Ezekiel30

Ezekiel 30 prophesies the imminent "day of the LORD" for Egypt, a time of widespread desolation and judgment. The Lord declares that Egypt and its allied nations, including Ethiopia and Libya, will fall by the sword, their multitude taken away, and their foundations broken. This destruction will be executed by Nebuchadrezzar, King of Babylon, leading to the scattering of Egyptians. Ultimately, these judgments are intended to make them know that the Lord is God.
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The Day of the LORD Against Egypt

1
The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, ​
2
Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth 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 Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. ​
5
Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword. ​
6
Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith 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 shall be destroyed. ​
9
In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh. ​

Judgment Executed by Babylon

10
Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. ​
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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 waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the LORD have spoken it. ​
13
Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more 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, and will set fire in Zoan, and will 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, and No shall be rent asunder, 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
At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: 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 will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

The Broken Arm of Pharaoh

20
And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ​
21
Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword. ​
22
Therefore thus saith 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 will 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 shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch 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. ​

Study Notes for Ezekiel 30

Verse 1

This oracle against Egypt is the sixth in a series (Ezek. 29–32) and emphasizes the totality of God's coming judgment.

Verse 2

The prophet is commanded to lead a lament, underscoring the severity of the disaster awaiting Egypt.

Verse 3

The 'day of the LORD,' a concept usually associated with judgment upon Israel, is here applied to a Gentile nation, emphasizing God's universal sovereignty. It signals the time when God executes judgment upon the nations ('heathen').

Verse 4

The judgment affects not only Egypt but also her southern ally, Ethiopia (Cush), demonstrating the widespread collapse of the regional power structure.

Verse 5

This list includes Egypt’s foreign allies and mercenaries who will fall alongside her. Lydia (Lud) and Chub are likely references to soldiers hired from Asia Minor and North Africa.

Verse 6

The judgment will extend throughout the entire land, from the northern Delta down to the 'tower of Syene' (modern Aswan), marking the southern border.

Verse 8

The judgment’s central purpose is theological: the *recognition formula* ('they shall know that I am the LORD') confirms that the destruction is not random warfare but divine action.

Verse 9

Messengers traveling by ship will spread the news of Egypt's fall, causing panic among the complacent, distant allies like Ethiopia.

Verse 10

God names Nebuchadrezzar as the specific instrument of divine wrath, confirming that the Babylonian invasion is orchestrated by the LORD.

Verse 12

To 'make the rivers dry' refers to the destruction of the Nile system, the lifeblood of Egypt, symbolizing the total collapse of the nation's agriculture and economy.

Verse 13

The judgment targets both the political and religious life of Egypt. **Noph** (Memphis) was a major administrative and cultic center. The destruction of idols and princes signifies the end of Egyptian rule.

Verse 14

The prophecy lists key cities: **Pathros** (Upper Egypt), **Zoan** (Tanis), and **No** (Thebes, or Luxor), indicating the judgment will sweep across the entire kingdom.

Verse 15

**Sin** (Pelusium) was a strategically vital fortress on the eastern frontier. Its destruction means the removal of Egypt's military shield against invasion from the north.

Verse 18

**Tehaphnehes** was a city near the border where many Jewish refugees had fled (Jer. 43:7). The 'breaking of the yokes' signifies the end of Egyptian authority and regional dominance.

Verse 20

This oracle is precisely dated (April 29, 587 BC), placing it during the final stages of Jerusalem’s siege, likely after Pharaoh Hophra had failed to effectively intervene against Nebuchadnezzar (cf. Jer. 37:5).

Verse 21

The 'arm' is a common biblical metaphor for strength, especially military power. God declares that Pharaoh’s power has been decisively broken and cannot be recovered or healed.

Verse 22

God asserts His sovereign control over the conflict, promising to break both the recently weakened arm and any remaining strong arm of Pharaoh.

Verse 24

The prophecy emphasizes the divine reversal of power: God strengthens Babylon's military capability while simultaneously crippling Egypt's, showing that historical events are directed by the LORD.

Verse 26

The final outcome of the judgment is the dispersal of the Egyptians (diaspora) and the ultimate fulfillment of the recognition formula, establishing God's name and power among the nations.

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