Ezekiel 29:16

Translation
King James Version
And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
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KJV (with Strong's)
And it shall be no more the confidence H4009 of the house H1004 of Israel H3478, which bringeth H2142 their iniquity H5771 to remembrance H2142, when they shall look H6437 after H310 them: but they shall know H3045 that I am the Lord H136 GOD H3069.
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Complete Jewish Bible
Moreover, they will no longer be a source of confidence for Isra'el to turn to; rather, it will only bring to mind their guilt in having turned to them before. Then they will know that I am Adonai ELOHIM.'"
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Berean Standard Bible
Egypt will never again be an object of trust for the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity in turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.”
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American Standard Version
And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity to remembrance, when they turn to look after them: and they shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah.
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World English Bible Messianic
It shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity to memory, when they turn to look after them: and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.”’”
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Geneva Bible (1599)
And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, to bring their iniquitie to remembrance by looking after them, so shall they knowe, that I am the Lord God.
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Young's Literal Translation
And it is no more to the house of Israel for a confidence, Bringing iniquity to remembrance, By their turning after them, And they have known that I am the Lord Jehovah.'
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See also
Hosea 8:13Ezekiel 29:6Ezekiel 29:7Isaiah 20:5Ezekiel 21:23Isaiah 64:9Lamentations 4:17
In the KJVVerse 21,200 of 31,102

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SUMMARY

Ezekiel 29:16 delivers a powerful prophetic declaration against Egypt, foretelling its utter diminishment. This judgment serves a dual purpose: to expose Israel's persistent spiritual "iniquity"—their misplaced reliance on human alliances rather than divine faithfulness—and to ultimately lead them to an undeniable, experiential recognition of God's absolute sovereignty and unique identity, ensuring they "know that I am the Lord GOD."

