11 He and his people H5971 with him, the terrible H6184 of the nations, H1471 shall be brought H935 to destroy H7843 the land: H776 and they shall draw H7324 their swords H2719 against Egypt, H4714 and fill H4390 the land H776 with the slain. H2491
That thou shalt take up H5375 this proverb H4912 against the king H4428 of Babylon, H894 and say, H559 How hath the oppressor H5065 ceased! H7673 the golden city H4062 ceased! H7673 The LORD H3068 hath broken H7665 the staff H4294 of the wicked, H7563 and the sceptre H7626 of the rulers. H4910 He who smote H5221 the people H5971 in wrath H5678 with a continual H1115 H5627 stroke, H4347 he that ruled H7287 the nations H1471 in anger, H639 is persecuted, H4783 and none H1097 hindereth. H2820
Their slain H2491 also shall be cast out, H7993 and their stink H889 shall come up H5927 out of their carcases, H6297 and the mountains H2022 shall be melted H4549 with their blood. H1818 And all the host H6635 of heaven H8064 shall be dissolved, H4743 and the heavens H8064 shall be rolled together H1556 as a scroll: H5612 and all their host H6635 shall fall down, H5034 as the leaf H5929 falleth off H5034 from the vine, H1612 and as a falling H5034 fig from the fig tree. H8384 For my sword H2719 shall be bathed H7301 in heaven: H8064 behold, it shall come down H3381 upon Idumea, H123 and upon the people H5971 of my curse, H2764 to judgment. H4941 The sword H2719 of the LORD H3068 is filled H4390 with blood, H1818 it is made fat H1878 with fatness, H2459 and with the blood H1818 of lambs H3733 and goats, H6260 with the fat H2459 of the kidneys H3629 of rams: H352 for the LORD H3068 hath a sacrifice H2077 in Bozrah, H1224 and a great H1419 slaughter H2874 in the land H776 of Idumea. H123 And the unicorns H7214 shall come down H3381 with them, and the bullocks H6499 with the bulls; H47 and their land H776 shall be soaked H7301 with blood, H1818 and their dust H6083 made fat H1878 with fatness. H2459
Thou art my battle axe H4661 and weapons H3627 of war: H4421 for with thee will I break in pieces H5310 the nations, H1471 and with thee will I destroy H7843 kingdoms; H4467 And with thee will I break in pieces H5310 the horse H5483 and his rider; H7392 and with thee will I break in pieces H5310 the chariot H7393 and his rider; H7392 With thee also will I break in pieces H5310 man H376 and woman; H802 and with thee will I break in pieces H5310 old H2205 and young; H5288 and with thee will I break in pieces H5310 the young man H970 and the maid; H1330 I will also break in pieces H5310 with thee the shepherd H7462 and his flock; H5739 and with thee will I break in pieces H5310 the husbandman H406 and his yoke of oxen; H6776 and with thee will I break in pieces H5310 captains H6346 and rulers. H5461
And it shall come to pass in that day, H3117 that I will give H5414 unto Gog H1463 a place H4725 there of graves H6913 in Israel, H3478 the valley H1516 of the passengers H5674 on the east H6926 of the sea: H3220 and it shall stop H2629 the noses of the passengers: H5674 and there shall they bury H6912 Gog H1463 and all his multitude: H1995 and they shall call H7121 it The valley H1516 of Hamongog. H1996 And seven H7651 months H2320 shall the house H1004 of Israel H3478 be burying H6912 of them, that they may cleanse H2891 the land. H776 Yea, all the people H5971 of the land H776 shall bury H6912 them; and it shall be to them a renown H8034 the day H3117 that I shall be glorified, H3513 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069 And they shall sever out H914 men H582 of continual employment, H8548 passing through H5674 the land H776 to bury H6912 with the passengers H5674 those that remain H3498 upon the face H6440 of the earth, H776 to cleanse H2891 it: after the end H7097 of seven H7651 months H2320 shall they search. H2713 And the passengers H5674 that pass through H5674 the land, H776 when any seeth H7200 a man's H120 bone, H6106 then shall he set up H1129 a sign H6725 by H681 it, till the buriers H6912 have buried H6912 it in the valley H1516 of Hamongog. H1996 And also the name H8034 of the city H5892 shall be Hamonah. H1997 Thus shall they cleanse H2891 the