CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Ezekiel 32
Chapter 32 of 48
Chapter Overview
What happens in Ezekiel 32
Ezekiel sings a funeral song for Pharaoh, comparing him to a great sea creature that God will catch in a net. The chapter ends with a vivid picture of the world of the dead, where Egypt will join other fallen empires like Assyria, Elam, and Edom.
Scripture
Ezekiel 32
Funeral Song for Pharaoh
Study note
Pharaoh was like a lion among the nations and a great creature thrashing in the waters. God would catch him in a net with a host of many nations. He would throw Pharaoh on the ground for the birds and animals to feed on. God would cover the heavens and darken the stars when Egypt fell, a picture of cosmic mourning. Many nations would be shocked and horrified as they watched Egypt's destruction.
1 During the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day, the Lord spoke to me. And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 "Son of man, sing a funeral song for Pharaoh king of Egypt. Say to him: You thought you were a lion among nations. But you are like a sea creature thrashing around in the rivers, stirring up the water with your feet and making every stream muddy." Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.
3 The Lord God says: "I will cast my net over you, hauled by a horde of many nations, and they will drag you up in my net." Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will therefore spread out my net over thee with a company of many people; and they shall bring thee up in my net.
4 "I will hurl you onto dry ground, fling you into an open field, and let every bird in the sky settle on you. The wild animals of the earth will gorge themselves on your flesh." Then will I leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and will cause all the fowls of the heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill the beasts of the whole earth with thee.
5 "I will scatter your remains across the mountains and fill the valleys with your carcass." And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height.
6 "I will drench the land with your blood all the way up to the mountains. The ravines will overflow with your remains." I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
7 "When I extinguish you, I will shroud the sky and blot out the stars. I will hide the sun behind a cloud, and the moon will give no light." And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
8 "I will dim every bright light in the heavens above you and plunge your land into darkness, says the Lord God." All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
9 "I will trouble the hearts of many peoples. News of your fall will reach nations in countries you never even knew about." I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.
10 "I will fill many peoples with horror over what happened to you. Their kings will shudder in dread when I brandish my sword before them. On the day you fall, every one of them will tremble constantly, fearing for their own lives." Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall.
The Sword of Babylon
Study note
The sword of the king of Babylon would come against Egypt. The most ruthless warriors would destroy Egypt's hordes. God would destroy Egypt's livestock from beside its great waters. The waters of the Nile would flow smooth and clear like oil because there would be no people or animals left to disturb them. This was a funeral song to be sung by the women of the nations.
11 The Lord God says: "The sword of Babylon's king is coming for you." For thus saith the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee.
12 "I will cut down your masses using the swords of mighty warriors -- the most ruthless nation on earth. They will crush Egypt's arrogance, and all its teeming hordes will be wiped out." By the swords of the mighty will I cause thy multitude to fall, the terrible of the nations, all of them: and they shall spoil the pomp of Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed.
13 "I will eliminate all its livestock from beside the great waters. No human foot will ever stir those waters again, and no animal hoof will muddy them." I will destroy also all the beasts thereof from beside the great waters; neither shall the foot of man trouble them any more, nor the hoofs of beasts trouble them.
14 "Then I will let Egypt's waters settle and make its rivers flow smooth as olive oil, says the Lord God." Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord GOD.
15 "I will turn Egypt into a wasteland. I will strip the land of all in it. I will strike down all who live there. Then they will know that I am the Lord." When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the LORD.
16 "This is the funeral song that will be chanted for Egypt. Women of other nations will sing it. They will chant it as a dirge over Egypt and all its masses, says the Lord God." This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament her: the daughters of the nations shall lament her: they shall lament for her, even for Egypt, and for all her multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
Egypt Joins the Dead Nations
Study note
In a powerful poetic vision, Ezekiel described the underworld where fallen nations were buried. Egypt would go down to join them. Assyria was there with all its soldiers around its grave. Elam was there. Meshech and Tubal were there. Edom was there with its kings and princes. The rulers of the north and the Sidonians were there too. Pharaoh would see them all and be comforted that he was not the only great power to fall. All of them were killed by the sword and lay among the uncircumcised.
17 During the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the Lord spoke to me. It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
18 "Son of man, wail for Egypt's hordes. Send them down to the underworld alongside the mighty fallen nations." Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.
19 "Ask them, 'Do you think you are more beautiful than the rest? Go down and take your place among the outcasts!'" Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.
20 "They will collapse among those already killed by the sword. The sword is ready! Drag Egypt and all its masses away!" They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes.
21 "From deep in the world of the dead, the mighty fallen leaders will say about Egypt and its allies, 'They have arrived. They lie here among the outcasts, killed by the sword.'" The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.
22 "Assyria is there, surrounded by the graves of its entire army -- all of them killed by the sword." Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:
23 "Their graves occupy the deepest part of the pit, with their soldiers buried all around them. Every one of them was killed in battle -- these people who once terrorized the land of the living." Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living.
24 "Elam is there too, with all its masses buried around it. All of them fell by the sword and descended as outcasts to the underworld -- these people who once spread fear through the land of the living. Now they carry their shame alongside those in the pit." There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.
25 "A resting place has been prepared for Elam among the slain, with all its masses buried around it. Every one was an outcast, killed by the sword. They once terrorized the living, but now they share the shame of those in the pit, laid among the dead." They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword: though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put in the midst of them that be slain.
26 "Meshech and Tubal are there too, surrounded by the graves of all their hordes. All were outcasts, killed by the sword, because they once spread terror among the living." There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.
27 "They do not rest with the honored warriors of ancient times who were buried with their weapons -- swords tucked under their heads and shields laid on their bones. Those ancient warriors also once struck fear into the land of the living." And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
28 "You too, Pharaoh, will be shattered and laid among the outcasts, alongside those killed by the sword." Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword.
29 "Edom is there with its kings and princes. Despite all their power, they are laid among those killed by the sword. They rest with the outcasts, with everyone who went down to the pit." There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit.
30 "All the northern princes are there, along with all the Sidonians. They went down with the dead in shame, despite the terror their power once inspired. They lie as outcasts among the sword-slain, sharing the shame of everyone in the pit." There be the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.
31 "When Pharaoh sees all of them, he will feel a strange comfort despite the loss of his own vast army. Pharaoh and all his forces will be killed by the sword, says the Lord God." Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord GOD.
32 "I let Pharaoh spread terror in the land of the living. But he and his hordes will end up with the outcasts. They will be among those killed by the sword," says the Lord God. For I have caused my terror in the land of the living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
Key Themes
Themes in Ezekiel 32
Lament over PharaohDeath is the great equalizerThe grave awaits all proud nationsGod's power over earthly rulers
Apply This Today
Living Ezekiel 32
This chapter paints a sobering picture of powerful nations all ending up in the same place — the grave. No amount of military power or political might can escape death. This reminds us to invest in what outlasts the grave: our relationship with God and the lives we touch.
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