Ezekiel 29:11-12
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This verse isn't just describing a future desolation for Egypt; it's also highlighting the profound emptiness that comes when God withdraws His favor. The emphasis on "no foot of man or beast" passing through isn't about literal emptiness but a complete cessation of life and activity, a powerful image of a land rendered useless and forgotten by God.
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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Lord declares His judgment against Egypt, specifically targeting Pharaoh Hophra and the nation for their arrogance and their mistreatment of Israel. Ezekiel prophesies a devastating invasion by Nebuchadnezzar, which will leave Egypt utterly desolate and uninhabited for a prolonged period. This divine punishment is described in stark, hyperbolic terms, signifying a complete disruption of life and commerce in Egypt, lasting for a generation until its eventual restoration as a lesser kingdom.
The verse paints a stark picture: no human or animal footsteps for forty years. But does this mean literally no one? Let's look closer.
When the prophet Ezekiel declares that 'no foot of man shall pass through it, and no foot of beast shall pass through it,' it's easy to imagine a perfectly empty land. However, the Bible often uses hyperbole – deliberate exaggeration – to emphasize a point. This isn't a precise scientific measurement, but a powerful image meant to convey a complete and devastating ruin.
Beyond the Literal
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The number 'forty' appears often in Scripture, usually carrying deep symbolic weight. What does it signify here in Ezekiel's prophecy against Egypt?
The mention of 'forty years' is far from arbitrary. In biblical narrative, the number forty frequently represents a period of testing, judgment, purification, or transition.
A Season of Judgment and Transition
Understand the original words
shemamah · Hebrew Noun
Refers to a state of being completely ruined, empty, or devastated, often as a result of divine judgment for sin or rebellion against God. It signifies the removal of human life and productivity as a consequence of spiritual failure.
puwts · Hebrew Verb
To cause to move away from a center in various directions; often used in the context of divine judgment where a people are dispersed across the earth as a consequence of their sin.
The forty years of desolation spoken by Ezekiel are understood as a period of severe disruption and reduced influence for Egypt, rather than a complete absence of people or animals. This era of judgment begins around the time of Nebuchadnezzar's major campaigns and concludes with the rise of the Persian Empire.
c. 605-589 BC
Nebuchadnezzar's Campaigns in Egypt
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon waged significant military campaigns against Egypt, weakening its power and influence in the region. These campaigns disrupted Egyptian stability and trade.
c. 587 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and exiled many Jews to Babylon. This event deeply impacted the surrounding nations, including Egypt, and set the stage for further Babylonian dominance.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Prophecy of Egypt's Desolation
Ezekiel delivers this prophecy, foretelling a forty-year period of desolation for Egypt following Nebuchadnezzar's military actions, emphasizing its future diminished status.
c. 570 BC
Amasis II becomes Pharaoh
Amasis II came to power in Egypt, ushering in a period of relative internal stability and cultural flourishing. However, Egypt's international standing was greatly diminished.
c. 567 BC
Nebuchadnezzar's Final Campaign in Egypt
Nebuchadnezzar may have conducted a final campaign in Egypt, further solidifying its weakened state and contributing to the fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great conquered the Neo-Babylonian Empire, bringing an end to Babylonian supremacy. This marked a new era for the region and its subjugated nations, including Egypt.
This passage describes Nebuchadnezzar's conquest of Egypt, directly linking to the historical context of Ezekiel's prophecy about Egypt's desolation and its eventual subjugation.
Isaiah 19:2-4Similar to Ezekiel, Isaiah predicts a devastating judgment on Egypt, highlighting internal strife and foreign invasion that would leave the land weak and vulnerable.
Ezekiel 4:6This verse uses the symbolic number 'forty years' to represent a period of judgment and desolation, mirroring Ezekiel's use of the same timeframe for Egypt's downfall and reinforcing the idea of a divinely appointed period of suffering.
Luke 19:44Jesus laments over Jerusalem, saying 'they will not leave you a stone on another,' a powerful image of complete destruction that echoes the severe desolation prophesied for Egypt.
Ezekiel 30:10-12This passage further details the judgment against Egypt, emphasizing Nebuchadnezzar as the instrument of God's wrath and describing the land being given to ruthless foreigners, underscoring the extent of its ruin.
pulpitEzekiel 29:11: "No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years."
Verse 11. - Neither shall it be inhabited forty years. It need hardly be said that history reveals no such period of devastation. Nor, indeed, would anything but the most prosaic literalism justify us in looking for it. We are dealing with the language of a poet-prophet, which is naturally that of hyperbole, and so the "forty years" stand, as, perhaps, elsew…
pooleEzekiel 29:11: "No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years."
No foot of man; not strictly to be taken, but in an accommodated sense, or comparatively to what once was, or so little traffic and passing to and fro, that no footsteps or tracks of men were found. It is a Scripture hyperbole, as Luke 19:44 Isaiah 14:31 Ezekiel 26:14,21 . Nor foot of beast; of profitable, useful, and tractable, as sheep, oxen, and horses; b…
This verse isn't just describing a future desolation for Egypt; it's also highlighting the profound emptiness that comes when God withdraws His favor. The emphasis on "no foot of man or beast" passing through isn't about literal emptiness but a complete cessation of life and activity, a powerful image of a land rendered useless and forgotten by God.
The Lord declares His judgment against Egypt, specifically targeting Pharaoh Hophra and the nation for their arrogance and their mistreatment of Israel. Ezekiel prophesies a devastating invasion by Nebuchadnezzar, which will leave Egypt utterly desolate and uninhabited for a prolonged period. This divine punishment is described in stark, hyperbolic terms, signifying a complete disruption of life and commerce in Egypt, lasting for a generation until its eventual restoration as a lesser kingdom.
The Lord declares His judgment against Egypt, specifically targeting Pharaoh Hophra and the nation for their arrogance and their mistreatment of Israel. Ezekiel prophesies a devastating invasion by Nebuchadnezzar, which will leave Egypt utterly desolate and uninhabited for a prolonged period. This divine punishment is described in stark, hyperbolic terms, signifying a complete disruption of life and commerce in Egypt, lasting for a generation until its eventual restoration as a lesser kingdom.
"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…" — This verse isn't just describing a future desolation for Egypt; it's also highlighting the profound emptiness that comes when God withdraws His favor. The emphasis on "no foot of man or beast" passin…
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Last reviewed October 2026
