Ezekiel 29
ZerrCBCEzekiel 29 THE ECLIPSE OF EGYPT Egypt is the seventh and last nation to hear the words of divine judgment addressed to it through this prophet. In the four chapters devoted to Egypt, Ezekiel speaks seven “ words” from the Lord. The number seven here is not likely accidental. In prophecy seven is the number of perfection or completeness. Hence, God will completely and fully deal with the enemies of his people. All but one of these “ words” are given specific dating. In chs 29-32 ninety-seven verses are devoted to the fall of Egypt, more verses than are contained in 1 Peter, more than 2 Timothy and more than are in Paul’ s letter to the Colossians. Why such a large section devoted to this one heathen power? Ezekiel agreed with Jeremiah that God had bestowed universal sovereignty temporarily on Nebuchadnezzar. Babylon’s principal rival in the sixth century was Egypt. The other nations condemned in this section were minor irritations to Nebuchadnezzar; but Egypt had the potential of presenting a serious obstacle to Yahweh’s will for Babylon. Egypt had been very much involved in encouraging Judah’ s final revolt against Babylon. The main point stressed by Ezekiel and the other Hebrew prophets is that the final destiny of Israel was in the hands of God, not the hands of human monarchs. Furthermore, the prophets dared to preach what was in their day a revolutionary doctrine: even the destiny of the superpowers was determined by God— and God was Yahweh! Israel might be small; but Israel’ s God was great to the ends of the earth. Israel appeared to be only a pawn in the hands of political strategists; but Israel’ s God was powerful, and in reality those strategists were but pawns in his hand. Thus the oracles against Egypt— and others like them— were not merely designed to vent the frustrations and hostilities that Israel felt toward her neighbors. These oracles served to underscore vital points of theology— the sovereignty, omniscience and omnipotence of Israel’ s God. The Egypt oracles are similar in structure: a general threat against Pharaoh under some allegorical designation; amplification of the general threat with regard to the instrument of punishment, the destruction of the country and the disposition of its inhabitants; a description of the effect that the fall of Egypt will have on other nations. THE SINS OF EGYPT Ezekiel 29:1-16 The first oracle against Egypt is a composite of three separate oracles. Following an introduction (Ezekiel 29:12), Ezekiel condemns Egypt’s pride (Ezekiel 29:3-6), and unreliability (Ezekiel 29:7-9). The third oracle announces Egypt’s defeat and restoration (Ezekiel 29:10-16). Introduction (29:1-2): In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (2) Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt. Prophesy against him and against all Egypt. The first word against Egypt is dated, according to the modern calendar, to December 29, 588 B.C.
This was about the time that the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem began (Jeremiah 52:4; Jeremiah 39:1; cf. Ezekiel 24:1), and seven months earlier than the preceding oracle against Tyre (v 1). The first Egyptian oracle emphasizes the pride of Egypt, and the desolation that God brings on her for her arrogance.Ezekiel was to set his face against Pharaoh in a gesture of defiance (Ezekiel 29:2). He was to announce God’ s hostility toward him.Egypt’s Pride (Ezekiel 29:3-6 a) Opposition by the Lord (29:3): Speak and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, that has said, the river is mine, and I myself made it. Pharaoh is addressed with the challenge formula, which also introduced the first Tyre oracle (26:3) and the oracle against Sidon (28:22). He is called the great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers. The reference is to the crocodile, and to the various branches of the Nile river in northern Egypt. The wealth— and in fact the very existence of Egypt— depended upon the Nile river, which here by metonymy stands for the entire country of Egypt. Most kings in the ancient world represented themselves to their people as the source of their prosperity. Pharaoh went even further in his outrageous claims. Like the prince of Tyre, Pharaoh regarded himself as the incarnation of a god. He thought of himself as the creator of all the wealth and prosperity of Egypt. Destruction by the Lord (Ezekiel 29:4-5) Captured (Ezekiel 29:4): I will put hooks in your jaws, and make the fish of your rivers cling to your scales. I will bring you up from the midst of your rivers. All the fish of your rivers will cling to your scales. Pharaoh will fall prey to his enemies. Like a crocodile drug from the river by captors, Pharaoh will be removed from his domain by his enemies. Pharaoh’s people, allies and mercenaries (fish of the river that stick to your scales) will accompany him. Whereas a battle with a crocodile stretched the limits of human power (Job 40:25f.), that Egyptian beast will be no