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The Prophets · Old Testament

Ezekiel 30

Ezekiel 30: the day of the Lord on Egypt and Pharaoh's broken arms

General context

The prophet is told to prophesy "Howl ye, Woe worth the day!" The day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day, the time of the heathen. The sword will come on Egypt and great pain on Ethiopia; Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, the mingled people, Chub and the men of the land in league will fall with her. Those who uphold Egypt will fall from the tower of Syene. Egypt will be desolate among desolate countries, a fire set in her, and messengers in ships will make the careless Ethiopians afraid. The Lord will end Egypt's multitude by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, whose people, the terrible of the nations, will fill the land with slain. He will dry the rivers and sell the land to the wicked. Idols and images will cease out of Noph, there will be no more a prince of Egypt, Pathros will be desolate, fire will be set in Zoan, judgments done in No, fury poured on Sin, No rent, Noph distressed daily, the young men of Aven and Pi-beseth killed, and the day darkened at Tehaphnehes when the yokes of Egypt are broken and her daughters go into captivity. A second word, dated the eleventh year, first month, seventh day, says the Lord has broken the arm of Pharaoh and it will not be bound up to hold the sword. He will break both arms, make the sword fall from his hand, scatter the Egyptians, and strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, putting his own sword into that king's hand while Pharaoh groans like a deadly wounded man.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 30:2, Ezekiel 30:3, Ezekiel 30:4, Ezekiel 30:5, Ezekiel 30:6, Ezekiel 30:8, Ezekiel 30:9, Ezekiel 30:10, Ezekiel 30:11, Ezekiel 30:12, Ezekiel 30:13, Ezekiel 30:14, Ezekiel 30:15, Ezekiel 30:16, Ezekiel 30:18, Ezekiel 30:20, Ezekiel 30:21, Ezekiel 30:22, Ezekiel 30:24

Ezekiel 30 (KJV)

1The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

2Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Howl ye, Woe worth the day!

3For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.

4And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain 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.

5Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.

6Thus saith the Lord; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord God.

7And 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.

8And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed.

9In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh.

10Thus saith the Lord God; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.

11He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain.

12And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the Lord have spoken it.

13Thus saith the Lord God; I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.

14And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No.

15And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No.

16And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily.

17The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity.

18At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.

19Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

20And 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,

21Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.

22Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.

23And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.

24And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh’s arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.

25But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; 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.

26And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The first oracle has no date heading; it follows on from chapter 29 with "The word of the Lord came again unto me". The second is dated the eleventh year, first month, seventh day, earlier than the twenty-seventh year heading that closed chapter 29, so the chapter's order is not strictly chronological. Egypt's allies and helpers are listed by the names the text uses (Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, the mingled people, Chub, the land in league), and her cities likewise (Noph, Pathros, Zoan, No, Sin, Aven, Pi-beseth, Tehaphnehes); the chapter attaches no explanation to any of them beyond the judgment named. Nebuchadrezzar is named once, after which the text says "the king of Babylon". The second word says the Lord says "I have broken the arm of Pharaoh" already and will break both; the text does not say what event the first breaking refers to. Pharaoh is not named. As in chapter 29, the scattering of the Egyptians among the nations is announced, here twice.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 30:1, Ezekiel 30:20, Ezekiel 29:17, Ezekiel 30:5, Ezekiel 30:17, Ezekiel 30:10, Ezekiel 30:25, Ezekiel 30:21, Ezekiel 30:23, Ezekiel 30:26

Literary context

The first oracle opens with a cry to howl and a description of "the day of the Lord" as "a cloudy day", and closes with the day "darkened" at Tehaphnehes and "a cloud" covering Egypt, so the image of darkness frames the whole. Between these, the oracle widens from Egypt to her allies and then narrows to a list of named cities, each given its own verb: fire set, judgments executed, fury poured, rent asunder, distresses daily. The refrain "they shall know that I am the Lord" closes both the first oracle and the second. The second oracle works a single figure, the arm that holds the sword. Pharaoh's arm is already broken and will not be bandaged; both arms will be broken; the sword falls from his hand. Against this, the Lord "will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon" and put "my sword in his hand", stated twice. The sword changes hands within the poem, and Pharaoh's last sound is a groan.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 30:2, Ezekiel 30:3, Ezekiel 30:18, Ezekiel 30:14, Ezekiel 30:16, Ezekiel 30:19, Ezekiel 30:21, Ezekiel 30:22, Ezekiel 30:24, Ezekiel 30:25

Key moments

  1. Howl, the day is near (Ezekiel 30:3). The day of the Lord is announced as near, a cloudy day and the time of the heathen.
  2. Egypt's helpers fall with her (Ezekiel 30:5). Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, the mingled people and Chub are to fall by the sword with Egypt.
  3. Nebuchadrezzar to end Egypt's multitude (Ezekiel 30:10). The Lord names the king of Babylon as the hand that will make Egypt's multitude cease.
  4. No more a prince of Egypt (Ezekiel 30:13). Idols cease out of Noph and there is to be no more a prince of the land.
  5. Pharaoh's arm already broken (Ezekiel 30:21). The Lord says he has broken Pharaoh's arm and it will not be bound up to hold the sword.
  6. The sword given to Babylon (Ezekiel 30:24). The Lord strengthens the king of Babylon's arms and puts his sword in that king's hand.

For reflection

The oracle lists Egypt's helpers, Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia and the rest, and says "all her helpers shall be destroyed" together with her. What does it mean to be bound to the fate of the power you have propped up?

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