เอเสเคียล 30:1 วิจารณ์

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.

The prophecy of the destruction of Egypt is here very full and particular, as well as, in the general, very frightful. What can protect a provoking people when the righteous God comes forth to contend with them? I. It shall be a very lamentable destruction, and such as shall occasion great sorrow (Eze 30:2, Eze 30:3): "Howl you; you may justly shriek now that it is coming, for you will be made to shriek and make hideous outcries when it comes. Cry out, Woe worth the day! or, Ah the day! alas because of the day! the terrible day! Woe and alas! For the day is near; the day we have so long dreaded, so long deserved. It is the day of the Lord, the day in which he will manifest himself as a God of vengeance. You have your day now, when you carry all before you, and trample on all about you, but God will have his day shortly, the day of the revelation of his righteous judgment," Psa 37:13. It will be a cloudy day, that is, dark and dismal, without the shining forth of any comfort; and it shall threaten a storm - fire, and brimstone, and a horrible tempest. It shall be the time of the heathen, of reckoning with the heathen for all their heathenish practices, that time which David spoke of when God would pour out his fury upon the heathen (Psa 79:6), when they should sink, Psa 9:15. II. It shall be the destruction of Egypt, and of all the states and countries in confederacy with her and in her neighbourhood. 1. Egypt herself shall fall (Eze 30:4): The sword shall come upon Egypt, the sword of the Chaldeans, and it shall be a victorious sword, for the slain shall fall in Egypt, fall by it, fall before it. Is the country populous? They shall take away her multitude. Is it strong, and well-fixed? Her foundations shall be broken down, and then the fabric, though built ever so fine, ever so high, will fall of course. 2. Her neighbours and inmates shall fall with her. When the slain fall so thickly in Egypt great pain shall be in Ethiopia, both that in Africa, which is in the neighbourhood of Egypt on one side, and that in Asia, which is near to it on the other side. When their neighbour's house was on fire they could not but apprehend their own in danger; nor were their fears groundless, for they shall all fall with them by the sword, Eze 30:5. Ethiopia and Libya (Cush and Phut, so the Hebrew names are, two of the sons of Ham who are mentioned, and Mizraim, that is, Egypt, between them, Gen 10:6), and the Lydians (who were famous archers, and are spoken of as confederates with Egypt, Jer 46:9), these shall fall with Egypt and Chub (the Chaldeans, the inhabitants of the inner Libya); these and others were the mingled people; there were those of all these and other countries who upon some account or other resided in Egypt, as did also the men of the land that is in league, some of the remains of the people of Israel and Judah, the children of the covenant, or league, as they are called (Act 3:25), the children of the promise, Gal 4:28. These sojourned in Egypt contrary to God's command, and these shall fall with them. Note, Those that will take their lot with God's enemies shall have their lot with them, yea, though they be in profession the men of the land that is in league with God. III. All that pretend to support the sinking interests of Egypt shall come down under her, shall come down with her (Eze 30:6): Those that uphold Egypt shall fall, and then Egypt must fall of course. See the justice of God; Egypt pretended to uphold Jerusalem when that was tottering, but proved a deceitful reed; and now those that pretended to uphold Egypt shall prove no better. Those that deceive others are commonly paid in their own coin; they are themselves deceived. 1. Does Egypt think herself upheld by the absolute authority and dominion of her king? The pride of her power shall come down, Eze 30:6. The power of the king of Egypt was his pride; but that shall be broken, and humbled. 2. Is the multitude of her people her support? These shall fall by the sword, even from the tower of Syene, which is in the utmost corner of the land, from that side of it by which the enemy shall enter. Both the countries and the cities, the husbandmen and the merchants, shall be desolate, Eze 30:7, as before, Eze 29:12. Even the multitude of Egypt shall be made to cease, Eze 30:10. That populous country shall be depopulated. The land shall be even filled with the slain, Eze 30:11. 3. Is the river Nile her support, and are the several channels of it a defence to her? "I will make the rivers dry (Eze 30:12), so that those natural fortifications which were thought impregnable, because impassable, shall stand them in no stead." 