challenge to the Creator. Consumed (Ezekiel 29:5): I will cast you into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers. Upon the face of the open field you will fall. You will not be gathered nor brought together. To the beasts of the land and the fowl of the heavens I have given you for food. There on dry land— the wilderness— the crocodile and fish joined to it will die. No one will gather up the carcass of the crocodile for burial. The birds and beasts of prey will devour the remains. Recognition of the Lord (29:6a): All the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the LORD. In the demise of Pharaoh, the Egyptians will recognize Yahweh’s judgment upon them for being an unreliable ally.Egypt’s Unreliability (Ezekiel 29:6-9 a) Unreliability illustrated (Ezekiel 29:6 b-7): Because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel — (Ezekiel 29:7) when anyone took hold of you with the hand, you broke and tore every shoulder; and when they leaned upon you, you broke and made all their loins stand up — Another metaphor for Egypt, introduced in v 6, is developed in this unit. Egypt had proved itself to be a staff of reecf to the house of Israel. Leaning is part of the Old Testament vocabulary of faith. By turning to Egypt, God’s people were looking for the support they should have sought in Yahweh. Through bitter experience, Israel discovered the truth of what the prophets had warned about reliance on Egypt. If one tried to make Egypt his crutch, he was destined for a fall.
That crutch will break, causing those who were dependent upon it to fall and dislocate their shoulder. They will then have to stand erect (make all their loins to stand up), and carry their own weight (Ezekiel 29:7). Egypt was the proverbial paper tiger. A few months after these words were spoken in Babylon, the Jews in Palestine lived through another episode of Egyptian failure. In Israel’ s moment of need, when Nebuchadnezzar was literally banging on the gates of Jerusalem, Egypt failed to send effective aid (cf. Jeremiah 37:7). The Egyptian foray into Palestine brought only a temporary lull in the siege of the city. Unreliability punished (Ezekiel 29:8-9 a): Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I bring upon you a sword. I will cut off from you man and beast. (Ezekiel 29:9 a) The land of Egypt will become a desolation and a waste.
Then will they know that I am the LORD. Because of Egypt’ s arrogance, God will bring a sword upon that land. Man and beast will be affected (Ezekiel 29:8). The fertile land of Pharaoh will be left desolate and waste. The gods of Egypt having been discredited, wise people will be forced to acknowledge the sovereignty of Yahweh (Ezekiel 29:9). Egypt’s Desolation(Ezekiel 29:9-12) The justification for it (Ezekiel 29:9-10 a): Because he has said, The river is mine, and I made it, (10) therefore, behold, I am against you and against your rivers. Pharaoh boasted that he owned and had created the Nile! God defies the arrogant claims of this king. The extent of it (Ezekiel 29:10-11 a): I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from Migdol to Syene, even unto the border of Ethiopia. (11) No foot of man will pass through it, nor foot of beast will pass through it. The Lord lays waste the land from north to south (Migdol to Syene), even as far as the border of Ethiopia (ancient Nubia) between the Nile’s second and third cataracts. Then what will become of Pharaoh’s boast (v 10). The desolation of Egypt is a result of an invading army. Even animals will desert the land owing to the lack of pasture (Ezekiel 29:11). Nebuchadnezzar made at least two invasions into Egypt. The Jewish historian Josephus tells of an invasion of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar five years after the fall of Jerusalem (582 B.C.). In this invasion the king of Egypt was killed. A fragmentary inscription from the archives of Babylon tells of another invasion of Egypt in the thirty-seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (i.e., 568 B.C.). It appears that Nebuchadnezzar was aiming to cripple Egypt so as to prevent Pharaoh from ever again meddling in Syria-Palestine. The duration of it (29:11-12): It will not be inhabited forty years. The reference to the forty years of Egypt’ s desolation has occasioned lengthy discussion among the commentators. The figure may be derived from Ezekiel 4:6 where Judah is depicted as suffering under the punishment of God for forty years. Keil regards the forty years as a symbolic period— the period denoted by God for punishment and penitence. However, it is best to regard the forty years as a definite historical epoch. The forty years of Egypt’ s desolation may be said to fall between 568 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar invaded the land, and 530 B.C. In the latter year the Persians entered the land. It may have been they who initiated the policy of reconstruction in Egypt even as they encouraged reconstruction in Judea.
