Ezekiel — Chapter 32
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1And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.
3Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will therefore spread out my net over thee with a company of many people; and they shall bring thee up in my net.
4Then will I leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and will cause all the fowls of the heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill the beasts of the whole earth with thee.
5And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height.
6I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
7And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
8All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
9I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.
10Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall.
11For thus saith the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee.
12By the swords of the mighty will I cause thy multitude to fall, the terrible of the nations, all of them: and they shall spoil the pomp of Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed.
13I will destroy also all the beasts thereof from beside the great waters; neither shall the foot of man trouble them any more, nor the hoofs of beasts trouble them.
14Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord GOD.
15When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the LORD.
16This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament her: the daughters of the nations shall lament her: they shall lament for her, even for Egypt, and for all her multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
17It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
18Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.
19Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.
20They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes.
21The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.
22Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:
23Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living.
24There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.
25They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword: though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put in the midst of them that be slain.
26There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.
27And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
28Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword.
29There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit.
30There be the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.
31Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord GOD.
32For I have caused my terror in the land of the living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
1And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first [day] of the month, that the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
2Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou wast likened unto a young lion of the nations: yet art thou as a monster in the seas; and thou didst break forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.
3Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will spread out my net upon thee with a company of many peoples; and they shall bring thee up in my net.
4And I will leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and will cause all the birds of the heavens to settle upon thee, and I will satisfy the beasts of the whole earth with thee.
5And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height.
6I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the watercourses shall be full of thee.
7And when I shall extinguish thee, I will cover the heavens, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light.
8All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord Jehovah.
9I will also vex the hearts of many peoples, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.
10Yea, I will make many peoples amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall.
11For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee.
12By the swords of the mighty will I cause thy multitude to fall; the terrible of the nations are they all: and they shall bring to nought the pride of Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed.
13I will destroy also all the beasts thereof from beside many waters; neither shall the foot of man trouble them any more, nor the hoofs of beasts trouble them.
14Then will I make their waters clear, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord Jehovah.
15When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate and waste, a land destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am Jehovah.
16This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament; the daughters of the nations shall lament therewith; over Egypt, and over all her multitude, shall they lament therewith, saith the Lord Jehovah.
17It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth [day] of the month, that the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
18Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.
19Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.
20They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword; draw her away and all her multitudes.
21The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of Sheol with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie still, even the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.
22Asshur is there and all her company; her graves are round about her; all of them slain, fallen by the sword;
23whose graves are set in the uttermost parts of the pit, and her company is round about her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who caused terror in the land of the living.
24There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living, and have borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.
25They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude; her graves are round about her; all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for their terror was caused in the land of the living, and they have borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put in the midst of them that are slain.
26There is Meshech, Tubal, and all their multitude; their graves are round about them; all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for they caused their terror in the land of the living.
27And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, that are gone down to Sheol with their weapons of war, and have laid their swords under their heads, and their iniquities are upon their bones; for [they were] the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
28But thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain by the sword.
29There is Edom, her kings and all her princes, who in their might are laid with them that are slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit.
30There are the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who are gone down with the slain; in the terror which they caused by their might they are put to shame; and they lie uncircumcised with them that are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.
31Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword, saith the Lord Jehovah.
32For I have put his terror in the land of the living; and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that are slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord Jehovah.
1In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first of the month, the Lord’s message came to me:
2“Son of man, sing a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him: “‘You were like a lion among the nations, but you are a monster in the seas; you thrash about in your streams, stir up the water with your feet, and muddy your streams.
3“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘I will throw my net over you in the assembly of many peoples; and they will haul you up in my dragnet.
4I will leave you on the ground, I will fling you on the open field, I will allow all the birds of the sky to settle on you, and I will permit all the wild animals to gorge themselves on you.
5I will put your flesh on the mountains, and fill the valleys with your maggot-infested carcass.
6I will drench the land with the flow of your blood up to the mountains, and the ravines will be full of your blood.
7When I extinguish you, I will cover the sky; I will darken its stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not shine.
8I will darken all the lights in the sky over you, and I will darken your land, declares the Sovereign Lord.
9I will disturb many peoples when I bring about your destruction among the nations, among countries you do not know.
