Prophecy:
Ezekiel 29-32
Lesson IX
Psalm 105:23
(23) Israel also came
into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
Genesis 10:6, 13
(6) And the sons of
Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.
(13) And Mizraim begat
Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
1 Chronicles 1:8, 11
(8) The sons of Ham;
Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
(11) And Mizraim begat
Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
Psalm
105:23 The Egyptians were
descendants of Noah’s son, Ham.
Genesis
10:6,13 Ham’s son was “Mizraim”,
1
Chronicles 1:8,11 which was the
Hebrew form of the Canaanite name for
“There are three great collections of prophecies regarding the Nations:
Isaiah chapters 13-23,
written in the eighth century B.C.
Jeremiah
chapters
46-51, for the most part toward the end of the 7th century B.C.
Ezekiel chapters 25-32, written
in the 6th century B.C.”
(Quote
W. M. Smith)
Of the chapters in Ezekiel, chapters 29-32 have to do with Egypt.
One should study the history of the greatness of
Acts 7:22
(22) And Moses was
learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in
deeds.
Acts 7:22 “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the
Egyptians...”
That means more than appears on the surface. At the time of
Ezekiel
chapter twenty-nine.
Ezekiel 29:1-2
(1) In the tenth year,
in the tenth [month], in the twelfth [day] of the month, the word of the LORD
came unto me, saying,
(2) Son of man, set
thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against
all Egypt:
In Ezekiel 29:2, the prophet
is instructed to “set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against
him, and against all Egypt.” Repeatedly
Ezekiel refers to God being against certain Nations. Who can withstand God?
Romans 8:31
(31) What shall we
then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us?
Proverbs 21:30
(30) [There is] no
wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.
Romans
Proverbs 21:30 “there is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel
against the Lord”.
Ezekiel 29:3
(3) Speak, and say,
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My
river [is] mine own, and I have made [it] for myself.
Ezekiel 29:3 The
first reason God gives for being against
There is no question but the river referred to is the Nile.
“Because of its twists and turns the
“Pharaoh calls himself the creator of the Nile because he regards
himself the creator of the greatness of Egypt. If the
(Quote from John A Wilson)
Ezekiel 29:4-8
Ezekiel 29:4 God will draw the crocodile (dragon) Pharaoh,
out of the Nile with hooks and cast him upon dry land” . C.F. Keil.
Ezekiel 29:9-10
(9) And the land of
Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD:
because he hath said, The river [is] mine, and I have made [it].
(10) Behold, therefore
I [am] against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt
utterly waste [and] desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of
Ethiopia.
Ezekiel 30:6
(6) Thus saith the
LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall
come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith
the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 29:9-10 “And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and
waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD because he hath said, “The river
is mine,
and I
have made it.” Behold, therefore I am against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt
utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of
Ethiopia.” Syene (Ezekiel 29:10; 30:6), was the ancient name for Aswan,
located about 400 miles south of present day Cairo. (It is now the location of the famous High Dam.)
Ezekiel 29:11-16
Ezekiel 29:11-14 This predicted
desolation of the land was to be for 40 years. Notice verses 10,11,12,13.
Little agreement has been held regarding these forty years. I offer this opinion.
The purpose of these years was to diminish the greatness of Egypt and
reduce her to “the basest of kingdoms” (verse 15). The greatness of
Ezekiel 29:17-21
Ezekiel 29:17-21
We believe the 40 years of desolation that diminished Egypt were the
result of the coming of the King of Babylon (here spelled Nebuchadrezzar) to
take the land of Egypt (verses 18,19). He
came and spoiled
The King of Babylon and his army had done a great service for God in
destroying Tyrus, and apparently took home no spoil. So now God allows
Ezekiel
chapter thirty.
Ezekiel 30:1-3
(1) The word of the
LORD came again unto me, saying,
(2) Son of man,
prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day!
Ezekiel 30:3 “The day of the Lord is near.” “The day of the Lord” is primarily an Old Testament
phrase. Thus it cannot be understood
apart from the Old Testament. There we
find that the Day of the Lord is always a day of judgment. See
Joel 2:1,2; Zephaniah 1:14,15; Zephaniah 2:2; Amos 5:18,20.