The severity of it (Ezekiel 29:12 a): I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of lands that are desolate. Her cities in the midst of cities that are laid waste will be desolate forty years. In comparison to other countries ravished by war, Egypt will stand out as a most unfortunate land (desolate in the midst of countries that are desolate). Egyptian cities will be laid waste, i.e., left a ruinous condition for forty years. Ramification of it (Ezekiel 29:12 b): I will scatter Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the lands. During the time of desolation, the Egyptians will be scattered among the nations. No evidence of mass deportation of Egyptians subsequent to the time of Ezekiel has yet come to light. However, it is known that deportations of captive peoples was a standard procedure employed by great empires of that time, one is certainly on safe ground in assuming that it was the Chaldean king who fulfilled the prediction that God will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. See above on Ezekiel 29:11.Egypt’s Restoration (Ezekiel 29:13-16) The fact of restoration (Ezekiel 29:13-14): For thus says the Lord GOD: At the end of forty years, I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered. (Ezekiel 29:14) I will turn the fortunes of Egypt, and cause them to return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin. They will be there a lowly people. Ezekiel, like Jeremiah (46:26; cf. Isaiah 19), envisioned restoration for Egypt. God said through Ezekiel that he would turn the fortunes of Egypt. After the forty years, Egyptians will return into the land of Pathros, the southern part of the land, i.e., Upper Egypt.
This was the land of their origin, i.e., the area in which the Egyptian government first rose to prominence. The restored Egypt, however, is only a shadow of the glorious kingdom that once graced the banks of the Nile.Conditions after restoration (Ezekiel 29:15): It will be the lowliest of all kingdoms. She will not lift herself up again over the nations. I will diminish them so that they will no more rule over the nations. Following her restoration, Egypt will not be able to dominate other peoples. She will be inferior to all other nations.Relationship with Israel (Ezekiel 29:16): It will never again be the confidence of the house of Israel bringing to remembrance iniquity, when they turned after them.
They will know that I am the Lord GOD. No more will Egypt allure Israel into disastrous alliances. Israel will not repeat the great mistake of her past, viz., trusting in Egypt rather than in God. Israel in that future day will know assuredly that Yahweh is God.THE PRIZE OF EGYPT 29:17-21 Introduction (Ezekiel 29:17): It came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying… The second Egypt oracle dates to New Years day (April 26) 571 B.C. (v 17). It is the latest oracle in the entire book. The placement here is appropriate. The oracle connects the invasion of Egypt with the cessation of the Babylonian siege of Tyre that took place about 574 B.C.Compensation to Nebuchadnezzar (Ezekiel 29:18-20) Reason for compensation (Ezekiel 29:18): Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled. Yet neither he nor his army received any wages from Tyre for the service that he performed against it. Nebuchadrezzar rendered a great service to God by besieging Tyre for thirteen years (Josephus, Ant., 10.11.1). The siege perhaps was prolonged because of Egyptian support for Tyre. Nebuchadrezzar’s soldiers were weary with that warfare.