4. Are her idols a support to her? They shall be destroyed; those imaginary upholders shall appear more than ever to be imaginary, for so images are when they pretend to be deliverers and strongholds (Eze 30:13): I will cause their images to cease out of Noph. 5. Is her royal family her support? There shall be no more a prince in the land of Egypt; the royal family shall be extirpated and extinguished, which had continued so long. 6. Is her courage her support, and does she think to uphold herself by the bravery of her men of war, who have now of late been inured to service? That shall fail: I will put a fear in the land of Egypt. 7. Is the rising generation her support? is she upheld by her children, and does she think herself happy because she has her quiver full of them? Alas! the young men shall fall by the sword (Eze 30:17) and the daughters shall go into captivity (Eze 30:18), and so she shall be robbed of all her hopes. IV. God shall inflict these desolating judgments on Egypt (Eze 30:8): They shall know that I am the Lord, and greater than all gods, than all their gods, when I have set a fire in Egypt. The fire that consumes nations is of God's kindling; and, when he sets fire to a people, all their helpers shall be destroyed. Those that go about to quench the fire shall themselves be devoured by it; for who can stand before him when he is angry? When he pours out his fury upon a place, when he sets fire to it (Eze 30:15, Eze 30:16), neither its strength nor its multitude can stand it in any stead. V. The king of Babylon and his army shall be employed as instruments of this destruction: The multitude of Egypt shall be made to cease and be quite cut off by the hand of the king of Babylon, Eze 30:10. Those that undertook to protect Israel from the king of Babylon shall not be able to protect themselves. It is said of the Chaldeans, who should destroy Egypt, 1. That they are strangers (Eze 30:12), who therefore shall show no compassion for old acquaintance-sake, but shall behave strangely towards them. 2. That they are the terrible of the nations (Eze 30:11), both in respect of force and in respect of fierceness; and, being terrible, they shall make terrible work. (3.) That they are the wicked, who will not be restrained by reason and conscience, the laws of nature or the laws of nations, for they are without law: I will sell the land into the hand of the wicked. They do violence unjustly, as they are wicked; yet, so far as they are instruments in God's hand of executing his judgments, it is on his part justly done. Note, God often makes one wicked man a scourge to another; and even wicked men acquire a title to prey, jure belli - by the laws of war, for God sells it into their hands. VI. No place in the land of Egypt shall be exempted from the fury of the Chaldean army, not the strongest, not the remotest: The sword shall go through the land. Various places are here named: Pathros, Zoan, and No (Eze 30:14), Sin and Noph (Eze 30:15, Eze 30:16), Aven and Pi-beseth (Eze 30:17), and Tehaphnehes, Eze 30:18. These shall be made desolate, shall be fired, and God's judgments shall be executed upon them, and his fury poured out upon them. Their strength and multitude shall be cut off; they shall have great pain, shall be rent asunder with fear, and shall have distresses daily. Their day shall be darkened; their honours, comforts, and hopes, shall be extinguished. Their yokes shall be broken, so that they shall no more oppress and tyrannize as they have done. The pomp of their strength shall cease, and a cloud shall cover them, a cloud so thick that through it they shall not see any hopes, nor shall their glory be seen, or shine further. And, lastly, the Ethiopians, who are at a distance from them, as well as those who are mingled with them, shall share in their pain and terror. God will by his providence spread the rumour, and the careless Ethiopians shall be made afraid, Eze 30:9. Note, God can strike a terror upon those that are most secure; fearfulness shall, when he pleases, surprise the most presumptuous hypocrites. The close of this prediction leaves, 1. The land of Egypt mortified: Thus will I execute judgments on Egypt, Eze 30:19. The destruction of Egypt is the executing of judgments, which intimates not only that it is done justly, for its sins, but that it is done regularly and legally, by a judicial sentence. All the executions God does are according to his judgments. 2. The God of Israel herein glorified: They shall know that I am the Lord. The Egyptians shall be made to know it and the people of God shall be made to know it better. The Lord is known by the judgments which he executes.

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.

