Ezekiel 32 commentary

EZEKIEL 32 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
A Lament Over Pharaoh
1 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month on the
first day, the word of the Lord came to me:
BARNES, "In the twelfth month - About one year and seven months after the
destruction of Jerusalem. In the meantime had occurred the murder of Gedaliah and the
flight into Egypt of the Jews left behind by the Chaldaeans Jer. 41–43. Jeremiah, who
had accompanied them, foretold their ruin Jer. 44 in a prophecy probably
contemporaneous with the present - the sixth against Egypt, delivered in the form of a
dirge Eze_44:2-16.
CLARKE, "In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the
month - On Wednesday, March 22, the twelfth year of the captivity of Jeconiah, A.M.
3417.
Instead of the twelfth year, five of Kennicott’s MSS., and eight of De Rossi’s, read
‫עשרה‬ ‫בעשתי‬ in the eleventh year. This reading is supported by the Syriac; and is
confirmed by an excellent MS. of my own, about four hundred years old.
GILL, "And it came to pass in the twelfth year,.... Of Jeconiah's captivity, above a
year and a half after the taking of Jerusalem; the Syriac version reads in the eleventh
year:
in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month; the month Adar, which
answers to part of our February, and part of March; the Septuagint version reads it the
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tenth month: according to Bishop Usher (t), this was on the twenty second of March, on
the fourth day of the week (Wednesday), 3417 A.M.or 587 years before Christ:
that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying; as follows:
HENRY, "Here, I. The prophet is ordered to take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king
of Egypt, Eze_32:2. It concerns ministers to be much of a serious spirit, and, in order
thereunto, to be frequent in taking up lamentations for the fall and ruin of sinners, as
those that have not desired, but dreaded, the woeful day. Note, Ministers that would
affect others with the things of God must make it appear that they are themselves
affected with the miseries which sinners bring upon themselves by their sins. It becomes
us to weep and tremble for those that will not weep and tremble for themselves, to try if
thereby we may set them a weeping, set them a trembling.
JAMISON, "Eze_32:1-32. Two elegies over pharaoh, one delivered on the first day
(Eze_32:1), the other on the fifteenth day of the same month, the twelfth of the twelfth
year.
The twelfth year from the carrying away of Jehoiachin; Jerusalem was by this time
overthrown, and Amasis was beginning his revolt against Pharaoh-hophra.
K&D, "Lamentation over the King of Egypt
Pharaoh, a sea-monster, is drawn by the nations out of his waters with the net of God,
and cast out upon the earth. His flesh is given to the birds and beasts of prey to devour,
and the earth is saturated with his blood (Eze_32:2-6). At his destruction the lights of
heaven lose their brightness, and all the nations will be amazed thereat (Eze_32:7-10).
The king of Babel will come upon Egypt, will destroy both man and beast, and will make
the land a desert (Eze_32:11-16). - The date given in Eze_32:1 - ”In the twelfth year, in
the twelfth month, on the first of the month, the word of Jehovah came to me, saying” -
agrees entirely with the relation in which the substance of the ode itself stands to the
prophecies belonging to the tenth and eleventh years in Ezekiel 29:1-16 and Eze_
30:20-26; whereas the different date found in the Septuagint cannot come into
consideration for a moment.
COFFMAN 1-10, "Verse 1
FINAL CHAPTER AGAINST EGYPT WITH ORACLES (6) Ezekiel 32:1-16 AND
(7) Ezekiel 32:17-32
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This chapter has the final two of seven oracles against Egypt in Ezekiel 29-32. The
first of these, Ezekiel 32:1-16 is a prophecy of the, "Monster of Egypt, caught, slain
and devoured."[1] There are two parts of this, (a) the allegorical representation of it
(Ezekiel 32:1-10), and (b) a literal explanation of what that meant (Ezekiel
32:11-16).
The final oracle recounts the transfer of Egypt and his multitude to Sheol, the realm
of the dead, a remarkable paragraph which constitutes the most extensive discussion
in the Old Testament on the subject of the Underworld. "It has the most graphic
portrayal of the Pit, or Sheol, in the Old Testament."[2]
Cooke stated that it illustrates more vividly than any other passage in the Old
Testament the notions of the Underworld current in those times.[3] (1) It is
international and universal. Great and small, foreign and remote peoples are all
there. (2) It is conceived of as "in the depths of the earth." The grave is only six feet
deep; but in the sense of its significance it indeed goes to the "heart of the earth," as
Jesus stated in Matthew 12:40. (3) The dead lie there prostrate, harmless and
extinct. (4) Such distinctions as race and rank so visible on earth seem still to be
retained in death. (5) Isaiah even conceived of the dead as being capable of
emotions, and even of speech (Isaiah 14), using such a conception to teach spiritual
truth, but perhaps not intending that we should understand that there is any
capability whatever pertaining to the dead.
Two dates are given for the chapter: March 15,586 B.C. from the LXX, and March
3,585 B.C. from the text here. Brace preferred that in the LXX;[4] and Keil
vigorously supported our text in ASV.[5] At this time, Jerusalem had already fallen.
THE CROCODILE CAPTURED; SLAIN; AND DEVOURED (EZEK. 32:1-10)
Ezekiel 32:1-10
"And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the
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month, that the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 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 thou art as a monster in the seas; and thou didst
break forth with thy rivers, and troubleth the waters with thy feet, and foulest thy
rivers. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will spread out my net upon thee with a
company of many peoples; and they shall bring thee up in my net. And I will leave
thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon the field, and will cause all the birds
of the heavens to settle upon thee, and I will satisfy the beasts of the whole earth
with thee. And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy
height. I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the
mountains; and the watercourses shall be full of thee. And when I shall extinguish
thee, I will cover the heavens, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun
with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. All the bright lights of heaven will
I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord Jehovah. I
will also vex the hearts of many peoples, when I shall bring thy destruction upon the
nations, into the countries which thou hast not known. Yea, I will make many
peoples amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I
shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment,
every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall."
"Thou wast likened unto a young lion ..." (Ezekiel 32:2). Pharaoh probably looked
upon himself as `a young lion among the nations'; but God here told him what he
was really like.
"Yet thou art as a monster in the seas ..." (Ezekiel 32:3). "The seas here, as in
Ezekiel 29:3 where it reads `monster in the midst of the rivers,' is the Nile and its
spangled delta exits. The `monster' is the crocodile."[6]
It is a totally unchristian viewpoint that drags Babylonian mythology into this
prophecy. See our comment in the previous chapter regarding the errors involved in
seeking evidence of mythological connections in the prophecies of God.
Bunn's allegation was that "the monster" of this passage, "May stand for the great
dragon Tiamat in Babylonian mythology, or perhaps Apophis, the primordial god of
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chaos in Egyptian mythology ... more likely it is the latter."[7]
If such imaginary characters had been intended by Ezekiel, would he not have
named them? On the contrary, he used a word which in Hebrew means any large
sea-creature, including the crocodile. Or, could Bunn possibly have meant that
Jehovah himself, mentioned in the same breath as the author of this statement,
recognized the actual existence of mythological creatures like Apophis or Tiamat?
Whatever he meant by this, his comment must be disallowed as inaccurate and
untrustworthy.
As Keil noted, "Pharaoh is here compared to a crocodile, which stirs up the streams,
muddying and fouling them, doing so with his mouth and his feet, rendering turbid
all that was pure."[8]
"And I will leave thee upon the land ..." (Ezekiel 32:4). The picture of what would
happen to the crocodile was thus described by Pearson, "He would be taken in a
great net, dragged out of his river retreat and left to die, out of his element, on the
dry land, and his dead carcass would be left to provide food for the birds of the
heavens and the wild beasts of the earth."[9]
The darkening of the sun, moon and stars is a figure often encountered in the
Scriptures. It carries the meaning of the destruction of all of the great leaders and
public officials of a nation or kingdom.
In the following verses (Ezekiel 32:11-16), "All metaphors are abandoned, and the
desolation of Egypt is announced in literal language as something to be
accomplished by the sword of Babylon, `the most terrible of the nations.'"[10
COKE, "A lamentation for the fearful fall of Egypt. The sword of Babylon shall
destroy it. It shall be brought down to hell among all the uncircumcised nations.
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Before Christ 587.
TO the preceding funeral panegyric over Assyria, the fate of which was past,
Ezekiel prophetically subjoins a similar panegyric over Egypt, though its fate was
still future; making plainly here a happy variation only in the oratorical figure of
προ ομματων ποιειν . For by that figure past events are brought down, and
represented as now present before our eyes; whereas on the contrary by this
prophetic figure future events are anticipated, and represented as already past.
POOLE, "A lamentation for the fearful fall of Egypt, Ezekiel 32:1-10. The sword of
Babylon shall destroy it, Ezekiel 32:11-16. It shall be brought down to hell among all
the uncircumcised nations, Ezekiel 32:17-32.
In the twelfth year of the captivity of Jeconiah.
In the twelfth month, answering to part of our February and part of March, and
called Sabat. In the first day; and was the 15th of February old style, and the 5th
new style.
EBC, "Chapter 32 consists of two lamentations to be chanted over the fall of Egypt
by the prophet and the daughters of the nations (Ezekiel 32:16, Ezekiel 32:18). The
first (Ezekiel 32:1-16) describes the destruction of Pharaoh, and the effect which is
produced on earth; while the second (Ezekiel 32:17-32) follows his shade into the
abode of the dead, and expatiates on the welcome that awaits him there. Both
express the spirit of exultation over a fallen foe, which was one of the uses to which
elegiac poetry was turned amongst the Hebrews. The first passage, however, can
hardly be considered a dirge in any proper sense of the word. It is essential to a true
elegy that the subject of it should be conceived as dead, and that whether serious or
ironical it should celebrate a glory that has passed away. In this case the elegiac note
(of the elegiac "measure" there is hardly a trace) is just struck in the opening line:
"O young lion of the nations!" (How) "art thou undone!" But this is not sustained:
the passage immediately falls into the style of direct prediction and threatening, and
is indeed closely parallel to the opening prophecy of the series (chapter 29). The
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fundamental image is the same: that of a great Nile monster spouting from his
nostrils and fouling the waters with his feet (Ezekiel 32:2). His capture by many
nations and his lingering death on the open field are described with the realistic and
ghastly details naturally suggested by the figure (Ezekiel 32:3-6). The image is then
abruptly changed in order to set forth the effect of so great a calamity on the world
of nature and of mankind. Pharaoh is compared to a brilliant luminary, whose
sudden extinction is followed by a darkening of all the lights of heaven and by
consternation amongst the nations and kings of earth (Ezekiel 32:7-10). It is thought
by some that the violence of the transition is to be explained by the idea of the
heavenly constellation of the dragon, answering to the dragon of the Nile, to which
Egypt has just been likened. Finally all metaphors are abandoned, and the
desolation of Egypt is announced in literal terms as accomplished by the sword of
the king of Babylon and the "most terrible of the nations" (Ezekiel 32:11-16).
But all the foregoing oracles are surpassed in grandeur of conception by the
remarkable Vision of Hades which concludes the series-"one of the most weird
passages in literature" (Davidson). In form it is a dirge supposed to be sung at the
burial of Pharaoh and his host by the prophet along with the daughters of famous
nations (Ezekiel 32:18). But the theme, as has been already observed, is the entrance
of the deceased warriors into the under-world, and their reception by the shades
that have gone down thither before them. In order to understand it we must bear in
mind some features of the conception of the underworld, which it is difficult for the
modern mind to realise distinctly. First. of all, Sheol, or the "pit," the realm of the
dead, is pictured to the imagination as an adumbration of the grave or sepulchre, in
which the body finds its last resting-place; or rather it is the aggregate of all the
burying-grounds scattered over the earth’s surface. There the shades are grouped
according to their clans and nationalities, just as on earth the members of the same
family would usually be interred in one burying-place. The grave of the chief or
king, the representative of the nation, is surrounded by those of his vassals and
subjects, earthly distinctions being thus far preserved. The condition of the dead
appears to be one of rest or sleep; yet they retain some consciousness of their state,
and are visited at least by transient gleams of human emotion, as when in this
chapter the heroes rouse themselves to address the Pharaoh when he comes among
them. The most material point is that the state of the soul in Hades reflects the fate
of the body after death. Those who have received the honour of decent burial on
earth enjoy a corresponding honour among the shades below. They have, as it were,
a definite status and individuality in their eternal abode, whilst the spirits of the
unburied slain are laid in the lowest recesses of the pit, in the limbo of the
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uncircumcised. On this distinction the whole significance of the passage before us
seems to depend. The dead are divided into two great classes: on the one hand the
"mighty ones," who lie in state with their weapons of war around them; and on the
other hand the multitude of "the uncircumcised, slain by the sword"-i.e., those who
have perished on the field of battle and been buried promiscuously without due
funeral rites. There is, however, no moral distinction between the two classes. The
heroes are not in a state of blessedness; nor is the condition of the uncircumcised
one of acute suffering. The whole of existence in Sheol is essentially of one
character; it is on the whole a pitiable existence, destitute of joy and of all that
makes up the fulness of life on earth. Only there is "within that deep a lower deep,"
and it is reserved for those who in the manner of their death have experienced the
penalty of great wickedness. The moral truth of Ezekiel’s representation lies here.
The real judgment of Egypt was enacted in the historical scene of its final
overthrow; and it is the consciousness of this tremendous visitation of divine justice,
perpetuated amongst the shades to all eternity, that gives ethical significance to the
lot assigned to the nation in the other world. At the same time it should not be
overlooked that the passage is in the highest degree poetical, and cannot be taken as
an exact statement of what was known or believed about the state after death in Old
Testament times. It deals only with the fate of armies and nationalities and great
warriors who filled the earth with their renown. These, having vanished from
history, preserve through all, time in the underworld the memory of Jehovah’s
mighty acts of judgment; but it is impossible to determine whether this sublime
vision implies a real belief in the persistence of national identities in the region of the
dead.
These, then, are the principal ideas on which the ode is based, and the course of
thought is as follows. Ezekiel 32:18 briefly announces the occasion for which the
dirge is composed; it is to celebrate the passage of Pharaoh and his host to the lower
world, and consign him to his appointed place there. Then follows a scene which has
a certain resemblance to a well-known representation in the fourteenth chapter of
Isaiah (Isaiah 14:9-11). The heroes who occupy the place of honour among the dead
are supposed to rouse themselves at the approach of this great multitude, and
