Hesekiel 30:21 Kommentar

In this chapter we have, I. A continuation of the prophecy against Egypt, which we had in the latter part of the foregoing chapter, just before the desolation of that once flourishing kingdom was completed by Nebuchadnezzar, in which is foretold the destruction of all her allies and confederates, all her interests and concerns, and the several steps which the king of Babylon should take in pushing on this destruction (v. 1-19). II. A repetition of a former prophecy against Egypt, just before the desolation of it begun by their own bad conduct, which gradually weakened them and prepared the way for the king of Babylon (Eze 30:20-26). It is all much to the same purport with what we had before.

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 30 This chapter is a continuation of the prophecy against Egypt, both against the country and the king of it. It is introduced with expressions of lamentation, because of the destruction coming on, Eze 30:1, and not only Egypt, and the cities thereof, should be destroyed, but all her friends, associates, and allies; the Ethiopians, Lydians, Lybians, and others, Eze 30:4. Nebuchadnezzar and his army were to be the instruments of her ruin, Eze 30:10, particular cities are mentioned by name, which should suffer much, and become desolate, Eze 30:13 and then Pharaoh king of Egypt himself is threatened with broken arms, and his people to be scattered among the nations, Eze 30:20, and the king of Babylon is again mentioned, whose arms should be strengthened to do all this, Eze 30:24.

Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt,.... Not Pharaohnecho, king of Egypt, whose army was overthrown at Carchemish by the king of Babylon, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim; when the latter took from the former all that belonged to him between the river of Egypt and the river Euphrates; by which he was so weakened and dispirited, that he could not stir any more out of his own land, Jer 46:2 and of him Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it; but Pharaohhophra, or Apries, who was defeated by the Cyreneans, and saved himself by flight; See Gill on Eze 29:4, and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it; a metaphor taken from chirurgeons, who, having set broken bones, put on a bandage or rollers of linen, or such like stuff, to keep them tight; but nothing of this kind should be done; hereby suggesting that Egypt should receive such a blow or wound as would be incurable; see Jer 46:11, to make it strong to hold the sword; which it should not be able to do, or to make war any more, at least with success, or to defend itself.

(Verse 20 and following) And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month (Vulgate adds 'of the month'), in the seventh month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and behold it is not bound up, to be healed, that it may be tied with bandages, and clothed with strips (or to receive a healing plaster): and having taken hold of strength, he might hold the sword. Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and I will break his strong arm, and shall cause the sword to fall out of his hand, and I will scatter (or scatter abroad) Egypt among the nations, and disperse them (or winnow them) into the lands (Vulgate: 'countries'). And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and I will place my sword in his hand, and he will break the arms of Pharaoh, and they will groan with the groans of the slain before him. (or as it is in the Septuagint: And he will bring a sword over Egypt, and he will plunder its spoils, and take its plunder. It follows:) And 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 give my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he extends it over the land of Egypt, and I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and disperse them into the lands, and they will know that I am the Lord. He returns to the order of prophecy; for after the twenty-seventh year he now places the eleventh. This question is also addressed in the previous passages. For when the word of the Lord was spoken against Tyre in the eleventh year, which was mentioned earlier, in the subsequent passages He speaks to Pharaoh in the tenth year. And again, He places the twenty-seventh year, as we have said, and now the eleventh. Leaving aside the other things that are contained in the order of the Psalms: the question is, how is the third Psalm placed before these Psalms in which David changed his appearance before Abimelech, and about Doeg the Edomite, and when he was found in the cave, and the fiftieth of penitence, in whose title it is shown that he came to Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, although these previous Psalms come before the third, in which it is noted that he fled from the face of his son Absalom. But in the Psalms the response is simple, for it is a lyric poem, and in such a work the order of history is not sought; rather, it is the songs of individual events. But in history, it must be said that those things which have been said about one thing at different times should not be divided by speech, but concluded by the narrative of one place. For example, so that those things which have been said about Egypt at different times may be known in one order of reading. When we have said these things, nevertheless the question remains: Why in this same place was the word of the Lord to Pharaoh first spoken in the eleventh year, and later in the twenty-seventh, and then in the tenth year, when certainly according to the order, the eleventh year should have been first, the twenty-seventh second, and the tenth year third, and each prophecy should have been designated by year? To which we can respond: O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable are his ways! (Romans 11:33). And in another place: Who can search out the depths of knowledge? (Sirach 1:2-3). However, we can say this, that the order of history is not observed in the prophets, at least not in all cases, for they do not narrate the past, but they foretell the future, according to the will of the Holy Spirit. But in history, the books of Moses, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Esther, Samuel, Malachi, Chronicles, and Ezra, together with Nehemiah, do not contain a chronological account. Let it suffice to say this about the order of years. Now let us examine the prophecies against Pharaoh or concerning Pharaoh. It is said that God broke his arm and it was not bound up or healed, nor did he receive any ointment, according to what is written: 'There is no ointment to be applied, nor oil, nor bandages' (Isaiah 1, sec. 70). But if it had happened that, with courage regained, he could hold the sword and proceed to war. Therefore, God, who is merciful and compassionate, once again shattered his arm or arms, so that the sword may completely fall from his hand, and be scattered among the people of Egypt, and be dispersed among the nations. But in your arm, receive strength and courage, as the Scripture says: 'Break the arm of the sinner and the evildoer' (Psalm 9:15). This arm is broken in our adversaries, when they pursue us, but cannot overcome us. And for the salvation of the servants of God against Pharaoh, the king of Babylon often rises up to oppress the powerful oppressor, and the wicked are handed over to the more wicked, with God strengthening the arms of the worst, so that the one who is set free may know that He is the Lord. Indeed, it is an achievement of virtue to know that He is the Lord. On the contrary, we can say: The sons of Eli, the sons of pestilence, not knowing God (1 Samuel 2:22). And concerning the good kings who did what was right in the sight of God, it is written that they may know the Lord. But that which is said in the Septuagint: 'I will break his strong and appointed arms', which in Greek is said 'τεταγμένα', has been corrupted by the fault of copyists. For they interpreted it not as 'τεταγμένα', but as 'τεταμένα', which means not appointed, but stretched out. For this reason, according to their custom, other interpreters have put 'exalted' instead.

This chapter describes, with great force and elegance, the ruin of Egypt and all her allies by the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar, Eze 30:1-11; with an amplification of the distress of the principal cities of Egypt on that occasion, Eze 30:12-19. The remaining verses are a short prophecy relating to the same event, and therefore annexed to the longer one preceding, although this was predicted sooner, Eze 30:20-26.

I have broken the arm of Pharaoh - Perhaps this may refer to his defeat by Nebuchadnezzar, when he was coming with the Egyptian army to succor Jerusalem.

CONTINUATION OF THE PROPHECIES AGAINST EGYPT. (Eze. 30:1-26) Woe worth the day!--that is, Alas for the day!

broken . . . arm of Pharaoh-- (Psa 37:17; Jer 48:25). Referring to the defeat which Pharaoh-hophra sustained from the Chaldeans, when trying to raise the siege of Jerusalem (Jer 37:5, Jer 37:7); and previous to the deprivation of Pharaoh-necho of all his conquests from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates (Kg2 24:7; Jer 46:2); also to the Egyptian disaster in Cyrene.