Ezekiel 32NASB
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Ezekiel32

New American Standard

1In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2“Son of man, take up a song of mourning over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him, ‘You compared yourself to a young lion of the nations, Yet you are like the monster in the seas; And you burst forth in your rivers And muddied the waters with your feet And fouled their rivers.’”

3This is what the Lord God says: “Now I will spread My net over you With a contingent of many peoples, And they will lift you up in My net.

4I will leave you on the land; I will hurl you on the open field. And I will cause all the birds of the sky to nest on you, And I will satisfy the animals of the whole earth with you.

5I will lay your flesh on the mountains And fill the valleys with your refuse.

6I will also make the land drink the discharge of your blood As far as the mountains, And the ravines will be full of you.

7And when I extinguish you, 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.

8All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you And will set darkness on your land,” Declares the Lord God.

9“I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples when I bring your destruction among the nations, into lands which you have not known.

10And I will make many peoples appalled at you, and their kings will be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and they will tremble again and again, every person for his own life, on the day of your fall.”

11For the Lord God says this: “The sword of the king of Babylon will attack you.

12By the swords of the warriors I will make your multitude fall; all of them are tyrants of the nations, And they will devastate the pride of Egypt, And all its multitude will be destroyed.

13I will also eliminate all its cattle from beside many waters; And a human foot will not muddy them anymore, And the hoofs of animals will not muddy them.

14Then I will make their waters settle, And make their rivers run like oil,” Declares the Lord God.

15“When I make the land of Egypt a desolation, And the land is destitute of that which filled it, When I strike all those who live in it, Then they shall know that I am the Lord.

16This is a song of mourning, and they shall sing it. The daughters of the nations shall sing it. Over Egypt and over all her hordes they shall sing it,” declares the Lord God.

17In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

18“Son of man, lament for the hordes of Egypt and bring it down, her and the daughters of the mighty nations, to the netherworld, with those who go down to the pit;

19‘Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and make your bed with the uncircumcised.’

20They shall fall in the midst of those who are killed by the sword. She is turned over to the sword; they have dragged her and all her hordes away.

21The strong among the mighty ones shall speak of him and his helpers from the midst of Sheol: ‘They have gone down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, killed by the sword.’

22“Assyria is there and all her company; her graves are all around her. All of them killed, fallen by the sword,

23whose graves are set in the remotest parts of the pit, and her company is all around her grave. All of them killed, fallen by the sword, who spread terror in the land of the living.

24“Elam is there and all her hordes around her grave; all of them killed, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth, who inflicted their terror on the land of the living, and bore their disgrace with those who go down to the pit.

25They have made a bed for her among the slain with all her hordes. Her graves are around it, they are all uncircumcised, killed by the sword (although their terror was inflicted on the land of the living), and they bore their disgrace with those who go down to the pit; they were put in the midst of the slain.

26“Meshech, Tubal, and all their hordes are there; their graves surround them. All of them were killed by the sword uncircumcised, though they inflicted their terror on the land of the living.

27Nor do they lie beside the fallen heroes of the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war and whose swords were placed under their heads; but the punishment for their wrongdoing rested on their bones, though the terror of these heroes was once in the land of the living.

28But in the midst of the uncircumcised you will be broken and lie with those killed by the sword.

29“There also is Edom, its kings and all its princes, who despite all their might are laid with those killed by the sword; they will lie with the uncircumcised and with those who go down to the pit.

30“There also are the chiefs of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who in spite of the terror resulting from their might, in shame went down with the slain. So they lay down uncircumcised with those killed by the sword and bore their disgrace with those who go down to the pit.

31“These Pharaoh will see, and he will find consolation regarding all his hordes killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his army,” declares the Lord God.

32“Though I inflicted the terror of him on the land of the living, yet he will be laid to rest among the uncircumcised along with those killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his hordes,” declares the Lord God.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Ezekiel 32.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: The fall of Egypt. (1-16). It is like that of other nations. (17-32).

vv1-16

It becomes us to weep and tremble for those who will not weep and tremble for themselves. Great oppressors are, in God's account, no better than beasts of prey. Those who admire the pomp of this world, will wonder at the ruin of that pomp; which to those who know the vanity of all things here below, is no surprise. When others are ruined by sin, we have to fear, knowing ourselves guilty. The instruments of the desolation are formidable. And the instances of the desolation are frightful. The waters of Egypt shall run like oil, which signifies there should be universal sadness and heaviness upon the whole nation. God can soon empty those of this world's goods who have the greatest fulness of them. By enlarging the matters of our joy, we increase the occasions of our sorrow. How weak and helpless, as to God, are the most powerful of mankind! The destruction of Egypt was a type of the destruction of the enemies of Christ.

vv17-32

Divers nations are mentioned as gone down to the grave before Egypt, who are ready to give her a scornful reception; these nations had been lately ruined and wasted. But though Judah and Jerusalem were about this time ruined and laid waste, yet they are not mentioned here. Though they suffered the same affliction, and by the same hand, yet the kind design for which they were afflicted, and the mercy God reserved for them, altered its nature. It was not to them a going down to the pit, as it was to the heathen. Pharaoh shall see, and be comforted; but the comfort wicked ones have after death, is poor comfort, not real, but only in fancy. The view this prophecy gives of ruined states shows something of this present world, and the empire of death in it. Come and see the calamitous state of human life. As if men did not die fast enough, they are ingenious at finding out ways to destroy one another. Also of the other world; though the destruction of nations as such, seems chiefly intended, here is plain allusion to the everlasting ruin of impenitent sinners. How are men deceived by Satan! What are the objects they pursue through scenes of bloodshed, and their many sins? Surely man disquiets himself in vain, whether he pursues wealth, fame, power, or pleasure. The hour cometh, when all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of Christ, and shall come forth; those that have done good to the resurrection of life, and those that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation.

Cross References

Ezekiel 32
v21Isaiah 14:9-15allusion

Direct literary model of Sheol greeting fallen rulers with taunting welcomes.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v2Ezekiel 29:3thematic

Parallels the vivid image of Pharaoh as a crocodile/monster in his rivers.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v7Exodus 10:21-23allusion

Echoes the supernatural darkness plague of Egypt; cosmic signs of judgment.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v3Hosea 7:12thematic

The net of divine judgment thrown over nations to capture them.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v4Ezekiel 29:5thematic

Judgment of being cast into the open wilderness for birds to devour.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v6Exodus 7:19allusion

Allusion to the first plague of Egypt turning waters into blood.

Supported by JFB

v7Matthew 24:29thematic

New Testament use of heavenly bodies darkening to represent dynastic falls.

Supported by JFB

v7Job 18:5thematic

The common biblical image of extinguishing a wicked ruler's light.

Supported by JFB

v13Ezekiel 29:11thematic

Desolation of Egypt's waters, left untroubled by foot of man or beast.

Supported by JFB

v18Ezekiel 31:16thematic

Egypt joining other great empires descending into the nether parts.

Supported by JFB

v2Ezekiel 19:1thematic

Introduction of a prophetic lamentation using the 'young lion' metaphor.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v18Jeremiah 1:10thematic

The prophet's declarative word 'casting down' nations.

Supported by JFB

v19Ezekiel 31:18thematic

Pharaoh being asked whom he surpasses in glory, and lying uncircumcised.

Supported by JFB

v16Ezekiel 19:14thematic

Establishing the solemn lamentation as a formal decree of ruin.

Supported by JFB