Ezekiel 29
[Ezekiel 29: 1] IN THE TENTH YEAR, IN THE TENTH MONTH, IN THE TWELFTH DAY OF THE MONTH, THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME UNTO ME,
[Ezekiel 29:2] SON OF MAN, SET THY FACE AGAINST PHARAOH KING OF EGYPT, AND PROPHESY AGAINST HIM, AND AGAINST ALL EGYPT:
[Ezekiel 29:3] SPEAK, AND SAY, THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD; BEHOLD, I AM
AGAINST THEE, PHARAOH KING OF EGYPT, THE GREAT DRAGON THAT LIETH IN THE MIDST
OF HIS RIVERS, WHICH HATH SAID, MY RIVER IS MINE OWN, AND I HAVE MADE IT
FOR MYSELF.
<<THE GREAT DRAGON>>: The word translated as "dragon" in Hebrew is "tannin", meaning here crocodile.
[Ezekiel 29:4] BUT I WILL PUT HOOKS IN THY
JAWS, AND I WILL CAUSE THE FISH OF THY RIVERS TO STICK UNTO THY SCALES, AND
I WILL BRING THEE UP OUT OF THE MIDST OF THY RIVERS, AND ALL THE FISH OF
THY RIVERS SHALL STICK UNTO THY SCALES.
[Ezekiel 29:5] AND I WILL LEAVE THEE THROWN INTO THE WILDERNESS, THEE
AND ALL THE FISH OF THY RIVERS: THOU SHALT FALL UPON THE OPEN FIELDS; THOU
SHALT NOT BE BROUGHT TOGETHER, NOR GATHERED: I HAVE GIVEN THEE FOR MEAT TO
THE BEASTS OF THE FIELD AND TO THE FOWLS OF THE HEAVEN.
[Ezekiel 29:6] AND ALL THE INHABITANTS OF EGYPT SHALL KNOW THAT I AM
THE LORD, BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN A STAFF OF REED TO THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL.
[Ezekiel 29:7] WHEN THEY TOOK HOLD OF THEE BY THY HAND, THOU DIDST
BREAK, AND REND ALL THEIR SHOULDER: AND WHEN THEY LEANED UPON THEE, THOU
BRAKEST, AND MADEST ALL THEIR LOINS TO BE AT A STAND.
[Ezekiel 29:8] THEREFORE THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD; BEHOLD, I WILL BRING A SWORD UPON THEE, AND CUT OFF MAN AND BEAST OUT OF THEE.
[Ezekiel 29:9] AND THE LAND OF EGYPT SHALL BE DESOLATE AND WASTE; AND
THEY SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD: BECAUSE HE HATH SAID, THE RIVER IS MINE,
AND I HAVE MADE IT.
[Ezekiel 29:10] BEHOLD, THEREFORE I AM AGAINST
THEE, AND AGAINST THY RIVERS, AND I WILL MAKE THE LAND OF EGYPT UTTERLY WASTE
AND DESOLATE, FROM THE TOWER OF SYENE EVEN UNTO THE BORDER OF ETHIOPIA.
[Ezekiel 29:11] NO FOOT OF MAN SHALL PASS THROUGH IT, NOR FOOT OF BEAST
SHALL PASS THROUGH IT, NEITHER SHALL IT BE INHABITED FORTY YEARS.
[Ezekiel 29:12] AND I WILL MAKE THE LAND OF EGYPT DESOLATE IN THE MIDST
OF THE COUNTRIES THAT ARE DESOLATE, AND HER CITIES AMONG THE CITIES THAT
ARE LAID WASTE SHALL BE DESOLATE FORTY YEARS: AND I WILL SCATTER THE EGYPTIANS
AMONG THE NATIONS, AND WILL DISPERSE THEM THROUGH THE COUNTRIES.
[Ezekiel 29:13] YET THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD; AT THE END OF FORTY YEARS
WILL I GATHER THE EGYPTIANS FROM THE PEOPLE WHITHER THEY WERE SCATTERED:
One chronological explanation (quoted by Eisemann) says that from the
Babylonian Conquest of Egypt till the Persian conquest of Babylon there
elapsed forty years. Apparently the Babylonians exiled Egyptians who
returned to Egypt when the Persians took over. Even so, things are not so
clear and the commentators disagree with each other on the correct
interpretation of this point.
