Egypt's Humiliation and Years of Desolation
Ezekiel 29:1-21
Eze.29.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בשנה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- העשירית: ADJ,f,sg,def
- בעשרי: PREP+NUM,ord,m,sg,abs
- בשנים: PREP+NUM,m,pl
- עשר: NUM,card,m,sg,cons
- לחדש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Ezekiel 1:1-2 (verbal): Similar prophetic formula: a specific regnal/chronological dateline followed by the phrase 'the word of the LORD came to me,' introducing a vision/message to Ezekiel.
- Ezekiel 32:1 (structural): Another Ezekiel oracle introduced with a precise year/month/day dateline and the standard commissioning formula 'the word of the LORD came to me,' showing the book's recurring chronological structuring.
- Jeremiah 1:2-3 (structural): Jeremiah’s opening uses dated historical markers ('in the days of Josiah...') and the account of how 'the word of the LORD came to him,' paralleling the practice of dating prophetic commissions.
- Isaiah 6:1 (thematic): Isaiah's vision is anchored to a notable year ('in the year that King Uzziah died') as the setting for a divine commissioning, paralleling Ezekiel's use of a dated context to introduce a prophetic revelation.
Alternative generated candidates
- In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
- In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Eze.29.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שים: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- פניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- והנבא: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,ms
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- כלה: ADV
Parallels
- Ezekiel 30:2 (verbal): Same prophetic formula: 'Son of man, prophesy against Egypt'—a parallel command to announce judgment on Egypt.
- Ezekiel 31:2 (verbal): Again addresses Pharaoh directly ('Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt'), continuing the theme of oracles against Egypt and its king.
- Ezekiel 32:2 (structural): Another Ezekiel address concerning Pharaoh—here a lamentation over the king of Egypt, forming part of the contiguous series of oracles against Egypt.
- Isaiah 19:1 (thematic): Isaiah's oracle against Egypt announces divine judgment on the nation and its gods—themewise parallel to Ezekiel's prophecy against Pharaoh and Egypt.
- Jeremiah 46:25 (thematic): Jeremiah pronounces punishment on Egypt (and Pharaoh) in the context of Babylonian judgment—a parallel tradition of prophetic denunciation of Egypt.
Alternative generated candidates
- Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.
- Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.
Eze.29.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- התנים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הגדול: ADJ,m,sg,def
- הרבץ: VERB,qal,ptc,NA,m,sg,def
- בתוך: PREP
- יאריו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,3,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- יארי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,m,sg
- ואני: PRON,1,sg
- עשיתני: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 27:1 (verbal): Uses the word/figure of Leviathan/dragon that God will punish — directly parallels Ezekiel’s image of Pharaoh as a ‘great dragon’ in the waters.
- Psalm 74:13-14 (verbal): Describes God’s subduing of sea-monsters (Leviathan) by breaking their heads and giving them as food — echoes the motif of God confronting monstrous powers of the waters.
- Ezekiel 32:2-3 (structural): In the same prophetic collection Ezekiel again addresses Pharaoh with figurative language of beasts and waters; both passages cast Egypt’s king as a monstrous power to be judged.
- Job 41 (thematic): The extended description of Leviathan as a powerful, untamable sea-monster resonates thematically with Ezekiel’s depiction of Pharaoh as a dangerous dragon of the river.
- Isaiah 51:9-10 (allusion): Speaks of cutting Rahab/dragon and drying the sea — Rahab and dragon imagery is used elsewhere to symbolize hostile powers (including Egypt), paralleling Ezekiel’s dragon-in-the-river trope.
Alternative generated candidates
- Say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great sea‑monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, who has said, 'My Nile is my own, and I made it.'
- Say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great crocodile that lies in his rivers, who has said, "My river is my own, and I have made it for myself." '
Eze.29.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- חחים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בלחייך: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,construct+2,m,sg
- והדבקתי: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,_,sg
- דגת: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- יאריך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בקשקשתיך: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,construct+2,m,sg
- והעליתיך: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,_,sg
- מתוך: PREP
- יאריך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- כל: DET
- דגת: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- יאריך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בקשקשתיך: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,construct+2,m,sg
- תדבק: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 29:3 (structural): Immediate context—verse 3 addresses Pharaoh as a 'great dragon' lying in the Nile; verse 4 continues and completes the same sea‑monster/Pharaoh image and the threat to pull him from the waters.