hailing them from the midst of Sheol, direct them to their proper place amongst the
dishonoured slain. "The mighty ones speak to him: ‘Be thou in the recesses of the
pit: whom dost thou excel in beauty? Go down and be laid to rest with the
uncircumcised, in the midst of them that are slain with the sword."’ Thither
Pharaoh has been preceded by other great conquerors who once set their terror in
the earth, but now bear their shame amongst those that go down to the pit. For
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there is Asshur and all his company; there too are Elam and Meshech and Tubal,
each occupying its own allotment amongst nations that have perished by the sword
(Ezekiel 32:22-26). Not theirs is the enviable lot of the heroes of old time who went
down to Sheol in their panoply of war, and rest with their swords under their heads
and their shields covering their bones. And so Egypt, which has perished like these
other nations, must be banished with them to the bottom of the pit (Ezekiel
32:27-28). The enumeration of the nations of the uncircumcised is then resumed;
Israel’s immediate neighbours are amongst them-Edom and the dynasties of the
north (the Syrians), and the Phoenicians, inferior states which played no great part
as conquerors, but nevertheless perished in battle and bear their humiliation along
with the others (Ezekiel 32:29-30). These are to be Pharaoh’s companions in his last
resting-place, and at the sight of them he will lay aside his presumptuous thoughts
and comfort himself over the loss of his mighty army (Ezekiel 32:31 f.).
It is necessary to say a few words in conclusion about the historical evidence for the
fulfilment of these prophecies on Egypt. The supplementary oracle of Ezekiel
29:17-21 shows us that the threatened invasion by Nebuchadnezzar had not taken
place sixteen years after the fall of Jerusalem. Did it ever take place at all? Ezekiel
was at that time confident that his words were on the point of being fulfilled, and
indeed he seems to stake his credit with his hearers on their verification. Can we
suppose that he was entirely mistaken? Is it likely that the remarkably definite
predictions uttered both by him and Jeremiah [Jeremiah 43:8-13;, Jeremiah
44:12-14;, Jeremiah 44:27-30;, Jeremiah 46:13-26] failed of even the partial
fulfilment which that on Tyre received? A number of critics have strongly
maintained that we are shut up by the historical evidence to this conclusion, They
rely chiefly on the silence of Herodotus, and on the unsatisfactory character of the
statement of Josephus. The latter writer is indeed sufficiently explicit in his
affirmations. He tells us that five years after the capture of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt, put to death the reigning king, appointed another
in his stead, and carried the Jewish refugees in Egypt captive to Babylon. But it is
pointed out that the date is impossible, being inconsistent with Ezekiel’s own
testimony, that the account of the death of Hophra is contradicted by what we know
of the matter from other sources (Herodotus and Diodorus), and that the whole
passage bears the appearance of a translation into history of the prophecies of
Jeremiah which it professes to substantiate. That is vigorous criticism, but the
vigour is perhaps not altogether unwarrantable, especially as Josephus does not
mention any authority. Other allusions by secular writers hardly count for much,
and the state of the question is such that historians would probably have been
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content to confess their ignorance if the credit of a prophet had not been mixed up
with it.
Within the last seventeen years, however, a new turn has been given to the
discussion through the discovery of monumental evidence which was thought to
have an important bearing on the point in dispute. In the same volume of an
Egyptological magazine Wiedemann directed the attention of scholars to two
inscriptions, one in the Louvre and the other in the British Museum, both of which
he considered to furnish proof of an occupation of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar. The
first was an Egyptian inscription of the reign of Hophra. It was written by an
official of the highest rank, named "Nes-hor," to whom was entrusted the
responsible task of defending Egypt on its southern or Ethiopian frontier.
According to Wiedemann’s translation, it relates among other things an irruption of
Asiatic bands (Syrians, people of the north, Asiatics), which penetrated as far as the
first cataract, and did some damage to the temple of Chnum in Elephantine. There
they were checked by Nes-hor, and afterwards they were crushed or repelled by
Hophra himself. Now the most natural explanation of this incident, in connection
with the circumstances of the time, would seem to be that Nebuchadnezzar, finding
himself fully occupied for the present with the siege of Tyre, incited roving bands of
Arabs and Syrians to plunder Egypt, and that they succeeded so far as to penetrate
to the extreme south of the country. But a more recent examination of the text, by
Maspero and Brugsch, reduces the incident to much smaller dimensions. They find
that it refers to a mutiny of Egyptian mercenaries (Syrians, Ionians, and Bedouins)
stationed on the southern frontier. The governor, Nes-hor, congratulates himself on
a successful stratagem by which he got the rebels into a position where they were cut
down by the king’s troops. In any case it is evident that it falls very far short of a
confirmation of Ezekiel’s prophecy. Not only is there no mention of
Nebuchadnezzar or a regular Babylonian army, but the invaders or mutineers are
actually said to have been annihilated by Hophra. It may be said, no doubt, that an
Egyptian governor was likely to be silent about an event which cast discredit on his
country’s arms, and would be tempted to magnify some temporary success into a
decisive victory. But still the inscription must be taken for what it is worth, and the
story it tells is certainly not the story of a Chaldean supremacy in the valley of the
Nile. The only thing that suggests a connection between the two is the general
probability that a campaign against Egypt must have been contemplated by
Nebuchadnezzar about that time.
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The second and more important document is a cuneiform fragment of the annals of
Nebuchadnezzar. It is unfortunately in a very mutilated condition, and all that the
Assyriologists have made out is that in the thirty-seventh year of his reign
Nebuchadnezzar fought a battle with the king of Egypt. As the words of the
inscription are those of Nebuchadnezzar himself, we may presume that the battle
ended in a victory for him, and a few disconnected words in the latter part are
thought to refer to the tribute or booty which he acquired. The thirty-seventh year
of Nebuchadnezzar is the year 568 B.C., about two years after the date of Ezekiel’s
last utterance against Egypt. The Egyptian king at this time was Amasis, whose
name (only the last syllable of which is legible) is supposed to be that mentioned in
the inscription. What the ulterior consequences of this victory were on Egyptian
history, or how long the Babylonian domination lasted, we cannot at present say.
These are questions on which we may reasonably look for further light from the
researches of Assyriology. In the meantime it appears to be established beyond
reasonable doubt that Nebuchadnezzar did attack Egypt, and the probable issue of
his expedition was in accordance with Ezekiel’s last prediction: "Behold, I give to
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the land of Egypt; and he shall spoil her spoil,
and plunder her plunder, and it shall be the wages for his army". [Ezekiel 29:19]
There can of course be no question of a fulfilment of the earlier prophecies in their
literal terms. History knows nothing of a total captivity of the population of Egypt,
or a blank of forty years in her annals when her land was untrodden by the foot of
man or of beast. These are details belonging to the dramatic form in which the
prophet clothed the spiritual lesson which it was necessary to impress on his
countrymen-the inherent weakness of the Egyptian empire as a power based on
material resources and rearing itself in opposition to the great ends of God’s
kingdom. And it may well have been that for the illustration of that truth the
humiliation that Egypt endured at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar was as effective as
her total destruction would have been.
PETT, "Introduction
Chapter 32 The Final Oracles Against Egypt.
We may well wonder why seven oracles should be pronounced and recorded against
Egypt. But it is a reminder to us that although God might wait a long time in the
end He calls all to account. And when He does so He does so in full. In the words of
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the poet, ‘the mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small’.
No ancient empire in the Near East compared with Egypt. Others came and went
but Egypt seemed to go on and on. Always it was there, the one certainty in a
changing world. At times it might have seemed somewhat weakened, but it would
rise from its weakness and become strong again. It always had to be taken into
account. It was like its own pyramids. It seemed bound to last for ever.
So the idea that this was at an end would shake the ancient world. And as far as
Israel were concerned the point was that it was Yahweh Who was doing it. He alone
was more permanent and more powerful than Egypt. He had watched it from the
beginning and now He was calling an end to its ways. It would never again be the
principle actor in events. Only Yahweh would go on for ever, He and the people
whom He had chosen. The final restoration was in His hands. But even they did not
realise just exactly how that would be accomplished. That awaited another prophet
who would fix it finally as literally out of this world (Revelation 21-22).
The first part of the chapter (1-16), the sixth oracle, is a lament over Pharaoh. The
seventh is a vivid description of Pharaoh’s descent into Sheol to joint the great
peoples of the past, all destroyed by Babylon.
Verse 1-2
‘And so it was that in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the
month, that the word of Yahweh came to me saying, “Son of man, take up a
lamentation for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and say to him:
“You were likened to a young lion among the nations,
Yet you are as a monster in the seas.
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And you burst forth on your rivers,
And you trouble the waters with your feet, and foul their rivers.
‘The word of Yahweh came to me saying.’ This introduces every oracle. No prophet
is quite like Ezekiel in his emphasis that what he received was a direct revelation
from Yahweh. He spoke when Yahweh spoke.
The description in the poem is vivid like so much in Ezekiel. Pharaoh was seen
among the nations as a powerful young lion in his prime, one to be feared by all.
One to be admired for his ferocity. The Egyptian sphinx had the body of a lion,
which was thus closely connected with Egypt. But by Yahweh Pharaoh and his
people were seen as a sea monster, a large crocodile, dirtying the waters and causing
harm and destruction among their own people, and also among others, wherever he
went. This Pharaoh (Hophra) had done much interfering, not very helpfully. That
was why he had to be dealt with.
There is a dual idea here moving between the great mythological monsters of the
myths, defeated by the gods, and the crocodiles of the Nile, feared because of their
nefarious activities. Both caused chaos and left problems behind them. The
mythological association brings out the world shattering nature of the event, but
Ezekiel grounds it firmly in this world.
Verses 1-16
The Sixth Oracle. A Lament Over Pharaoh and Egypt (Ezekiel 32:1-16).
The date of the oracle is March 585 BC. It follows the destruction of Jerusalem. The
versions vary, seeking to alter the date to before that in Ezekiel 33:21 (probably to
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maintain a smooth chronology). But there is no valid reason to do so.
PULPIT, "In the twelfth year, etc. March, B.C. 584, nineteen months attar the
destruction of Jerusalem. The two sections of the chapter, Ezekiel 32:1-16 and
Ezekiel 32:17-32, belong to the same year, and probably, though the date of the
month is net given for the second, were written within a fortnight of each other. The
thoughts of the prophet still dwell upon the downfall of Egypt, and he is stirred, as
by a special inspiration, to write an elaborate "lamentation" over its departed
greatness. It would seem, from the repetition of the word in Ezekiel 32:16, as if the
elegy had originally been intended to end there. Possibly it may have occurred to the
prophet that what he had written was rather a prediction of coming evil than a
lamentation, and therefore needed to be completed by a second, coming more
strictly under that title.
2 “Son of man, take up a lament concerning
Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:
“‘You are like a lion among the nations;
you are like a monster in the seas
thrashing about in your streams,
churning the water with your feet
and muddying the streams.
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BARNES, "Eze_32:11-16
The judgment upon Egypt will be executed by the king of Babylon. - Eze_32:11. For
thus saith the Lord Jehovah, The sword of the king of Babylon will come upon thee.
Eze_32:12. By swords of heroes will I cause thy tumult to fall, violent ones of the
nations are they all, and will lay waste the pride of Egypt, and all its tumult will be
destroyed. Eze_32:13. And I will cut off all its cattle from the great waters, that no foot
of man may disturb them any more, nor any hoof of cattle disturb them. Eze_32:14.
Then will I cause their waters to settle and their streams to flow like oil, is the saying of
the Lord Jehovah, Eze_32:15. When I make the land of Egypt a desert, and the land is
made desolate of its fulness, because I smite all the inhabitants therein, and they shall
know that I am Jehovah. Eze_32:16. A lamentatoin (mournful ode) is this, and they
will sing it mournfully; the daughters of the nations will sing it mournfully, over Egypt
and over all its tumult will they sing it mournfully, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. -
In this concluding strophe the figurative announcement of the preceding one is summed
up briefly in literal terms; and toward the close (Eze_32:14) there is a slight intimation
of a better future. The destruction of the proud might of Egypt will be effected through
the king of Babylon and his brave and violent hosts. ‫י‬ֵ‫יצ‬ ִ‫ר‬ָ‫ע‬ ‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ ‫,גּ‬ as in Eze_31:12 (see the
comm. on Eze_28:7). ‫ן‬ ‫מ‬ ָ‫ה‬ in Eze_32:12 and Eze_32:13 must not be restricted to the
multitude of people. It signifies tumult, and embraces everything in Egypt by which
noise and confusion were made (as in Eze_31:2 and Eze_31:18); although the idea of a
multitude of people undoubtedly predominates in the use of ‫ן‬ ‫מ‬ ָ‫ה‬ in Eze_32:12. ‫ן‬ ‫א‬ְ‫גּ‬ , the
pride of Egypt, is not that of which Egypt is proud, but whatever is proud or exalts itself
in Egypt. The utter devastation of Egypt includes the destruction of the cattle, i.e., of the
numerous herds which fed on the grassy banks of the Nile and were driven to the Nile to
drink (cf. Gen_47:6; Gen_41:2.; Exo_9:3); and this is therefore specially mentioned in
Eze_32:13, with an allusion to the consequence thereof, namely, that the waters of the
Nile would not be disturbed any more either by the foot of man or hoof of beast
(compare Eze_32:13 with Eze_29:11). The disturbing of the water is mentioned with
evident reference to Eze_32:2, where Pharaoh is depicted as a sea-monster, which
disturbs the streams of water. The disturbance of the water is therefore a figurative
representation of the wild driving of the imperial power of Egypt, by which the life-
giving streams of the nations were stirred up.
Eze_32:14. Then will God cause the waters of Egypt to sink. Hitzig and Kliefoth
understand this as signifying the diminution of the abundance of water in the Nile,
which had previously overflowed the land and rendered it fertile, but for which there was
no further purpose now. According to this explanation, the words would contain a
continued picture of the devastation of the land. But this is evidently a mistake, for the
simple reason that it is irreconcilable with the ‫ז‬ ָ‫,א‬ by which the thought is introduced. ‫ז‬ ָ‫,א‬
tunc, is more precisely defined by '‫י‬ ִ‫תּ‬ ִ‫ת‬ ְ‫בּ‬ ‫וגו‬ in Eze_32:15 as the time when the
devastation has taken place; whereas Kliefoth takes the 15th verse, in opposition both to
the words and the usage of the language, as the sequel to Eze_32:14, or in other words,
regards ‫י‬ ִ‫תּ‬ ִ‫ת‬ ְ‫בּ‬ as synonymous with ‫י‬ ִ‫תּ‬ ַ‫ָת‬‫נ‬ ְ‫.ו‬ The verse contains a promise, as most of the
commentators, led by the Chaldee and Jerome, have correctly assumed.
(Note: The explanation of Jerome is the following: “Then will purest waters, which
had been disturbed by the sway of the dragon, be restored not by another, but by the
Lord Himself; so that their streams flow like oil, and are the nutriment of true
15

