Ezekiel32

Ezekiel is commanded to lament for Pharaoh and Egypt, prophesying their violent destruction by the sword of Babylon, leading to widespread desolation and darkness. The Lord declares that Egypt, once mighty, will be cast down and consumed, its fall serving as a terrifying spectacle to other nations. Furthermore, Egypt's multitude will descend into the pit of Sheol, joining other uncircumcised nations already slain by the sword, bearing their shame in the nether parts of the earth.

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The First Dirge: God's Judgment on Pharaoh

In the twelfth year, on the first day of the twelfth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: ‘You are like a lion among the nations; you are like a monster in the seas. You thrash about in your rivers, churning up the waters with your feet and muddying the streams.’

This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will spread My net over you with a company of many peoples, and they will draw you up in My net.

I will abandon you on the land and hurl you into the open field. I will cause all the birds of the air to settle upon you, and all the beasts of the earth to eat their fill of you.

I will put your flesh on the mountains and fill the valleys with your remains.

I will drench the land with the flow of your blood, all the way to the mountains— the ravines will be filled.

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.

All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you, and I will bring darkness upon your land,’ declares the Lord GOD.

‘I will trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring about your destruction among the nations, in countries you do not know.

I will cause many peoples to be appalled over you, and their kings will shudder in horror because of you when I brandish My sword before them. On the day of your downfall each of them will tremble every moment for his life.’

For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘The sword of the king of Babylon will come against you!

I will make your hordes fall by the swords of the mighty, the most ruthless of all nations. They will ravage the pride of Egypt and all her multitudes will be destroyed.

I will slaughter all her cattle beside the abundant waters. No human foot will muddy them again, and no cattle hooves will disturb them.

Then I will let her waters settle and will make her rivers flow like oil,’ declares the Lord GOD.

‘When I make the land of Egypt a desolation and empty it of all that filled it, when I strike down all who live there, then they will know that I am the LORD.’

This is the lament they will chant for her; the daughters of the nations will chant it. Over Egypt and all her multitudes they will chant it, declares the Lord GOD.”

The Second Dirge: Egypt’s Descent into Sheol

In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Son of man, wail for the multitudes of Egypt, and consign her and the daughters of the mighty nations to the depths of the earth with those who descend to the Pit:

Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and be placed with the uncircumcised!

They will fall among those slain by the sword. The sword is appointed! Let them drag her away along with all her multitudes.

Mighty chiefs will speak from the midst of Sheol about Egypt and her allies: ‘They have come down and lie with the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword.’

Assyria is there with her whole company; her graves are all around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.

Her graves are set in the depths of the Pit, and her company is all around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword— those who once spread terror in the land of the living.

Elam is there with all her multitudes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword— those who went down uncircumcised to the earth below, who once spread their terror in the land of the living. They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit.

Among the slain they prepare a resting place for Elam with all her hordes, with her graves all around her. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, although their terror was once spread in the land of the living. They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit. They are placed among the slain.

Meshech and Tubal are there with all their multitudes, with their graves all around them. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, because they spread their terror in the land of the living.

They do not lie down with the fallen warriors of old, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were placed under their heads, whose shields rested on their bones, although the terror of the mighty was once in the land of the living.

But you too will be shattered and lie down among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword.

Edom is there, and all her kings and princes, who despite their might are laid among those slain by the sword. They lie down with the uncircumcised, with those who descend to the Pit.

All the leaders of the north and all the Sidonians are there; they went down in disgrace with the slain, despite the terror of their might. They lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword and bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit.

Pharaoh will see them and be comforted over all his multitude— Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword, declares the Lord GOD.

For I will spread My terror in the land of the living, so that Pharaoh and all his multitude will be laid to rest among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword, declares the Lord GOD.”

Study Notes for Ezekiel 32

Verse 1

This prophecy is dated approximately one month after the previous oracle (30:20) and marks the final word against Egypt in the book of Ezekiel. The timing, late in 585 B.C., places it shortly after the fall of Jerusalem, demonstrating God's consistent judgment on all nations.

Verse 2

Pharaoh is compared both to a 'young lion' (a symbol of aggressive power) and a 'whale' (Hebrew: *tannin*, a sea monster or dragon). This imagery links Pharaoh to primeval chaos, often associated with Egypt, whose aggressive foreign policy 'troubled the waters' of the nations.

Verse 3

The metaphor shifts from Pharaoh as a chaotic sea creature to God, the divine fisherman, using a 'net' to capture the monster. The 'company of many people' refers to the invading Babylonian forces used by God as his instrument of judgment.

Verse 4

The image of the monstrous carcass being cast onto the land and devoured by scavengers emphasizes the utter humiliation and dishonor of Pharaoh’s death, denying him a proper burial.

Verse 7

The judgment on Egypt is depicted using 'cosmic catastrophe' language (darkening the sun, moon, and stars). This hyperbole is common in prophetic literature and signifies a historical event so momentous that it overturns the established order of the world.

Verse 11

Ezekiel explicitly identifies the agent of God's judgment: Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. This clarifies that the preceding cosmic imagery describes the devastating impact of the Babylonian invasion.

Verse 14

The violent imagery gives way to profound stillness, where the waters of the Nile (Egypt’s lifeblood) flow 'like oil'—slowly and undisturbed. This signifies the total cessation of human and animal activity and the end of Egypt’s economic vitality.

Verse 16

The lamentation itself is decreed by God to be sung by the 'daughters of the nations.' This ensures that Egypt’s humiliation will be widely known and remembered by its former allies and rivals.

Verse 17

This second oracle, given only two weeks after the first, shifts the focus from the physical destruction of Egypt to its fate in the afterlife. It describes a dramatic vision of the underworld (Sheol, 'the pit').

Verse 18

Ezekiel is commanded to 'wail' and 'cast them down' to Sheol, the common grave of humanity. The focus is on the vast 'multitude' of Egypt, reflecting the great size of its army and population.

Verse 19

The question 'Whom dost thou pass in beauty?' is a taunt, mocking Egypt’s former glory and self-perception. Being laid 'with the uncircumcised' is a critical insult, as circumcision was a mark distinguishing Israel from pagan nations, emphasizing Egypt's pagan disgrace.

Verse 21

The 'strong among the mighty' are the deceased kings and warriors of other nations already residing in Sheol. They greet Pharaoh with bitter irony, acknowledging him as a new, equally disgraced member of their company.

Verse 22

The description shifts to a roll call of nations already humbled in death. Assyria, the great imperial power of the previous century, is listed first, showing that no earthly might can escape the judgment of the grave.

Verse 24

Elam (a strong kingdom east of Babylon) is listed as another former terror now bearing 'shame' in the pit. The vision emphasizes that all nations, regardless of their past military might, share the same fate of humiliation.

Verse 26

Meshech and Tubal (peoples in modern Turkey, often associated with Gog in Ezekiel 38-39) are included, demonstrating the universal scope of God’s judgment extending even to nations on the periphery.

Verse 27

This verse may describe an elite section of Sheol reserved for honored pagan warriors who died bravely (implied by 'weapons of war' and 'swords under their heads'). However, even this honor is negated by the mention of their 'iniquities' and ultimate shame.

Verse 31

The comfort Pharaoh receives is purely ironic and hollow: he is comforted only because he sees that his great empire has fallen no further than all the other once-mighty nations. His fate is universal humiliation.

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Ezekiel32

The First Dirge: God's Judgment on Pharaoh

The Second Dirge: Egypt’s Descent into Sheol

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