- Job 41:1–2 (verbal): Job's description of Leviathan contains the rhetorical question about drawing the monster with a hook ('Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?'), closely paralleling the image of putting hooks in the monster's jaws.
- Ezekiel 32:2–4 (thematic): Another Ezekiel oracle likens Egypt/Pharaoh to a sea‑monster in the waters; uses comparable language and imagery of a monstrous creature associated with the Nile to be cut down and removed.
- Psalm 74:13–14 (thematic): Speaks of God splitting the sea and subduing the sea‑monster (Leviathan), giving it over—parallels the theme of divine subjugation/removal of chaotic sea creatures.
- Isaiah 27:1 (allusion): Portrays the LORD punishing Leviathan, the twisting serpent—a prophetic motif of God’s defeat of a great sea‑monster that echoes Ezekiel’s depiction of Pharaoh as a subdued sea‑creature.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your rivers cling to your scales; I will draw you up from your rivers, and all the fish of your rivers shall cling to your scales.
- I will put hooks in your jaws and fasten the fish of your rivers to your scales; I will draw you up out of your rivers, and all the fish of your rivers will cling to your scales.
Eze.29.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונטשתיך: VERB,qal,imprf,1,m,sg
- המדברה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אותך: PRON,2,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- כל: DET
- דגת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יאריך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- השדה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- תפול: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- תאסף: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- תקבץ: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לחית: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ולעוף: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- השמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- נתתיך: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg+PRON,2,m,sg
- לאכלה: PREP
Parallels
- Deut.28:26 (verbal): Part of the covenant curses: enemies and the slain become food for birds and beasts—same imagery of corpses left for wild animals as in Ezekiel 29:5.
- Isa.34:6 (thematic): Prophetic oracle describing God’s judgment that leaves the slain as food for birds of prey and beasts of the field—parallels the motif of desolation and scavengers.
- Jer.46:26 (allusion): Jeremiah’s pronouncement against Egypt uses similar language about being given as food for birds and beasts, echoing Ezekiel’s judgment on Egypt.
- Ezek.32:3-6 (structural): Within Ezekiel’s extended oracle against Egypt the prophet repeats themes of slaughter, desolation, and corpses exposed to birds and beasts—closely related context and wording.
- Ezek.39:17-20 (thematic): The depiction of a sacrificial feast for birds and beasts after God defeats the nations (Gog) resonates with Ezekiel 29:5’s image of enemies given to animals to be eaten.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will leave you in the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers; you shall fall on the open field and not be gathered or picked up. To the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens I give you for food.
- I will cast you out upon the land and leave you upon the face of the field; you shall fall for food—no one shall gather or pick you up; I give you to the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens for food.
Eze.29.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידעו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- ישבי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- יען: CONJ
- היותם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- משענת: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- קנה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cns
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 7:5 (verbal): God declares that the Egyptians will know that He is the LORD when He brings judgment on Egypt — a close verbal and thematic parallel to Ezek.29:6’s formula 'they shall know that I am the LORD.'
- Isaiah 19:22 (verbal): Isaiah’s oracle promises that Egypt will come to know the LORD (’and the Egyptians shall know the LORD’), echoing Ezekiel’s claim that Egypt will recognize Yahweh by reason of its treatment of Israel.
- Isaiah 31:1 (thematic): Condemns reliance on Egypt (‘woe to those who go down to Egypt for help’), paralleling Ezekiel’s image of Egypt as a fragile support ('a staff of reed') and the judgment that follows such dependence.
- Ezekiel 17:15 (thematic): Narrative of Judah seeking support from the king of Egypt and receiving divine judgment — thematically related to Ezek.29:6’s critique of Egypt as an unreliable ally and the consequences for those who lean on it.
Alternative generated candidates
- And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, for they have been a broken reed for the house of Israel.
- Then all who live in Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, for they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.
Eze.29.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בתפשם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- בכף: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,construct
- תרוץ: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ובקעת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- כתף: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ובהשענם: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- תשבר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- והעמדת: CONJ+VERB,hif,perf,2,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- מתנים: NOUN,m,du,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 29:5 (verbal): Immediate context in the same oracle against Egypt—uses the image of dragging out Pharaoh/land with hooks and delivering him to the nations, closely echoing the actions described in 29:7.