light.”)
ַ‫יע‬ ִ‫ק‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ַ‫,ה‬ to make the water sink, might no doubt signify in itself a diminution of the
abundance of water. But if we consider the context, in which reference is made to the
disturbance of the water through its being trodden with the feet (Eze_32:13), ‫השׁקיע‬ can
only signify to settle, i.e., to become clear through the sinking to the bottom of the slime
which had been stirred up (cf. Eze_34:18). The correctness of this explanation is
confirmed by the parallel clause, to make their streams flow with oil. To understand this
as signifying the slow and gentle flow of the diminished water, would introduce a figure
of which there is no trace in Hebrew. Oil is used throughout the Scriptures as a
figurative representation of the divine blessing, or the power of the divine Spirit. ‫ן‬ ֶ‫מ‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ ְ‫,כּ‬
like oil, according to Hebrew phraseology, is equivalent to “like rivers of oil.” And oil-
rivers are not rivers which flow quietly like oil, but rivers which contain oil instead of
water (cf. Job_29:6), and are symbolical of the rich blessing of God (cf. Deu_32:13). The
figure is a very appropriate one for Egypt, as the land is indebted to the Nile for all its
fertility. Whereas its water had been stirred up and rendered turbid by Pharaoh; after
the fall of Pharaoh the Lord will cause the waters of the stream, which pours its blessings
upon the land, to purify themselves, and will make its streams flow with oil. The clarified
water and flowing oil are figures of the life-giving power of the word and Spirit of God.
But this blessing will not flow to Egypt till its natural power is destroyed. Ewald has
therefore given the following as the precise meaning of Eze_32:14 : “The Messianic
times will then for the first time dawn on Egypt, when the waters no more become
devastating and turbid, that is to say, through the true knowledge to which the
chastisement leads.” Eze_32:16 “rounds off the passage by turning back to Eze_32:2”
(Hitzig). The daughters of the nations are mentioned as the singers, because mourning
for the dead was for the most part the business of women (cf. Jer_9:16). The words do
not contain a summons to the daughters of the nations to sing the lamentation, but the
declaration that they will do it, in which the thought is implied that the predicted
devastation of Egypt will certainly occur.
CLARKE, "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.
GILL, "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
16