10I will shock many peoples with you, and their kings will shiver with horror because of you. When I brandish my sword before them, every moment each one will tremble for his life, on the day of your fall.
11“‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘The sword of the king of Babylon will attack you.
12By the swords of the mighty warriors I will cause your hordes to fall— all of them are the most terrifying among the nations. They will devastate the pride of Egypt, and all its hordes will be destroyed.
13I will destroy all its cattle beside the plentiful waters; and no human foot will disturb the waters again, nor will the hooves of cattle disturb them.
14Then I will make their waters calm and will make their streams flow like olive oil, declares the Sovereign Lord.
15When I turn the land of Egypt into desolation and the land is destitute of everything that fills it, when I strike all those who live in it, then they will know that I am the Lord.’
16This is a lament; they will chant it. The daughters of the nations will chant it. They will chant it over Egypt and over all her hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
17In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the Lord’s message came to me:
18“Son of man, wail over the horde of Egypt. Bring it down; bring her and the daughters of powerful nations down to the lower parts of the earth, along with those who descend to the Pit.
19Say to them, ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised!’
20They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; they carry her and all her hordes away.
21The bravest of the warriors will speak to him from the midst of Sheol along with his allies, saying: ‘The uncircumcised have come down; they lie still, killed by the sword.’
22“Assyria is there with all her assembly around her grave, all of them struck down by the sword.
23Their graves are located in the remote slopes of the Pit. Her assembly is around her grave, all of them struck down by the sword, those who spread terror in the land of the living.
24“Elam is there with all her hordes around her grave; all of them struck down by the sword. They went down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth, those who spread terror in the land of the living. Now they will bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit.
25Among the dead they have made a bed for her, along with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for their terror had spread in the land of the living. They bear their shame along with those who descend to the Pit; they are placed among the dead.
26“Meshech Tubal is there, along with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for they spread their terror in the land of the living.
27They do not lie with the fallen warriors of ancient times, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, having their swords placed under their heads and their shields on their bones, when the terror of these warriors was in the land of the living.
28“But as for you, in the midst of the uncircumcised you will be broken, and you will lie with those killed by the sword.
29“Edom is there with her kings and all her princes. Despite their might they are laid with those killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised and those who descend to the Pit.
30“All the leaders of the north are there, along with all the Sidonians; despite their might they have gone down in shameful terror with the dead. They lie uncircumcised with those killed by the sword and bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit.
31“Pharaoh will see them and be consoled over all his hordes who were killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his army, declares the Sovereign Lord.
32Indeed, I terrified him in the land of the living, yet he will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
1In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, “Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
2‘Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and tell him, “You were likened to a young lion of the nations; yet you are as a monster in the seas. You broke out with your rivers, and troubled the waters with your feet, and fouled their rivers.”
3Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “I will spread out my net on you with a company of many peoples; and they will bring you up in my net.
4I will leave you on the land. I will cast you out on the open field, and will cause all the birds of the sky to settle on you. I will satisfy the animals of the whole earth with you.
5I will lay your flesh on the mountains, and fill the valleys with your height.
6I will also water the land in which you swim with your blood, even to the mountains. The watercourses will be full of you.
7When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and make its stars dark. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon won’t give its light.
8I will make all the bright lights of the sky dark over you, and set darkness on your land,” says the Lord Yahweh.
9“I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known.
10Yes, I will make many peoples amazed at you, and their kings will be horribly afraid for you, when I brandish my sword before them. They will tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.”
11For thus says the Lord Yahweh: “The sword of the king of Babylon will come on you.
12I will cause your multitude to fall by the swords of the mighty. They are all the ruthless of the nations. They will bring the pride of Egypt to nothing, and all its multitude will be destroyed.
13I will destroy also all its animals from beside many waters. The foot of man won’t trouble them any more, nor will the hoofs of animals trouble them.
14Then I will make their waters clear, and cause their rivers to run like oil,” says the Lord Yahweh.
15“When I make the land of Egypt desolate and waste, a land destitute of that of which it was full, when I strike all those who dwell therein, then they will know that I am Yahweh.
16“‘“This is the lamentation with which they will lament. The daughters of the nations will lament with this. They will lament with it over Egypt, and over all her multitude,” says the Lord Yahweh.’”