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is strategically placed within a series of divine pronouncements against foreign nations, specifically targeting Egypt, which spans from Ezekiel 29 to Ezekiel 32. These oracles immediately follow a lengthy and somber section detailing God's judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem, culminating in the city's devastating fall in Ezekiel 24. The inclusion of prophecies against surrounding nations serves to underscore God's universal dominion, demonstrating that His authority extends beyond Israel to encompass all of creation and the course of human history. Egypt, a historical source of temptation for Israel to seek human security, receives a particularly detailed and severe judgment, highlighting God's unwavering resolve to dismantle every false object of trust.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: The prophecies in Ezekiel 29 were delivered during the tumultuous period of the Babylonian exile, roughly between 587-571 BC, a time of profound national crisis and spiritual introspection for Judah. Historically, the kingdom of Judah frequently pursued political and military alliances with powerful regional empires, notably Egypt, as a strategic counterweight against Mesopotamian aggressors like Assyria and Babylon. This persistent reliance on Egypt, despite repeated and fervent warnings from prophets such as Isaiah (e.g., Isaiah 30:1-7) and Jeremiah (e.g., Jeremiah 37:5-10), represented a profound spiritual betrayal. It was a rejection of God's covenant faithfulness and His call for exclusive trust in Him. Egypt's reputation as a "broken reed" (Isaiah 36:6) was about to be definitively exposed and shattered by God's sovereign judgment.
  • Key Themes: Ezekiel 29:16 significantly contributes to several overarching theological themes prevalent throughout the book of Ezekiel. Firstly, it powerfully illustrates the theme of Divine Judgment and Restoration, where God's severe judgments, whether upon nations or His own people, are ultimately purposed for His glory and for the eventual restoration of His covenant community. Secondly, the verse highlights Israel's Idolatry and Misplaced Trust, specifically their spiritual unfaithfulness in seeking alliances with pagan nations rather than relying on their covenant-keeping God. This act of seeking human "confidence" is explicitly equated with their "iniquity" and serves as a constant "remembrance" of their covenant disobedience. Finally, and most crucially, the verse reinforces the book's signature theme: The Knowledge of God's Sovereignty. The oft-repeated refrain, "they shall know that I am the Lord GOD" (e.g., Ezekiel 6:7), functions as the ultimate purpose behind all divine actions, whether in judgment or salvation, ensuring that both Israel and the nations are compelled to recognize His absolute authority and unique identity as the one true God.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Confidence (Hebrew, mibṭâch', H4009): This term denotes a refuge, security, or assurance. In the context of Ezekiel 29:16, it critically highlights Israel's misplaced reliance and hope in the perceived strength and stability of Egypt. Instead of finding their true security and trust in the Lord God, they adopted a spiritual posture of dependence on human power, which proved to be a source of their downfall.
  • Iniquity (Hebrew, ʻâvôn', H5771): This word signifies perversity, moral evil, or sin. It encompasses not merely an isolated act of wrongdoing but the inherent twistedness or guilt associated with such actions, often implying the punishment justly due for such sin. Here, Israel's persistent seeking of an Egyptian alliance is explicitly labeled as their fundamental spiritual flaw, a profound breach of their covenant faithfulness and a demonstration of their spiritual adultery.
  • Know (Hebrew, yâdaʻ', H3045): This primitive root means to ascertain by seeing, to comprehend, or to become intimately acquainted with. It implies not merely intellectual understanding but a deep, experiential, and relational knowledge. When God declares, "they shall know that I am the Lord GOD," it signifies a forced, undeniable recognition of His true identity and power, revealed through His decisive actions in history, leading to a profound and transformative shift in perspective and allegiance.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel": This clause pronounces a definitive end to Israel's historical and recurring pattern of relying on Egypt. Egypt, once perceived as a powerful ally and a source of national security, will be so utterly diminished and broken by God's judgment that it will cease to be a viable option for Israel's trust. This signifies a divinely orchestrated spiritual weaning, forcing Israel to abandon their false securities.
  • "which bringeth [their] iniquity to remembrance": The very act of Israel trusting in Egypt is directly linked to their "iniquity." Their persistent reliance on a foreign, pagan power, rather than on their covenant God, was a recurring and profound spiritual unfaithfulness. Egypt's continued existence as a potential, albeit unreliable, ally served as a constant reminder, a living testimony, to Israel's persistent lack of faith and their covenant disobedience. The judgment on Egypt thus serves to expose and highlight the depth of Israel's sin.
  • "when they shall look after them": This phrase underscores Israel's ingrained tendency to "look to" or "seek after" Egypt for help and protection. Even in the midst of their exile and suffering, the temptation to revert to human strength and alliances would likely persist. God's judgment on Egypt ensures that this temptation is decisively removed, as there will be nothing left for Israel to "look after" in terms of a reliable or appealing human alliance.
  • "but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD": This is the ultimate, redemptive, and overarching purpose of the entire divine process. Through the dismantling of their false securities, the exposure of their deep-seated sin, and the humbling experience of judgment, Israel will be brought to an undeniable, experiential, and transformative knowledge of the one true God. This knowledge is not theoretical but profoundly relational, leading to a renewed recognition of His absolute sovereignty, His unique covenant name (YHWH), and His unwavering faithfulness.