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.''
HENRY, "He is ordered to show cause for that lamentation.
1. Pharaoh has been a troubler of the nations, even of his own nation, which he should
have procured the repose of: He is like a young lion of the nations (Eze_32:2), loud and
noisy, hectoring and threatening as a lion when he roars. Great potentates, if they by
tyrannical and oppressive, are in God's account no better than beasts of prey. He is like a
whale, or dragon, like a crocodile (so some) in the seas, very turbulent and vexatious, as
the leviathan that makes the deep to boil like a pot, Job_41:31. When Pharaoh engaged
in an unnecessary war with the Cyrenians he came forth with his rivers, with his armies,
troubled the waters, disturbed his own kingdom and the neighbouring nations, fouled
the rivers, and made them muddy. Note, A great deal of disquiet is often given to the
world by the restless ambition and implacable resentments of proud princes. Ahab is he
that troubles Israel, and not Elijah.
JAMISON, "Pharaoh — “Phra” in Burmah, signifies the king, high priest, and idol.
whale — rather, any monster of the waters; here, the crocodile of the Nile. Pharaoh is
as a lion on dry land, a crocodile in the waters; that is, an object of terror everywhere.
camest forth with thy rivers — “breakest forth” [Fairbairn]. The antithesis of
“seas” and “rivers” favors Grotius rendering, “Thou camest forth from the sea into the
17

rivers”; that is, from thy own empire into other states. However, English Version is
favored by the “thy”: thou camest forth with thy rivers (that is, with thy forces) and with
thy feet didst fall irrecoverably; so Israel, once desolate, troubles the waters (that is,
neighboring states).
K&D, "Eze_32:2-6
The destruction of Pharoah. - Eze_32:2. Son of man, raise a lamentation over
Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and say to him, Thou wast compared to a young lion
among the nations, and yet wast like a dragon in the sea; thou didst break forth in thy
streams, and didst trouble the waters with thy feet, and didst tread their streams. Eze_
32:3. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Therefore will I spread out my net over thee in the
midst of many nations, that they may draw thee up in my yarn; Eze_32:4. And will
cast thee upon the land, hurl thee upon the surface of the field, and will cause all the
birds of the heaven to settle upon thee, and the beasts of the whole earth to satisfy
themselves with thee. Eze_32:5. Thy flesh will I put upon the mountains, and fill the
valleys with thy funeral heap. Eze_32:6. I will saturate the earth with thine outflow of
thy blood even to the mountains, and the low places shall become full of thee. - This
lamentation begins, like others, with a picture of the glory of the fallen king. Hitzig
objects to the ordinary explanation of the words ‫יר‬ ִ‫פ‬ ְ‫כּ‬ ‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ ‫גּ‬ ‫ה‬ ָ‫ית‬ ֵ‫מ‬ ְ‫ד‬ִ‫,נ‬ λέοντι ἐθνῶν
ὡμοιώθης (lxx), leoni gentium assimilatus es (Vulg.), on the ground that the frequently
recurring ‫ה‬ ָ‫מ‬ ְ‫ד‬ִ‫נ‬ would only have this meaning in the present passage, and that ‫ל‬ָ‫שׁ‬ ְ‫מ‬ ִ‫,נ‬
which would then be synonymous, is construed in three other ways, but not with the
nominative. For these reasons he adopts the rendering, “lion of the nations, thou
belongest to death.” But it would be contrary to the analogy of all the ‫ת‬ ‫ינ‬ ִ‫ק‬ to commence
the lamentation with such a threat; and Hitzig's objections to the ordinary rendering of
the words will not bear examination. The circumstance that the Niphal ‫ה‬ ָ‫מ‬ ְ‫ד‬ִ‫נ‬ is only met
with here in the sense of ὁμοιοῦσθαι, proves nothing; for ‫ה‬ ָ‫מ‬ ָ‫דּ‬ has this meaning in the
Kal, Piel, and Hithpael, and the construction of the Niphal with the accusative (not
nominative, as Hitzig says) may be derived without difficulty from the construction of
the synonymous ‫ל‬ַ‫שׁ‬ ְ‫מ‬ ִ‫נ‬ with ‫.כ‬ But what is decisive in favour of this rendering is the fact
that the following clause is connected by means of the adversative ‫ה‬ ָ‫תּ‬ ַ‫א‬ ְ‫ו‬ (but thou),
which shows that the comparison of Pharaoh to a ‫ים‬ִ‫נּ‬ ַ‫תּ‬ forms an antithesis to the clause
in which he is compared to a young lion. If ָ‫ית‬ ֵ‫מ‬ ְ‫ד‬ִ‫נ‬ '‫יר‬ ִ‫פ‬ ְ‫כּ‬ ‫ג‬ contained a declaration of
destruction, not only would this antithesis be lost, but the words addressed to it as a lion
of the nations would float in the air and be used without any intelligible meaning. The
lion is a figurative representation of a powerful and victorious ruler; and ‫יר‬ ִ‫פ‬ ְ‫כּ‬ ‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ ‫גּ‬ is
really equivalent to ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ ‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ ‫גּ‬ in Eze_31:11.
Pharaoh was regarded as a mighty conqueror of the nations, “though he was rather to
be compared to the crocodile, which stirs up the streams, the fresh waters, and life-
giving springs of the nations most perniciously with mouth and feet, and renders turbid
all that is pure” (Ewald). ‫ים‬ִ‫נּ‬ ַ‫,תּ‬ as in Eze_29:3. Ewald and Hitzig have taken offence at
the words ‫ַח‬‫ג‬ ָ‫תּ‬ ‫י‬ ֶ‫ת‬ֹ‫ר‬ֲ‫ה‬ַ‫נ‬ ְ‫,בּ‬ “thou didst break forth in thy streams,” and alter ‫י‬ ֶ‫ת‬ֹ‫ר‬ֲ‫ַה‬‫נ‬ ְ‫בּ‬
retla d into ‫י‬ ֶ‫ת‬ֹ‫ר‬ ְ‫ח‬ְ‫נ‬ ִ‫,בּ‬ with thy nostrils (Job_41:12); but they have not considered that
18

‫ַח‬‫ג‬ ָ‫תּ‬ would be quite out of place with such an alteration, as ַ‫יח‬ִ‫גּ‬ in both the Kal and Hiphil
(Jdg_20:33) has only the intransitive meaning to break out. The thought is simply this:
the crocodile lies in the sea, then breaks occasionally forth in its streams, and makes the
waters and their streams turbid with its feet. Therefore shall Pharaoh also end like such
a monster (Eze_32:3-6). The guilt of Pharaoh did not consist in the fact that he had
assumed the position of a ruler among the nations (Kliefoth); but in his polluting the
water-streams, stirring up and disturbing the life-giving streams of the nations. God will
take him in His net by a gathering of nations, and cause him to be drawn out of his
element upon the dry land, where he shall become food to the birds and beasts of prey
(cf. Eze_29:4-5; Eze_31:12-13). The words '‫ל‬ ַ‫ה‬ ְ‫ק‬ ִ‫בּ‬ ‫ים‬ ִ‫מּ‬ַ‫ע‬ ‫ר‬ are not to be understood as
referring to the nations, as spectators of the event (Hävernick); but ‫ב‬ denotes the
instrument, or medium employed, here the persons by whom God causes the net to be
thrown, as is evident from the ‫ֱלוּ‬‫ע‬ ֶ‫ה‬ ְ‫ו‬ which follows. According to the parallelismus
membrorum, the ἁπ. λεγ. ‫מוּת‬ ָ‫ר‬ can only refer to the carcase of the beast, although the
source from which this meaning of the word is derived has not yet been traced. There is
no worth to be attached to the reading rimowt in some of the codices, as ‫ה‬ ָ‫מּ‬ ִ‫ר‬ does not
yield a suitable meaning either in the sense of reptile, or in that of putrefaction or
decomposed bodies, which has been attributed to it from the Arabic. Under these
circumstances we adhere to the derivation from ‫,רוּם‬ to be high, according to which
‫מוּת‬ ָ‫ר‬ may signify a height or a heap, which the context defines as a funeral-pile. ‫ה‬ָ‫פ‬ָ‫,צ‬
strictly speaking, a participle from ‫,צוּף‬ to flow, that which flows out, the outflow
(Hitzig), is not to be taken in connection with ‫ץ‬ ֶ‫ר‬ ֶ‫,א‬ but is a second object to ‫י‬ ִ‫ית‬ ֵ‫ק‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ִ‫;ה‬ and
the appended word ְ‫מ‬ ָ‫דּ‬ ִ‫מ‬ indicates the source whence the flowing takes place, and of
what the outflow consists. ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ ‫ים‬ ִ‫ר‬ ָ‫ה‬ ֶ‫,ה‬ to the mountains, i.e., up to the top of the
mountains. The thought in these verses is probably simply this, that the fall of Pharaoh
would bring destruction upon the whole of the land of Egypt, and that many nations
would derive advantage from his fall.
COKE, "Ezekiel 32:2. Take up a lamentation— As the style of the lamentations was
always figurative and poetical, Ezekiel describes the king of Egypt as a great dragon
or crocodile,—for so the word ‫תנים‬ tannim, should be rendered, and not whale,—
troubling the waters with his feet, and fouling the rivers; or disturbing all the
nations round about him: and in the name of the Lord he threatens to take him in
his net, and cast him forth into the open field, as a prey to the fowls of the air, and
the beasts of the whole earth; Ezekiel 32:3-4. So that he should no more trouble the
waters with his feet, but the rivers should run [smooth] as oil: Ezekiel 32:14. And in
the following part of the chapter, having sent Pharaoh and his multitude to the land
of the Inferi; Ezekiel 32:18 he represents the inhabitants of these lower regions, as
addressing the king of Egypt in the same manner, as Isaiah in his 14th chapter
describes them welcoming the king of Babylon. Ezekiel 32:21. The strong among the
mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of Sheol, &c. The Hebrew for what we
19