[Ezekiel 29:14] AND I WILL BRING AGAIN THE CAPTIVITY
OF EGYPT, AND WILL CAUSE THEM TO RETURN INTO THE LAND OF PATHROS, INTO THE
LAND OF THEIR HABITATION; AND THEY SHALL BE THERE A BASE KINGDOM.
[Ezekiel 29:15] IT SHALL BE THE BASEST OF THE KINGDOMS; NEITHER SHALL
IT EXALT ITSELF ANY MORE ABOVE THE NATIONS: FOR I WILL DIMINISH THEM, THAT
THEY SHALL NO MORE RULE OVER THE NATIONS.
Egypt since the time of the Babylonian captivity has always usually ruled
over by foreigners. The native Egyptians are partly Coptic Christians who
are persecuted by the Arab Muslim majority. Egypt was always ruled over by
foreigners up to the time of Nugeiba. Before Nugeiba Egypt was ruled over
by a king of Albanian origin and before him by the British and before the
British by the Turks. After Nugeiba came Nasser and then Sadat (who was
half-Sudanese, half-German) and now Movarak who really is an Arab Egyptian.
[Ezekiel 29:16] AND IT SHALL BE NO MORE THE CONFIDENCE
OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, WHICH BRINGETH THEIR INIQUITY TO REMEMBRANCE, WHEN
THEY SHALL LOOK AFTER THEM: BUT THEY SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD GOD.
[Ezekiel 29:17] AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE SEVEN AND TWENTIETH YEAR,
IN THE FIRST MONTH, IN THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH, THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME
UNTO ME, SAYING,
[Ezekiel 29:18] SON OF MAN, NEBUCHADREZZAR KING OF BABYLON CAUSED HIS
ARMY TO SERVE A GREAT SERVICE AGAINST TYRUS: EVERY HEAD WAS MADE BALD, AND
EVERY SHOULDER WAS PEELED: YET HAD HE NO WAGES, NOR HIS ARMY, FOR TYRUS,
FOR THE SERVICE THAT HE HAD SERVED AGAINST IT:
Because the Neubchadnessar the Babylonian had done God's will and destroyed
Phoenician Tyre he would be given the Kingdom of Egypt as a reward.
[Ezekiel 29:19] THEREFORE THUS SAITH THE LORD
GOD; BEHOLD, I WILL GIVE THE LAND OF EGYPT UNTO NEBUCHADREZZAR KING OF BABYLON;
AND HE SHALL TAKE HER MULTITUDE, AND TAKE HER SPOIL, AND TAKE HER PREY; AND
IT SHALL BE THE WAGES FOR HIS ARMY.
[Ezekiel 29:20] I HAVE GIVEN HIM THE LAND OF EGYPT FOR HIS LABOUR WHEREWITH
HE SERVED AGAINST IT, BECAUSE THEY WROUGHT FOR ME, SAITH THE LORD GOD.
[Ezekiel 29:21] IN THAT DAY WILL I CAUSE THE HORN OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
TO BUD FORTH, AND I WILL GIVE THEE THE OPENING OF THE MOUTH IN THE MIDST
OF THEM; AND THEY SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD.
At all events we can only partly understand this present prophecy. Egypt
was an enemy of Israel at the beginning of its existence and also
throughout most of its history and it will be mostly in the future. At the
time of the Messiah, after being defeated, Egypt will repent and be
re-accepted.
<<IN THAT DAY SHALL THERE BE A HIGHWAY OUT OF EGYPT TO ASSYRIA, AND THE
ASSYRIAN SHALL COME INTO EGYPT, AND THE EGYPTIAN INTO ASSYRIA, AND THE
EGYPTIANS SHALL SERVE WITH THE ASSYRIANS.
<< IN THAT DAY SHALL ISRAEL BE THE THIRD WITH EGYPT AND WITH ASSYRIA, EVEN
A BLESSING IN THE MIDST OF THE LAND:
<<WHOM THE LORD OF HOSTS SHALL BLESS, SAYING, BLESSED BE EGYPT MY PEOPLE,
AND ASSYRIA THE WORK OF MY HANDS, AND ISRAEL MINE INHERITANCE>> [Isaiah
19:23-25].
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