land. H776 And, thou son H1121 of man, H120 thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Speak H559 unto every feathered H3671 fowl, H6833 and to every beast H2416 of the field, H7704 Assemble H6908 yourselves, and come; H935 gather H622 yourselves on every side H5439 to my sacrifice H2077 that I do sacrifice H2076 for you, even a great H1419 sacrifice H2077 upon the mountains H2022 of Israel, H3478 that ye may eat H398 flesh, H1320 and drink H8354 blood. H1818 Ye shall eat H398 the flesh H1320 of the mighty, H1368 and drink H8354 the blood H1818 of the princes H5387 of the earth, H776 of rams, H352 of lambs, H3733 and of goats, H6260 of bullocks, H6499 all of them fatlings H4806 of Bashan. H1316 And ye shall eat H398 fat H2459 till ye be full, H7654 and drink H8354 blood H1818 till ye be drunken, H7943 of my sacrifice H2077 which I have sacrificed H2076 for you. Thus ye shall be filled H7646 at my table H7979 with horses H5483 and chariots, H7393 with mighty men, H1368 and with all men H376 of war, H4421 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069
For, lo, I raise up H6965 the Chaldeans, H3778 that bitter H4751 and hasty H4116 nation, H1471 which shall march H1980 through the breadth H4800 of the land, H776 to possess H3423 the dwellingplaces H4908 that are not theirs. They are terrible H366 and dreadful: H3372 their judgment H4941 and their dignity H7613 shall proceed H3318 of themselves. Their horses H5483 also are swifter H7043 than the leopards, H5246 and are more fierce H2300 than the evening H6153 wolves: H2061 and their horsemen H6571 shall spread H6335 themselves, and their horsemen H6571 shall come H935 from far; H7350 they shall fly H5774 as the eagle H5404 that hasteth H2363 to eat. H398 They shall come H935 all for violence: H2555 their faces H6440 shall sup up H4041 as the east wind, H6921 and they shall gather H622 the captivity H7628 as the sand. H2344
And I will bring distress H6887 upon men, H120 that they shall walk H1980 like blind men, H5787 because they have sinned H2398 against the LORD: H3068 and their blood H1818 shall be poured out H8210 as dust, H6083 and their flesh H3894 as the dung. H1561 Neither their silver H3701 nor their gold H2091 shall be able H3201 to deliver H5337 them in the day H3117 of the LORD'S H3068 wrath; H5678 but the whole land H776 shall be devoured H398 by the fire H784 of his jealousy: H7068 for he shall make H6213 even a speedy H926 riddance H3617 of all them that dwell H3427 in the land. H776
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ezekiel 30
Commentary on Ezekiel 30 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 30
Eze 30:1-26. Continuation of the Prophecies against Egypt.
Two distinct messages: (1) At Eze 30:1-19, a repetition of Eze 29:1-16, with fuller details of lifelike distinctness. The date is probably not long after that mentioned in Eze 29:17, on the eve of Nebuchadnezzar's march against Egypt after subjugating Tyre. (2) A vision relating directly to Pharaoh and the overthrow of his kingdom; communicated at an earlier date, the seventh of the first month of the eleventh year. Not a year after the date in Eze 29:1, and three months before the taking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.
2. Woe worth the day!—that is, Alas for the day!
3. the time of the heathen—namely, for taking vengeance on them. The judgment on Egypt is the beginning of a world-wide judgment on all the heathen enemies of God (Joe 1:15; 2:1, 2; 3:1-21; Ob 15).
4. pain—literally, "pangs with trembling as of a woman in childbirth."
5. the mingled people—the mercenary troops of Egypt from various lands, mostly from the interior of Africa (compare Eze 27:10; Jer 25:20, 24; 46:9, 21).
Chub—the people named Kufa on the monuments [Havernick], a people considerably north of Palestine [Wilkinson]; Coba or Chobat, a city of Mauritania [Maurer].
men of the land that is in league—too definite an expression to mean merely, "men in league" with Egypt; rather, "sons of the land of the covenant," that is, the Jews who migrated to Egypt and carried Jeremiah with them (Jer 42:1-44:30). Even they shall not escape (Jer 42:22; 44:14).