render, The strong among the mighty, is ‫אלי‬ ‫גבורים‬ eilei gibborim, The gods of the
mighty; meaning, no doubt, their hero gods, whose souls, though the superstition of
that people had placed them among the stars, the prophet, on the contrary,
intimates to them were to be found in Sheol; thus ridiculing the worship of their
men deities, of which Egypt was the great promoter, if not the inventor. But the
most remarkable thing in his threatening of Pharaoh is, the prophet's telling him
more than once, that he should lie down with the uncircumcised; Ezekiel 28-32:19 .
It is well known, that circumcision was in use and honour among the Egyptians;
whatever reasons they might have for it, or what advantages soever they hoped from
it. But the circumcision of this heathen prince, the prophet plainly tells him, should
be of no avail to him after death. For an idolater and unbeliever, without doubt,
though circumcised, must be in the same state there with other unbelievers. He
should be laid with the uncircumcised, and find the same bad reception in the other
world. But does not this of the prophet plainly speak a difference between the death
and consequences of it to the uncircumcised, or unbelievers, and that of the
circumcised believers, or God's people, and consequently tend to confirm the truth
of that notion, that God's covenant with Abraham, of which circumcision was the
seal, implied in it the promise of a future resurrection?—And if so, it is
unreasonable surely to suppose, with some learned writers, that the body of the
people, who were all without exception by an express law commanded to be
circumcised, (see Genesis 17:14.) should be unacquainted with the very design and
nature of that solemn rite by which they were admitted into covenant with God. See
Peters on Job, p. 376.
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 32:2 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.
Ver. 2. Take up a lamentation,] i.e., A lamentable prophecy, destructive to the
Egyptians; and it is very likely that they heard of it but heeded it not; tanquam
monstra marina Dei verba praetereuntes.
Thou art like a young lion.] For pride, fierceness, and cruelty.
20

And thou art as a whale.] Or, Crocodile; thou domineerest over sea and land, far
and wide; thou playest rex.
Thou camest forth with thy rivers.] With the arms of thy Nile into the midland sea,
insanis bellis inquietans omnia, breeding a great bustle in the countries near
adjoining.
POOLE, " Take a lamentation: see Ezekiel 19:1 27:2.
Pharaoh; Hophra.
Like a young lion: of this hieroglyphic see Ezekiel 19:3,6.
Of the nations; among, or to, the nations round about thee, spoiling all thou canst, a
cruel devourer abroad.
A whale; a crocodile, a devouring dragon in thy rivers at home, for there the
crocodiles lay and did mischief, though sometimes they went down the river to the
sea.
In the seas; that comes forth to seek prey and devour, so a lion at land, a whale, or
crocodile rather, at sea, ravenous every where.
Camest forth with thy rivers; raisedst mighty armies, and didst lead them out
against thy neighbours, as in particular, Ezekiel 29:3,4.
21

The waters; the people, kingdoms, and kings near thee.
With thy feet; with thy soldiers.
Fouledst their rivers; disturbed and muddied their pleasant clearness, and made
them unfit to drink, i.e. did spoil all the pleasant and useful conveniences of thy
neighbours.
PULPIT, "Thou art like a young lion; rather, with the Revised Version, thou wast
likened unto a young lion. The two clauses of the verse stand in direct contrast to
each other. Flatterers, orators, courtiers, had used the usual symbolism of the
animal world. The King of Egypt was as the king of beasts. Ezekiel rejects that
comparison, and likens him rather to the whale, the dragon (Revised Version), in
the seas, i.e. to the crocodile of his own river (compare the use of the "dragon" for
the King of Egypt, in Ezekiel 29:3; Isaiah 51:9). Ewald and Smend, however,
translate, "young lion of the nations, thou art brought to naught;" but there is no
adequate reason for abandoning the Revised translation. Troubledst the waters. As
in Ezekiel 34:18, the act is used as the symbol of all selfish and aggressive rule,
defiling the streams of righteousness and judgment. Thou camest forth with thy
rivers. Ewald and Smend translate, "Thou didst spurt out the water," as describing
the act of the crocodile when it raises its head out of the water as in the "neesings,"
or "sneezings" of Job 41:12, Hebrew [English version, 18].
3 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘With a great throng of people
22

I will cast my net over you,
and they will haul you up in my net.
GILL, "Thus saith the Lord God,.... The Lord God Almighty, who is able to manage
this fierce and turbulent creature, this mighty monarch and disturber of the nations:
I will therefore spread out my net over thee with a company of many people;
meaning the Chaldean army, which the Lord would instigate, and by his providence
bring against the king of Egypt, and surround him as fishes in a net, and take him and
his people; see Eze_12:13,
and they shall bring thee up in my net; out of his rivers, out of his fortresses, out of
his own land, and carry him captive, or destroy him.
HENRY 3-10, "He that has troubled others must expect to be himself troubled; for
the Lord is righteous, Jos_7:25.
(1.) This is set forth here by a comparison. Is Pharaoh like a great whale, which, when
it comes up the river, gives great disturbance, a leviathan which Job cannot draw out
with a hook? (Job_41:1), yet God has a net for him which is large enough to enclose him
and strong enough to secure him (Eze_32:3): I will spread my net over thee, even the
army of the Chaldeans, a company of many people; they shall force him out of his
fastnesses, dislodge him out of his possessions, throw him like a great fish upon dry
ground, upon the open field (Eze_32:4), where being out of his element, he must die of
course, and be a prey to the birds and beasts, as was foretold, Eze_29:5. What can the
strongest fish do to help itself when it is out of the water and lies gasping? The flesh of
this great whale shall be laid upon the mountains (Eze_32:5) and the valleys shall be
filled with his height. Such numbers of Pharaoh's soldiers shall be slain that the dead
bodies shall be scattered upon the hills and there shall be heaps of them piled up in the
valleys. Blood shall be shed in such abundance as to swell the rivers in the valleys. Or,
Such shall be the bulk, such the height, of this leviathan, that, when he is laid upon the
ground, he shall fill a valley. Such vast quantities of blood shall issue from this leviathan
as shall water the land of Egypt, the land wherein now he swims, now he sports himself,
Eze_32:6. It shall reach to the mountains, and the waters of Egypt shall again be turned
into blood by this means: The rivers shall be full of thee. The judgments executed upon
Pharaoh of old are expressed by the breaking of the heads of leviathan in the waters,
Psa_74:13, Psa_74:14. But now they go further; this old serpent not only has now his
head bruised, but is all crushed to pieces.
(2.) It is set forth by a prophecy of the deep impression which the destruction of Egypt
should make upon the neighbouring nations; it would put them all into a consternation,
23

as the fall of the Assyrian monarchy did, Eze_31:15, Eze_31:16. When Pharaoh, who had
been like a blazing burning torch, is put out and extinguished it shall make all about him
look black, Eze_32:7. The heavens shall be hung with black, the stars darkened, the sun
eclipsed, and the moon be deprived of her borrowed light. It is from the upper world
that this lower receives its light; and therefore (Eze_32:8), when the bright lights of
heaven are made dark above, darkness by consequence is set upon the land, upon the
earth; so it shall be on the land of Egypt. Here the plague of darkness, which was upon
Egypt of old for three days, seems to be alluded to, as, before, the turning of the waters
into blood. For, when former judgments are forgotten, it is just that they should be
repeated. When their privy-counsellors, and statesmen, and those that have the
direction of the public affairs, are deprived of wisdom and made fools, and the things
that belong to their peace are hidden from their eyes, then their lights are darkened and
the land is in a mist. This is foretold, Isa_19:13. The princes of Zoan have become fools.
Now upon the spreading of the report of the fall of Egypt, and the bringing of the news to
remote countries, countries which they had not known (Eze_32:9), people shall be
much affected, and shall feel themselves sensibly touched by it. [1.] It shall fill them with
vexation to see such an ancient, wealthy, potent kingdom thus humbled and brought
down, and the pride of worldly glory, which they have such a value for, stained. The
hearts of many people will be vexed to see the word of the God of Israel fulfilled in the
destruction of Egypt, and that all the gods of Egypt were not able to relieve it. Note, The
destruction of some wicked people is a vexation to others. [2.] It shall fill them with
admiration (Eze_32:10): They shall be amazed at thee, shall wonder to see such great
riches and power come to nothing, Rev_18:17. Note, Those that admire with
complacency the pomp of this world will admire with consternation the ruin of that
pomp, which to those that know the vanity of all things here below is no surprise at all.
[3.] It shall fill them with fear: even their kings (that think it their prerogative to be
secure) shall be horribly afraid for thee, concluding their own house to be in danger
when their neighbour's is on fire. When I shall brandish my sword before them they
shall tremble every man for his own life. Note, When the sword of God's justice is drawn
against some, to cut them off, it is thereby brandished before others, to give them
warning. And those that will not be admonished by it, and made to reform, shall yet be
frightened by it, and made to tremble. They shall tremble at every moment, because of
thy fall. When others are ruined by sin we have reason to quake for fear, as knowing
ourselves guilty and obnoxious. Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?
JAMISON, "with a company of many people — namely, the Chaldeans (Eze_
29:3, Eze_29:4; Hos_7:12).
my net — for they are My instrument.
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 32:3 Thus saith the Lord GOD I will therefore spread out my net
over thee with a company of many people; and they shall bring thee up in my net.
Ver. 3. I will therefore spread out my net.] Thou shalt be taken in an evil net, when
thou little thinkest of it: "Evil shall hunt the violent man, to overthrow him."
24

[Psalms 140:11] Look how Leo cassibus irretitus ait, Si praescivissem; and as the
whale, enclosed by fishers, is lugged to land, done to death, cleft in pieces with axes,
his flesh being made a prey for birds and beasts, his blood far and near drenching
the earth, so shall it fare with Pharaoh and his forces.
POOLE, " My net; a large, long, and wide net, drawn out to full extent.
Over thee; with which both lions and crocodiles might be taken, and in which this
lion and crocodile should certainly be taken; for God, whose hand never erreth, will
spread the net.
With a company of many people: in the countries where these creatures were
hunted, they went in mighty companies to the game, as they accounted it.
Bring thee up in my net; drag thee along to destroy thee, pull thee up out of the pit,
in which the net was laid to take the lion to kill him, and draw this crocodile up out
of the water for the same end; in brief, war by land and sea by a confederacy of
many people against Hophra shall be God’s net, wherein he shall be taken, kept a
prisoner, as he was, and at last strangled: see Ezekiel 29:4.
PETT, "Verses 3-7
“Thus says the Lord Yahweh,
I will throw my dragnet over you, with a large group of many peoples,
And they will bring you up in my net.
25