The word of the Lord came again unto me,.... Whether this prophecy was delivered about the time of that in the former part of the preceding chapter, namely, in the tenth year, tenth month, and twelfth day of it; or whether about the time that was which is recorded in the latter part of the chapter, in the seven and twentieth year of Jehoiachin's captivity, is not easy to say; I am inclined to think it was about the time of the latter, since the time of the fulfilment of it is said to be near, Eze 30:3, saying: as follows:

(Chapter 30, Verses 1 and following) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, prophesy and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Howl ye, woe, woe to the day: For the day is near, yea the day of the Lord is near, a day of cloud, the time of the nations shall be. And the sword shall come upon Egypt: and there shall be dread in Ethiopia, when the wounded shall fall in Egypt, and the multitude thereof shall be taken away, and the foundations thereof shall be destroyed. Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the rest of the people, and Chub, and the children of the land of the covenant, shall fall with them by the sword. Thus says the Lord God: The supports of Egypt shall fall, and the pride of her power shall come down; from Migdol to Syene they shall fall within her by the sword, says the Lord God. And they shall be desolate in the midst of the desolate countries, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are laid waste. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and all her helpers are destroyed. In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the confident Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, surely it is coming. Thus says the Lord God: I will make the multitude of Egypt cease by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He and his people with him, the most ruthless of nations, shall be brought to destroy the land. They shall draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain. I will make the rivers dry and sell the land into the hand of the wicked; I will make the land desolate and all that is in it, by the hand of foreigners. I, the Lord, have spoken. Thus says the Lord God: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the idols in Memphis. There will no longer be a ruler in the land of Egypt, and I will bring terror to the land of Egypt. I will destroy the land of Pathros and bring fire to Taphnis. I will bring judgment upon Alexandria and pour out my anger upon the stronghold of Egypt, Pelusium. I will kill the multitude of Alexandria and bring fire to Egypt. Pelusium will suffer like a woman in labor, and Alexandria will be laid waste, with daily distress in Memphis. The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastus (or Bugastus) will fall by the sword, and the captives themselves will be led away. And in Taphnis the day will darken, when I shatter the scepters of Egypt and the pride of its power fails in it. It will be covered by clouds, and its daughters will be led into captivity. And I will execute judgments on Egypt, and they will know that I am the Lord. LXX: And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the day! For the day is near, the day of the Lord is near; it will be a day of clouds, the end of the nations. And the sword shall come upon the Egyptians, and there will be turmoil in Ethiopia. And those wounded shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away its multitude, and its foundations shall be destroyed. Persians, and Cretans, and Lydians, and Libyans, and all the mixed peoples, and from the sons of my covenant they shall fall by the sword. Thus says the Lord God. And the supports of Egypt shall be cut down, and the pride of its strength shall come down from Migdol to Syene. They shall fall by the sword in it, says the Lord God. And it shall be desolated in the midst of the desolated regions, and its cities shall be in the midst of deserted cities, and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring fire upon Egypt, and all who support it are destroyed. In that day, messengers shall go forth from my presence, hastening to destroy the hope of Ethiopia, and there shall be great turmoil among them on the day of Egypt, for behold, it is coming. Thus says the Lord God. And I will destroy the multitude of Egyptians by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon himself, and his people with him, sent from the nations to destroy the land. And they will unsheath all their swords against Egypt, and the land will be filled with the wounded. And I will make their rivers desolate, and I will deliver the land into the hands of the wicked, and I will destroy the land and its abundance in the hands of foreigners. I, the Lord, have spoken. For thus says the Lord God: And I will destroy the abominations, and I will cause the officials of Memphis to fail, and the princes of the land of Egypt, and they will exist no longer. And I will bring terror to the land of Egypt, and I will destroy the land of Pathros, and I will bring fire upon Tahpanhes, and I will execute vengeance in Diospolis, and I will pour out my fury upon Sin, the stronghold of Egypt, and I will destroy the multitude of Memphis. And I will set fire to Egypt, and there will be a great commotion in Sais, and there