American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Ezekiel 29
1
In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
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2
Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:
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3
Speak, and say, Thus said the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lies in the middle of his rivers, which has said, My river is my own, and I have made it for myself.
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4
But I will put hooks in your jaws, and I will cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales, and I will bring you up out of the middle of your rivers, and all the fish of your rivers shall stick to your scales.
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5
And I will leave you thrown into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers: you shall fall on the open fields; you shall not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given you for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.
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6
And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.
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7
When they took hold of you by your hand, you did break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned on you, you brake, and made all their loins to be at a stand.
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Parallel theme
Isaiah 36:6
8
Therefore thus said the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword on you, and cut off man and beast out of you.
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Word
Ezekiel 14:17
9
And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and 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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10
Behold, therefore I am against you, and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even to the border of Ethiopia.
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Parallel theme
Ezekiel 30:12
11
No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years.
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Parallel theme
Ezekiel 32:13
12
And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the middle of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.
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13
Yet thus said the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people where they were scattered:
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14
And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.
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15
It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.
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Kingdom
Ezekiel 17:14
Ezekiel 32:2
Ezekiel 31:2
Parallel theme
Zechariah 10:11
Ezekiel 30:13
Ezekiel 17:6
16
And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which brings their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 20:5
Lamentations 4:17
Sin
Hosea 8:13
Isaiah 64:9
Psalm 25:7
Jeremiah 14:10
Ezekiel 21:23
17
And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Reference
Word
Ezekiel 29:1
18
Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:
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19
Therefore thus said the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.
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Kingdom
Ezekiel 32:11
20
I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor with which he served against it, because they worked for me, said the Lord GOD.
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References Lord
Jeremiah 25:9
21
In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give you the opening of the mouth in the middle of them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 21:15
Psalm 132:17
Psalm 92:10
Luke 1:69
References Lord
1 Samuel 2:10
Ezekiel 33:22
Ezekiel 24:27
Summary of Ezekiel 29
Ezekiel 29 begins a major series of prophecies against Egypt and Pharaoh, presenting Egypt as a proud and powerful kingdom that trusts in its Nile, its wealth, and its political influence, while God exposes the weakness beneath that apparent strength and declares that the nation will be humbled, scattered, and stripped of its former regional dominance.
The chapter opens with a vivid image of Pharaoh as a great creature lying in the Nile, claiming that the river belongs to him.
The image reflects the enormous importance of the Nile to Egyptian civilization because Egypt's agriculture, transportation, economy, and population were all deeply dependent upon the river.
By claiming ownership of the Nile, Pharaoh symbolically presents himself as the source of Egypt's prosperity, but God responds by showing that even this supposedly powerful ruler can be captured and removed like an animal caught with hooks.
Egypt's pride is therefore placed directly against God's sovereignty.
The prophecy also criticizes Egypt because it had become an unreliable political support for Israel.
Judah had repeatedly looked toward Egypt for military assistance when threatened by Babylon, but Ezekiel compares Egypt to a broken reed that cannot support someone who leans upon it and instead causes injury.
This metaphor captures the political reality of Judah's situation: trusting Egypt seemed attractive because Egypt was wealthy and militarily significant, but Egyptian assistance could not prevent Babylon from destroying Jerusalem.
God therefore announces that Egypt itself will experience military judgment, its cities and countryside will be devastated, and its people will be scattered among other nations.
The judgment is severe, but the prophecy does not describe Egypt as permanently disappearing.
After forty years, God promises to gather the Egyptians from the nations where they have been scattered and return them to their homeland.
However, restoration will not mean a return to former greatness.
Egypt will become a much smaller and weaker kingdom, no longer dominating surrounding nations as it had previously done.
This distinction is important because the prophecy is not simply predicting destruction; it is describing the permanent humbling of Egyptian power.
Egypt may survive, but it will no longer possess the same ability to dominate the region or function as the great political power that Judah might rely upon.
The second dated prophecy, given in the twenty-seventh year, connects Egypt's judgment with Nebuchadnezzar's prolonged campaign against Tyre.
Babylon had invested enormous effort in the siege of Tyre, but Ezekiel explains that the Babylonian army did not receive the expected reward from the campaign.
God therefore declares that Egypt will be given to Nebuchadnezzar as compensation for his labor.
This presents an important theological idea: God remains sovereign even over international political events, using powerful empires to accomplish purposes that those empires themselves may not fully understand.
Historically, the chapter belongs to the turbulent period of the sixth century BC, when Babylon had destroyed Jerusalem and was attempting to consolidate its control over the eastern Mediterranean.
Egypt remained an important independent kingdom and had long competed with the powers of Mesopotamia for influence over the region.
The Egyptian intervention during Babylon's campaign against Judah failed to prevent Jerusalem's destruction, confirming Ezekiel's earlier warning that Egypt could not provide the security Judah sought.
The chapter therefore combines political history with a deeper spiritual warning.
Egypt represents the temptation to place confidence in visible human power rather than God.
Pharaoh's confidence rests in the Nile, Egypt's wealth, military strength, and international influence, while Judah's confidence is repeatedly tempted to rest in Egypt's political promises.