Bald spots worn by ill-fitting helmets marked the heads of the besiegers. The skin of their shoulders was raw from carrying heavy loads of timber and stone to construct the siege works. But in spite of his determined effort to cross the narrow arm of the sea and reach the island fortress,Nebuchadrezzar had been unsuccessful. Neither he nor his troops had been enriched through the spoils of war that generally made a lengthy siege operation rewarding.Decree of compensation (Ezekiel 29:19-20): Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am about to give to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon the land of Egypt. He will carry off her abundance, take her spoil and seize her prey. She will be the wages for his army. (20) I have given him the land of Egypt as his hire for which he served, because they worked for Me (oracle of the Lord GOD).
To compensate him for the service he rendered at Tyre, God decreed that Nebuchadnezzar should be given the land of Egypt. The spoils of that great north African nation will fall into the hands of the Chaldeans (Ezekiel 29:19). Nebuchadnezzar was entitled to this booty. All that he had done at Tyre, he had done in the service of the Lord (they worked for me; Ezekiel 29:20). A Babylonian force invaded Egypt in 568 B.C. Owing to the damaged state of the inscription that alludes to this campaign it is impossible to accurately gauge the success of the effort. It is known that Pharaoh Ahmose II came to terms with the invaders. Compensation for Israel (Ezekiel 29:21): The decisive political events of the sixth century were orchestrated by God to accomplish his plan of salvation for his people Israel. In 29:21 Ezekiel indicates three results of Nebuchadrezzar’ s invasion of Egypt. A horn for Israel (Ezekiel 29:21): In that day I will cause a horn to shoot up unto the house of Israel. A horn, symbol of power and prosperity, will spring forth for the house of Israel. This prophecy seems to be saying that Israel’ s restoration will correspond to Egypt’ s humiliation. Egypt’ s period of humiliation ended in 530 B.C. Israel’ s period of restoration began some eight or nine years earlier when Cyrus allowed the Jews to return home. Opening of mouth (Ezekiel 29:21 b): I will give you the opening of the mouth in the midst of them.
When Nebuchadnezzar invades Egypt in 568 B.C., God will give to Ezekiel opening of the mouth. The expression indicates a cheerful confidence in speaking. The implication is that Ezekiel had come under reproach regarding his oracles against foreign nations and the related prediction of Israel’s restoration. Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry is vindicated anew. Enlightenment of Israel (29:21c): They will know that I am the LORD. The Israelites will know that Yahweh is God, and that he truly had revealed himself to Ezekiel.Ezekiel Chapter Twenty-Nine Verse 1 FIRST OF FOUR AGAINST EGYPT"The first sixteen verses here are an introduction to the entire four chapters against Egypt. They describe the fate of Egypt, cite the sins of which she was guilty and indicate the nature of her judgment, and her future place among the nations of the world."[1]Ezekiel has seven oracles against Egypt, the first two of which are in this chapter: (1) Ezekiel 29:1-16; (2) Ezekiel 29:17-21; (3) Ezekiel 30:1-19; (4)Ezekiel 30:20-26; (5) Ezekiel 31; (6) Ezekiel 32:1-16; and (7) Ezekiel 32:17-32. The date of this prophecy is specific. “It was a year and two days after Nebuchadnezzar began the siege of Jerusalem, and seven months before its destruction."[2] This was in January, 587 B.C.[3] “This was about the time when Pharaoh Hophra’s approach toward Jerusalem with an army caused Nebuchadnezzar temporarily to lift the siege, as recorded in Jeremiah 37:5.[4]The chapter naturally falls into these divisions: (1) the crocodile captured and destroyed (Ezekiel 29:1-7); (2) the allegory applied (Ezekiel 29:8-12); (3) the restoration of Egypt after forty years (Ezekiel 29:13-16); (4) Egypt awarded to Nebuchadnezzar as `wages’ for his ruin of Tyre (Ezekiel 29:17-20); and (5) a glimpse of a New Age for Israel (Ezekiel 29:21). THE AND Eze_29:1-7"In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt; speak, and say, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lieth in the midst of his rivers, that hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. And 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, with all the fish of thy rivers which stick unto thy scales. And I will cast thee forth into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open field; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered; I have given thee for food to the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens. And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am Jehovah, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. When they took hold of thee by the hand, thou didst break, and didst rend all their shoulders; and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand.““The twelfth day of the month …” (Ezekiel 29:1). F.