- Ezekiel 32:7 (thematic): A later lament over Pharaoh that repeats the motif of casting Egypt/Pharaoh out to the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth—same predator/prey imagery of humiliation and exposure.
- Deuteronomy 28:26 (verbal): Part of the covenant curses: 'your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth,' a near-verbal parallel to Ezekiel’s image of the fallen nation becoming food for birds and animals.
- Ezekiel 39:17–20 (thematic): In the Gog tradition Ezekiel summons birds and beasts to feast on the defeated—recurring prophetic motif of nations/armies made food for birds and beasts, echoing the fate pronounced on Egypt in 29:7.
Alternative generated candidates
- When they took hold of you with the hand you would slip away; when they leaned on you, you would break and make every shoulder to shrink; when they trusted in you you were broken and made them fall back.
- When they take hold of you with the hand you will be broken; every shoulder will be dismayed. When they lean on you you will break, and you will make their backs bare.
Eze.29.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- מביא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- והכרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,ms,sg
- ממך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובהמה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Zephaniah 1:3 (verbal): Uses the same formulaic threat — God will 'cut off man and beast' and also extend the judgment to birds and fish; a direct verbal parallel to the phrase and scope of destruction in Ezekiel 29:8.
- Ezekiel 14:21 (thematic): Presents the same suite of divine judgments (sword, famine, pestilence, wild beasts) sent to punish nations — echoes Ezekiel 29:8's threat to bring the sword and destroy 'man and beast.'
- Hosea 4:3 (thematic): Describes punishment that affects both people and animals ('the land mourneth, and all that dwell therein languish; also the beasts of the field'), thematically paralleling Ezekiel's coupling of human and animal devastation.
- Joel 1:20 (thematic): Depicts catastrophic loss affecting crops, people and 'the beasts of the field' so that animals suffer alongside humans — parallels Ezekiel 29:8's motif of comprehensive destruction of 'man and beast.'
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will bring the sword upon you, and will cut off man and beast from you.
- Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I am bringing the sword upon you, and I will cut off from you man and beast.
Eze.29.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לשממה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וחרבה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וידעו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- יען: CONJ
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יאר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ואני: PRON,1,sg
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 7:17 (verbal): God declares he will strike the Nile and perform signs 'that you may know that I am the LORD'—directly parallels the theme of divine judgment on Egypt and the purpose of making known YHWH’s sovereignty.
- Isaiah 19:4-7 (thematic): Prophecy of Egypt’s distress: waters drying up, canals becoming foul and the land becoming desolate—echoes Ezekiel’s announcement that Egypt will be made a waste and recognize the LORD.
- Ezekiel 30:12 (structural): A close intra‑book parallel: an explicit pronouncement that God will make Egypt desolate and that they shall know that I am the LORD, repeating the same prophetic formula and theme of divine retribution.
- Psalm 78:44-51 (thematic): Retelling of God’s plagues on Egypt (including striking rivers) to demonstrate divine power—parallels Ezekiel’s emphasis on God’s control over Egypt and the river and the resulting recognition of YHWH.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the land of Egypt shall become a desolation and a waste, and they shall know that I am the LORD, because he said, 'The Nile is mine, and I made it.'
- The land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste, and they shall know that I am the LORD, because he said, 'The Nile is mine; I made it.'
Eze.29.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- יאריך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ונתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לחרבות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שממה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ממגדל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- סונה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ועד: CONJ+PREP
- גבול: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- כוש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 19:4-7 (thematic): Isaiah's oracle against Egypt predicts civil strife, failing waters and widespread desolation — thematically parallel to Ezekiel's pronouncement that Egypt will become a waste.
- Jeremiah 46:8-10 (thematic): Jeremiah's announcement of coming warfare and divine judgment declares that Egypt will be made a desolation, using language and motifs similar to Ezekiel 29:10.
- Ezekiel 30:4-8 (structural): A later Ezekiel oracle again pronounces the sword against Egypt and foretells its devastation, repeating the prophetic theme and judicial action found in 29:10.