Ezekiel's message challenges both forms of misplaced confidence by showing that neither imperial power nor international alliances can provide permanent security when God has determined otherwise.
The central message is that Ezekiel 29 portrays Pharaoh and Egypt as a proud power that believes its prosperity comes from the Nile and its political influence, yet God exposes this confidence as false by comparing Pharaoh to a great creature that can be captured and dragged from the river, while Egypt's failure to provide reliable support for Judah becomes another reason for judgment because Judah repeatedly leaned on Egyptian military power instead of trusting God, leading God to announce that Egypt will experience invasion, devastation, population displacement, and the loss of its former regional dominance, although the nation will later be gathered and restored to a smaller and weaker position, while the later prophecy explains that Nebuchadnezzar's exhausting campaign against Tyre will be followed by Egypt being given to Babylon as compensation, showing that even the great empires of the ancient world remain under God's control, and the chapter ultimately warns that wealth, military strength, political influence, natural resources, and powerful alliances may appear to provide security but cannot guarantee permanence when human pride replaces dependence upon God.
The chapter opens with a vivid image of Pharaoh as a great creature lying in the Nile, claiming that the river belongs to him.
The image reflects the enormous importance of the Nile to Egyptian civilization because Egypt's agriculture, transportation, economy, and population were all deeply dependent upon the river.
By claiming ownership of the Nile, Pharaoh symbolically presents himself as the source of Egypt's prosperity, but God responds by showing that even this supposedly powerful ruler can be captured and removed like an animal caught with hooks.
Egypt's pride is therefore placed directly against God's sovereignty.
The prophecy also criticizes Egypt because it had become an unreliable political support for Israel.
Judah had repeatedly looked toward Egypt for military assistance when threatened by Babylon, but Ezekiel compares Egypt to a broken reed that cannot support someone who leans upon it and instead causes injury.
This metaphor captures the political reality of Judah's situation: trusting Egypt seemed attractive because Egypt was wealthy and militarily significant, but Egyptian assistance could not prevent Babylon from destroying Jerusalem.
God therefore announces that Egypt itself will experience military judgment, its cities and countryside will be devastated, and its people will be scattered among other nations.
The judgment is severe, but the prophecy does not describe Egypt as permanently disappearing.
After forty years, God promises to gather the Egyptians from the nations where they have been scattered and return them to their homeland.
However, restoration will not mean a return to former greatness.
Egypt will become a much smaller and weaker kingdom, no longer dominating surrounding nations as it had previously done.
This distinction is important because the prophecy is not simply predicting destruction; it is describing the permanent humbling of Egyptian power.
Egypt may survive, but it will no longer possess the same ability to dominate the region or function as the great political power that Judah might rely upon.
The second dated prophecy, given in the twenty-seventh year, connects Egypt's judgment with Nebuchadnezzar's prolonged campaign against Tyre.
Babylon had invested enormous effort in the siege of Tyre, but Ezekiel explains that the Babylonian army did not receive the expected reward from the campaign.
God therefore declares that Egypt will be given to Nebuchadnezzar as compensation for his labor.
This presents an important theological idea: God remains sovereign even over international political events, using powerful empires to accomplish purposes that those empires themselves may not fully understand.
Historically, the chapter belongs to the turbulent period of the sixth century BC, when Babylon had destroyed Jerusalem and was attempting to consolidate its control over the eastern Mediterranean.
Egypt remained an important independent kingdom and had long competed with the powers of Mesopotamia for influence over the region.
The Egyptian intervention during Babylon's campaign against Judah failed to prevent Jerusalem's destruction, confirming Ezekiel's earlier warning that Egypt could not provide the security Judah sought.
The chapter therefore combines political history with a deeper spiritual warning.
Egypt represents the temptation to place confidence in visible human power rather than God.
Pharaoh's confidence rests in the Nile, Egypt's wealth, military strength, and international influence, while Judah's confidence is repeatedly tempted to rest in Egypt's political promises.
Ezekiel's message challenges both forms of misplaced confidence by showing that neither imperial power nor international alliances can provide permanent security when God has determined otherwise.
The central message is that Ezekiel 29 portrays Pharaoh and Egypt as a proud power that believes its prosperity comes from the Nile and its political influence, yet God exposes this confidence as false by comparing Pharaoh to a great creature that can be captured and dragged from the river, while Egypt's failure to provide reliable support for Judah becomes another reason for judgment because Judah repeatedly leaned on Egyptian military power instead of trusting God, leading God to announce that Egypt will experience invasion, devastation, population displacement, and the loss of its former regional dominance, although the nation will later be gathered and restored to a smaller and weaker position, while the later prophecy explains that Nebuchadnezzar's exhausting campaign against Tyre will be followed by Egypt being given to Babylon as compensation, showing that even the great empires of the ancient world remain under God's control, and the chapter ultimately warns that wealth, military strength, political influence, natural resources, and powerful alliances may appear to provide security but cannot guarantee permanence when human pride replaces dependence upon God.