And I will leave you on the land,
I will cast you out on the open field,
And will cause all the birds of the air to settle on you,
And I will satiate all the beasts of the earth with you.
And I will strew your flesh on the mountains,
And fill the valleys with your tossed out carcass.
I will also water with your blood the land in which you swim,
Even to the mountains,
And the watercourses will be full of you.”
The description is of the hunting and capture of a large water monster, and parallels
the description of the capture of the chaos monster by Marduk. But here it is taken
in the net by a large group of peoples. This is an earthly battle, although initiated by
Yahweh. Apart from Him no gods are involved. Then (as previously described -
Ezekiel 29:5) he is cast out on dry land well away from water so that the scavengers,
both bird and beast, can come and eat his flesh. But here the description goes
further for he is torn into pieces to fill the mountains and the valleys, and the land
and rivers are watered with his blood (compare Exodus 7:20-24). The description is
dramatic and conclusive. Pharaoh’s power is broken. The supposed god is no more.
26

4
I will throw you on the land
and hurl you on the open field.
I will let all the birds of the sky settle on you
and all the animals of the wild gorge themselves
on you.
GILL, "Then will I leave thee upon the land,.... Like a fish that is drawn out of the
waters with a net or hook, and laid on dry land, and left gasping and expiring, where it
cannot long live:
I will cast thee forth on the open field; the same in different words, signifying that
his army should fall in battle by the sword of the Cyreneans, or Chaldeans, or both, and
be left on the surface of the earth unburied:
and will cause all the fowls of the heavens to remain upon thee, and I will fill
the beasts of the whole earth with thee; which may be understood either literally
of the fowls of the air, that should light upon the slain carcasses, and rest on them till
they had satisfied themselves with their flesh; and of the beasts of the field that should
gather about them from all parts, and fill themselves with them; see Rev_19:17 or
figuratively of the soldiers of the enemy's army, that should plunder them, and enrich
themselves with the spoil.
JAMISON, "leave thee upon the land — as a fish drawn out of the water loses all
its strength, so Pharaoh (in Eze_32:3, compared to a water monster) shall be (Eze_
29:5).
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 32:4 Then will I leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth
upon the open field, and will cause all the fowls of the heaven to remain upon thee,
27

and I will fill the beasts of the whole earth with thee.
Ver. 4. Then will I leave thee upon the land.] As whales are sometimes left by an
ebb, while they pursue lesser fishes. There was one so taken near Greenwich lately,
(a) a piece of whose flesh was showed unto me.
POOLE, " Leave thee upon the land; thy beaten army shall be slain: see Ezekiel
29:5: it was literally fulfilled in the deserts of Libya, where the slain of Hophra’s
army were left to be devoured by fowls and beasts. Metaphorically it is gathering a
mixture of people, soldiers, like ravenous birds and beasts. from all parts to spoil
Egypt.
To remain upon thee; they should not be removed till filled with the spoils of Egypt.
The beasts of the whole earth; the foreign and mercenary soldiers shall be enriched
by the slaughter and plunder of the Egyptians.
PULPIT, "The picture is carried out to its completion. The carcass of the crocodile
becomes the prey of unclean birds and beasts. The carcass of the Egyptian greatness
was to satiate the appetite of the invading hosts. Were the words of Psalms 74:14, as
to leviathan being "given for meat to the people in the wilderness" floating in
Ezekiel's mind (compare the strange reference to leviathan in 2 Esdr. 6:49, 52, and
in later Jewish traditions)? Greek writers describe the ichthyophagi of Africa as
feeding on the flesh of sea-monsters, and the word may possibly include the
crocodile.
5
I will spread your flesh on the mountains
28

and fill the valleys with your remains.
BARNES, "The prophet passes from the image of the crocodile to that of dead bodies
of the slain heaped up on the land. Some render “height,” “foulness.”
CLARKE, "And fill the valleys with thy height - Some translate, with the
worms, which should proceed from the putrefaction of his flesh.
GILL, "And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains,.... The remainder of it, left
by the birds and beasts of prey, and who might carry it thither; or it intends such of the
Egyptians who should flee to the mountains for safety, but should fall by the hands of
the enemy there. So the Targum,
"and I will give the flesh of thy slain upon the mountains.''
And fill the valleys with thy height; his huge army, and with which he prided and
lifted up himself, and thought himself safe in; which should fall in such great numbers as
to cover the plains and valleys where the battle was fought. Jarchi observes, that the
word for "height" has with some the signification of "worms"; and so the Syriac version
renders it, "and the valleys shall be filled with thy worms"; bred in the carcasses of the
slain: and so the Vulgate Latin version, "with corrupt matter"; such as issues out of
putrefied wounds. The Targum very rightly paraphrases it,
"the valleys shall be filled with the carcasses of thine army.''
JAMISON, "thy height — thy hugeness [Fairbairn]. The great heap of corpses of thy
forces, on which thou pridest thyself. “Height” may refer to mental elevation, as well as
bodily [Vatablus].
POOLE, " Will lay; throw or cast.
Thy flesh; the carcasses of thy slain men and soldiers.
Upon the mountains; whither they retired for safety. Fill the valleys; not so fill them
29

as to equal them in height with hills, but we say a man fills a place who scatters
much or many things though but on the surface; so here valleys filled.
With thy height; with the carcasses of thy princes, as the Chaldee paraphrast I think
hits right; and so the French, et remplirai les vallies de tee glorieux qu’ on aura
abbatus.
6
I will drench the land with your flowing blood
all the way to the mountains,
and the ravines will be filled with your flesh.
CLARKE, "The land wherein thou swimmest - Egypt; so called, because
intersected with canals, and overflowed annually by the Nile.
GILL, "And I will also water with thy blood the land wherewith thou
swimmest,.... Where he resided, over which he ruled; alluding to his being compared to
a fish, a whale, or a crocodile; and which land abounded with all good things, and he
with them; instead of being watered with the waters of the Nile, by which it became
fruitful, it should now be flooded with the blood of his army:
even to the mountains; an hyperbolical expression, signifying the vast quantity of
blood that should be shed; see the like in Rev_14:20,
and the rivers shall be full of them; of the carcasses of his army, and of the blood of
them; they should lie about everywhere, on mountains and valleys, on the land and in
the rivers; and which should now be turned into blood, as the rivers of Egypt of old were;
and which figure is used to express the destruction of the antichristian states; see Exo_
7:20.
30

JAMISON, "land wherein thou swimmest — Egypt: the land watered by the
Nile, the source of its fertility, wherein thou swimmest (carrying on the image of the
crocodile, that is, wherein thou dost exercise thy wanton power at will). Irony. The land
shall still afford seas to swim in, but they shall be seas of blood. Alluding to the plague
(Exo_7:19; Rev_8:8). Havernick translates, “I will water the land with what flows from
thee, even thy blood, reaching to the mountains”: “with thy blood overflowing even to
the mountains.” Perhaps this is better.
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 32:6 I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou
swimmest, [even] to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
Ver. 6. I will also water with thy blood.] Instead of thy river Nile.
The land wherein thou swimmest.] Egypt, where thou sportest, as the whale doth in
the mighty waters.
Even to the mountains.] (a) A most elegant hyperbole, the like whereto see 2 Kings
21:16.
POOLE, " Water with thy blood; most plentifully pour out thy blood, as water is
poured out to water land, when men float their grounds.
Wherein thou swimmest; either because of the plenty thereof, wherein they
swimmed, as we say; or else because this king was a whale or crocodile, his dwelling
must be the waters, and in them he swimmeth. To the mountains; an hyperbole;
blood shall be poured forth, as if it were to rise to the very mountains and cover
them; or thy blood shall be shed through all thy plain country, to the very
mountains, which I think are toward the south-west parts toward Ethiopia; so they
should be slain from Migdol or Magdalum to Syene, as Ezekiel 29:10.
Full of thee; of thy blood, and of thy carcasses cast into the rivers by thine enemies,
31

or drowned in attempting flight by water from the drawn sword.
PULPIT, "I will water with thy blood. Was the plague of the water of the Nile
turned to blood (Exodus 7:19, Exodus 7:20) present to Ezekiel's mind? Such an
inundation of the Nile, in all its horrors, was a fit symbol of the deluge of invaders
by whom Egypt was laid waste.
7
When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens
and darken their stars;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon will not give its light.
CLARKE, "I will cover the heaven - Destroy the empire.
Make the stars thereof dark - Overwhelm all the dependent states.
I will cover the sun - The king himself.
And the moon shall not give her light - The queen may be meant, or some state
less than the kingdom.
GILL, "And when I shall put thee out,.... As a candle is put out, or some great light
or blazing torch is extinguished; such was the king of Egypt in his splendour and glory;
but now should be like a lamp put out in obscure darkness, and all his brightness and
glory removed from him, Job_18:5,
I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; with the smoke that
should arise at the extinguishing of this lamp; or they should be covered with mourning,
or clad in black, at the destruction of this monarch and his monarchy:
32