F. Bruce gave this day as the 7th of January, 587 B.C.[5]“The great monster that lieth in the midst of his rivers …” (Ezekiel 29:3).
The word here means crocodile, an appropriate symbol indeed for Pharaoh and his nation. He was a terrible looking monster, not nearly as dangerous as he looked, lethargic and inactive most of the time. Of course, some of our radical commentators automatically find all kinds of mythological connections with a reference of this kind; but as Cooke stated, “Mythological associations are foreign to this context."[6] Furthermore, Pearson, writing in 1962, makes the same affirmation.[7] Despite this, May, quoting some various readings, thought he found here some reflections of Sumerian mythology."[8]Historically, there is no excuse whatever for seeking sources here in ancient mythology. The crocodile was a well-known symbol of Egypt, found on Roman coins of that vintage, and being universally understood as a symbol of Egypt and its Pharaohs.[9]“The fish … which stick to thy scales …” (Ezekiel 29:4). This represents the subjects, dependents, and allies of Pharaoh who would inevitably share in his ruin and downfall. “I have given thee for food to the beasts, etc …” (Ezekiel 29:5). The death prophesied here for Pharaoh was especially repulsive to the Egyptian, due to the care they usually bestowed upon their dead bodies, especially those of the Pharaohs. Two reasons are here assigned as the prior causes of the terrible punishment God was bringing upon them. (1) Pharaoh had arrogated unto himself divine prerogatives, in the same manner as the prince of Tyre, even claiming to have created the Nile River! (Ezekiel 29:3). (2) Egypt had bitterly deceived and betrayed Israel upon those occasions when, contrary to God’s warning, that had formed military alliances with Egypt. They had proved to be a “broken reed” indeed upon which Israel had vainly depended for help. Still another reason is cited later in Ezekiel 29:9 b-16. (3) “Egypt possessed an exaggerated sense of self-sufficiency."[10]Verse 8 “Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and will cut off from thee man and beast. And the land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste; and they shall know that I am Jehovah. Because he hath said the river is mine, and I have made it; therefore, behold, I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from the tower of Seveneh, even unto the border of Ethiopia. No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be a desolation for forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.“THE APPLIED"I will bring a sword upon thee …” (Ezekiel 29:8). This was the sword of Nebuchadnezzar, identified inEzekiel 29:17, below. “A desolation for forty years …” (Ezekiel 29:11-12). This is the big problem in this prophecy, because nearly all of the scholars seem very sure that there was never such a long period of desolation in the whole history of Egypt. However, there is too much that men do not know about the history of those times to allow very much dependence to be put in such opinions. Nebuchadnezzar did indeed capture Egypt, following the fall of Tyre; and if what that ruthless ruler did to Jerusalem is any gauge of what he probably did to Egypt, we may be very sure that Ezekiel’s prophecy was no exaggeration. Our inability to prove just exactly what all that desolation was cannot in any manner detract from the most circumstantial and accurate fulfillment of that later promise in this same prophecy regarding the perpetual place of Egypt throughout following history, in which the perpetual mediocrity of the nation was foretold. Our argument is that this portion of the prophecy alone proves the divine inspiration of the whole prophecy, and the believer should have no problem with trusting God for the fulfillment of the rest of it, whether or not, modern commentators know all about it. Verse 13 “Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: at the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the peoples whither they were scattered; and I will bring back the captivity of Egypt, and I will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their birth; and they shall be there a base kingdom. It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it any more lift itself up above the nations: and I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity to remembrance, when they turn to look after them: and they shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah.” OF EGYPT AFTER FORTY YEARSThere is not a more remarkable prophecy in all the Word of God than this one. “It (Egypt) shall be the basest of the kingdoms …” (Ezekiel 29:15). Egypt throughout all subsequent history has continued to remain a nation of secondary strength and importance. Babylon dominated her; then Persia dominated her; then the Greeks under Alexander the Great were her masters; after them came the Seleucids, and still later the Romans! What a remarkable fulfillment of the words of this prophecy. Even modern times have revealed no change whatever in the continued secondary status of Egypt, that once-great nation which preceded Assyria, Babylon, and other great world powers as the monolithic terror of the whole world, and for a long period rivaled her successors as a world power. Verse 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 Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was worn; yet had he no wages, nor his army, from Tyre, for the service that he had served against it. Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall carry off her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt as his recompense for which he served, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord Jehovah.“EGYPT GIVEN TO AS “WAGES” The date in Ezekiel 29:17, according to Bruce, is April 26,571 B.C.[11] This was about a year after the end of the 13-year siege of Tyre. This, of course, is the last of Ezekiel’s prophecies chronologically; but it is included here because of the subject matter. “The date given here is two years later than the vision of chapter 40."[12]Despite the fall of Tyre and its subsequent domination under a high commissioner from Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar received no significant spoil from its capture. Many have suggested that perhaps Tyre had had sufficient time to ship all of their treasures elsewhere. Egypt may well have been a cooperating partner with Tyre in such a project, giving credence to Bruce’s suggestion that such actions on Egypt’s part would have been a sufficient “casus belli” to result in Nebuchadnezzar’s immediate declaration of war against Egypt.[13]Nebuchadnezzar appears here as “the servant of God” in his siege of Tyre, and his eventual spoil of Egypt is seen as a God-given reward for him as compensation for the failure of Tyre to yield any loot to her conquerors. “In all of Nebuchadnezzar’s campaigns, he was unconsciously carrying out the purposes of the Divine will (See Jeremiah 25:9).[14]McFadyen commented that “The appearance in this chapter of prophecies which men have labeled as `untilled’ may fairly be regarded as proof that in the mind of Ezekiel they had been or indeed would be essentially fulfilled."[15]There is no admission here that Nebuchadnezzar’s mission against Tyre failed. Jamieson tells us that Jerome, quoting Assyrian historians, expressly states that Nebuchadnezzar succeeded.[16] Afterward from the long siege, “The power of Tyre was broken, and she never regained her former greatness."[17]Verse 21 “In that day will I cause a horn to bud forth unto the house of Israel, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.“A GLIMPSE OF A NEW AGE FOR ISRAELThe first statement here has the earmarks of a Messianic promise; but the last half of the verse appears to limit it to those projected “better times” when Ezekiel will be able to open his mouth freely unto God’s people, who shall at that time truly learn that the Lord is Jehovah. We cannot explain exactly how these two declarations relate to each other, or how they belong in the same verse. Nevertheless, we are unwilling to give up the Messianic import of the initial clause. “In that day” is usually a reference to the Messianic dispensation; and we believe it is that in this verse. Furthermore “a horn” unto the house of David is a prophecy of the revival of the Davidic dynasty; and that took place only in the elevation of Jesus Christ to the right hand of God (Acts 2). Psalms 132:17, and Luke 1:69 demonstrate this common usage of the term “horn.” Keil pointed out that “The horn in this passage is the Messianic salvation. The words are unquestionably connected with God’s promise to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 24:26-27, that after the fall of Jerusalem, the mouth of Ezekiel will be opened; but they have a much more comprehensive meaning, namely, that with the dawn of salvation in Israel, in the church of the Lord, the word of prophecy would sound forth in the richest measure."[18]This characteristic of sweet promises of the ultimate victory of the people of God is a hallmark of true prophecy. We should be disappointed if it were not here, just as it is in countless other places throughout the Word of God.
Ezekiel 29:1
Ezekiel 29:1. The prophet drops back a year in his prophecies and writes this passage in the tenth year which means the tenth year after he was taken to Babylon. He resumes his predictions against the heathen nations because of their mistreatment of Israel.
Ezekiel 29:2
Ezekiel 29:2. The next nation to be predicted against is Egypt and the writing is directed against Pharaoh. That does not mean any particular man for all the kings of Egypt, took that name during a certain period, in the same manner as that of the Caesars of Rome or the Edwards and Henrys of England.