will be a division in Diospolis, and the waters will be scattered. The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall by the sword, and the women will be taken captive, and in Taphnis the day will become dark when I break the scepters of Egypt there, and the strength of its power will be destroyed, and a cloud will cover it, and its daughters will be taken captive, and I will bring judgment on Egypt, and they will know that I am the Lord. After the twenty-seventh year of the captivity of King Joachim, we return to the present time when he began to prophesy against Egypt, that is, in the tenth year and the tenth month, on the eleventh day of the month. And the Lord commanded him to speak to all nations, and especially to Egypt. So what is it that he speaks? Howl, woe, woe to the day, for the day is near and the day of the Lord is approaching. It is not a bright shining sun, but a day covered with clouds, bringing a storm upon Babylon. And when the sword begins to devastate Egypt, there will be fear in Ethiopia, which is near Egypt, lest the Babylonian blade reach her even to herself. For the wounded will fall in Egypt, and its multitude will be taken away, and all its foundations will be destroyed, so that if someone from Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and from other various peoples is found in Egypt, and Chub, which Symmachus translates as Arabia, and from the sons of the covenant with the land, that is, from the people of the Jews, let them fall with that sword. For which nations, seventy were appointed: the Persians, and the Cretans, and the Lydians, and the Libyans, and all the mixed peoples, and the children of my covenant with the sword they will fall. And in order that we may know that all these nations were in aid of Egypt, the following speech demonstrates: And those supporting Egypt will collapse, that is, its allies, and all the pride of its empire, or the insult of its strength will be destroyed and deposed from the tower of Syene, which we said was located at the farthest borders of Egypt, or from Magdalo to Syene, as the seventy translated: all the cities of Egypt will be deserted, so that they may know the Lord, when the fire of the Chaldeans has devastated everything, and all his helpers have been worn down, and messengers have arrived near Aquila and Theodotion Siim, which Symmachus translated, hastening: we turn to the ships; for this is how we have received it from the Hebrews: so that all of Ethiopia's confidence may be crushed, and when the neighboring province has been laid waste, fear may grip the nearest. But in order that we may know who that sword is, which devastates Egypt and terrifies Ethiopia, it follows more clearly: And I will cause the multitude of Egypt to cease in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who shall not only come, but shall come with many accompanying nations, so that all of Egypt shall be filled with the blood of the slain, and the wrath of the Lord shall be so great that the channels of the rivers, that is, the canals of the Nile, shall be dried up to the ground, and the land shall be deserted in the hand of the pestilence, or the multitude of the worst men of Egypt. For my words cannot be in vain, and there will be such indignation that the images of Egypt will be dispersed and the idols of Memphis, which is still the capital of Egyptian superstition, will cease to exist, whether it be the nobles and leaders of Memphis or the whole land of Egypt. But such terror will possess all of Egypt that the whole land of Phatures will perish and fire will devastate Taphnis, or as the Septuagint translates it, Tanin. And he said, 'I will establish law courts in Alexandria, which is called so today. But it had the former name 'No', which Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion translated as it is in Hebrew. For this, I do not know why, the Seventy, wishing something, said 'Diospolis', which is a small city of Egypt. But we have placed 'No' for Alexandria, by anticipation, which is called 'prolepsis' in Greek, according to that Virgilian phrase (Aeneid, book IV): And I will pour out my indignation upon Sais, which we have turned into Pelusium, and it is called the strength of Egypt, because it has the safest harbor, and the sea trade is exercised there to the greatest extent. Hence the poet calls it 'lentil of Pelusium' (Virgil, Georgics I), not because this type of legume is produced there, or primarily there; but because it is brought from Thebes and all of Egypt through the Nile river to that place in large quantities. And he said, 'I will destroy the multitude of Alexandria, which is again situated in Hebrew No, not in Diospolis, but in Memphis, they transferred it to LXX. And to show that the city was populous at that time, he said, 'I will destroy the multitude of No (); and I will give fire, that is, the king of Babylon in Egypt, who will lay waste everything like fire. Sain, that is, Pelusium, will groan like a woman in labor: or it will be disturbed by turmoil; and in Alexandria, that is, in No, there will be a rupture, and the waters will be dispersed, for which they transferred it back to LXX Diospolis. However, it is the custom of the Egyptians, because of the flooding of the Nile, to build high embankments along the banks of the Nile. If these