- Ezekiel 29:12-16 (structural): The immediate continuation of the same Ezekiel oracle: after declaring Egypt a desolation (v.10), God hands Egyptian territory to Nebuchadnezzar and describes the aftermath of the destruction.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore, behold, I am against you and against your rivers; and I will make the land of Egypt a desolation and a waste, from Migdol as far as the border of Cush.
- Therefore behold, I am against you and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt a desolation and a waste—from Migdol to the border of Cush.
Eze.29.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- תעבר: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- רגל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ורגל: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בהמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תעבר: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- תשב: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ארבעים: NUM,m,pl
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Leviticus 26:33-35 (thematic): God declares the land will be laid desolate and given rest while the people are scattered among the nations—parallels Ezek.29:11’s theme of land left untraversed and desolation as divine punishment.
- Ezekiel 4:4-6 (verbal): Ezekiel uses a ‘day for a year’ symbolism and a forty-year period elsewhere to signify punishment; the forty‑year duration in 29:11 echoes this symbolic chronology within Ezekiel.
- Jeremiah 25:11-12 (thematic): Jeremiah predicts a fixed period (seventy years) of foreign domination/desolation; parallels the motif of a specified period of desolation (forty years) imposed on a nation as divine judgment.
- Isaiah 34:11-15 (thematic): Isaiah’s oracle depicting a foreign land rendered uninhabitable and occupied by wild animals parallels Ezek.29:11’s imagery of a land where no human or beast will pass—a hallmark of prophetic desolation or doom.
Alternative generated candidates
- No foot of man shall pass through it, and no foot of beast shall pass through it; it shall not be inhabited for forty years.
- No foot of man shall pass through it, and no foot of beast shall pass through it; it shall not be inhabited for forty years.
Eze.29.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- שממה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בתוך: PREP
- ארצות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נשמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ועריה: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
- בתוך: PREP
- ערים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מחרבות: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- תהיין: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- שממה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ארבעים: NUM,m,pl
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- והפצתי: CONJ+VERB,hif,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בגוים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וזריתים: CONJ+VERB,hif,impf,1,_,sg,obj:3m,pl
- בארצות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 29:11 (structural): Immediate context: announces Egypt’s punishment (land made desolate) and the role of Babylon; verse 12 continues the same oracle about desolation and exile.
- Ezekiel 29:13 (structural): Direct continuation of the prophecy: speaks of the Egyptians being taken by Nebuchadnezzar and then God’s promise to restore them after the forty years—completes the sequence begun in v.12.
- Leviticus 26:33 (verbal): Uses the same verb and theme of divine punishment: God will 'scatter you among the nations'—a legal/ritual precedent for exile as divine judgment.
- Deuteronomy 28:64 (verbal): Parallel language and theme: the curse includes the LORD scattering the people 'among all peoples,' echoing Ezekiel’s motif of national dispersion as punishment.
- Jeremiah 25:11-12 (thematic): Prophetic pattern of national desolation for a measured period and exile (Jeremiah’s oracle assigns a term of years for servitude/desolation), comparable to Ezekiel’s announcement of a fixed period (forty years) of desolation and dispersion.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of the lands that are laid waste, and her cities shall be among the cities that are desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and will disperse them through the countries.
- I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated lands, and her cities shall be among ruined cities; forty years they shall be desolation. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the lands.
Eze.29.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מקץ: PREP
- ארבעים: NUM,m,pl
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אקבץ: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מן: PREP
- העמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נפצו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- שמה: ADV
Parallels
- Ezekiel 29:12 (verbal): Immediate context: vv.11–12 predict Egypt made desolate for forty years; v.13 then says after forty years God will gather the Egyptians—direct continuation of the same prophecy and phraseology.
- Ezekiel 39:25 (thematic): Uses the same divine pattern of judgment followed by restoration: 'I will bring back the captives of Jacob'—a parallel theme of God regathering a people dispersed among the nations.
- Deuteronomy 30:3–5 (verbal): Promises that the LORD will 'gather' his people from all the nations where they were scattered—language and theological motif of gathering dispersed peoples echo the wording of Ezek.29:13.
- Jeremiah 31:8–10 (thematic): Speaks of God bringing back the dispersed from the lands of the north and gathering them—another prophetic articulation of restoration after dispersion, paralleling Ezekiel’s motif of regathering the scattered.