Ezekiel 29:3
Ezekiel 29:3. The lexicon defines dragon as a sea monster, and of course it is not applied literally to Pharaoh. The River Nile was virtually the life and support of the country by its deposit of silt on the land. This was caused by the annual overflow of the stream bringing the deposit down from the mountains, and also the moisture needed for vegetation was supplied by the flooding of this stream over the farm land. So important was the river to the life of the country that the Egyptians came to rank it among the most beloved of their gods. This called for the figurative phrase lieth in the midst of his rivers. The king even went so far as to claim the river as his own, and to make other vain and absurd statements.
Ezekiel 29:4
Ezekiel 29:4. We understand this language to be figurative, but all figures of speech are based on some literal facts or at least something that would be literally possible. The literal fact in the present case is the attachment of the king of Egypt and bis people to the Nile and the creatures living in it. even to the extent of regarding them as gods. Hence the imagery is that of a great monster (the king) living in the river and mingling with the fish of the stream. By the same token, also, the capture of the king is likened to the taking of a large water creature wihch would be done by putting hooks in his jaws. Fish , . . stick unto thy scales.
If the fish of a stream should stick to the body of a monster living therein, they would have to share the same fate with him when he is drawn out of the water. Likewise, the people of Egypt who adhered to Pharaoh in his wicked plots, would have to share with him when lie is caught by an invader.
Ezekiel 29:5
Ezekiel 29:5. A fish cannot live long out of water, and. so maintaining the imagery of water and fish in the illustration of the king of Egypt, it is predicted that he will be drawn out of his beloved river and cast out into the open field Of course if a fish is left in the field it will become the prey of beasts and fowl, just as the king of Egypt was destined to become the victim of some other person.
Ezekiel 29:6
Ezekiel 29:6. Been a staff of reed to Israel. The Israelites turned their attention to Egypt when threatened with danger (Eze 17: 15) and that displeased the Lord.
Ezekiel 29:7
Ezekiel 29:7. It was not according to the will of God for his people to lean upon Egypt, for support. However, since that nation evidently encouraged them to do so, it was like breaking a promise for it to come short of the assistance intimated that it would give. This failure was one cause of the Lord’s wrath against that nation and it called forth His predictions against it which are here being recorded,
Ezekiel 29:8
Ezekiel 29:8. I will bring a sword refers to the attacks that were to be made upon the country of Egypt, When God uses a certain man or nation or army to accomplish an end, or even when He only predicts that it is to occur, it is often spoken of as if He is the one who does it. In the present case we shall see that God will be the cause of the particular invasion into Egypt.
Ezekiel 29:9
Ezekiel 29:9. In a land where people “worship the creature (created thing) more than the Creator,’’ it is very necessary that they be taught to know the true Lord.
Ezekiel 29:10
Ezekiel 29:10. Rivers being in the plural form is not accidental for it is used in that sense a number of times in this chapter. The original word is defined by Strong as follows: “Of Egyptian origin; a channel, e. g, a fosse [ditch], canal, shaft; specifically the Nile, as the one river of Egypt, including its collateral [contributory] trenches.” When the Nile overflowed something had to be done to take care of the water or it would be wasted. Hence the people of the country made these artificial channels to carry the precious liquid to the various parts of the land, even to the providing of small ditches that would bring the water to the very plants. All of these channels are called rivers and hence the word is used in the plural. The reader should see the historical evidence on irrigation quoted at Deuteronomy 11:10-11, volume 1 of this Commentary.
The prediction is that Egypt was to be made utterly waste, but we shall learn soon that a specified period was to be decreed for the desolation. The location of Syene and border of Ethiopia makes the prediction mean that Egypt would be laid waste from one end to the other.
Ezekiel 29:11
Ezekiel 29:11. The specified period of time referred to in the preceding verse is named in this one, and the prediction is that the desolation will last forty years.
