EzekielChapter 30

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The word of the LORD came to me:

Son of man, prophesy and say: This is what the Lord GOD says: Wail—"Alas for the day!"

For the day is near—the day of the LORD is near—a day of dark clouds, a time of doom for the nations.

A sword will come against Egypt, and anguish will grip Cush. When the slain fall in Egypt, her hordes will be carried off and her foundations torn down.

Cush, Put, and Lud, all the mixed peoples, Kub, and the sons of the land of the covenant will fall by the sword along with them.

This is what the LORD says: Egypt's supporters will fall, and her proud strength will collapse. From Migdol to Syene they will fall by the sword within her, declares the Lord GOD.

They will be made desolate among desolate lands, and her cities will lie among ruined cities.

Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I set fire to Egypt and all who help her are shattered.

On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to terrify Cush in her complacency. Anguish will seize them on the day of Egypt's doom—for it is surely coming.

This is what the Lord GOD says: I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

He and his army with him, the most ruthless of nations, will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.

I will dry up the Nile channels and sell the land into the hands of evil men; by the hand of foreigners I will lay waste the land and everything in it. I, the LORD, have spoken.

This is what the Lord GOD says: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis. No longer will there be a prince in the land of Egypt, and I will spread fear throughout the land.

I will lay waste Pathros, set fire to Zoan, and execute judgment on Thebes.

I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and wipe out the hordes of Thebes.

I will set fire to Egypt. Pelusium will writhe in agony, Thebes will be breached, and Memphis will face distress by day.

The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall by the sword, and the women will go into captivity.

At Tahpanhes the day will turn dark when I break the yoke of Egypt there, and her proud strength comes to an end. A cloud will cover her, and her daughters will go into captivity.

So I will execute judgment on Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.

In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day, the word of the LORD came to me:

Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. It has not been bound up for healing or wrapped in a bandage to make it strong enough to grasp a sword.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break both his arms, the strong one and the one already broken, and I will make the sword fall from his hand.

I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the lands.

I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and Pharaoh will groan before him like a man mortally wounded.

I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I put my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt.

I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the lands. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

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Summary2

Chapter 30

Main Theme: God’s judgment on Egypt and its allies through Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.

Content: Ezekiel prophesies about "the day of the Lord" – a day of darkness and judgment against Egypt. God will use Nebuchadnezzar as His instrument to destroy the land, shatter idols, and scatter the Egyptians among the nations. Egyptian cities such as Memphis, Thebes, and Zoan will be struck. The image of Pharaoh’s arm being broken while the king of Babylon’s arm is strengthened illustrates the shift in power. The purpose is that all may know that the Lord is God.

Key Words/Images:

The day of the Lord: A day of judgment and darkness, described as "the day of clouds" and a time for the nations.
Pharaoh’s broken arm: A symbol of Egypt’s shattered military power that cannot be healed.
Nebuchadnezzar: The king of Babylon, chosen by God as His instrument to carry out judgment.
Egyptian cities: Memphis, Thebes, Zoan, and others are named as targets of God’s judgment and fire.

Historical context

Historical and Cultural Context for Ezekiel 30

Places

Chapter 30 contains an unusually detailed geographical catalog of Egyptian cities and regions that will be struck by judgment. Noph (Hebrew: נֹף) is Memphis, the ancient Egyptian capital south of the Nile Delta, a center of idolatry and political power. Pathros (פַּתְרוֹס) refers to Upper Egypt, the southern region. Zoan (צֹעַן) is Tanis in the eastern delta area, an important city during this period. No (נֹא) is Thebes (also called No-Amon), the powerful religious capital of the south with its famous temples to Amun.

Sin (סִין) is usually identified with Pelusium, a strategically vital fortress city at Egypt's eastern border, known as "the fortress of Egypt." Aven (אָוֶן, "wickedness") is a wordplay on Heliopolis (On), the main seat of the sun god. Pi-beseth (פִי־בֶסֶת) is Bubastis, the center of the cat goddess Bastet cult. Tahpanhes (תְּחַפְנְחֵס) was a border fortress where Jewish refugees later settled as well (Jeremiah 43).

People

The chapter explicitly mentions Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (verse 10), as God's instrument to carry out judgment against Egypt. The historical Nebuchadnezzar II (reign c. 605–562 BC) launched a campaign against Egypt in 568/567 BC. Pharaoh is mentioned repeatedly without a name, but the context points to Hophra (Apries), who reigned from 589–570 BC and suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of Babylon.

Events and Customs

The dating in verses 20–21 ("in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day") places this prophecy in April 587 BC, in the midst of Jerusalem's siege. The reference to "Pharaoh's arm being broken" likely relates to Egypt's failed attempt to help Jerusalem against Babylon (Jeremiah 37:5–7), when the Egyptian army had to retreat without achieving anything.

Key Terms

The expression "the day of the Lord" (יוֹם לַיהוָה) in verse 3 is an important prophetic term denoting a time of divine intervention and judgment. It is described here as "a day of clouds" (יוֹם עָנָן) and "a time for the nations"—a moment when God acts in history through the destinies of nations.

Cush, Put, Lud, and all the mixed multitude (verse 5) refer to Egypt's allies and mercenaries: Cush is Nubia/Ethiopia, Put is likely Libya, and Lud may be Lydia in Asia Minor. The expression "mixed multitude" (הָעֶרֶב) describes the many foreign peoples who served in the Egyptian army.

Gillulim (גִלּוּלִים) in verse 13, often translated as "idols," is a derogatory Hebrew word that literally means something like "dung heaps"—Ezekiel's characteristic term of contempt for idols.

People4

Put1 Cush (son of Ham, father of Nimrod)1 Nebuchadnezzar1 Lud1

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Key words9

Ezekiel — A prophet in the Old Testament who received revelations from God and delivered His message to the people of Israel.
Prophecy — Predictions or messages given by God through a prophet, often concerning future events or warnings.
Egypt — An ancient kingdom in Northeast Africa that plays an important role in biblical history, especially in connection with the enslavement and exodus of the Israelites.
Lord — Another designation for God, emphasizing His sovereignty and authority over creation.
Judgment — God's righteous punishment or consequences for human actions, particularly their disobedience to His commands.
Sword — Symbolizes war, destruction, and God's punishing judgment upon nations.
Nebuchadnezzar — King of Babylon who conquered Jerusalem and led the Jews into exile; also used as an instrument of God's judgment in Ezekiel chapter 30.
Babylon — A powerful ancient city and empire in Mesopotamia that played a central role in several biblical narratives, including the Jewish exile.
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