6. from the tower of Syene—(see on Eze 29:10).
7. in the midst of … countries … desolate—Egypt shall fare no better than they (Eze 29:10).
9. messengers … in ships to … Ethiopians—(Isa 18:1, 2). The cataracts interposing between them and Egypt should not save them. Egyptians "fleeing from before Me" in My execution of judgment, as "messengers" in "skiffs" ("vessels of bulrushes," Isa 18:2) shall go up the Nile as far as navigable, to announce the advance of the Chaldeans.
as in the day of Egypt—The day of Ethiopia's "pain" shall come shortly, as Egypt's day came.
10. the multitude—the large population.
12. rivers—the artificial canals made from the Nile for irrigation. The drying up of these would cause scarcity of grain, and so prepare the way for the invaders (Isa 19:5-10).
13. Noph—Memphis, the capital of Middle Egypt, and the stronghold of "idols." Though no record exists of Nebuchadnezzar's "destroying" these, we know from Herodotus and others, that Cambyses took Pelusium, the key of Egypt, by placing before his army dogs, cats, &c., all held sacred in Egypt, so that no Egyptian would use any weapon against them. He slew Apis, the sacred ox, and burnt other idols of Egypt.
no more a prince—referring to the anarchy that prevailed in the civil wars between Apries and Amasis at the time of Nebuchadnezzar's invasion. There shall no more be a prince of the land of Egypt, ruling the whole country; or, no independent prince.
14. Pathros—Upper Egypt, with "No" or Thebes its capital (famed for its stupendous buildings, of which grand ruins remain), in antithesis to Zoan or Tanis, a chief city in Lower Egypt, within the Delta.
15. Sin—that is, Pelusium, the frontier fortress on the northeast, therefore called "the strength (that is, the key) of Egypt." It stands in antithesis to No or Thebes at the opposite end of Egypt; that is, I will afflict Egypt from one end to the other.
16. distresses daily—Maurer translates, "enemies during the day," that is, open enemies who do not wait for the covert of night to make their attacks (compare Jer 6:4; 15:8). However, the Hebrew, though rarely, is sometimes rendered (see Ps 13:2) as in English Version.
17. Aven—meaning "vanity" or "iniquity": applied, by a slight change of the Hebrew name, to On or Heliopolis, in allusion to its idolatry. Here stood the temple of the sun, whence it was called in Hebrew, Beth-shemesh (Jer 43:13). The Egyptian hieroglyphics call it, Re Athom, the sun, the father of the gods, being impersonate in Athom or Adam, the father of mankind.
Pi-beseth—that is, Bubastis, in Lower Egypt, near the Pelusiac branch of the Nile: notorious for the worship of the goddess of the same name (Coptic, Pasht), the granite stones of whose temple still attest its former magnificence.
these cities—rather, as the Septuagint, "the women," namely, of Aven and Pi-beseth, in antithesis to "the young men." So in Eze 30:18, "daughters shall go into captivity" [Maurer].
18. Tehaphnehes—called from the queen of Egypt mentioned in 1Ki 11:19. The same as Daphne, near Pelusium, a royal residence of the Pharaohs (Jer 43:7, 9). Called Hanes (Isa 30:4).
break … the yokes of Egypt—that is, the tyrannical supremacy which she exercised over other nations. Compare "bands of their yoke" (Eze 34:7).
a cloud—namely, of calamity.
20. Here begins the earlier vision, not long after that in the twenty-ninth chapter, about three months before the taking of Jerusalem, as to Pharaoh and his kingdom.
21. broken … arm of Pharaoh—(Ps 37:17; Jer 48:25). Referring to the defeat which Pharaoh-hophra sustained from the Chaldeans, when trying to raise the siege of Jerusalem (Jer 37:5, 7); and previous to the deprivation of Pharaoh-necho of all his conquests from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates (2Ki 24:7; Jer 46:2); also to the Egyptian disaster in Cyrene.
22. arms—Not only the "one arm" broken already (Eze 30:21) was not to be healed, but the other two should be broken. Not a corporal wound, but a breaking of the power of Pharaoh is intended.
cause … sword to fall out of … hand—deprive him of the resources of making war.