Ezekiel 29:12
Ezekiel 29:12. Only an inspired prophet could make such a definite prediction as the present verse records. This prediction is corroborated by history and I shall give a quotation as follows: “The king of Babylon, taking advantage therefore of the intestine divisions which the rebellion of Amasis had occasioned in that kingdom, marched thither at the head of his army. He subdued Egypt from Migdol or Magdol, a town on the frontiers of the kingdom, as far as Syene, in the opposite extremity where it borders on Ethiopia. He made a horrible devastation wherever he came; killed a great number of the inhabitants, and made such dreadful havoc in the country, that the damage could not be repaired in forty years. Nebuchadnezzar, having loaded his army with spoils, and conquered the whole kingdom, came to on accommodation [settlement] with Ainasis; and leaving him as his viceroy [representative] there, returned to Babylon.” Rollin’ s Ancient History, volume 1, page 232.
Ezekiel 29:13
Ezekiel 29:13. The desolation brought upon Egypt, like the captivity upon the Jews, was for the purpose of chastisement and not intended to be permanent. Thus the prediction is made of its restoration to national and industrial life after a time.
Ezekiel 29:14
Ezekiel 29:14. While Egypt was to return to national life it was not to come back to the height that it originally enjoyed but was to be a base or low kingdom. Verse 12 states that the Egyptians were to be dispersed among various countries, which occasions the prediction of the present verse about being brought back to Pathros, which was a part of Egypt.
Ezekiel 29:15
Ezekiel 29:15. The debasement of Egypt wras to be comparative, not that it would cease to have any greatness at ail. This verse expresses it by the phrase not exalt itself above the nations; it was to be subject to the influence of other countries.
Ezekiel 29:16
Ezekiel 29:16. No more the confidence of the house of Israel means that God’s people will be convinced they cannot rely on Egypt for support. While they had at times in the past looked to it, the Lord was displeased and such iniquity was remembered by Him.
Ezekiel 29:17
Ezekiel 29:17. There is a .long jump in the chronology of the writing of Ezekiel just for a more specific date of certain explanations to the prophet. God had told him that Egypt was to be visited with invasion and desolation, but that prediction was in the future as regards its fulfillment. Now the Lord sees fit to explain some things at this date which was after the prophet lias been in Babylon 27 years.
Ezekiel 29:18
Ezekiel 29:18. When God uses one nation to chastise another He does not forget that agency If it renders faithful service. The Lord had directed Ezekiel to predict the successful invasion of Nebuchadnezzar into Egypt, but had not told him the reason for selecting that king as the instrument for the punishment of that country. That explanation is given in this verse, that it was to repay him for his faithful service against Tyrus, at which he did not reap any gain. It is necessary for the reader to see the long note quoted at Ezekiel 26:4-5. noting especially the words found nothing in the place to requite them, which definitely agrees with the present statement. Serve a great service is further explained by the clause every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled.
This refers to the labor and hardships suffered in preparing a siege and attacking the walls with the battering-ram. In carrying baskets of material for the forts (which were carried on the head) the hair would be worn off that part of the body. A battering-ram was a large piece of timber with some hard substance on the end. This piece of timber was often used by being borne on the shoulders of the men, and that would wear the skin from their shoulders.
Ezekiel 29:19
Ezekiel 29:19. As a reward for his hard and faithful service against Tyrus, the Lord predicts that Nebuchadnezzar will invade Egypt and reap much from the spoils of the country. Again let the reader see the note referred to in the preceding verse.
Ezekiel 29:20
Ezekiel 29:20. Have given him is in the sense of something already done though it is prophecy, or at least some features of it are. They wrought for me denotes that when the soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar were carrying on the siege against Tyrus, it was regarded as work being done for the Lord.
Ezekiel 29:21
Ezekiel 29:21. When horn is used figuratively it means power or influence. When the people of Israel see the fulfillment of the prophecies that were delivered by Ezekiel, they will respect his place as a prophet of God. That will cause them to listen to his words and in that sense he will be given the opening of his mouth. As a further result of the entire circumstance, they will be made to know that I am the Lord,