Alternative generated candidates
- For thus says the Lord GOD: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples where they were scattered.
- For thus says the Lord GOD: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered.
Eze.29.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושבתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שבות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- והשבתי: VERB,hiph,perf,1,n,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- פתרוס: NOUN,prop,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מכורתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,m,pl
- והיו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- שם: ADV
- ממלכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שפלה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 29:12 (verbal): Mentions Pathros and God's dealings with that region—shares place-name and theological focus on Egypt/Pathros as the locus of God's action against and over Egypt.
- Ezekiel 29:15 (verbal): Reiterates the idea that Egypt 'shall be the lowliest of the kingdoms'—a close verbal and thematic parallel about Egypt's humbled future status.
- Jeremiah 44:1 (verbal): Lists Jews dwelling 'in the land of Pathros' (Egypt); parallels Ezekiel's geographic reference and the broader theme of peoples residing/being exiled in Pathros.
- Isaiah 19:16–22 (thematic): Isaiah's prophecy likewise portrays Egypt humbled (brought low) and later transformed in relation to YHWH—echoing Ezekiel's motif of Egypt reduced and subjected to divine judgment and reordering.
- Isaiah 11:11–12 (thematic): Speaks of God 'bringing back' the dispersed and restoring people to their lands; parallels Ezekiel's language of returning captives to their native region (here applied to Egypt/Pathros).
Alternative generated candidates
- And I will restore the captivity of Egypt and will bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their habitations; and they shall be there a low kingdom.
- I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and will bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their possession; and they shall be a low kingdom there.
Eze.29.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מן: PREP
- הממלכות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- תהיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
- שפלה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- תתנשא: VERB,hitp,impf,2,m,sg
- עוד: ADV
- על: PREP
- הגוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- והמעטתים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- לבלתי: PART,neg
- רדות: VERB,qal,inf
- בגוים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 30:12-13 (verbal): Continues the prophecy against Egypt with parallel language of making Egypt low among the nations and ending its pride/pomp; closely related context and vocabulary.
- Ezekiel 31:18 (thematic): Like 29:15, Ezekiel 31 pronounces the humiliation of a great power—its fall from greatness and reduction to low status among the nations (and 'trees of the field'), a shared motif of divine dethroning.
- Isaiah 19:16-17 (thematic): Isaiah likewise depicts Egypt humbled and made weak before other nations ('the Egyptians will be like women...'), reflecting the theme of national humiliation and loss of former stature.
- Isaiah 14:12-17 (thematic): The taunt against the proud ruler of Babylon describes a fall from exaltation to disgrace among the nations, providing a broader prophetic pattern for divine judgment that lowers formerly exalted powers (parallel theme to Ezek.29:15).
Alternative generated candidates
- It shall be the lowliest of the kingdoms, and it shall never again exalt itself above the nations; and I will make them small, that they may no more rule over the nations.
- It shall be the lowliest of the kingdoms and shall never again exalt itself above the nations; it shall no more rule over the nations.
Eze.29.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולא: CONJ
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עוד: ADV
- לבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cns
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למבטח: PREP
- מזכיר: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- עון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בפנותם: PREP
- אחריהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- וידעו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 36:31-32 (verbal): Speaks of Israel remembering their evil ways and ends with the formula “they shall know that I am the LORD,” echoing Ezekiel 29:16’s link between repentance/recognition and knowledge of YHWH.
- Ezekiel 39:22-23 (verbal): Uses the same covenantal conclusion—Israel will know that the LORD is their God after God’s decisive acts—paralleling the didactic purpose of the judgment in 29:16.
- Isaiah 31:1 (thematic): Condemns reliance on Egypt for help (trusting horses/chariots) rather than God; thematically parallels Ezekiel 29:16’s break of Israel’s confidence in foreign support.
- Psalm 20:7 (thematic): Contrasts trust in military power (chariots/horses) with trust in the name of the LORD, reflecting the same concern in Ezekiel 29:16 about misplaced confidence and the need to know YHWH.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they shall no longer be a staff of reed to the house of Israel to be a support at their side; and you shall know that I am the LORD GOD.