Joel 2:1, 2
(1) Blow ye the
trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the
inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for [it is]
nigh at hand;
(2) A day of darkness
and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread
upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the
like, neither shall be any more after it, [even] to the years of many generations.
Zephaniah 1:14, 15
(14) The great day of
the LORD [is] near, [it is] near, and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the
day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
(15) That day [is] a
day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation,
a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
Zephaniah 2:2
(2) Before the decree
bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the
LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD'S anger come upon you.
Amos 5:18, 20
(18) Woe unto you that
desire the day of the LORD! to what end [is] it for you? the day of the LORD [is]
darkness, and not light.
(20) [Shall] not the
day of the LORD [be] darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness
in it?
Joel 1:15
(15) Alas for the day!
for the day of the LORD [is] at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty
shall it come.
Joel 2:31
(31) The sun shall be
turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the
terrible day of the LORD come.
To understand the phrase, “ the day of the Lord” as used by the
Prophets, we need to remember that they considered every judgment to be a
day of the Lord. cf. Joel 1:15. The coming of
Therefore, past judgments, past days of the Lord, are types and shadows
of the coming great and terrible day of the Lord (Joel 2:31).
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3
(2) For yourselves
know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
(3) For when they
shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as
travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
2 Peter 3:10
(10) But the day of
the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the
earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2 Peter 2:4-9
(6) Whereby the
world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2 Thessalonians 1:7-8
(7) And to you who are
troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with
his mighty angels,
(8) In flaming fire
taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ:
For there is a future aspect of the day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians
5:2,3; 2 Peter 3:10).
2 Peter 2:4-9 definitely states that past judgments are examples of the
coming day of great judgment
Remember the Rapture of the Church is a blessed event. A happy hope.
The Day of the Lord or the Revelation of Christ will bring judgment (2
Thessalonians 1:7,8).
Ezekiel 30:4-13
Ezekiel 30:6 “The pride of her (Egypt) power shall come
down... from Syene”. That is, from the
south to the north.
Ezekiel 30:7 Reference is made
again to Egypt’s desolation which will include the destruction of her cities.
Verse 10 tells us that
Babylon will do this.
Ezekiel 30:12 What was also used to bring desolation? God made her rivers dry.
Ezekiel 30:13 The city of Noph is named. Noph is the old name for
The site of that city is 15 miles south of
Jeremiah 46:19
(19) O thou daughter
dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity: for Noph shall be
waste and desolate without an inhabitant.
Since Ezekiel’s prophecy,
In other words, it took 1000 years to fulfill Ezekiel’s prophecy
regarding that city. In 969 A.D., to
build
Once the greatest city on earth, reduced to nothing. There are ruins at
In the days of Ezekiel, Memphis was the capital of Egypt. It was also the center for the worship of the
Apis bull-God. The tombs of the bulls
remain but this city of idolatry is no more.
The ‘dung bug’ or the ‘scarab’ became a fetish and was worn as a ‘charm’
by the Egyptians.
I ask : how many people in our land wear “crosses” as mere idol charms
to ward-off evil spirits?
Memphis is also mentioned in Jeremiah 2:16; Jeremiah 44:1 and Jeremiah 46:14
Jeremiah 2:16
(16) Also the children
of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.
Jeremiah 44:1
(1) The word that came
to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which
dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros,
saying,
Ezekiel 30:14-17 see also Jeremiah 46:25.
Ezekiel 30:14-17
(14) And I will make
Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No.
(15) And I will pour
my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of
No.
Jeremiah 46:25
(25) The LORD of
hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and
Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and [all]
them that trust in him:
Ezekiel 30:16 The two great
cities of that day in Egypt are named; “No” and “Noph”, both cities are to go
into captivity.
Verse 17 As we have seen,
“Noph” is Memphis. “No” was the ancient name for
It was here “Tut’s” tomb was found with all its wealth. (I have visited
the site.)
