וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר

Ezekiel issues another prophecy about Egypt and the neighboring countries. The word of the Lord was with me, saying:

בֶּן־אָדָם הִנָּבֵא וְאָמַרְתָּ כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים הֵילִילוּ הָהּ לַיּוֹם

Son of man, prophesy, and say: So said the Lord God: Wail: Woe for the approaching day.

כִּי־קָרוֹב יוֹם וְקָרוֹב יוֹם לַה' יוֹם עָנָן עֵת גּוֹיִם יִהְיֶה

For a day is near; the day of the revelation of the Lord is near, a day of cloud, darkness and fog; it will be the time of the fall of nations.

וּבָאָה חֶרֶב בְּמִצְרַיִם וְהָיְתָה חַלְחָלָה בְּכוּשׁ בִּנְפֹל חָלָל בְּמִצְרָיִם וְלָקְחוּ הֲמוֹנָהּ וְנֶהֶרְסוּ יְסֹדוֹתֶיהָ

A sword will come against Egypt, and there will be trembling in Kush, Egypt’s southern neighbor, when the slain fall in Egypt; they, Egypt’s enemies, will take its multitude into captivity, and its foundations will be destroyed.

כּוּשׁ וּפוּט וְלוּד וְכָל־הָעֶרֶב וְכוּב וּבְנֵי אֶרֶץ הַבְּרִית אִתָּם בַּחֶרֶב יִפֹּלוּ

Kush, Put (see commentary on 27:10), and Lud, based on the context, Lud is situated close to Egypt, and is not the land in western Asia Minor of that name (see commentary on 27:10), and all the intermingled people, Kuv, which according to the Septuagint is Libya, and the children of the neighboring land or lands of the covenant with Egypt, will fall with them by the sword. Egypt was the most ancient kingdom, and the central power in that part of Africa. It was also a source of strength and culture for all the surrounding nations. Its downfall will therefore send shockwaves throughout the region.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' וְנָפְלוּ סֹמְכֵי מִצְרַיִם וְיָרַד גְּאוֹן עֻזָּהּ מִמִּגְדֹּל סְוֵנֵה בַּחֶרֶב יִפְּלוּ־בָהּ נְאֻם ה' אֱלוֹהִים

So said the Lord: The countries that are supporters of Egypt will fall, and the pride of its might will plunge; from Migdol to Sevene, from one end of the empire to the other, in it they will fall by the sword – the utterance of the Lord God.

וְנָשַׁמּוּ בְּתוֹךְ אֲרָצוֹת נְשַׁמּוֹת וְעָרָיו בְּתוֹךְ־עָרִים נַחֲרָבוֹת תִּהְיֶינָה

They, Egypt or the countries that support it, will become desolate in the midst of other desolate countries, and its cities will be among the cities in ruins. The cities of Egypt, or the cities in the countries that support it, will join the list of destroyed cites. In contrast to other lands, which to a certain extent had become accustomed to foreign conquests, Egypt had almost never been overrun by its enemies. The scenario addressed by Ezekiel is virtually unprecedented; for the first time Egyptian cities will be destroyed by an invading enemy.

וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי ה' בְּתִתִּי־אֵשׁ בְּמִצְרַיִם וְנִשְׁבְּרוּ כָּל עֹזְרֶיהָ

They will know that I am the Lord when I set fire upon Egypt and all its helpers, the nations that come to her assistance, are shattered.

בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יֵצְאוּ מַלְאָכִים מִלְּפָנַי בַּצִּים לְהַחֲרִיד אֶת־כּוּשׁ בֶּטַח וְהָיְתָה חַלְחָלָה בָהֶם בְּיוֹם מִצְרַיִם כִּי הִנֵּה בָּאָה

On that day messengers will go out from before Me in ships to cause trembling in confident Kush. When Egypt will be destroyed, the news will be heard in Kush from ships traveling up the Nile, whose source was located there. And there will be trembling among them, the people of Kush, on the day of the punishment of Egypt, for behold, it is coming.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי אֶת־הֲמוֹן מִצְרַיִם בְּיַד נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל

So said the Lord God: I will terminate the horde of Egypt by means of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.

הוּא וְעַמּוֹ אִתּוֹ עָרִיצֵי גוֹיִם מוּבָאִים לְשַׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ וְהֵרִיקוּ חַרְבוֹתָם עַל־מִצְרַיִם וּמָלְאוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ חָלָל

He and his people, his army, with him, who are the ruthless, or the mighty, of the nations, are being brought to destroy the land, and they will draw their swords against Egypt, and they will fill the land with the slain.

וְנָתַתִּי יְאֹרִים חָרָבָה וּמָכַרְתִּי אֶת־הָאָרֶץ בְּיַד־רָעִים וַהֲשִׁמֹּתִי אֶרֶץ וּמְלֹאָהּ בְּיַד־זָרִים אֲנִי ה' דִּבַּרְתִּי

I will render rivers, the Nile and its channels, dry, and I will sell the land to the hand of the evildoers, and I will render the land and its fullness desolate by the hand of strangers; I, the Lord, have spoken.

כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים וְהַאֲבַדְתִּי גִלּוּלִים וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי אֱלִילִים מנֹּף וְנָשִׂיא מֵאֶרֶץ־מִצְרַיִם לֹא יִהְיֶה־עוֹד וְנָתַתִּי יִרְאָה בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם

So said the Lord God: I will destroy idols and eliminate false gods from the city of Nof, and there will no longer be a prince or king of the land of Egypt, and I will set fear in the land of Egypt.