- And it shall no longer be for the house of Israel a staff to lean upon, to be a reminder of sin in their turning to it; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
Eze.29.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בעשרים: PREP+NUM,card,pl
- ושבע: NUM,m,sg,abs
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בראשון: PREP+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- באחד: PREP
- לחדש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Ezekiel 1:1 (verbal): Same prophetic dateline formula — 'and it came to pass in the ... year' followed by 'the word of the LORD came unto me,' introducing a vision/oracle.
- Ezekiel 7:1 (verbal): Uses the identical introductory phrase 'the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,' marking the start of a new oracle.
- Ezekiel 20:1 (structural): Another Ezekiel dateline tied to a regnal/year marker ('and it came to pass in the ... year'), showing the prophet's chronological framing of oracles.
- Jeremiah 25:1 (structural): Prophetic dateline formula ('the word that came to Jeremiah in the ... year'), a parallel in prophetic books where oracles are anchored to specific years.
- Isaiah 6:1 (structural): A dated introductory line ('in the year that King Uzziah died') that, like Ezekiel 29:17, situates a vision/oracle in a specific historical year.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it came to pass in the twenty‑seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
- In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Eze.29.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נבוכדראצר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,prop,sg,abs
- העביד: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- חילו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+pr3ms
- עבדה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- גדלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אל: NEG
- צר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- ראש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מקרח: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- כתף: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מרוטה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- ושכר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- ולחילו: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- מצר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- העבדה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עבד: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 29:17 (structural): Immediate context: verse 17 states that Nebuchadrezzar set his army to labor against Tyre—verse 18 continues the same report (bald heads, peeled shoulders, no wages).
- Ezekiel 26:7-12 (thematic): Earlier Ezekiel oracle against Tyre predicts Nebuchadnezzar attacking and despoiling the city and using military force—closely related subject matter and outcome to 29:18.
- Exodus 1:11 (thematic): Pharaoh compels the Israelites to forced labor building store cities (no freedom or just recompense), a paradigmatic biblical image of conscripted, unpaid labor comparable to Nebuchadrezzar’s use of his troops.
- 1 Kings 5:13-16 (thematic): Solomon imposed a levy/forced labor for building projects; parallels the motif of rulers exacting compulsory service from populations for state works.
- Jeremiah 27:6 (allusion): Jeremiah portrays Nebuchadrezzar as the LORD’s servant whom God gives authority over nations—echoes Ezekiel’s depiction of Nebuchadrezzar exercising coercive dominion and making peoples serve him.
Alternative generated candidates
- Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor a great labor against Egypt; every head was made bald and every shoulder rubbed; yet he had no wages from Egypt nor his army for the service that he had performed there.
- Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre; every head was made bald and every shoulder rubbed raw. Yet he had no wages for the labor nor his army for the service that they performed against it.
Eze.29.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לנבוכדראצר: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,prop,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ונשא: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- המנה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ושלל: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שללה: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3fs
- ובזז: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בזה: PREP+DEM
- והיתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- שכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לחילו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 29:12 (verbal): A near-verbatim statement earlier in the same oracle declaring that God will give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar and that he will take its wealth as spoil.
- Jeremiah 25:9 (verbal): Jeremiah speaks of God sending Nebuchadnezzar as 'my servant' to bring judgment on nations—paralleling the language of God empowering Babylon to seize other lands and plunder them.
- Jeremiah 46:13-26 (thematic): An oracle against Egypt describing Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar) as God's instrument of judgment against Egypt and depicting the defeat and plundering of the land.
- Isaiah 19:4 (thematic): Isaiah foretells that Egypt will be given into the hand of a cruel lord/a foreign ruler—reflecting the motif of God handing Egypt over to a conquering king.
- 2 Kings 24:13-14 (thematic): Historical report of Nebuchadnezzar carrying off the treasures and people of Judah as spoils and deportees—parallels the image of Nebuchadnezzar taking wealth and plunder as the wages of his army.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he and his army shall take it as their spoil, and he shall have the wages of his campaign.
- Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he and his servants and his troops shall take it as spoil and plunder, and it shall be the wage of his army.
Eze.29.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- פעלתו: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עבד: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- נתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 30:13 (verbal): Repeats the promise that the land of Egypt will be given to Nebuchadnezzar/king of Babylon—very similar language and the same prophetic action.