I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light; all
which figures are sometimes made use of to denote the dissolution of kingdoms and
states: the "heaven" being an emblem of a kingdom itself; the "sun" of an emperor or
king, or kingly power; the "moon" of the queen, or of the priesthood; the "stars" of
nobles, princes, counsellors, and such like eminent persons, useful in government; who
being destroyed or removed, the light and glory, the prosperity and happiness of a
kingdom, are gone; see Isa_13:10. The Targum is,
"tribulation shall cover thee when I shall extinguish the splendour of the glory of thy
kingdom from heaven; and the people of thine army shall be lessened, who are many as
the stars; a king with his army shall cover thee as a cloud that ascends and covers the
sun, and as the moon, whose light does not shine in the day.''
JAMISON, "put thee out — extinguish thy light (Job_18:5). Pharaoh is represented
as a bright star, at the extinguishing of whose light in the political sky the whole
heavenly host is shrouded in sympathetic darkness. Here, too, as in Eze_32:6, there is
an allusion to the supernatural darkness sent formerly (Exo_10:21-23). The heavenly
bodies are often made images of earthly dynasties (Isa_13:10; Mat_24:29).
K&D, "Eze_32:7-10
His overthrow fills the whole world with mourning and terror. - Eze_32:7. When I
extinguish thee, I will cover the sky and darken its stars; I will cover the sun with
cloud, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. Eze_32:8. All the shining lights in
the sky do I darken because of thee, and I bring darkness over thy land, is the saying of
the Lord Jehovah. Eze_32:9. And I will trouble the heart of many nations when I bring
out thine overthrow among the nations into lands which thou knowest not, Eze_32:10.
And I will make many nations amazed at thee, and their kings shall shudder at thee
when I brandish my sword before their face; and they shall tremble every moment,
every one for his life on the day of his fall. - The thought of Eze_32:7 and Eze_32:8 is
not exhausted by the paraphrase, “when thou art extinguished, all light will be
extinguished, so far as Egypt is concerned,” accompanied with the remark, that the
darkness consequent thereupon is a figurative representation of utterly hopeless
circumstances (Schmieder). The thought on which the figure rests is that of the day of
the Lord, the day of God's judgment, on which the lights of heaven lose their brightness
(cf. Eze_30:3 and Joe_2:10, etc.). This day bursts upon Egypt with the fall of Pharaoh,
and on it the shining stars of heaven are darkened, so that the land of Pharaoh becomes
dark. Egypt is a world-power represented by Pharaoh, which collapses with his fall. But
the overthrow of this world-power is an omen and prelude of the overthrow of every
ungodly world-power on the day of the last judgment, when the present heaven and the
present earth will perish in the judgment-fire. Compare the remarks to be found in the
commentary on Joe_3:4 upon the connection between the phenomena of the heavens
and great catastrophes on earth. The contents of both verses may be fully explained from
the biblical idea of the day of the Lord and the accompanying phenomena; and for the
explanation of ְ‫ת‬ ‫בּ‬ַ‫כ‬ ְ‫,בּ‬ there is no necessity to assume, as Dereser and Hitzig have
33

done, that the sea-dragon of Egypt is presented here under the constellation of a dragon;
for there is no connection between the comparison of Egypt to a tannim or sea-dragon,
in Eze_32:2 and Eze_29:3 (=‫ב‬ ַ‫ה‬ ַ‫,ר‬ Isa_51:9), and the constellation of the dragon (see
the comm. on Isa_51:9 and Isa_30:7). In ְ‫ת‬ ‫בּ‬ַ‫כ‬ ְ‫בּ‬ Pharaoh is no doubt regarded as a star
of the first magnitude in the sky; but in this conception Ezekiel rests upon Isa_14:12,
where the king of Babylon is designated as a bright morning-star. That this passage was
in the prophet's mind, is evident at once from the fact that Eze_32:7 coincides almost
verbatim with Isa_13:10. - The extinction and obscuration of the stars are not merely a
figurative representation of the mourning occasioned by the fall of Pharaoh; still less can
Eze_32:9 and Eze_32:10 be taken as an interpretation in literal phraseology of the
figurative words in Eze_32:7 and Eze_32:8. For Eze_32:9 and Eze_32:10 do not relate
to the mourning of the nations, but to anxiety and terror into which they are plunged by
God through the fall of Pharaoh and his might. ‫יס‬ ִ‫ע‬ ְ‫כ‬ ִ‫ה‬ , to afflict the heart, does not
mean to make it sorrowful, but to fill it with anxiety, to deprive it of its peace and
cheerfulness. “When I bring thy fall among the nations” is equivalent to “spread the
report of thy fall.” Consequently there is no need for either the arbitrary alteration of
ְ‫ר‬ ְ‫ב‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ into ְ‫ר‬ ְ‫ב‬ ִ‫,שׂ‬ which Ewald proposes, with the imaginary rendering announcement
or report; nor for the marvellous assumption of Hävernick, that ְ‫ר‬ ְ‫ב‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ describes the
prisoners scattered among the heathen as the ruins of the ancient glory of Egypt, in
support of which he adduces the rendering of the lxx αἰχμαλωσίαν σου, which is founded
upon the change of ‫שׁברך‬ into ‫.שׁביך‬ For Eze_32:10 compare Eze_27:35. ‫ף‬ֵ‫פ‬ ‫,ע‬ to cause
to fly, to brandish. The sword is brandished before their face when it falls time after time
upon their brother the king of Egypt, whereby they are thrown into alarm for their own
lives. ‫ים‬ ִ‫ָע‬‫ג‬ ְ‫ר‬ ִ‫,ל‬ by moments = every moment (see the comm. on Isa_27:3).
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 32:7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and
make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall
not give her light.
Ver. 7. And when I shall put thee out.] Or, Extinguish thee, who art for thy power
and glory as one of the world’s great luminaries.
I will cover the heaven, (a) &c.] So great a fume, or rather so vile a snuff, shall
exhale, that the heavens shall seem to be muffled, &c. It shall be once again deep
darkness over all the land of Egypt; another hyperbole.
POOLE, " Put thee out; as a torch is extinguished, Isaiah 43:17, so I will put out thy
34

light, and turn thee into darkness.
Cover the heaven; either by dark vapours that arise from blood and putrefying
carcasses, which darken the heavens; or it is a description of great sorrows, fears,
troubles, and perplexities; or else it may intimate particularly the total ruin of the
whole kingdom, in which the best, greatest, and noblest parts are; as heaven
suppose the government, the sun the king, the moon the queen, the stars the princes
and nobles, bright lights the most eminent of the subjects for wisdom and
understanding, and then the land the common people: all shall be covered with
clouds, and darkness of misery first, and sorrow next. Or it is possible that some
unusual darknesses might be seen in the heavens and on the earth about that time.
PETT, "Verse 7-8
“And when I blot you out I will cover the heavens,
And make their stars dark,
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
And the moon will not give her light.
All the bright lights of heaven will I darken over you,
And set darkness on your land,
Says the Lord Yahweh.”
35

This is not strictly the language of apocalyptic but it is comparative. Here, however,
it is certainly by natural means (‘with a cloud’). The demise of Pharaoh and the
greatness of Egypt is so great an event that even nature responds to it. It is so
solemn that it must be accompanied by the lights going out. Sun, moon and stars
will respond to the moment. It reminds us of another time when the lights in Egypt
went out at the exodus (Exodus 10:21-23). And it is the same God has intervened
again. It had added significance in that Pharaoh was believed to be connected with
the sun god, thus his supposed relatives will mourn for him.
PULPIT, "When I shall put thee out; better, with the Revised Version, extinguish.
The verb is used of lamps in 2 Chronicles 29:7. The change of metaphor is at first
startling, but I follow Ewald, Hitzig, and Smend, in thinking that there is a traceable
sequence of ideas. The "dragon of the Egyptian waters" suggested the "dragon"
which was conspicuous between Ursa Major and Minor among the constellations of
the heavens, and the name of which, probably derived by the Greek astronomers
from a remote past, suggested that of an enemy of God (comp. Isaiah 51:9). So
taken, the new comparison finds a parallel in that of the King of Babylon to Lucifer,
the morning star, in Isaiah 14:12. Upon this there follows naturally the imagery of
Ezekiel 30:18; Isaiah 34:4. As the other trees of the forest had mourned for the
cedar (Ezekiel 31:15), so the other lights of heaven mourn for that particular star
which has been quenched for ever (comp. for the general imagery. Isaiah 13:10; Joel
2:10; Joel 3:4, Hebrew [English version, Ezekiel 2:1-10 :31].
8
All the shining lights in the heavens
I will darken over you;
I will bring darkness over your land,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
36

CLARKE, "And set darkness upon thy land - As I did when a former king
refused to let my people go to the wilderness to worship me. I will involve thee, and thy
house, and thy people, and the whole land, in desolation and wo.
GILL, "All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee,.... Or, "all the
lights of the light" (a); the rest of the luminaries of heaven; the other five planets, as
Kimchi, besides the sun and moon:
and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God; as there must needs be, the
sun, moon, and stars, and all the lights of heaven, being darkened above: there seems to
be an allusion to the thick darkness that was formerly over the land of Egypt; and this is
a figure and representation of that darkness that shall be in the kingdom of the beast, or
spiritual Egypt, yet to come; see Exo_10:21. The Targum is,
"tribulation as darkness shall cover thy land.''
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 32:8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee,
and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
Ver. 8. All the bright lights of heaven.] See Ezekiel 32:7. All this shall befall the
world really and without a hyperbole at the last day [Matthew 24:29]
“ Impiaque aeternam patientur saecula noctem. ”
9
I will trouble the hearts of many peoples
when I bring about your destruction among the
37

nations,
among[a] lands you have not known.
BARNES, "When I shall bring thy destruction - i. e., the news of thy
destruction. The phenomena here mentioned are the accompaniments of “the day of the
Lord” Joe_2:10; Luk_21:25 or the day of judgment. The fall of Pharaoh represents the
fall of the world-power before the sovereignty of God.
CLARKE, "I will also vex the hearts - Even the remote nations, who had no
connection with thee, shall be amazed at the judgments which have fallen upon thee.
GILL, "I will also vex the hearts of many people,.... With anger and grief, with
fear and dread, with consternation and amazement:
when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations; or, "thy breach" (b); the
news of it, the tidings of their destruction; which by one means or another should come
to their ears, and fill them with concern and great anxiety of mind, so rich and powerful
a kingdom being subdued, and the king of Babylon made so great thereby, and fearing
they fall a prey unto him also. The Targum renders it,
"when I shall bring the broken of thy war;''
that is, the soldiers that should be wounded in battle, their limbs broke, and they taken
captive, and brought among the nations, dismal spectacles to look at; and which should
be brought
into countries, which thou hast not known; at a distance from Egypt, and which
had no commerce nor communication with them, nor were their friends and allies; yet as
their destruction would reach their ears, so it would affect their hearts, and fill them
with vexation and grief; not so much on account of Egypt, as the growing power of
Nebuchadnezzar, and the danger they were in of falling into his hands.
JAMISON, "thy destruction — that is, tidings of thy destruction (literally, “thy
breakage”) carried by captive and dispersed Egyptians “among the nations” [Grotius];
or, thy broken people, resembling one great fracture, the ruins of what they had been
38

