nations.
1AND it came to pass in the 1twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
1 After the deportation of Jehoiachin, Ezek. 1:2.
2Son of man, take up a 2lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou 3art like a young lion 4of the nations, and thou art as a 5whalea in the seas: and thou 6camest forth 7with thy rivers, and 8troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.
2 As verse 16.
3 Before Thy power was diminished. See Ezek. 30 on verse 21.
4 Hebr. of the heathen or nations, that is, thou wast among or towards them as a young lion, fierce and cruel. Compare Ezek. 19:2, etc.
5 As Ezek. 29:3; that is, thou wast cruel, dreadful and stirring, by land and by water.
a Ezek. 29:3.
6 Thou didst put thyself forward, and didst boast in thy kingdom, as being mighty and rich by reason of the commodious situation of waters.
7 Or, in.
8 Or, trampledst the water, namely, of other nations, that is, their land and trading; everywhere thou didst thrust thyself, and didst trouble other nations, stirring them up to rebellion and hardening them in it.
3Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will therefore spread out my 9netb over thee with a company of 10many people; and they shall bring thee up in 11my net.
9 See Ezek. 12:13; 17:20; Hosea 7:12, with the annotations.
b Ezek. 12:13; 17:20.
10 Those who shall be in the army of the Babylonians.
11 Or, with my net, that I have spread out over thee to catch thee.
4Then will I 12leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon the 13open field, and will cause all the fowls of the heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill 14the beasts of the whole earth with thee.
12 Compare Ezek. 29:5, with the annotations.
13 Hebr. the face of the field.
14 Compare Ezek. 39:17, etc.
5And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy 15height.
15 This may be understood of Pharaoh himself and his pride, compared with the great body of a sea-dragon, verse 2, or (as others) his slain multitude, in which he formerly placed his eminence.
6I will also 16water with 17thy blood the land wherein thou 18swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
16 Or, give to drink.
17 The blood of thine own self and of thy people who are slain.
18 Dost now domineer with thy government, like a sea-dragon in the sea.
7And when I shall 19put thee out, I will 20cover the heaven,c and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
19 As a candle, lamp or fire is put out. Compare Job 18:5, 6, with the annotations. Likewise 2 Sam. 14:7; 21:17.
20 That is, I will by this My judgment fill the world with terror, and clothe the entire universe as it were in mourning. Compare Isa. 13:10; Ezek. 31:5; Joel 2:30, 31. Likewise Gen. 15:12, with the annotation.
c Isa. 13:10; Joel 2:31.
8All the 21bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and 22set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
21 Hebr. lights of light.
22 Or, bring. Hebr. give, make.
9I will also 23vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy 24destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.
23 Or, trouble, grieve, by the tidings of the fall of this great king, and on the contrary of the exaltation and greatness of the Babylonian. The Hebrew word (otherwise signifying anger) is also taken for grief, trouble, sorrow, vexation, Psalm 6:7; 10:14; 31:10; Eccl. 7:3; Jer. 7:19.
24 See Jer. 4 on verse 6; that is here, the news of thy ruin.
10Yea, I will make many people 25amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall 26brandish 27my sword before them; and they shall tremble 28at every moment, every man for his own 29life, in the day of thy fall.
25 As Ezek. 27:35.
26 Or, shake, smiting and striking thee down by My sword as before their eyes, which will cause great fear and terror unto them, as follows.
27 As Ezek. 30:24.
28 Hebr. in moments.
29 Or, soul, that is, life, or person, for himself; fearing that it will cost them their life. See Gen. 12 on verse 5; Gen. 19 on verse 17.
11¶For thus saith the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee.
12By the swords of the mighty will I cause thy 30multitude to fall, the 31terribled of the nations, all of them: and they shall spoil the 32pomp of Egypt, and all the multitudee thereof shall be destroyed.
30 Compare Ezek. 29:19.
31 As Ezek. 28:7.
d Ezek. 28:7; 31:12.
32 Or, pride, glory, excellence, as above often.
e verse 16; Ezek. 31:2, 18.
13I will destroy also all the 33beasts thereof from beside the great waters; neither shall the 34foot of man 35trouble them any more, nor the hoofs of beasts trouble them.
33 Hebr. beast, great cattle, so that none shall go and feed anymore by the great waters.
34 Compare Ezek. 29:11.
35 The waters. Compare verse 2.
14Then will I make 36their waters 37deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord GOD.
36 Of the other nations, which were troubled by Pharaoh, verse 2.
37 That is, I will quiet the tumults, and bring the land to rest, when I shall have cut off this troubler of waters, as the waters are calmed and run softly and clearly when the tempest is over, and the troubled filth is sunk down. Compare Ezek. 34:18.
15When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be 38destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the LORD.
38 That is, bereaved of all that wherewith it was formerly filled and adorned by God. Compare Ezek. 19:7.
1639This is the lamentation wherewith they shall 40lament her: the 41daughters of the nations shall lament her: they shall lament for her, even for Egypt, and for all her multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
39 Related in the beginning of the chapter. See verse 2.
40 Or, they shall sing lamentably. The word sing is intended in the thing itself (see 2 Chron. 35:25), as the foregoing Hebrew word also signifies a lamentation, from whence the Lamentations of Jeremiah bear the name.