embankments are breached due to the negligence of the caretakers or the excessive magnitude of the water, the surrounding fields are not irrigated by water, but are instead overwhelmed and ravaged. This signifies that Egypt should be occupied by the Chaldean army in the same way that it is usually covered and corrupted by the overflowing waters of the Nile. Because of the flooding of the waters, and the breaking and breaching of the dikes, it is written in Hebrew: 'And there shall be daily distress in Memphis, where the Nile is divided, and where the temple of Apis is, and the oracles give their answers, there let daily distresses occur. The young men of Heliopolis, which in Hebrew is called On, and of Bubastis, another city, shall fall by the sword, so that the cities themselves, that is, their inhabitants or women, shall be taken into captivity, who are of the sex that is subject to harm.' But in Taphnis, which is the royal city, the scepters of Egypt, that is, the entire royal race, will be destroyed. And when its power, with the killing of the princes, is ended, then the day will darken, and all things will be filled with darkness and shadows, so that the city itself is covered in a cloud of sorrow and mourning, and its daughters, that is, the remaining towns, will be led into captivity. After I have executed judgments in Egypt and demonstrated that I am the judge of all, then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. We have described these elements as if for little children, so that they may be able to reach the reading of prose or poetry through letters, syllables, names, and the context of words. Now let us undertake anthropology and demonstrate, in a short like a painted picture, the very wide sea of discussion. The Word of the Lord, who was always in the Father, became a prophet, and He calls him not by his own name but the Son of Man. This is always understood in a good sense in the Holy Scriptures, specifically in the singular number, as in this same prophet, and in Daniel, and in the Gospel. Furthermore, the plural number is read in the opposite sense, as in this example: Sons of men, their teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue is a sharp sword (Psalm 56:5). And again: Sons of men, how long will you have heavy hearts? (Psalm 4:3). For the lion roars, and who will not be afraid? The Lord has spoken, and who will not prophesy? (Amos 3:8). Woe, woe to the day, says the Lord. For the day is near, and it approaches, says the Lord. It will be a day of clouds, a time or end of nations. Duplex consummatio est, aut generaliter omnium, quando finis advenerit, aut specialiter singulorum, quando tempus mortis institerit. Juxta autem dicitur, quia aeternitati comparatum, omne tempus breve est. Unde et Jacob centum et triginta annos quibus dixerat: pauci, inquit, et pessimi sunt dies mei (Gen. XLVII, 9) . Et Psalmista de universi generis humani fragilitate disputans, ait: Dies nostri quasi umbra pertransierunt (Ps. CXLIII, 4) . Considering this, we will not be lifted up by power, nor will we be incubating with wealth, nor will we rejoice in happiness, knowing that all things must quickly be taken away. And the beautiful day of the Lord is said to be when the conversation of the entire world will be destroyed, and with error removed, the truth will appear as one, and the days of clouds and mist. For no one, fearless and uncertain, awaits the judge without fear of judgment. And the time or end of the nations will not only be of the Egyptian nation, but of all nations, so that it may be made clear that prophesy applies to all nations. Following, a flaming sword will come to Egypt, a versatile sword, divine word, that will divide the good from the evil and consume the wicked with its fire. But in Egypt of this age, there will be fear in Ethiopia, those who stray through Egypt in the night of error and dwell in darkness, and whose darkness does not easily or at all turn to light. And those who have stood in wickedness will fall wounded in Egypt. And the multitude of Egypt will be taken away. For wide and spacious is the path that leads to death (Matthew 7:13). And its foundations will be destroyed, so that nothing of Egypt's former firmness remains: but with the desolate and worse foundations, let the foundation of Christ be laid, on which the Church will be built. For every plant that the heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted (Matthew 7). Hence Jeremiah is commanded to destroy what has been built, in order to build better things (Jeremiah 1). The Ethiopians, Libyans, and Lydians, or according to the Seventy, the Persians, Cretans, Lydians, Libyans, and Chub, that is, the Arabs, and all the remaining common people, whom the Seventy translated as hybrids and mixtures. All of these, due to the diversity of vices and the interpretation of names that we have placed in the vision of Tyre, we can understand as different nations. Hence, the Apostle says: You, he says, who are called Uncircumcision, Gentiles in the flesh (Ephesians 2:11). For never would He have said that the nations are flesh and that others are spirit, as in another place: 'Behold Israel according to the flesh.' Hence it must be provided with special care that we do not turn back in our hearts to Egypt, from which we once have come forth, and that we do