17Also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
18“Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her and the daughters of the famous nations, to the lower parts of the earth, with those who go down into the pit.
19Whom do you pass in beauty? Go down, and be laid with the uncircumcised.
20They will fall among those who are slain by the sword. She is delivered to the sword. Draw her away with all her multitudes.
21The strong among the mighty will speak to him out of the middle of Sheol with those who help him. They have gone down. The uncircumcised lie still, slain by the sword.
22“Asshur is there with all her company. Her graves are all around her. All of them slain, fallen by the sword;
23whose graves are set in the uttermost parts of the pit, and her company is around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who caused terror in the land of the living.
24“There is Elam and all her multitude around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised into the lower parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living, and have borne their shame with those who go down to the pit.
25They have set her a bed among the slain with all her multitude. Her graves are around her; all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for their terror was caused in the land of the living, and they have borne their shame with those who go down to the pit. He is put among those who are slain.
26“There is Meshech, Tubal, and all their multitude. Their graves are around them, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for they caused their terror in the land of the living.
27They will not lie with the mighty who are fallen of the uncircumcised, who have gone down to Sheol with their weapons of war, and have laid their swords under their heads, and their iniquities are on their bones; for they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
28“But you will be broken among the uncircumcised, and will lie with those who are slain by the sword.
29“There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, who in their might are laid with those who are slain by the sword. They will lie with the uncircumcised, and with those who go down to the pit.
30“There are the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who have gone down with the slain. They are put to shame in the terror which they caused by their might. They lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.
31“Pharaoh will see them, and will be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword,” says the Lord Yahweh.
32“For I have put his terror in the land of the living. He will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude,” says the Lord Yahweh.
Summary
The final two oracles against Egypt. First, a funeral lament over Pharaoh — the dragon caught in God's net, his blood poured on the mountains, the sun darkened at his fall (vv.1-16). Second, the most haunting passage in Ezekiel: a guided tour of Sheol where Pharaoh descends and finds the fallen empires already there — Assyria, Elam, Meshech-Tubal, Edom, Sidon — all lying uncircumcised among the slain. Egypt joins them in the pit, and the chapter closes the entire "oracles against nations" section with a vision of death.
Authorship & Background
- Lament for Pharaoh: The Dragon Caught (vv.1-10)
- The Sword of Babylon (vv.11-16)
- The Descent to Sheol: A Tour of Dead Empires (vv.17-21)
- Assyria in the Pit (vv.22-23)
- Elam in the Pit (vv.24-25)
- Meshech-Tubal in the Pit (vv.26-28)
- Edom in the Pit (vv.29)
- Sidon in the Pit (vv.30)
- Pharaoh Joins Them: "Comforted" in Death (vv.31-32)
Map & Geography
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
- Charles Spurgeon: "Sheol is the great democratic graveyard of empires. Here lies Assyria, who terrified the world. Here lies Elam, who shook the nations. Here lies Meshech, here Edom, here Sidon — all neighbors now in death who were rivals in life. And Pharaoh arrives last and is 'comforted' by their company. What comfort! The comfort of the damned: 'At least we are not alone.'"
Reflection
- 1. Cosmic shaking at God's judgment (vv.7-8). When God acts, the entire created order responds. Stars darken. The sun hides. If NATURE trembles at God's wrath, how much more should you? Don't take divine judgment lightly.
- 2. The pit is the great equalizer (vv.22-30). Assyria, Elam, Meshech, Edom — all equal in death. Your power, your status, your resume — irrelevant in Sheol. Only one thing matters: do you know the One who conquered the grave?
- 3. "Comforted" by the company of the dead (v.31). What terrible comfort — knowing others share your fate. Don't let "everyone does it" comfort you in sin. The broad road leads to destruction, and having company doesn't make the destination better (Matthew 7:13).
- 4. The terror of the nations is SILENCED (v.32). Every empire that terrified others is eventually silenced. Whatever terrifies you today — whatever seems unstoppable — it has a grave waiting. Only God's kingdom has no end.
- 5. God's lament accompanies the descent (v.18). Even as God judges, He commands a WAIL — mourning. Judgment is never joyful for God. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). His heart breaks even as His hand strikes.