41 As the women in those times were accustomed to sing songs of triumph and lamentations. See Jer. 9 on verse 17.
17¶It came to pass also in the twelfth 42year, in the fifteenth day of the 43month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
42 See verse 1.
43 Understand of the same twelfth month, as is expressed in verse 1.
18Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and 44cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the 45famous nations, unto the 46nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.
44 That is, prophecy, tell her that she shall be cast down from her state and descend into the grave, etc. See Jer. 1 on verse 10; Ezek. 3 on verse 18. Some understand it as if God said: Conduct her to the grave, follow her as men do a corpse, with mourning and lamenting, unto a sign that she shall surely go down to the pit.
45 See of the Hebrew word at Psalm 8 on verse 1.
46 Hebr. the earth or the land of barrenness. Compare Lam 3:55; Ezek. 26:20; 31:14. Also verse 24.
1947Whom dost 48thou pass in beauty? go down, and 49be thou laid with the 50uncircumcised.
47 That is, whom dost thou excel in comeliness or grace? The meaning is: Dost thou think that thou art fairer and comelier than all other kings, that I would have more cause to favor thee than I have done them? No (God wants to say), thou must go down to the pit as well as they.
48 King of Egypt.
49 Hebr. properly: be laid down, or made to lie down.
50 See Ezek. 28 on verse 10; Ezek. 31 on verse 18, and so in the sequel.
20They shall 51fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: 52she is delivered to the sword: 53draw her and all her multitudes.
51 Or, lie, namely, the Egyptians.
52 Egypt. Other, the sword is ordained, or appointed, namely, to smite her. Compare Ezek. 30:24, 25.
53 Other, they shall draw, drag her, namely, down into the grave, and consequently to the place of the wicked that are deceased.
21The 54strong among the mighty shall 55speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, 56they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.
54 Other kings and potentates, who perished before, and were gone down into the same place.
55 As welcoming him and his people, and comforting themselves by his arrival and company, as is said of Pharaoh in verse 31; a figurative kind of mocking. Compare Isa. 14:9.
56 Other, they lie with the uncircumcised.
2257Asshur is there and all her company: 58his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:
57 Understand Assyria, that is, the Assyrians, and mainly the king. See Ezek. 31:3, etc.
58 Of the king of Assyria.
23Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused 59terror in the 60land of the living.
59 By their insolence, power, violence and oppression; also in the sequel and Ezek. 26:17.
60 That is, here on earth, in this life. See Job 28 on verse 13; Psalm 27 on verse 13. Also in the sequel.
24There is 61Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, 62all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the 63nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.
61 Understand Persia and Media, or a particular region in it (see Gen. 10 on verse 22; Gen. 14 on verse 1), and thereof principally the king.
62 The Elamites.
63 As verse 18.
25They have set 64her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about 65him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword: though 66their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: 67he is 68put in the midst of them that be slain.
64 Namely, Elam.
65 The king of the Elamites.
66 Hebr. their terror is or was given.
67 The Elamite, or the king of the Elamites.
68 Hebr. given.
26There is 69Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about 70him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.
69 See Gen. 10 on verse 2.
70 The king of those countries.
27And they shall not lie with the 71mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to 72hell with their 73weapons of war: and 74they have laid their swords under their heads, but their 75iniquities shall be upon their 76bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
71 Who, having been victorious, were honorably and stately buried. Those, on the contrary, were slain ignominiously, and put away. Other, Should they not (the Egyptians) lie by the mighty ones, etc.? Surely yes: for, why would they fare better than such mighty ones who are gone down to the pit?
72 That is, into the grave with their weapons, but further, according to the soul, to the place of the damned.
73 Unto a sign of their valor; as is also usual even at this day in the burying of valiant soldiers.
74 Hebr. they have laid, as often, that is, whose swords, according to the custom of those times and countries, were buried under their heads, after they were dead, as a badge and sign of their valor.
75 That is, the punishment of their iniquity. See Lev. 5 on verse 1; Ezek. 18 on verse 20.
76 Those whom no one have dared to touch in their lifetime because of their power and dreadfulness, they must in and after their death bear the punishment of their iniquity, putrefying in their body, and in their soul’s suffering, with other uncircumcised and ungodly ones.
28Yea, 77thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword.
77 Thou king Pharaoh.
29There is 78Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit.
78 Idumea.
30There be the 79princes of the 80north, all of them, and all the 81Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their 82terror they are ashamed 83of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.
79 Or, deputies, lieutenants, nobles, princes. See Joshua 13:21. Hebr. properly: poured upon, or anointed.
80 Of Syria and thereabouts, as Tyrians, and Zidonians (as follows), who were all situated northward from Egypt.
81 Hebr. Zidonian. See Ezek. 28:21.
82 Which they caused unto others.
83 Or, because of their might, because they were not able to save themselves by it.
3184Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be 85comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord GOD.
84 Compare verse 21.
85 As having companions with him in his misery and shame. See Ezek. 31:16.
32For I 86have caused my terror in the land of the living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
86 As if the Lord said: It will be once My time also that I shall terrify the world by My judgments; then will I assuredly execute My terrible judgments upon Pharaoh and his people. Other, when I shall cause my terror, etc., then shall he, etc.