וַהֲשִׁמֹּתִי אֶת־פַּתְרוֹס וְנָתַתִּי אֵשׁ בְּצֹעַן וְעָשִׂיתִי שְׁפָטִים בּנֹא

I will render Patros desolate, I will set fire upon Tzo’an, which was once the capital city of Egypt, and I will administer punishments upon the great city of No, also called Noh Amon.

וְשָׁפַכְתִּי חֲמָתִי עַל סִין מָעוֹז מִצְרָיִם וְהִכְרַתִּי אֶת־הֲמוֹן נֹא

I will pour My fury upon the city of Sin, the stronghold, the fortress or refuge, of Egypt, and I will eradicate the horde of No. Sin and No were the two largest and most important cities of Egypt at that time, whereas Tzo’an had only historical significance.

וְנָתַתִּי אֵשׁ בְּמִצְרַיִם חוּל תָּחוּל סִין וְנֹא תִּהְיֶה לְהִבָּקֵעַ וְנֹף צָרֵי יוֹמָם

I will set fire upon Egypt; the city of Sin will tremble and quake, and the fortified city of No will be breached, and Nof will be besieged daily. They will lay siege to it on a daily basis, and fearlessly attack it by the light of day. Alternatively, the phrase means that the people of Nof will hate the light of day, as during the day it is impossible for them to hide.

בַּחוּרֵי אָוֶן וּפִי־בֶסֶת בַּחֶרֶב יִפֹּלוּ וְהֵנָּה בַּשְּׁבִי תֵלַכְנָה

The youths of the Egyptian city of On, referred to here by the derogatory name of Aven,meaning iniquity; the phrase as a whole means: The young men of wickedness, and the young men of Pi Beset will fall by the sword, and they, the population of the two cities, will go into captivity. Alternatively, the verse means that the women of these cities will go into captivity.

וּבִתְחַפְנְחֵס חָשַׂךְ הַיּוֹם בְּשִׁבְרִי־שָׁם אֶת־מֹטוֹת מִצְרַיִם וְנִשְׁבַּת־בָּהּ גְּאוֹן עֻזָּהּ הִיא עָנָן יְכַסֶּנָּה וּבְנוֹתֶיהָ בַּשְּׁבִי תֵלַכְנָה

In Tahpanehes the light of day will be withheld, or be removed, when I break the supporting bars of Egypt there, the source of its strength; and the pride of its might, Egypt’s strength and grandeur, will be eliminated in it. It, Egypt, a cloud will cover it, the city will appear as though it has been enveloped by a cloud, and its daughters will go into captivity.

וְעָשִׂיתִי שְׁפָטִים בְּמִצְרָיִם וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי ה'

I will administer punishments upon Egypt, and they will know that I am the Lord.

וַיְהִי בְּאַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה בָּרִאשׁוֹן בְּשִׁבְעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ הָיָה דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר

A later prophecy that addresses Egypt is now cited: It was in the eleventh year, in the first month, Nisan, on the seventh of the month; the word of the Lord was with me, saying:

בֶּן־אָדָם אֶת־זְרוֹעַ פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם שָׁבָרְתִּי וְהִנֵּה לֹא־חֻבְּשָׁה לָתֵת רְפֻאוֹת לָשׂוּם חִתּוּל לְחָבְשָׁהּ לְחָזְקָהּ לִתְפֹּשׂ בֶּחָרֶב

Son of man, I have broken the arm, the might, of Pharaoh king of Egypt. This is apparently an allusion to the rout suffered by Pharaoh and his army at the hands of the forces of Nebuchadnezzar, when the Egyptians headed north to fight the Babylonians over control of the Land of Israel. And behold, it, Pharaoh’s arm, was not bandaged to provide healing, to put a protective binding to bandage it, to strengthen it, so that it could recover and be able to grasp the sword.

לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים הִנְנִי אֶל־פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם וְשָׁבַרְתִּי אֶת־זְרֹעֹתָיו אֶת הַחֲזָקָה וְאֶת הַנִּשְׁבָּרֶת וְהִפַּלְתִּי אֶת־הַחֶרֶב מִיָּדוֹ

Therefore, so said the Lord God: Behold, I am turning against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and I will break his arms. I have already broken one of his arms, which has yet to heal, and in the future I will smash both his arms: The strong arm, and the already broken arm by Nebuchadnezzar, and I will cause the sword to fall from his hand. Pharaoh’s military strength will be utterly shattered.

וַהֲפִצוֹתִי אֶת־מִצְרַיִם בַּגּוֹיִם וְזֵרִיתִם בָּאֲרָצוֹת

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

וְחִזַּקְתִּי אֶת־זְרֹעוֹת מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־חַרְבִּי בְּיָדוֹ וְשָׁבַרְתִּי אֶת־זְרֹעוֹת פַּרְעֹה וְנָאַק נַאֲקוֹת חָלָל לְפָנָיו

I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and I will place My sword in his hand, and I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan the groans of the slain before him. Pharaoh will groan like a mortally wounded man on the threshold of death.

וְהַחֲזַקְתִּי אֶת־זְרֹעוֹת מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וּזְרֹעוֹת פַּרְעֹה תִּפֹּלְנָה וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי ה' בְּתִתִּי חַרְבִּי בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וְנָטָה אוֹתָהּ אֶל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם

The prophet reiterates: I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh will fall, and they will know that I am the Lord when I place My sword in the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will extend it over the land of Egypt.

וַהֲפִצוֹתִי אֶת־מִצְרַיִם בַּגּוֹיִם וְזֵרִיתִי אוֹתָם בָּאֲרָצוֹת וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי ה'

I will disperse Egypt among the nations, and I will scatter them through the lands, and they will know that I am the Lord.