The desolation of Egypt and her helpers, 1-19. The arm of Babylon shall be strengthened to break the arm of Egypt, 20-26.
1 The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,
2 "Son of man, prophesy and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD:
"Howl, 'Alas the day!'
3 For the day is near,/
even the day of the LORD is near,/
a cloudy day. It shall be the time of the heathen.
4 And the sword shall come upon Egypt/
and great pain shall be in Cush/
when the slain fall in Egypt/
and they take away her multitude/
and her foundations are broken down.
5 Cush, Libya, Lydia, all the mingled people, Kub, and the men of the land that is in league shall fall with them by the sword."
6 'Thus says the LORD:
"They also who uphold Egypt shall fall,/
and the pride of her power shall come down./
From the tower of Syene they shall fall in it by the sword,"
says the Lord GOD.
7 "And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate,/
and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.
8 And they shall know that I am the LORD/
when I have set a fire in Egypt/
and when all her helpers are destroyed.
9 In that day messengers shall go forth from me in ships/
to make the careless Cushites afraid,/
and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt,/
for behold, it comes."
10 'Thus says the Lord GOD:
"I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease/
by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
11 He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations,/
shall be brought to destroy the land./
And they shall draw their swords against Egypt/
and fill the land with the slain.
12 And I will make the rivers dry,/
and sell the land into the hand of the wicked./
And I will make the land desolate/
and all that is in it by the hand of strangers./
I, the LORD, have spoken it."
13 Thus says the Lord GOD:
"I will also destroy the idols,/
and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph./
And there shall no longer be a prince of the land of Egypt./
And I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.
14 And I will make Pathros desolate,/
set fire in Zoan,/
and 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.
16 And I will set fire in Egypt./
Sin shall have great pain,/
No shall be rent apart,/
and Noph shall have distresses daily.
17 The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword./
And these cities shall go into captivity.
18 Also at Tehaphnehes the day shall be darkened/
when I break the yokes of Egypt there./
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 I will execute judgments in Egypt./
And they shall know that I am the LORD."'"
20 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 21 "Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and behold, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a bandage to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword. 22 Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken, and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. 23 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries. 24 And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man. 25 But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down. And they shall know that I am the LORD when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out upon the land of Egypt. 26 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the countries. And they shall know that I am the LORD.'"
Matthew Henry Commentary - Ezekiel, Chapter 30[➚]
John Gill's Chapter Summary:
This chapter is a continuation of the prophecy against Egypt, both against the country and the king of it. It is introduced with expressions of lamentation because of the destruction coming on (Ezekiel 30:1-3); and not only Egypt and the cities thereof should be destroyed, but all her friends, associates, and allies; the Ethiopians, Lydians, Lybians, and others (Ezekiel 30:4-9). Nebuchadnezzar and his army were to be the instruments of her ruin (Ezekiel 30:10-12); particular cities are mentioned by name, which should suffer much and become desolate (Ezekiel 30:13-19); and then Pharaoh king of Egypt himself is threatened with broken arms, and his people to be scattered among the nations (Ezekiel 30:20-23); and the king of Babylon is again mentioned, whose arms should be strengthened to do all this (Ezekiel 30:24-26).