Literary Devices

Ezekiel 29:16 employs several potent literary devices to convey its profound message. Personification is subtly present as Egypt is treated almost as a living entity that Israel "looks after" for "confidence," imbuing the nation with an agency that makes it a rival object of trust to God Himself. The phrase "which bringeth [their] iniquity to remembrance" functions as Metonymy, where Egypt, the object of Israel's misplaced trust, stands in for the very act and consequence of their unfaithfulness. Egypt thus becomes a tangible symbol and a constant trigger for the memory of Israel's spiritual adultery and covenant breach. Furthermore, the entire verse, particularly the stark contrast between Israel's former "confidence" in Egypt and their future "know[ing] that I am the Lord GOD," serves as a powerful instance of Irony. Israel sought security in a human power, yet it is the destruction of that very power by God that ultimately leads them to true knowledge and genuine security in Him. This reversal of expectation powerfully underscores God's absolute control over history and His unique, often counter-intuitive, methods of revealing His sovereign identity.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Ezekiel 29:16 deeply resonates with the broader biblical narrative concerning God's covenant people and their perennial struggle with idolatry and misplaced trust. It highlights the profound divine principle that God often allows or even orchestrates the collapse of our false securities—whether they be nations, wealth, human wisdom, or even personal relationships—to expose our spiritual "iniquity" and to redirect our gaze solely and exclusively to Him. The recurring refrain "they shall know that I am the Lord GOD" is a theological cornerstone of the book of Ezekiel, emphasizing that God's ultimate purpose in all His judgments and redemptive acts is the clear and undeniable revelation of His unique, sovereign identity. This experiential knowledge is not merely intellectual assent to a theological truth but a profound, transformative recognition that reshapes one's entire worldview, allegiance, and source of reliance.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Ezekiel 29:16 serves as a timeless and convicting mirror for contemporary believers, challenging us to honestly assess the true source of our confidence and security in a world teeming with alternatives. In a culture that constantly offers myriad false refuges—be it financial stability, career success, political movements, technological advancements, or even human relationships—this verse issues a profound call back to an exclusive and unwavering trust in the Lord God alone. Our tendency to lean on these worldly "Egypts" often reveals a deeper spiritual "iniquity"—a subtle or overt lack of faith in God's sufficiency, His perfect wisdom, or His omnipotent power. Just as God meticulously stripped away Israel's misplaced confidence to bring them to a true and saving knowledge of Himself, He often, in His profound love, allows our own "Egypts" to crumble. This is not out of cruelty, but out of a deep desire for our ultimate good and our complete, unreserved reliance on Him. This process, though often painful and disorienting, is ultimately redemptive, leading us to a deeper, more authentic, and more resilient relationship with the One who is truly dependable and eternally faithful.

Questions for Reflection

  • What are the "Egypts" in my life today—the things, people, or systems in which I tend to place my primary confidence and security, rather than in God?
  • How might my reliance on these false securities be exposing a deeper "iniquity" or a subtle lack of faith in God's sovereignty, provision, and protective power?
  • In what specific ways has God, in the past, allowed my "Egypts" to fail or be diminished, and how did that experience ultimately lead me to a greater "knowledge that I am the Lord GOD"?
  • What practical and intentional steps can I take to consciously shift my confidence from worldly sources to a more complete and unwavering trust in God alone, living out the truth that He is my sole refuge?

FAQ

What was Israel's "iniquity" in relation to Egypt?

Answer: Israel's "iniquity" in relation to Egypt was their persistent and faithless tendency to seek political and military alliances with Egypt for protection against other powerful nations, rather than placing their exclusive and unwavering trust in the Lord God. This was a direct violation of their covenant with God, which called for absolute reliance on Him alone for their security and deliverance. It demonstrated a profound lack of faith in God's ability to protect them and was essentially a form of spiritual idolatry, as they looked to human strength and worldly power instead of divine omnipotence. This recurring pattern of unfaithfulness is vividly depicted throughout the prophetic books, such as in Isaiah 30:1-7 and Jeremiah 2:18.

How does God's judgment on Egypt lead Israel to "know that I am the Lord GOD"?

Answer: God's judgment on Egypt serves as a powerful, undeniable, and tangible demonstration of His absolute sovereignty over all nations and the entire course of human history. By dismantling Egypt's power, reducing its influence, and rendering it insignificant, God effectively removes Israel's false security and exposes the utter futility of relying on human strength or worldly alliances. This forced removal of their "confidence" leaves Israel with no viable alternative but to acknowledge God's supreme authority and unique identity. The experiential reality of seeing their once-trusted ally crumble, coupled with their own humbling experience in exile, compels them to recognize that only the Lord God is truly dependable, and that He alone orchestrates world events according to His perfect will. This "knowing" is not merely an intellectual assent to a theological truth but a profound, transformative recognition of His unique identity and power, a theme reiterated throughout Ezekiel (e.g., Ezekiel 37:13).

