Ezekiel 32:2

Verse

“Son of man, take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: ‘You are like a lion among the nations; you are like a monster in the seas. You thrash about in your rivers, churning up the waters with your feet and muddying the streams.’

American Standard Version (1901)

Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou wast likened unto a young lion of the nations: yet art thou as a monster in the seas; and thou didst break forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.

Bible in Basic English

Son of man, make a song of grief for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and say to him, Young lion of the nations, destruction has come on you; and you were like a sea-beast in the seas, sending out bursts of water, troubling the waters with your feet, making their streams dirty.

Douay-Rheims 1899

Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharao the king of Egypt, and say to him: Thou art like the lion of the nations, and the dragon that is in the sea: and thou didst push with the horn in thy rivers, and didst trouble the waters with thy feet, and didst trample upon their streams.

Free Bible Version

“Son of man, sing a funeral song for Pharaoh king of Egypt and tell him: You think you're like a lion among the nations but in reality you're like a sea monster. You roll around in your rivers, stirring up the waters with your feet, making the water muddy.

King James (Authorized) Version

Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.

Translation for Translators

“You human, sing a sad/funeral song about the king of Egypt. Sing this to him: ‘You think that you [IRO] are like [SIM] a lion among the nations; or like [SIM] a monster/crocodile in the river thrashing around in the water, churning/stirring up the water with your feet and causing the water to become muddy.

Unlocked Literal Bible

“Son of man, lift up a lament concerning Pharaoh the king of Egypt; say to him, 'You are like a young lion among the nations, but you are like a monster in the seas; you churn up the water, you stir up the waters with your feet and muddy their waters.

Noah Webster Bible

Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou didst come forth with thy rivers, and disturb the waters with thy feet, and render their rivers foul.

World English Bible

‘Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and tell him, “You were likened to a young lion of the nations; yet you are as a monster in the seas. You broke out with your rivers, and troubled the waters with your feet, and fouled their rivers.”

Young's Literal Translation

'Son of man, lift up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and thou hast said unto him: A young lion of nations thou hast been like, And thou [art] as a dragon in the seas, And thou comest forth with thy flowings, And dost trouble the waters with thy feet, And thou dost foul their flowings.

Context

A Lament for Pharaoh King of Egypt

¹In the twelfth year, on the first day of the twelfth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: ‘You are like a lion among the nations; you are like a monster in the seas. You thrash about in your rivers, churning up the waters with your feet and muddying the streams.’

Summary

In Ezekiel 32:2, the prophet Ezekiel is instructed to take up a lamentation for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and to describe him as a young lion among the nations. This imagery symbolizes Pharaoh's pride, power, and influence over other nations. The verse serves as a warning of the impending judgment that will come upon Egypt and its ruler due to their arrogance and oppression of others. It highlights the consequences of pride and the importance of humility before God.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Thou art like a young lion - and thou art as a whale in the seas - Thou mayest be likened to two of the fiercest animals in the creation; to a lion, the fiercest on the land; to a crocodile, תנים tannim, (see Eze 29:3), the fiercest in the waters. It may, however, point out the hippopotamus, as there seems to be a reference to his mode of feeding. He walks deliberately into the water over head, and pursues his way in the same manner; still keeping on his feet, and feeding on the plants, etc., that grow at the bottom. Thus he fouls the water with his feet.

John Gill Bible Commentary

Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt,.... Pharaohhophra, or Apries; say a funeral dirge for him; this is ordered, not out of honour and respect to him, or in compassion for his misery and ruin, but to assure him of it: and say unto him, thou art like a young lion of the nations; for strength and fierceness, for cruelty and tyranny, which he exercised, not in one nation only, but in many; a lively emblem of the beast of Rome, spiritually called Egypt and Sodom, compared to a leopard, bear, and lion, Rev 11:8, and thou art as a whale in the seas; or rather "like a crocodile" (u), which was common in the rivers of Egypt, but not the whale; which also has not scales, nor does it go upon land, nor is it taken in a net; all which is said of this creature here, and in Eze 29:3 and to the crocodile there is an allusion in the name of Pharaoh, in the Arabic language, as Noldius from Camius observes (w); see Eze 29:3, and thou camest forth with thy rivers; or, "by thy rivers" (x); as the crocodile in the river Nile, by the arms of it, or canals made out of it, sometimes went out from thence to other parts: or, "out of thy rivers" (y) upon the land, as the crocodile does; so the king of Egypt went forth with his armies out of his own land, into other countries, to disturb them, as follows: or rather, "camest forth in thy rivers" (z); as the crocodile puts forth its head out of the water for respiration: and thou troublest the waters with thy feet, and foulest their rivers; just as the feet of men or beasts, in shallow waters, raise up the mud or clay at the bottom, and so foul them; this best agrees with the crocodile, which has feet; Grotius thinks, for this reason, the sea horse is intended; the meaning is, that Pharaoh with his soldiers entered other nations, made war upon them, and disturbed their peace and tranquillity. The Targum is, "thou hast been strong among the people, as a whale in the seas, thou hast fought with thine army; and thou hast moved the people with thine auxiliaries, and thou hast wasted their provinces.'' (u) "similis es crocodile", Noldius, Ebr. Concord. Part. p. 375. (w) Ibid. No. 1306. (x) "per flumina tua", Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius, Polanus. (y) "Ex fluminibus tuis", Starckius. (z) "In fluviis tuis", V. L. Piscator; "in fluminibus tuis", Cocceius.