not find ourselves among the other nations and perish by the sword. As it is said in what follows: 'The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastus shall fall by the sword.' This will happen especially when the sons of the earth of the covenant or Testament of Mine are struck with the sword, of whom it is written: 'Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who trust in horses and chariots.' (Isa. 31:1) But if the people of other nations are slaughtered in Egypt, how much more will the sons of the earth, the covenant and Testament of God, be contemptuous of the bread of Angels, the pumpkins, onions, garlic, and cucumbers of Egypt (Num. XI) . Then the supports and props of Egypt, which sustained it in wickedness, will fall, along with the clever arguments of dialecticians and the tricks of philosophers. Also, the contemptuous and proud empire will be destroyed, those who speak arrogantly and consider Ecclesiastical simplicity meaningless. For indeed, from the tower of Syene to those things which are at the furthest boundaries of Egypt, adjoining Ethiopia and the Blemmys: where the Nile is unnavigable and the clamor of cataracts, and everything is impassable and full of serpents and poisonous animals. But if, as we said above, 'Magdala' sounds forth magnificence and 'Syene' a circle, it is clear that the riches of Egypt and its insolent power and magnificence, that is, boasting and exaltation, perish by force even to the circle of Egypt, where nothing is stable; rather, it turns in an uncertain course and reaches ruin. Then the cities of Egypt will be scattered, and the land will be deserted, and no assembly will remain, having any firmness, so that at the end of things they may know that He Himself is the Lord, when He sends fire into Egypt, which the Lord desires to burn, like hay, wood, and straw, which have been built upon the foundation of Christ, and all helpers of perverse doctrines will be crushed. From this it is to be understood that the knowledge of a false name, and those of whom it is written: Scatter the nations that desire war (Ps. LXVII, 32), are called partners and helpers of Egypt. On that day, they say, those messengers will go forth from the face of God, of whom it is written in the Gospel: Their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 18:20). And in the parable of the sower, the reapers are angels, that is, those who are messengers, are sent to gather all scandals and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Ibid. 13). And they will hasten to fulfill the command in order to deter or crush the confidence of Ethiopia, who have reached the highest peak of wickedness, so that Ethiopia may be crushed in the overthrow of Egypt, and may fear, because it is the day of the Lord's vengeance and vindication, when the darkness of sinners will flee and the light of virtues will remain. And he says, 'I will make the multitude of Egypt cease in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to whom they were delivered to be punished. For he is the enemy and avenger who also received a reward, because he served in the conquest of Tyre, the multitude of Egypt, so that many in Egypt may cease who have always been there. But if anyone opposes, how can it be said in Deuteronomy: Your fathers descended to Egypt with seventy souls, but now you have become as numerous as the stars of heaven (Deut. X, 22): it is easily solved.' For He did not establish an example of the earthly multitude, but of the heavenly, which shines with virtues and is full of light, above which the bravest of nations, bring brought by the Lord, are proclaimed, so that they may scatter the earth, on behalf of whom the Seventy interpreters of plagues were sent. Which I do not know how it is consistent with those who are brought by the Lord, unless perhaps according to that example, the sending in of the very worst angels (Psalm 77:19): who will unsheath their swords upon Egypt, and will fill the land with the slain or the wounded, so that they may feel themselves to have been killed and wounded, and to such an extent Egypt is destroyed and has fallen into nothingness, that all the rivers of eloquence by which the errors of the Egyptians were washed away, with reeds and a pen, should dry up and be handed over into the hands of the worst, who may torment them, and the fullness of the land of Egypt, which had grown in evil, may be blotted out in the hands of foreign gods. For neither good, but wicked angels are put in charge of torments. It is necessary for them to know that the Lord has spoken. This is frequently assumed so that those who hear may know that these are not the words of prophets, but of the Lord, whose commandments cannot be nullified. It follows: And I will destroy the idols, which are abominations. The Seventy translated it: And I will cause the idols or the chief men of Memphis to cease, and the leader or prince in the land of Egypt will no longer exist. For it is the very character of the most merciful Lord to overthrow what is falsely constructed, so that no likeness which feigns the image of truth may remain in Egypt. Let the nobles of Memphis also perish, which is interpreted from the mouth; concerning which all the idols have been set up, so that with their heads cut off and the masters of the idols destroyed, there may