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Ezekiel 29:16, though deeply rooted in the ancient geopolitical realities of Israel's relationship with Egypt, finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment by illuminating the very nature of true confidence and the ultimate revelation of God to humanity. Israel's misplaced trust in Egypt foreshadows humanity's inherent and universal tendency to seek security, salvation, and meaning in anything other than God—be it human wisdom, worldly power, material wealth, or even self-righteousness. This "iniquity" is the universal human condition of sin, a fundamental turning away from the Creator to created things. Christ, however, is the ultimate and perfect fulfillment of God's promise to reveal Himself. He is the one in whom all true "confidence" and security reside, for He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Through His perfect life, His atoning death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection, Jesus decisively dismantles every false hope and exposes the utter futility of relying on anything but Him for salvation, righteousness, and eternal security. The "knowledge that I am the Lord GOD" is most fully and savingly realized in knowing Jesus Christ, for He is the exact imprint of God's nature and the fullness of the Godhead dwelling bodily. In Him, we find not a "broken reed" or a fleeting human alliance, but the unshakable foundation, the true refuge, and the only means by which humanity can genuinely "know" God in a saving and transformative way, leading to eternal life (John 17:3).

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Commentary on Ezekiel 29 verses 8–16

This explains the foregoing prediction, which was figurative, and looks something further. Here is a prophecy,

I. Of the ruin of Egypt. The threatening of this is very full and particular; and the sin for which this ruin shall be brought upon them is their pride, Eze 29:9. They said, The river is mine and I have made it; therefore their land shall spue them out. 1. God is against them, both against the king and against the people, against thee and against thy rivers. Waters signify people and multitudes, Rev 17:15. 2. Multitudes of them shall be cut off by the sword of war, a sword which God will bring upon them to destroy both man and beast, the sword of civil war. 3. The country shall be depopulated. The land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste (Eze 29:9), the country not cultivated, the cities not inhabited. The wealth of both was their pride, and that God will take away. It shall be utterly waste (wastes of waste, so the margin reads it), and desolate (Eze 29:10); neither men nor beasts shall pass through it, nor shall it be inhabited (Eze 29:11); it shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are so, Eze 29:12. This was the effect not so much of those wars spoken of before, which were made by them, but of the war which the king of Babylon made upon them. It shall be desolate from one end of the land to the other, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia. The sin of pride is enough to ruin a whole nation. 4. The people shall be dispersed and scattered among the nations (Eze 29:12), so that those who thought the balance of power was in their hand should now become a contemptible people. Such a fall does a haughty spirit go before.

