Ezekiel 29:9

Translation
King James Version
And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.
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KJV (with Strong's)
And the land H776 of Egypt H4714 shall be desolate H8077 and waste H2723; and they shall know H3045 that I am the LORD H3068: because he hath said H559, The river H2975 is mine, and I have made H6213 it.
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Complete Jewish Bible
The land of Egypt will become a desolate waste, and they will know that I am ADONAI; because he said, "The Nile is mine; I made it."
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Berean Standard Bible
The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it,’
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American Standard Version
And the land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste; and they shall know that I am Jehovah. Because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it;
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World English Bible Messianic
The land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD. Because he has said, ‘The river is mine, and I have made it;’
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Geneva Bible (1599)
And the land of Egypt shalbe desolate, and waste, and they shall know that I am ye Lord: because he hath said, The riuer is mine, and I haue made it,
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Young's Literal Translation
And the land of Egypt hath been for a desolation and a waste, And they have known that I am Jehovah. Because he said: The flood is mine, and I made it .
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See also
Ezekiel 29:3Ezekiel 29:10Ezekiel 29:12Proverbs 16:18Proverbs 18:12Proverbs 29:23Ezekiel 30:7
In the KJVVerse 21,193 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Ezekiel 29:9 powerfully declares the impending desolation of Egypt, a severe divine judgment against Pharaoh's audacious pride and blasphemous claim of self-sufficiency over the Nile River. This pronouncement serves as a stark demonstration of the LORD's absolute sovereignty and unique Creatorhood, ensuring that both the Egyptians and surrounding nations will be compelled to acknowledge Yahweh as the one true God, whose authority no human ruler or false deity can usurp.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is situated within a series of divine oracles delivered by the prophet Ezekiel against various foreign nations, specifically targeting Egypt in chapters 29-32. These prophecies immediately follow extensive judgments against Judah and Jerusalem (Ezekiel 25-28), thereby emphasizing God's universal dominion over all peoples, not just His covenant nation. Chapter 29 opens with a vivid metaphor of Pharaoh as a great "dragon" or "monster" (tannin) in the midst of his rivers, a powerful creature destined to be hauled out and left to rot in the wilderness, signifying his utter humiliation and destruction, as detailed in Ezekiel 29:3-5. The judgment against Egypt is also presented as a consequence of their historical unreliability as an ally to Judah, acting as a "staff of reed" that pierces the hand of those who lean on it, a theme explored in Ezekiel 29:6-7. Verse 9, therefore, provides the profound theological rationale for this impending judgment: Pharaoh's audacious pride and self-deification in claiming divine creative power.

  • Historical & Cultural Context: At the time of Ezekiel's prophecy (early 6th century BCE), Egypt was a formidable power in the ancient Near East, frequently vying with the rising Babylonian Empire for regional dominance. Judah, caught precariously between these two superpowers, often looked to Egypt for military and political support against the encroaching Babylonian threat. The Nile River was the absolute lifeblood of Egypt, essential for its agriculture, economy, and very existence. Egyptian mythology often deified the Nile, and Pharaoh, as the living embodiment of the gods (particularly Ra and Osiris), was seen as having divine power over its floods and fertility. Pharaoh's boast, "The river is mine, and I have made it," was not merely an economic or political claim but a profound theological assertion, placing himself in the role of a creator god, a direct and blasphemous challenge to the LORD's unique identity as the sole Creator and Sustainer of all things.