Ezekiel 23:3, 8, 19, 27
(3) And they committed
whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their
breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.
(8) Neither left she
her whoredoms [brought] from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and
they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.
(19) Yet she
multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth,
wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
(27) Thus will I make
thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy whoredom [brought] from the land of
Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt
any more.
When Ezekiel charges Israel with idolatry, he states that “they learned
this from Egypt”(Ezekiel 23:3,8,19,27).
Nahum 3:8-10
(9) Ethiopia and
Egypt [were] her strength, and [it was] infinite; Put and Lubim were thy
helpers.
Nahum 3:8-10 “No-Amon” is the same as
Thebes. When Nahum wrote, “No” or
“Thebes” had been destroyed.
Ezekiel 30:18-19
(18) At Tehaphnehes
also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt:
and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall
cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.
(19) Thus will I
execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.
Jeremiah 2:16
(16) Also the children
of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.
Jeremiah 43:7-13
(8) Then came the
word of the LORD unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,
Jeremiah 42:10, 14, 19
(10) If ye will still
abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull [you] down, and I will
plant you, and not pluck [you] up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done
unto you.
(14) Saying, No; but
we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the
sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:
(19) The LORD hath
said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know
certainly that I have admonished you this day.
Jeremiah 43:2-4
(2) Then spake Azariah
the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men,
saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent
thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:
(3) But Baruch the son
of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the
Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into
Babylon.
(4) So Johanan the son
of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not
the voice of the LORD, to dwell in the land of Judah.
Ezekiel 30:18-19 Prophecy against
Tahaphnehes
This name in the Greek form was “Daphnae”, another city of
idolatry. See Jeremiah 2:16; Jeremiah
43:7-13.
During the troubled days, in the land of Israel, when the Babylonians
came, the Jews that were left in the land were told by Jeremiah to stay in the
land (Jeremiah 42:10).
But they said “no”, we will go to the land of Egypt (Jeremiah 42:14).
Jeremiah warned them as to what would happen there (Jeremiah 42:19).
But “the proud men” obeyed not (Jeremiah 43:2-4).
And the Jews that moved to Egypt went to this city of Tahaphnehes (Jeremiah
43:7) and the city was destroyed by Babylon (Jeremiah 43:8,12). Note that in verse 12, special mention is
made of the gods of Egypt.
Ezekiel 30:20-26
(23) And I will scatter
the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.
Ezekiel 30:20-26 Here are more
prophecies of the diminishing of Egypt by Babylon.
A visit to the land of Egypt readily reveals the greatness of the past. By way of example:
The Step Pyramid near Saqqara. It was built in 2600 B.C. and is “the oldest
structure known to man”, built 1000 years before the time of Joseph. “Ground plan: 413-344 feet. It is surmounted by six steps, each set back
six and a half feet from the next lower level. The lowest step is thirty seven and a half
feet high, but successive steps decrease in size, the topmost being only
twenty-nine feet high. All steps have a
combined height of 200 feet.” (Wycliffe)
The Great Giza Pyramid. Its base is 13 acres, “built of 2,300,000
blocks, the average weight being two and a half tons each. The blocks are separated by no more than one
10,000th of an inch. The
Egyptians believed that Pharaoh was a god, and so worked on the pyramids with
the same devotion as Christians who built great cathedrals.” (Wycliffe)
There are many other lesser pyramids in
The Sphinx. “The form of a lion with a human head. The Sphinx rises sixty-six feet from the
pavement to the crown of the head and is 240 feet long. Throughout the years it has been weathered and
abused, but it still stands in majestic calm among the pyramids. The nose is
partly gone because under the Mamluck rulers of Egypt the head of the Sphinx
was actually used as the target for musketry practice.” (Wycliffe)
Other cities that are named by Ezekiel that were destroyed include:
Ezekiel 30:15 “Sin” also known as “Pelusuim”. It is now completely buried in sand.
Ezekiel 30:17 “Aven” also known as “Heliopolis”.