II. Of the restoration of Egypt after awhile, Eze 29:13. Egypt shall lie desolate forty years (Eze 29:12) and then I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, Eze 29:14. Some date the forty years from Nebuchadnezzar's destroying Egypt, others from the desolation of Egypt some time before; however, they end about the first year of Cyrus, when the seventy years' captivity of Judah ended, or soon after. Then this prediction was accomplished, 1. That God will gather the Egyptians out of all the countries into which they were dispersed, and make them to return to the land of their habitation, and give them a settlement there again, Eze 29:14. Note, Though God will find out a way to humble the proud, yet he will not contend for ever, no, not with them in this world. 2. That yet they shall not make a figure again as they have done. Egypt shall be a kingdom again, but it shall be the basest of the kingdoms (Eze 29:15); it shall have but little wealth and power, and shall not extend its conquests as formerly; it shall be the tail of the nations, and not the head. It is a mercy that it shall become a kingdom again, but, to humble it, it shall be a despicable kingdom; it shall be a long time before it recover any thing like its ancient lustre. For two reasons it shall be thus mortified: - (1.) That it may not domineer over its neighbours, that it may not exalt itself above the nations, nor rule over the nations, as it has done, but that it may know what it is to be low and despised. Note, Those who abuse their power will justly be stripped of it; and God, as King of nations, will find out a way to maintain the injured rights and liberties, not only of his own, but of other nations. (2.) That it may not deceive the people of God (Eze 29:16): It shall no more be the confidence of the house of Israel; they shall no more be in temptation to trust in it as they have done, which is a sin that brings their iniquity to remembrance, that is, provokes God to punish them not for that only, but for all their other sins. Or it puts them in mind of their idolatries to return to them, when they look to the idolaters, to repose a confidence in them. Note, The creatures we confide in are often therefore ruined, because there is no other way effectually to cure us of our confidence in them. Rather than Israel shall be ensnared again, the whole land of Egypt shall be laid waste. He that once gave Egypt for their ransom (Isa 43:3) will now give Egypt for their cure; and it shall be destroyed rather than Israel shall not in this particular be reformed. God, not only in justice, but in wisdom and goodness to us, breaks those creature-stays which we lean too much upon, and makes them to be no more, that they may be no more our confidence.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 8–16. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 35, 36, and following) And I will bring you into a desert of peoples, and there I will judge you face to face. Just as I contended with your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, says the Lord. And I will subject you to my scepter, and I will bring you into the bonds of the covenant, and I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked: from their place of residence I will bring them out, and they will not enter the land of Israel, and you will know that I am the Lord. Thus says the Lord: I will do for you who are in Babylon, and now serve idols, what I did for your ancestors in Egypt. I will lead you into the desert of the peoples, and there I will judge you face to face, just as I contended with them in judgment when they came out of Egypt. And after I have judged you, I will subject you to my scepter and rule, and I will make a covenant with you and bring you into your land with the bonds of love, so that bound by my love, you will never be able to depart from me. But I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked, who persist in the hardness of their hearts in evil deeds, not for possession, but for rejection. And I will indeed bring them out of the land of their dwelling, so that when they are brought out, they will not enter the land of Israel; but they will perish in various regions. And by the distinction between good and evil, you shall know that I am the Lord, who judges all things. The rest of the discourse hastens, and we briefly go through each point, in order to provide only the meaning to the readers.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 27, 29 onwards) Therefore speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them: Thus says the Lord God: Moreover, your fathers have blasphemed against me and have treated me with contempt, even as they spurned me. And I brought them into the land that I had lifted my hand to give them ((Vulgate adds: that land)): they saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices and presented there the irritation of their offerings, and they placed there the fragrance of their sweetness, and they poured out their ((Vulgate is silent on this)) libations there. And I said to them, 'What is the high place to which you are going?' And its name was called the High Place until this day. Therefore speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: As for your fathers, they have provoked Me to anger by their iniquities, by the fact that they have fallen away from Me. So I brought them into the land that I had lifted My hand in an oath to give them.' They saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices. They also presented there the provocation of their gifts, and they set there their pleasing aroma, and they poured out there their drink offerings. And I said to them: What is abbana, because you enter there? And they called its name abbana until this day. I wanted, he said, to scatter them in the wilderness, and to give them not good precepts, so