be no ruler in Egypt, and all Egypt may be filled with terror and destruction. Concerning its cities, it is said: And I will destroy the land of Pathros, and I will bring fire upon Taphnehes, or upon Tanis, and I will execute judgments in No, which the Seventy translated as Diospolis; and I will pour out my indignation upon Zoan, the stronghold of Egypt. Phatures is interpreted as the crushing of bread; Taphnis, a humble command; Diospolis, for which the name Noah is given in Hebrew, is rest. Sain, temptation: by these names, the various gatherings of heretics and all forms of lies are revealed: those who trample upon the bread of the Church and despise it, and follow a humble commandment that does not lead to heavenly things, and indulge in pleasures, and are at rest; such as the rich purple-clad man we read about in the Gospel (Luke 16); and they serve the tempters: one of whom sought from the Lord the power to tempt Job. The Lord will destroy and burn all these things, and He will pour out His indignation over them, and He will scatter the strength of Egypt, so that they are reduced to nothing and no longer trouble the people of God, and make them rely on their own help; so that, having forsaken the truth, they may seek falsehood, and be wounded by their own support, just as one is injured by a reed staff. After this, it is said: 'And I will kill or destroy the multitude of Memphis, for which in Hebrew is called No, which the same Seventy translators have rendered as Diospolis, which means 'rest'.' For there are many who seek rest, and desire to lie on ivory beds, and to eat suckling lambs. Or, according to the Seventy, who are translated as Mempheos, there are many who talk in riddles: Take the splinter out of your eye, when they themselves have a beam in their own. And there is fire given in Egypt, which consumes verbosity and luxuries with its ardor. All temptation will grieve, and in Diospolis, which is again not put in Hebrew as No, there will be a tearing apart; so that waters may be poured out and every wicked assembly may be scattered, and may perish here and there. And according to the Hebrew in Memphis, there will be daily distress, as they will give an account for every idle word, so that they may understand that nothing of their Lord's judgment will pass by. The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastus will also fall by the sword. Heliopolis is called On in Hebrew, which means sorrow. But Bubastus, according to the Egyptian language, is an experience of the mouth. All of these who were unable to bear the pain of the world, but sought after the delights of Diospolis, and trusted in their flowery words and debated against other doctrines, will have the victories of their speech cut down by the sword of God's word; and those who are not young men, but are called women due to the weakness of their minds, will be led captive. Whether the cities themselves, with their boastful sorrows and jaws, will be led into captivity. And in Taphnis, he says, the day will turn black. Taphnae, according to interpretation, means yielding to the jaw, and it is understood to refer to the devil: those who yield to him will lose the light of truth, and they will transform day into night, and they will feel that the scepters of Egypt and all authority have been shattered in Taphnis, so that its contemptible strength or the pride of its power may fail, and the rays of the sun's justice may be blinded in a cloud, and not women, but daughters will be led into captivity; and the Lord will bring about not one judgment, but many judgments in Egypt. For just as there are many dwelling places for the righteous with the Father, so too there are different judgments for the punishments of Egypt, so that when all these things have been done, the Egyptians may recognize that He Himself is the Lord, whose true judgments are justified in themselves.

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.

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

Announcement of the judgment upon Egypt and its allies. - Eze 30:1. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Eze 30:2. Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Howl ye! Woe to the day! Eze 30:3. For the day is near, the day of Jehovah near, a day of cloud, the time of the heathen will it be. Eze 30:4. And the sword will come upon Egypt, and there will be pangs in Ethiopia, when the slain fall in Egypt, and they take her possessions, and her foundations are destroyed. Eze 30:5. Ethiopians and Libyans and Lydians, and all the rabble, and Chub, and the sons of the covenant land, will fall by the sword with them. - In the announcement of the judgment in Eze 30:2 and Eze 30:3, Ezekiel rests upon Joe 1:13, Joe 1:15, and Joe 2:2, where the designation already applied to the judgment upon the heathen world by Obadiah, viz., "the day of Jehovah" (Oba 1:15), is followed by such a picture of the nearness and terrible nature of that day, that even Isaiah (Isa 13:6, Isa 13:9) and Zephaniah (Zep 1:7, Zep 1:14) appropriate the words of Joel. Ezekiel also does the same, with this exception, that he uses ההּ instead of אההּ, and adds to the force of the expression by the repetition of קרוב יום. In Eze 30:3, the words from יום ענן to יהיה are not to be taken together as forming one sentence, "a day of cloud