It was located 7 miles N.E. of Cairo and
was “the center of the worship of Ra, the god of the sun” or the sun-god. It is the same city named “Beth-shemesh” in
Jeremiah 43:13, where special mention is made to “houses of the gods of the
Egyptians.”
Jeremiah 43:13
(13) He shall break
also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of
the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.
Ezekiel 30:17 “Pi-beseth” the same is
“Bubastis”. This is where the sacred
cats were mummified. Where the city
stood is now desolation.
Now we come to
Ezekiel chapter thirty-one. Further
prophecies about the downfall of Egypt.
Ezekiel 31:1-18
(7) Thus was he fair
in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great
waters.
The prophecy is addressed to Pharaoh King of Egypt, but reaches “all
his multitude”.
Verse 2 “Speak unto Pharaoh”
Verse 18 “This is Pharaoh
and all his multitude.” It is a parable.
In verse 2, the Lord asks: “whom art thou like in thy greatness?”
Then answers by comparing Pharaoh and Egypt to Assyria (verse 3)
And in turn likens the Assyrians to the great cedar trees of Lebanon
(vs 3):
Trees high in stature (vs 3) whose height is above all the other trees
(vs 5).
The fowls of the heaven make their nests in this tree (vs 6).
The tree is “fair in greatness” (vs 7).
Assyria was as great as the great trees in “Eden in the garden of God”
(verses 8,9,16,18).
But, because of her greatness, Assyria became proud (vs 10).
And the tree of Assyria became wicked (vs 11).
So a terrible Nation came and “cut him off” thus the tree is fallen (vs
12).
It is ruined (vs 13).
Thus Assyria was “delivered unto death” and “to the nether parts of the
earth”(Sheol) (vs 14).
He went down into the grave (vs 15).
The other Nations trembled when the Great Assyria, who was like the
“choice best trees of Eden” was destroyed (vs 16) because the Assyrians were
brought down to hell (vs 17).
And like Assyria, Pharaoh and his multitude will be reduced from being
a great tree to a mere stump (vs 18).
“The description of the Assyrian is given to show that Pharaoh, King of
Egypt, is in greatness like the Assyrian who had been dealt with in judgment by
Jehovah. The Assyrian, once so powerful
and proud, is used as a solemn warning, that Egypt would not be spared.” A.C.G.
Ezekiel
chapter thirty-two.
The last message is a lamentation or song of sorrow because of the
judgment to come upon Egypt by the sword of Babylon. Pharaoh is here likened to a young lion (verse
2). Elsewhere he was likened to a dragon or crocodile (Ezek. 29:3).
Ezekiel 32:1-16
(5) And I will lay
thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height.
(11) For thus saith
the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee.
(14) Then will I make
their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 32:2-15 The final “I
wills” as to what God will allow the Babylonians to do to Egypt.
Ezekiel 32:17-32
(19) Whom
dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.
Ezekiel 32:17-32 A look into Sheol,
“the nether world”, the place of departed spirits.
Verse 18 The Egyptians will be cast down to be with
other Nations into “the nether parts of the earth.”
Verse 22 Asshur which is Assyria is there, the great
Nation that caused terror (vs 23).
Verse 24 Elam (Jeremiah 49:34-39) another people that
caused terror in the land of the living, is now “in the nether parts of the
earth.”
Jeremiah 49:34-39
(35) Thus saith the
LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
Verses 26-27 Meshech, Tubal who caused terror on earth
“have gone down into hell”.
Verse 28 And
Verse 29 Edom and her kings “go down to the pit”.
Verse 30 “There be the princes of the North and all
the Zidonians ... go down to the pit”.
Verses 31-32 And Pharaoh and
Egypt, who have caused terror on earth, will join these other Nations (who were
all great powers while on earth) in Sheol.
When we remember that Egypt, throughout the Bible, is a type of this
world, the picture here is dreadful indeed.
Psalm 9:17
(17) The wicked shall
be turned into hell, [and] all the nations that forget God.
Psalm 9:17 “The wicked shall be
turned into hell, and all the Nations that forget God.”
God has spoken and He has
not stuttered in His speech!