that they would sacrifice to idols what they should have offered to me, and consecrate all their first-fruits to them by fire, so that I might kill them and destroy them. But when he says, I wanted, he shows that he did not do what he wanted. And that which follows: 'And they shall know that I am the Lord,' is not found in the Septuagint. For it did not seem fitting to them to know after their destruction that he himself is the Lord. But you, son of man, speak again to them, that is, to the elders of the house of Israel, who have come to inquire of you: Your fathers, from whom you have descended, have also blasphemed against me and held me in contempt; after I brought them into the land which I had given them to possess, they turned against me to provoke me. For when they saw every high hill and leafy tree, they would sacrifice on the mountains and in the groves and thickets, and offer victims to the idols, and pour out libations. And when I saw this, I said to them: What is this, Bama? for it is called high: or why do you enter into such a place which you have chosen for yourselves in all the hills, so that even today these places are called Bamoth, and the ancient error retains its original name? Regarding Bama, which we translate as excelsum, there is an error in the Septuagint edition, where it is written as ἀββανὰ, which does not resonate in the Hebrew language. Bama can mean 'in which' if the two syllables are divided into two words, but in the present context, that sense does not fit. However, wherever it is written in the Books of Kings and Chronicles: 'The people still sacrificed and offered incense on the high places,' Bama in the singular and Bamoth in the plural mean 'high places.'
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 8 and following) 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 become a desolation (or destruction) and a wilderness: and they shall know that I am the Lord: because he (or you) said, My river is mine, and I have made it (or My rivers are mine, and I have made them). Therefore behold, I am against you and against your rivers: and I will make the land of Egypt desolate, cut off by the sword from Migdol to Syene (or from Migdol to Syene and beyond) to the border of Ethiopia. The foot of man shall not pass through it, nor shall the foot of beast tread upon it; it shall not be inhabited for forty years. And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated countries, and her cities shall be desolate for forty years. And I will scatter (or disperse) the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries. For thus says the Lord God: After the end of forty years, I will gather Egypt (or the Egyptians) from the peoples (or nations) among whom they were scattered. And I will bring back the captivity of Egypt, and I will place them in the land of Phatures, in the land of their birth (or in the land from which they were taken). And there they shall be in a humble kingdom (or principality), among the other kingdoms it shall be the most humble (or lowest). And they shall no longer be elevated above the nations, and I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations (or so that there are not many among the nations). And they shall no longer be a confidence (or hope) to the house of Israel, teaching iniquity in order to flee and follow them (or in order to remember the iniquity and follow them). And they shall know that I am the Lord God. You were a reed staff to the house of Israel, and not only were you broken in his hand, but according to Isaiah (Isa. XXXVI), you pierced his hand, and now you have torn his shoulder, and you yourself are broken, and you have loosened the loins of those who leaned on you. Therefore, I will bring the sword of the enemies upon you, and I will devastate both men and animals, and the land of Egypt will be reduced to desolation, and the Egyptians will know for the second time that I am the Lord. But I will not be content with this; but because he burst forth into such great blasphemy, that he said his own rivers were gods, and all the abundance of Egypt: therefore I will take away him who said he was the Creator, and the rivers which he had boasted were created by him, and I will reduce the land of Egypt to a long wilderness, and it will be destroyed by the sword, from the tower of Syene to the borders of Ethiopia. They called the tower, which in Hebrew is called Magdal (), 'the tower of the LXX,' so that they would write Μαγδαλὸν. However, the tower of Syene still stands today, a fortress subject to Roman rule, where the cataracts of the Nile are located, and up to which place our sea is navigable. Therefore, he says that the whole of Egypt must be depopulated until the borders of Ethiopia, where the outermost region of Egypt is joined, so that the chief priests may not cross into Egypt, nor may any animals be found there, and it may not be inhabited for forty years. For Egypt is spared, and because the Israelites were once guests there, the punishment is of shorter duration. Tyre celebrated its sabbaths for seventy years, and thus it was restored to its former state. The captivity of Judah and the destruction of the temple lasted for seventy years, until the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia. For the mighty will endure mighty torments (Wisdom 6:7). And when it says, 'I will make the land of Egypt a desolation, in the midst of desolated countries,' it refers to the Philistines, Edomites, Moabites, and all the other regions against which the prophecy of the prophets was given. Then he will scatter or disperse the Egyptians into nations, and will scatter them into lands. Because the Lord is merciful and compassionate, patient and full of mercy, after forty years the restoration of Egypt will occur, and all the captivity will be brought back to the ancient land, and will be