- Jeremiah 27:6 (verbal): God declares he has given the nations into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar—same motif of God handing over peoples/lands to Babylon’s king.
- Daniel 2:37-38 (thematic): Daniel attributes Nebuchadnezzar’s kingship and rule over peoples to God’s sovereign granting of power—theme of God raising and assigning rulers over nations.
- Isaiah 19:4 (thematic): Prophecy of judgment and upheaval in Egypt leading to loss of stability and authority—parallels the theme of Egypt’s subjugation and transfer of control in Ezekiel 29:20.
Alternative generated candidates
- I have given to him the land of Egypt for the service that he performed — it is the declaration of the Lord GOD.
- For the service by which he served against Tyre I will give him its reward — the land of Egypt, says the Lord GOD.
Eze.29.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ביום: PREP
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- אצמיח: VERB,hiph,impf,1,sg
- קרן: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cns
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולך: CONJ+PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- אתן: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- פתחון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פה: ADV
- בתוכם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- וידעו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Samuel 2:10 (verbal): Uses the same 'horn' imagery for vindication/exaltation of God's chosen (the anointed); parallels 'I will cause a horn to grow for the house of Israel' as a promise of restored power.
- Psalm 132:17 (verbal): God promises 'a horn for David' to spring up—same metaphor of a horn as dynastic strength and restoration similar to Ezekiel's promise for Israel.
- Ezekiel 36:22-23 (verbal): Contains the recurrent formula 'that they may know that I am the LORD' tied to God's act of restoration and vindication—linguistic and theological parallel to Ezek. 29:21's concluding declaration.
- Ezekiel 39:22-23 (structural): Another closing oracle in Ezekiel where Israel 'shall know that I am the LORD' after God's saving acts—mirrors Ezek.29:21's function as a concluding sign of divine identity and restoration.
- Jeremiah 33:9 (thematic): Promises restoration so that nations/peoples will 'know that I am the LORD,' echoing the theme of divine vindication and the recognition of Yahweh after Israel's renewal present in Ezek.29:21.
Alternative generated candidates
- In that day I will cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth; and to you I will give an opening of the mouth among them, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
- On that day I will raise up a horn for the house of Israel, and I will give you an opening of mouth among them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.
Say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lies in his Nile, who said, “My Nile is mine, and I made it.”’
I will put hooks in your jaws, and I will make the fish of your rivers cling to your scales; and I will draw you up out of your rivers, and all the fish of your rivers will cling to your scales.
I will leave you in the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers; you shall fall upon the open field and shall not be gathered or gathered up; I have given you to the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens to be food.
Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they were a staff of reed to the house of Israel.
When they took hold of you for support they leaned on you—every shoulder was laid bare; yet when they leaned on you you were broken, and you caused all their loins to give way.
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will bring a sword upon you and will cut off from you man and beast. And the land of Egypt shall become a desolation and a waste, and they shall know that I am the LORD, because they said, “The Nile is mine, and I made it.”
Therefore behold, I am against you and against your rivers; and I will make the land of Egypt a desolation and a waste—from Migdol even to the border of Cush.
No foot of man shall pass through it, nor the foot of beast shall pass through it, and it shall not be inhabited for forty years.
I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated lands, and her cities shall be a desolation among ruined cities; forty years shall they be a desolation, and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries.
For thus says the Lord GOD: At the end of forty years I will gather Egypt from the peoples where they were scattered. And I will restore the captives of Egypt and will bring them back to the land of Pathros, to the land of their possession; and they shall be a lowly kingdom.
They shall be the lowliest of the kingdoms and shall not exalt themselves any more above the nations; for I will diminish them that they may no longer rule over the nations. And they shall no longer be for the house of Israel a staff of support; and when they turn away from them they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Now in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made his army labor a great labor against Tyre: every head became bald and every shoulder rubbed; yet neither he nor his army had wages from Tyre for the labor they performed there.
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will give to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon the land of Egypt; he and his army shall take it as booty and plunder, and it shall be the wages of his army.
The service which he performed I have given him—the land of Egypt because they worked for me, declares the Lord GOD.
In that day I will cause a horn to spring up for the house of Israel, and I will give you an opening of the mouth among them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.