will the time of the nations be" (De Wette), because the idea of a "time of the nations" has not been mentioned before, so as to prepare the way for a description of its real nature here. יום ענן and עת גּוים contain two co-ordinate affirmations concerning the day of Jehovah. It will be a day of cloud, i.e., of great calamity (as in Joe 2:2), and a time of the heathen, i.e., when heathen (גּוים without the article) are judged, when their might is to be shattered (cf. Isa 13:22). This day is coming upon Egypt, which is to succumb to the sword. Ethiopia will be so terrified at this, that it will writhe convulsively with anguish (חלחלה, as in Nah 2:11 and Isa 21:3). לקח המנהּ signifies the plundering and removal of the possessions of the land, like נשׂא המנהּ in Eze 29:19. The subject to לקחוּ is indefinite, "they," i.e., the enemy. The foundations of Egypt, which are to be destroyed, are not the foundations of its buildings, but may be understood in a figurative sense as relating to persons, after the analogy of Isa 19:10; but the notion that Cush, Phut, etc. (Eze 30:9), i.e., the mercenary troops obtained from those places, which are called the props of Egypt in Eze 30:6, are intended, as Hitzig assumes, is not only extremely improbable, but decidedly erroneous. The announcement in Eze 30:6, that Cush, Phut, etc., are to fall by the sword along with the Egyptians (אתּם), is sufficient of itself to show that these tribes, even if they were auxiliaries or mercenaries of Egypt, did not constitute the foundations of the Egyptian state and kingdom; but that, on the contrary, Egypt possessed a military force composed of native troops, which was simply strengthened by auxiliaries and allies. We there interpret יסדותיה, after the analogy of Psa 11:3 and Psa 82:5, as referring to the real foundations of the state, the regulations and institutions on which the stability and prosperity of the kingdom rest. The neighbouring, friendly, and allied peoples will also be smitten by the judgment together with the Egyptians. Cush, i.e., the Ethiopians, Phut and Lud, i.e., the Libyans and African Lydians (see the comm. on Eze 27:10), are mentioned here primarily as auxiliaries of Egypt, because, according to Jer 46:9, they served in Necho's army. By כּל־הערב, the whole of the mixed crowd (see the comm. on Kg1 10:15 - πάντες οἱ ἐπίμικτοι, lxx), we are then to understand the mercenary soldiers in the Egyptian army, which were obtained from different nations (chiefly Greeks, Ionians, and Carians, οἱ επίκουροι, as they are called by Herodotus, iii. 4, etc.). In addition to these, כּוּב ,eseht (ἁπ λεγ.) is also mentioned. Hvernick connects this name with the people of Kufa, so frequently met with on the Egyptian monuments. But, according to Wilkinson (Manners, etc., I 1, pp. 361ff.), they inhabited a portion of Asia farther north even than Palestine; and he ranks them (p. 379) among the enemies of Egypt. Hitzig therefore imagines that Kufa is probably to be found in Kohistan, a district of Media, from which, however, the Egyptians can hardly have obtained mercenary troops. And so long as nothing certain can be gathered from the advancing Egyptological researches with regard to the name Cub, the conjecture that כּוּב is a mis-spelling for לוּב is not to be absolutely set aside, the more especially as this conjecture is naturally suggested by the לוּבים of Nah 3:9 and Ch2 16:8, and the form לוּב by the side of לוּבים is analogous to לוּד by the side of לוּדים in Jer 46:9, whilst the Liby-Aegyptii of the ancients, who are to be understood by the term לוּבים (see the comm. on Gen 10:13), would be quite in keeping here. On the other hand, the conjecture offered by Gesenius (Thes. p. 664), viz., נוּב, Nubia, has but a very weak support in the Arabic translator; and the supposition that לוּב may have been the earlier Hebrew form for Nubia (Hitzig), is destitute of any solid foundation. Maurer suggests Cob, a city (municipium) of Mauretania, in the Itiner. Anton. p. 17, ed. Wessel. - The following expression, "sons of the covenant land," is also obscure. Hitzig has correctly observed, that it cannot be synonymous with בּעלי , their allies. But we certainly cannot admit that the covenant land (made definite by the article) is Canaan, the Holy Land (Hitzig and Kliefoth); although Jerome writes without reserve, de filiis terrae foederis, i.e., de populo Judaeorum; and the lxx in their translation, καὶ τῶν υιῶν τῆς διαθήκης μου, undoubtedly thought of the Jews, who fled to Egypt, according to Theodoret's exposition, along with Jeremiah after the destruction of Jerusalem and the murder of the governor Gedaliah, for fear of the vengeance of the Chaldeans (Jer 42-43, and 44). For the application of the expression "land of the covenant" to the Holy Land is never met with either in the Old or New Testament, and cannot be inferred, as Hitzig supposes, from Psa 74:20 and Dan 11:28, or supported in any way from either the epithet "the land of promise" in Heb 11:9, or from Act 3:25, where Peter calls the Jews "the children of the prophets and of the covenant." We therefore agree with Schmieder in regarding ארץ as signifying a definite region, though one unknown to us, in the vicinity of Egypt, which was inhabited by a tribe that was independent of the Egyptians, yet bound to render help in time of war.