  • Key Themes: Ezekiel 29:9 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Ezekiel and broader biblical theology. Firstly, it underscores the theme of Divine Sovereignty and Creatorhood. Pharaoh's claim directly challenges God's unique position as the ultimate Creator and Sustainer of all things, asserting that only the LORD can truly say, "I have made it." This theme is foundational to the biblical worldview, as seen in the creation account of Genesis 1. Secondly, the verse highlights Judgment on Pride and Self-Sufficiency. God consistently opposes human arrogance, especially when it manifests as self-deification or reliance on one's own perceived strength rather than on Him. Pharaoh's hubris, as depicted here, is a prime example of such pride, which the Bible consistently warns leads to destruction, as echoed in Proverbs 16:18. Finally, a crucial and recurring theme in Ezekiel is the phrase "they shall know that I am the LORD." This is the ultimate purpose of God's judgments—not merely punishment, but a profound revelation of His true identity, power, and justice to both His people and the surrounding nations, forcing them to acknowledge the one true God. This divine self-revelation through judgment is central to the book's message, as further emphasized in passages like Ezekiel 30:19.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • desolate (Hebrew, chorbâh', H2723): This word (H2723) is feminine, meaning drought, and by implication, a desolation, a decayed place, or waste. In conjunction with the related term "waste" (H8077, shᵉmâmâh, meaning devastation or astonishment), it paints a vivid picture of utter ruin and barrenness. The land of Egypt, once the epitome of fertility sustained by the Nile, will become barren and uninhabitable, a direct reversal of its boasted prosperity. This desolation is not merely physical but also symbolic of the collapse of Egypt's power and pride.
  • know (Hebrew, yâdaʻ', H3045): The verb (H3045) is a primitive root meaning "to know," but with a vast semantic range. It implies not just intellectual apprehension but experiential, relational, and often punitive recognition. Here, "they shall know that I am the LORD" means Egypt will come to acknowledge God's identity and power through the devastating experience of His judgment, a forced, undeniable realization of His sovereignty and unique divine nature.
  • river (Hebrew, yᵉʼôr', H2975): Of Egyptian origin (H2975), this term specifically refers to the Nile, the lifeblood of Egypt. Pharaoh's claim "The river is mine, and I have made it" is a direct usurpation of divine creative power. By attributing to himself the source of Egypt's prosperity and existence, Pharaoh challenged the universal understanding that the Nile's bounty was a gift of the gods, or in truth, the LORD.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste": This clause pronounces the severe judgment awaiting Egypt. The Hebrew words for "desolate" (chorbâh) and "waste" (shᵉmâmâh) emphasize a state of utter ruin, barrenness, and destruction. This directly counters Egypt's reputation as a fertile and prosperous land, sustained by the Nile. The judgment is comprehensive, affecting the entire nation, not just its leadership, signifying a complete reversal of their perceived strength and prosperity.
  • "and they shall know that I [am] the LORD": This is the profound theological purpose behind the desolation. The judgment is not merely punitive but revelatory. Through the experience of national catastrophe, both the Egyptians themselves and the surrounding nations will be compelled to acknowledge the true identity and supreme authority of Yahweh (H3068), the God of Israel, recognizing His power over all creation and all nations. This "knowing" is an experiential, undeniable realization of His unique sovereignty.
  • "because he hath said, The river [is] mine, and I have made [it].": This final clause provides the specific and direct reason for God's judgment: Pharaoh's audacious pride and blasphemous claim. By asserting ownership and creative power over the Nile (H2975), the very source of Egypt's life, Pharaoh elevated himself to the status of a god, directly challenging the unique creatorhood of the LORD. This statement of human hubris (from the root H559, 'âmar, "to say," implying a boastful declaration, and H6213, 'âsâh, "to make," implying creation) is the direct catalyst for divine intervention and judgment.

