The Lord Judges Pharaoh and Egypt

29:1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 29:2 “Son of man, turn toward Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. 29:3 Tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: “‘Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster lying in the midst of its waterways, who has said, “My Nile is my own, I made it for myself.” 29:4 I will put hooks in your jaws and stick the fish of your waterways to your scales. I will haul you up from the midst of your waterways, and all the fish of your waterways will stick to your scales. 29:5 I will leave you in the wilderness, you and all the fish of your waterways; you will fall in the open field and will not be gathered up or collected. I have given you as food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the skies. 29:6 Then all those living in Egypt will know that I am the Lord because they were a reed staff for the house of Israel; 29:7 when they grasped you with their hand, you broke and tore their shoulders, and when they leaned on you, you splintered and caused their legs to be unsteady. 29:8 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will kill every person and every animal. 29:9 The land of Egypt will become a desolate ruin. Then they will know that I am the Lord. Because he said, “The Nile is mine and I made it,” 29:10 I am against you and your waterways. I will turn the land of Egypt into an utter desolate ruin from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border with Ethiopia. 29:11 No human foot will pass through it, and no animal’s foot will pass through it; it will be uninhabited for forty years. 29:12 I will turn the land of Egypt into a desolation in the midst of desolate lands; for forty years her cities will lie desolate in the midst of ruined cities. I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them among foreign countries. 29:13 “‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty years I will gather Egypt from the peoples where they were scattered. 29:14 I will restore the fortunes of Egypt, and will bring them back to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin; there they will be an insignificant kingdom. 29:15 It will be the most insignificant of the kingdoms; it will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small that they will not rule over the nations. 29:16 It will never again be Israel’s source of confidence, but a reminder of how they sinned by turning to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the sovereign Lord.’” 29:17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 29:18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was rubbed bald and every shoulder rubbed bare; yet he and his army received no wages from Tyre for the work he carried out against it. 29:19 Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon. He will carry off her wealth, capture her loot, and seize her plunder; it will be his army’s wages. 29:20 I have given him the land of Egypt as his compensation for attacking Tyre, because they did it for me, declares the sovereign Lord. 29:21 On that day I will make Israel powerful, and I will give you the right to be heard among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

God speaks against Pharaoh and Egypt because of their pride and because Egypt proved to be a broken support for Israel. The Lord will humble Egypt, scatter its people, and later restore it only to a small and weak kingdom. The passage also shows that God rules Babylon too and can use it for his purposes.

Ezekiel first announces the Lord?s judgment on Pharaoh and all Egypt. Pharaoh boasted that the Nile belonged to him, but the Lord says he will drag him down. The picture is one of total humiliation. The proud ruler who claimed power over the waters will be left helpless.

Egypt is also judged because it was like a weak reed staff to Israel. Israel leaned on it, but it broke and hurt them. So this is not only a judgment on Egypt?s pride. It is also a warning to Israel for trusting a false support instead of trusting the Lord.

The Lord says Egypt will become a ruined land and, for a set period, be emptied and scattered. The exact historical details are debated, so the passage should not be forced into a rigid timeline. The main point is clear: God can bring a strong nation low.

After that, the Lord says Egypt will be gathered again, but only as an unimportant kingdom. It will never again be a place Israel should depend on. That restoration is not a reward for Egypt?s pride. It is a reminder that God still rules over the nations.

The final part of the passage is a later oracle. Babylon had labored hard against Tyre and gained nothing. The Lord says he will give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar as payment. Even Babylon?s victories are under God?s rule. The chapter ends with the Lord promising to raise up a horn for Israel and to open Ezekiel?s mouth among them, so they will know that he is the Lord.

• God opposes proud rulers who claim power for themselves.
• Egypt was a broken support for Israel and could not be trusted.
• The Lord can bring whole nations low.
• Judgment does not cancel God’s rule over history.
• Any restoration of Egypt would leave it small, not powerful.
• God used Babylon as his instrument, showing that all kings are answerable to him.
• The passage warns God’s people not to place their confidence in worldly powers.

• Warnings: Do not trust proud human power as if it were your salvation. Do not lean on broken supports that cannot carry weight. Do not turn from the Lord to worldly alliances.
• Promise: The Lord can restore what he judges, but on his terms and for his purposes.
• Command: Recognize that the Lord alone is sovereign over nations, kings, and history.

This passage shows the Lord humbling pride and exposing false trust so that his people will know him as Lord. He judges Egypt, directs Babylon, and promises to raise up a horn for Israel and open the prophetic word among them. The larger pattern points to God?s final vindication of his people under his own rule.

Do not make political power, money, or human alliances your deepest security. What seems strong can fail you. Trust the Lord instead, obey him, and do not repeat Israel’s mistake of leaning on what cannot save.

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