Egypt's Condemnation 

Foreign Nations Judged (Ezekiel 25-32)

We come now to Ezekiel's third prophetic word for Egypt (29:1, 17; 30:1).

The Day (1-5)

This is the undated word placed here by Ezekiel, no doubt in continuation of his number two prophecy (1).

Wailing was to begin. A day of stormy darkness was approaching, a day of foreboding doom. Every nation would face an ultimate day of judgment, but for Egypt, the day was near, according to Ezekiel's word (2-3).

The dark day coming would mean war (sword) and even Egypt's allies’ finding themselves in great distress. Not only the nations of Cush (Ethiopia), Put (Libya), Lud (the westernmost part of Turkey), Arabia, and Libya (an unknown nation), but all the foreigners who fled to Egypt and were in covenant with Egypt would fear. No one would be safe with Egypt; all would be in danger once Babylon was unleashed.

Egypt was to brace itself to experience great losses. She would have her wealth carried away and the very foundations of her culture and government torn down (4-5).

Egypt's Allies (6-8)

Any and all mercenaries and foreign powers who dared to support Egypt would fall along with her. The god-like pride of Egypt was coming to an end. From the northern to the southern extremities (Migdol to Syene), Egypt and her allies would all experience judgment by the sword. 

Once Yahweh set fire to Egypt and her allies, they would all come to have a fresh knowledge of Yahweh as God (6-8).

The Messengers (9)

The panic of Egypt’s allies would begin when ships and messengers escaped the sword of Babylon to tell the news. Once Egypt collapsed, then the allies would know their time was coming—they would be next (9).

The Means of Destruction (10-12)

The end of Egypt and its wealth would come at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar (10). Yahweh considered Babylon to be the most ruthless of all the nations, and they were going to be raised up to destroy Egypt and slay its ruling class.

This was the ruthless nation that was being summoned by Yahweh to go and deal with Egypt, to fill their land with the slain (11).

To bring down Egypt, Yahweh would dry up the Nile, a symbolic way of saying all obstacles would be removed before Nebuchadnezzar.

All of Egypt would be affected by the misery coming at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar's band of foreigners, for no hindrances would remain in their way (12).

Places of Destruction (13-19)

Yahweh was going to particularly wipe out the idol trade. Memphis, Egypt’s first capital and idolatry center for the nation, would come to an end (13).

Pathros would be destroyed, a city halfway between Cairo and Aswan. Zoan, the city where the princes and family of Pharaoh lived, would be put to fire (14).

A major military city, Pelusium, guarded the northern entrance to Egypt, in the Delta region about a mile inland from the Mediterranean Sea; it, too, would agonize over its losses.

Thebes, 400 miles south of Cairo (modern Karnak), and Luxor would be greatly reduced in population. Memphis, the first capital of Egypt, south of present Cairo, was an idolatry center (15-16).

A place called Heliopolis, just south of the Delta region, possibly known for the worship of the sun, would fall.

Pi-beseth (Bubastis), northeast of Cairo, would not only fall in battle but its women, along with Cairo’s, would be taken into captivity (17).

Tahaphnehes (Tahpanhes), near the present Suez Canal, would find the day of her destruction dark for burning, covered with smoke. 

All of these cities were former capitals, cities belonging to royalty, military cities, and cities known for their idolatry. They were the strength of Egypt, and they reached from one end of Egypt to the other. In destroying these cities, the yoke Egypt had put on others and the bars they used to imprison others would be broken. Through the destruction of those cities, her pride and might would come to an end. Egypt’s pride and idolatry, which made Egypt brutal and insensitive, were what Yahweh was most after (18).

Yahweh would execute his judgment, and Egypt would come to know Yahweh as God (19).

Egypt’s Fall (20-26)

We come now to Ezekiel’s fourth prophecy concerning Egypt (29:1, 17; 30:1, 20). This prophecy is dated in April of 586 or 587 B.C., the eleventh year and seventh day of Jehoiachin’s captivity. This would have been just weeks before the fall of Jerusalem. The phrase common to the beginning of Ezekiel's words is again used: “The word of the Lord came to me” (20).

Pharaoh had been defeated when Hophra sought to come to aid Jerusalem (Jeremiah 37:6-10). He had been greatly wounded militarily by Nebuchadnezzar and could no longer muster a force capable of resisting Nebuchadnezzar in another battle. Egypt’s army was like a broken arm needing to be set and have time to heal. Egypt, however, had no means to bind up her broken military and no time to become a strong enough military force to reckon with Nebuchadnezzar’s army (21).

Staying with the metaphor, Yahweh declared that Egypt would have both its good arm and its bad arm broken. Egypt would not only be crippled but also irreparably destroyed (22).

The Egyptians would be scattered, and Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar would be strengthened to finish Pharaoh off. Nebuchadnezzar would mortally wound Egypt. She would never again rise as a world power (23-26).