Literary Devices

Ezekiel 29:9 employs several potent literary devices to convey its message. Irony is prominent, as Pharaoh's boast of creating the Nile, the very source of Egypt's life and prosperity, becomes the direct cause of the land's desolation, demonstrating his utter lack of true creative power. This sets up a profound Contrast between human arrogance and divine omnipotence; Pharaoh's finite, self-proclaimed power is starkly juxtaposed against the LORD's infinite, inherent authority. The Symbolism of the Nile River is also crucial; it represents not just a geographical feature but the very essence of Egyptian prosperity, self-sufficiency, and even their deified worldview. God's judgment upon the land and the river itself is a direct assault on the core of Egypt's identity and false gods. The recurring phrase "they shall know that I am the LORD" functions as a Leitmotif throughout Ezekiel, serving as a powerful declaration of divine purpose behind all judgments and acts of salvation—the ultimate revelation of God's unique identity and supreme authority.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Ezekiel 29:9 profoundly articulates the biblical truth of God's absolute sovereignty over all creation and all nations. It teaches that human pride, especially when it usurps divine prerogatives of creation and control, will inevitably face divine judgment. Pharaoh's hubris in claiming to have made the Nile is a microcosm of humanity's perennial temptation to rely on its own strength, resources, or wisdom rather than acknowledging God as the ultimate source of all good. The desolation of Egypt serves as a stark reminder that true power and authority reside solely with the LORD, and His judgments are often designed to bring about a recognition of this foundational truth, forcing even the most defiant to "know" Him. This divine self-revelation through judgment underscores God's commitment to vindicating His name and demonstrating His unique identity as the only true God, who alone is worthy of worship and trust.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Ezekiel 29:9 holds enduring relevance for individuals and societies today. It challenges us to examine the sources of our confidence and the objects of our trust. Do we, like Pharaoh, boast in our own achievements, resources, or intellect, attributing success solely to our efforts? This verse calls us to cultivate profound humility, recognizing that every blessing, talent, and opportunity is a gracious gift from God. It reminds us that true security and prosperity come not from human ingenuity or material wealth, but from acknowledging and submitting to the sovereignty of the Creator. When we forget God, or worse, attempt to usurp His place by claiming self-sufficiency, we invite spiritual desolation. The ultimate purpose of God's judgments, both then and now, is not merely punishment but a loving invitation to "know" Him more deeply—to recognize His power, justice, and faithfulness, and to turn from self-reliance to wholehearted dependence on Him. This knowing leads to true life and flourishing.

Questions for Reflection

  • In what areas of my life do I tend to attribute success or provision solely to my own efforts or resources, rather than acknowledging God's ultimate hand?
  • How does Pharaoh's pride in the Nile challenge my own potential for self-sufficiency and reliance on worldly systems or achievements?
  • What does it truly mean for me to "know that I am the LORD" in a personal and experiential way, beyond mere intellectual assent?
  • How can I actively cultivate a spirit of humility and gratitude in my daily life, recognizing God as the source of all good?

FAQ

Why was Pharaoh's claim about the Nile so offensive to God?

Answer:Pharaoh's claim, "The river is mine, and I have made it," was deeply offensive because it was a direct usurpation of God's unique role as Creator and Sustainer. In ancient Egypt, the Nile was not just a river; it was deified, seen as the source of all life and prosperity, and its annual flood was attributed to divine power. For Pharaoh, as the supposed divine embodiment of the gods, to claim personal creation of the Nile was to elevate himself to the status of the supreme deity, directly challenging the LORD's exclusive identity as the one true God who alone creates and sustains all things, as powerfully declared in Genesis 1:1 and Psalm 24:1. This was an act of profound hubris and blasphemy against the God of Israel, who would not share His glory.

What does "they shall know that I am the LORD" mean in this context?

Answer:This recurring phrase in Ezekiel signifies a forced, experiential recognition of God's true identity, power, and authority. It's not merely about intellectual understanding but about an undeniable, often painful, realization that the God of Israel is indeed the sovereign LORD. In the context of Ezekiel 29:9, it means that through the devastating judgment on Egypt—the desolation of their land and the humbling of their proud Pharaoh—the Egyptians and surrounding nations will be compelled to acknowledge Yahweh's supremacy, even if grudgingly. God uses judgment as a means of self-revelation, demonstrating His justice and control over all creation and all human affairs, as He also does in Ezekiel 30:26. This is a fundamental purpose of God's actions throughout history.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Ezekiel 29:9, with its declaration of divine judgment against human pride and the ultimate revelation of God's sovereignty, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in several ways. Pharaoh's arrogant boast of self-creation and control over the Nile stands in stark contrast to the true Creator, Jesus Christ, through whom "all things were made" and "without him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:3). While Pharaoh claimed a river, Christ is the very "Living Water" (John 4:10) and the ultimate source of all life, who humbly "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:7) rather than asserting His divine prerogatives for personal glory. The judgment on Egypt, designed to make them "know that I am the LORD," foreshadows the ultimate revelation of God's character and power through Christ's redemptive work. Through His crucifixion, God's justice against sin is fully displayed, and through His resurrection, His power over death and all creation is undeniably demonstrated, leading to a far deeper and salvific "knowing" of God for all who believe, for "this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). The desolation of Egypt's pride points to the spiritual desolation of those who reject Christ, the true source of life, while the ultimate establishment of God's kingdom through Christ brings true and lasting flourishing, demonstrating that "all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18).

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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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