placed in the metropolis city, which is called Phaturos, where it originated and from where it set forth: but only in such a way that it loses its ancient pride for its own benefit, and becomes a humble kingdom, or rather the humblest of all nations: so that it does not elevate itself above other peoples, nor have dominion over them; but reduced to a small number, it will by no means deceive the house of Israel with its confidence, nor teach them wickedness; whether it brings them to remembrance of their wickedness, that they sought the aid of Egypt by abandoning the help of God. And all these things will happen so that the Egyptians may know on the third day that He Himself is the Lord. We have briefly explained these matters, laying the foundations of history. Now the cloud of allegory must be discussed, and we will try to avoid both brevity and the lengthiness of this explanation. This is a discourse about the dragon, who said: 'The rivers are mine, and I made them.' (Above, same.) May the Lord Himself bring a sword upon him, as it is written in Isaiah: 'My sword is intoxicated in the sky; now it will descend to the earth to destroy humans and animals from it.' (Isaiah 34:5) Whatever the dragon seems to possess, whether of reason or simplicity, should be destroyed, not absolutely, but by the dragon itself, so that the dragons may perish and God may live, and the land of Egypt may become a wasteland, according to the higher understanding, whatever the dragon may perish by, and after its destruction, be reduced to solitude, ceasing to have the worst guest. And then shall men and beasts know, and the earth, being ruined, that He is the Lord, in that sense in which it is written in the seventy-seventh Psalm: When He slew them, then they sought Him (Ps. LXXVII, 34). For everyone who seeks, finds. It is indeed an act of God's mercy that the abundance of this world perishes, and the rivers of Egypt are dried up, and even their land becomes a desert, and the purpose of the Lord is scattered from the Tower of Syene, which means a circle, so that it may not have any righteousness in itself, even to the land of the Ethiopians, who are called the humble ones, so that every pride that had exalted itself against the knowledge of God may be destroyed and humbled for its own salvation. Neither the foot of man, that is, anything rational, passes through Egypt, nor does the foot of an animal walk in it: so that it does not hold even the simple ones, whom Pharaoh desired to keep in Egypt after dismissing the people, Moses objecting, and desiring that even the animals be liberated from the captivity of Egypt. And it shall not be inhabited for forty years, which number is always one of affliction and punishment. Hence Moses, and Elijah, and the Savior himself, fasted for forty days and nights, and the people were in the wilderness for forty years, so that afterwards they would be freed in Gilgal, having been circumcised, from the reproach and shame of Egypt (Exod. XXXIV; III Reg. IX; Matth. IV; Num. XIV). In the sacrament of this number, the prophet of the tribe of Judah also slept on the right side for forty days, and it was announced that the people would serve in Egypt for four hundred years (Gen. 7). They make forty decades, or four hundreds. The rains of the flood last for forty days and bring shipwreck to the world. For it was just that the one who offends God by loving and cherishing the four elements of the world, which are said to constitute everything, should be punished in that very number. And Israel, who sinned on the Sabbath, would endure the punishment of seventy years, which is the punishment of seven decades. And the barren land of Egypt is given, and its cities in the midst of the lands and of the subverted cities, which are not built of stones, but of mud and straw, so that Egypt, which was joined together poorly, may be dispersed and scattered into the lands, and so that the wheat may be separated from the straw, and when the completion of forty years is reached, there may be restitution of Egypt, and its captivity may be brought back, and it may be placed in the land of Phatures, which is interpreted as trampled bread; where that bread which said, 'I am the bread that came down from heaven' (John 6:5), was trampled upon by heretical wickedness: so that when they come to the Church, they may dwell in trampled bread, and may not be lifted up in pride, but may be in a humble kingdom. And also, when they are restored to their previous state, they should humble themselves, because they lived in Egypt and built brick cities, and among many kingdoms they should be humble in the Church, and they should know whom they have sinned against, and Egypt should no longer be exalted above the Churches throughout the divided world, but should be reduced to a few, and only a few should remain among the nations, according to what is written: Give them, O Lord. What will you give them? Give them a barren womb and dried-up breasts (Hosea 9:4), so that they may not rejoice and exalt themselves in the multitude of deceivers, but be reduced to a few: For many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 20). And let them no longer deceive the house of Israel, that is, the Church; nor promise them vain hope and confidence, teaching iniquity, so that they may avoid the discipline of the Church and pursue Egyptian pleasures. But these things will happen so that the Egyptians may know for the third time that He Himself is the Lord. This, it seems to me, is said for this reason: that the first knowledge of the Egyptians is in the flesh, the second in the soul, the third in the spirit. First, upon the earth; second, after the completion of the conversation of this world; third, after the resurrection.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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