Breakdown of Ezekiel 29:1-20

"In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt; speak, and say, Thus says th…" — What strikes me here is how precise God is, even when it comes to the timing of His message. This wasn't a vague feeling; it was a specific word from the Lord, delivered on a precise date, during a c…

Ezekiel 29:1-20 Meaning Explained

What does Ezekiel 29:1-20 mean?

What strikes me here is how precise God is, even when it comes to the timing of His message. This wasn't a vague feeling; it was a specific word from the Lord, delivered on a precise date, during a critical moment when Jerusalem was under siege and desperately hoping for Egyptian aid.

In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt; speak, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lies in the midst of his streams, that says, ‘My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.’ I will put hooks in your jaws, and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales; and I will draw you up out of the midst of your streams, with all the fish of your streams that stick to your scales. And I will cast you out into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your streams; you shall fall on the open field, and not be brought together or gathered. To the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens I give you as food. Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD. “Because you have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel, when they grasped you with the hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins to shake. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will bring a sword upon you, and will cut off from you man and beast, and the land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste. Then they will know that I am the LORD. “Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I made it,’ therefore, behold, I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush. No foot of man shall pass through it, and no foot of beast shall pass through it; it shall be uninhabited forty years. And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated countries, and her cities shall be a desolation forty years among cities that are laid waste. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the countries. “For thus says the Lord GOD: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered, and I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin, and there they shall be a lowly kingdom. It shall be the most lowly of the kingdoms, and never again exalt itself above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will never again rule over the nations. And it shall never again be the reliance of the house of Israel, recalling their iniquity, when they turn to them for aid. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.” In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was rubbed bare, yet neither he nor his army got anything from Tyre to pay for the labor that he had performed against her. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall carry off its wealth and despoil it and plunder it; and it shall be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt as his payment for which he labored, because they worked for me, declares the Lord GOD.

What Ezekiel 29:1-20 means

This precise date places Ezekiel's message during the siege of Jerusalem, just as Egyptian forces attempted to relieve the city, a move that ultimately failed. The people of Judah, including the exiles in Babylon and those still in Jerusalem, likely saw Egypt as a powerful ally against the Babylonians, but this prophecy reveals God's judgment against Egypt was coming too. It marks the beginning of a series of prophecies directed at foreign nations, with Egypt being the first considered in this section of the book.

Precisely Dated Divine Revelation

Why is this prophecy dated with such exactness? It wasn't just a random thought, but a word from God tied to specific historical moments.

The date, 'the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month,' isn't just a historical marker. It places this prophecy at a critical juncture: Jerusalem was under siege, and hope for Egyptian aid was flickering. This precision anchors God's message in the harsh realities of exile and political turmoil, assuring the exiles that God's word still spoke directly into their desperate situation.

God's Word Amidst False Hopes

Egypt was seen as a potential savior, but God's message reveals a different reality. What does this tell us about relying on human power?

At this very time, Judah was looking to Egypt for military support against Babylon (as mentioned in Jeremiah 37:5). This alliance was seen as a lifeline, a 'broken reed' as one commentary put it. Ezekiel's prophecy against Egypt, delivered with such clarity and precision, shatters this misplaced hope. It signals that Egypt, far from being a rescuer, would face its own judgment. God's word cuts through the political maneuvering and false security, calling His people to rely on Him alone, not on the shifting alliances of nations.

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The original words in Ezekiel 29:1-20

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In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt; speak, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lies in the midst of his streams, that says, ‘My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.’ I will put hooks in your jaws, and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales; and I will draw you up out of the midst of your streams, with all the fish of your streams that stick to your scales. And I will cast you out into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your streams; you shall fall on the open field, and not be brought together or gathered. To the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens I give you as food. Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD. “Because you have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel, when they grasped you with the hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins to shake. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will bring a sword upon you, and will cut off from you man and beast, and the land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste. Then they will know that I am the LORD. “Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I made it,’ therefore, behold, I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush. No foot of man shall pass through it, and no foot of beast shall pass through it; it shall be uninhabited forty years. And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated countries, and her cities shall be a desolation forty years among cities that are laid waste. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the countries. “For thus says the Lord GOD: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered, and I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin, and there they shall be a lowly kingdom. It shall be the most lowly of the kingdoms, and never again exalt itself above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will never again rule over the nations. And it shall never again be the reliance of the house of Israel, recalling their iniquity, when they turn to them for aid. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.” In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was rubbed bare, yet neither he nor his army got anything from Tyre to pay for the labor that he had performed against her. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall carry off its wealth and despoil it and plunder it; and it shall be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt as his payment for which he labored, because they worked for me, declares the Lord GOD.

What Ezekiel 29:1-20 means

What does Ezekiel 29:1-20 mean?

What Ezekiel 29:1-20 means

Precisely Dated Divine Revelation

God's Word Amidst False Hopes

The original words in Ezekiel 29:1-20

Ask Sola about this verse

What Ezekiel 29:1-20 means

Precisely Dated Divine Revelation

God's Word Amidst False Hopes

The original words in Ezekiel 29:1-20

Ask Sola about this verse

The situation behind Ezekiel 29:1-20

The historical timeline around Ezekiel 29:1-20

Key themes in Ezekiel 29:1-20

Verses connected to Ezekiel 29:1-20

Scholarly commentary on Ezekiel 29:1-20

Frequently asked questions about Ezekiel 29:1-20

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