[Fairbairn].
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 32:8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee,
and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
Ver. 8. All the bright lights of heaven.] See Ezekiel 32:7. All this shall befall the
world really and without a hyperbole at the last day [Matthew 24:29]
“ Impiaque aeternam patientur saecula noctem. ”
POOLE, " Vex; it speaks a passion mixed and made up with grief for what is done,
fear of the consequence of it, anger against him that did it, and an astonishment at
the report, and it seizeth the heart and spirits of the hearers.
Many people, and great nations.
Thy destruction; either the fame of it, or the remainders that fled timely from thy
destruction, or thy captives who after thou art destroyed are carried away, and the
news of thy fall with them, or when the like ruin and destruction shall fall upon
them. Which thou hast not known; such as were strangers to Egypt, and which
Egypt had no commerce with, shall be troubled with apprehension what mischief
may come upon the world from so mighty a conqueror, and by the accession of so
great a kingdom and power as that of Egypt.
PETT, "Verse 9-10
“I will also vex the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction (LXX
‘carry you captive’) among the nations, to the countries which you have not known.
Yes, I will make many peoples astonished at you, their kings will be dreadfully
afraid for you, when I brandish my sword before them. And they will tremble every
39

moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.”
Not only the heavens but far nations (countries which you have not known) will be
deeply affected by his fall. All will see and wonder, and be afraid because of the
awfulness of what is coming on Egypt, and lest the same come on them. For they will
see the sword of Yahweh brandished against Egypt, and fear His wrath (compare
Ezekiel 21:3; Ezekiel 21:9-11; Ezekiel 21:28; Ezekiel 30:25).
PULPIT, "I will also vex the hearts. The words intensify the bitterness of the
downfall. The prophet passes out of the region of metaphors into that of facts. The
fall of Egypt will cause pity among the nations. They shall simply be "vexed" in
heart, terrified at the thought (Ezekiel 32:10) that the sword which had laid her low
was "brandished" also against them.
10
I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you,
and their kings will shudder with horror
because of you
when I brandish my sword before them.
On the day of your downfall
each of them will tremble
every moment for his life.
40

GILL, "Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee,.... That so potent a state,
and such a flourishing kingdom, should at once be so easily subdued and conquered: and
their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee; because of her destruction, lest their turn
should be next; so the kings of the earth will be afraid when God's judgments are
executed on mystical Egypt; see Rev_18:9,
when I shall brandish my sword before them; the sword of the king of Babylon
after mentioned, called the Lord's, because it was by his appointment and permission,
and came by the direction of his providence, and was succeeded by his power: this
glittering sword being brandished over Egypt, in the sight of the nations round about,
was terrible to them; dreading that it would not be put up until it was sheathed in them,
or they felt the effects of it:, or, "when I shall cause it to fly before them" (c); in their
sight, and upon the borders of their countries; expressive of the swiftness of its motion,
the sudden destruction it brought on Egypt, and its nearness to them. The Targum is,
"when I shall bring upon thee those that kill with the sword.''
And they shall tremble at every moment; from moment to moment, or
continually; they shall never be free from fear:
every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall; not kings for their subjects, or
subjects for their kings, but every man for himself; expecting every moment that the
sword which flew and ravaged through Egypt, and now hovered over them, would be
instantly plunged in them.
JAMISON, "brandish my sword before them — literally, “in their faces,” or
sight.
TRAPP, "Ezekiel 32:10 Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their
kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them;
and they shall tremble at [every] moment, every man for his own life, in the day of
thy fall.
Ver. 10. When I shall brandish my sword.] As fetching my blow at them too, and
aiming where to hit them.
Every man for his own life.] Which he knows he hath forfeited, and hath now great
cause to fear, since his neighbour’s house is on fire. (a)
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POOLE, " Many people, and mighty people too.
Amazed; astonished and puzzled, not knowing what resolutions to take, what
advices to follow, or what to do. Their kings, who usually are, and in reason should
be, undaunted, and discover no signs of fear, shall discover mighty disorders of fear
and doubt, both for Egypt and themselves. Horribly afraid: see Ezekiel 27:35.
Brandish my sword; or, make my sword pass with such speed, as if it did fly along
their borders, or hover near them, and so threaten them. They shall tremble; be
greatly afraid, lest Nebuchadnezzar, who here is God’s sword, should smite them.
Every man; every one of the kings, whose kingdoms are near to Egypt, and by
whose borders the Babylonish army must pass in their marches.
For his own life; they should be solicitous, not for the outmost parts of their
kingdoms, or for their subjects, but for their own life.
In the day of thy fall; when they shall hear of Hophra beaten, taken, imprisoned, his
kingdom taken from him, and he dead by a shameful death, and all his people slain,
captivated, spoiled, or fled.
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
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“‘The sword of the king of Babylon
will come against you.
GILL, "For thus saith the Lord God, the sword of the king of Babylon shall
come upon thee. Upon Pharaoh and his kingdom; having a commission and a
direction from the Lord, and which would be the instrument of the destruction before
threatened. The Targum is,
"those that slay with the sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon or against thee;''
his army, sword in hand.
HENRY 11-16, " It is set forth by a plain and express prediction of the desolation
itself that should come upon Egypt. [1.] The instruments of the desolation appear here
very formidable. It is the sword of the king of Babylon, that warlike, that victorious
prince, that shall come upon thee (Eze_32:11), the swords of the mighty, even the
terrible of the nations, all of them (Eze_32:12), an army that there is no standing before.
Note, Those that delight in war, and are upon all occasions entering into contention, may
expect, some time or other, to be engaged with those that will prove too hard for them.
Pharaoh had been forward to quarrel with his neighbour and to come forth with his
rivers, with his armies, Eze_32:2. But God will now give him enough of it. [2.] The
instances of the desolation appear here very frightful, much the same with what we had
before, Eze_29:10-12; Eze_30:7. First, The multitude of Egypt shall be destroyed, not
decimated, some picked out to be made examples, but all cut off. Note, The numbers of
sinners, though they be a multitude, will neither secure them against God's power nor
entitle them to his pity. Secondly, The pomp of Egypt shall be spoiled, the pomp of their
court, what they have been proud of. Note, in renouncing the pomps of this world we did
ourselves a great kindness, for they are things that are soon spoiled and that cheat their
admirers. Thirdly, The cattle of Egypt, that used to feed by the rivers, shall be destroyed
(Eze_32:13), either cut off by the sword or carried off for a prey. Egypt was famous for
horses, which would be an acceptable booty to the Chaldeans. The rivers shall be no
more frequented as they have been by man and beast, that came thither to drink.
Fourthly, The waters of Egypt, that used to flow briskly, shall now grow deep, and slow,
and heavy, and shall run like oil (Eze_32:14), a figurative expression signifying that
there should be such universal sadness and heaviness upon the whole nation that even
the rivers should go softly and silently like mourners, and quite forget their rapid
motion. Fifthly, The whole country of Egypt shall be stripped of its wealth; it shall be
destitute of what whereof it was full (Eze_32:15), corn, and cattle, and all the pleasant
fruits of the earth; when those are smitten that dwell therein the ground is untilled, and
that which is gathered becomes an easy prey to the invader. Note, God can soon empty
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those of this world's goods that have the greatest fulness of those things and are full of
them, that enjoy most and have their hearts set upon those enjoyments. The Egyptians
were full of their pleasant and plentiful country, and its rich productions. Every one that
talked with them might perceive how much it filled them. But God can soon make their
country destitute of that whereof it is full; it is therefore our wisdom to be full of
treasures in heaven. When the country is made destitute, 1. It shall be an instruction to
them: Then shall they know that I am the Lord. A sensible conviction of the vanity of the
world, and the fading perishing nature of all things in it, will contribute much to our
right knowledge of God as our portion and happiness. 2. It shall be a lamentation to all
about them: The daughters of the nations shall lament her (Eze_32:16), either because,
being in alliance with her, they share in her grievances and suffer with her, or, being
admirers of her, they at least share in her grief and sympathize with her. They shall
lament for Egypt and all her multitude; it shall excite their pity to see so great a
devastation made. By enlarging the matters of our joy we increase the occasions of our
sorrow.
K&D, "Eze_32:11-16
The judgment upon Egypt will be executed by the king of Babylon. - Eze_32:11. For
thus saith the Lord Jehovah, The sword of the king of Babylon will come upon thee.
Eze_32:12. By swords of heroes will I cause thy tumult to fall, violent ones of the
nations are they all, and will lay waste the pride of Egypt, and all its tumult will be
destroyed. Eze_32:13. And I will cut off all its cattle from the great waters, that no foot
of man may disturb them any more, nor any hoof of cattle disturb them. Eze_32:14.
Then will I cause their waters to settle and their streams to flow like oil, is the saying of
the Lord Jehovah, Eze_32:15. When I make the land of Egypt a desert, and the land is
made desolate of its fulness, because I smite all the inhabitants therein, and they shall
know that I am Jehovah. Eze_32:16. A lamentatoin (mournful ode) is this, and they
will sing it mournfully; the daughters of the nations will sing it mournfully, over Egypt
and over all its tumult will they sing it mournfully, is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. -
In this concluding strophe the figurative announcement of the preceding one is summed
up briefly in literal terms; and toward the close (Eze_32:14) there is a slight intimation
of a better future. The destruction of the proud might of Egypt will be effected through
the king of Babylon and his brave and violent hosts. ‫י‬ֵ‫יצ‬ ִ‫ר‬ָ‫ע‬ ‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ ‫,גּ‬ as in Eze_31:12 (see the
comm. on Eze_28:7). ‫ן‬ ‫מ‬ ָ‫ה‬ in Eze_32:12 and Eze_32:13 must not be restricted to the
multitude of people. It signifies tumult, and embraces everything in Egypt by which
noise and confusion were made (as in Eze_31:2 and Eze_31:18); although the idea of a
multitude of people undoubtedly predominates in the use of ‫ן‬ ‫מ‬ ָ‫ה‬ in Eze_32:12. ‫ן‬ ‫א‬ְ‫גּ‬ , the
pride of Egypt, is not that of which Egypt is proud, but whatever is proud or exalts itself
in Egypt. The utter devastation of Egypt includes the destruction of the cattle, i.e., of the
numerous herds which fed on the grassy banks of the Nile and were driven to the Nile to
drink (cf. Gen_47:6; Gen_41:2.; Exo_9:3); and this is therefore specially mentioned in
Eze_32:13, with an allusion to the consequence thereof, namely, that the waters of the
Nile would not be disturbed any more either by the foot of man or hoof of beast
(compare Eze_32:13 with Eze_29:11). The disturbing of the water is mentioned with
evident reference to Eze_32:2, where Pharaoh is depicted as a sea-monster, which
disturbs the streams of water. The disturbance of the water is therefore a figurative
representation of the wild driving of the imperial power of Egypt, by which the life-
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Ezekiel 32 commentary

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Ezekiel 32 commentary