Ezekiel 29

In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

“Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.

Speak and say, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the middle of his rivers, that has said, ‘My river is my own, and I have made it for myself.’

I will put hooks in your jaws, and I will make the fish of your rivers stick to your scales. I will bring you up out of the middle of your rivers, with all the fish of your rivers which stick to your scales.

I’ll cast you out into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers. You’ll fall on the open field. You won’t be brought together or gathered. I have given you for food to the animals of the earth and to the birds of the sky.

“‘“All the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.

When they took hold of you by your hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders. When they leaned on you, you broke and paralyzed all of their thighs.”

“‘Therefore the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I will bring a sword on you, and will cut off man and animal from you.

The land of Egypt will be a desolation and a waste. Then they will know that I am the LORD. “‘“Because he has said, ‘The river is mine, and I have made it,’

therefore, behold, I am against you and against your rivers. I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from the tower of Seveneh even to the border of Ethiopia.

No foot of man will pass through it, nor will any animal foot pass through it. It won’t be inhabited for forty years.

I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the middle of the countries that are desolate. Her cities among the cities that are laid waste will be a desolation forty years. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.”

“‘For the Lord GOD says: “At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples where they were scattered.

I will reverse the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their birth. There they will be a lowly kingdom.

It will be the lowest of the kingdoms. It won’t lift itself up above the nations any more. I will diminish them so that they will no longer rule over the nations.

It will no longer be the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity to memory, when they turn to look after them. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.”’”

It came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was worn; yet he had no wages, nor did his army, from Tyre, for the service that he had served against it.

Therefore the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He will carry off her multitude, take her plunder, and take her prey. That will be the wages for his army.

I have given him the land of Egypt as his payment for which he served, because they worked for me,’ says the Lord GOD.

“In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview. This chapter presents a divine oracle against Pharaoh and all Egypt, declaring God’s judgment on the nation for its pride and misplaced self-reliance, particularly embodied in the imagery of a mighty river monster. The prophecy unfolds with a pronouncement of desolation lasting forty years, followed by partial restoration, and concludes with a note of hope for Israel’s future exaltation.

Flow.

Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy against Pharaoh, symbolized as a great dragon lying in the Nile, who boasts, “The river is mine, and I have made it” (v. 3).
God declares He will judge Egypt by casting Pharaoh and the nation into the wilderness like a fish hauled from the river, left unburied and devoured by animals (vv. 4–5).
The judgment extends to the entire land: Egypt will become a wasteland for forty years, scattered among the nations (vv. 8–12), though a limited restoration is promised afterward (vv. 13–16).
The prophecy closes with a revelation that Nebuchadnezzar will be rewarded with Egypt for his service against Tyre, and a future hope for Israel’s revival is signaled by the sprouting of a horn (vv. 17–21).

Connections. Following chapter 28, which concludes with judgments against the king of Tyre and the anointed cherub imagery, chapter 29 shifts focus to Egypt, continuing the series of oracles against foreign nations (chapters 25–32). The pride of Pharaoh parallels the pride of the rulers before him, especially in their self-deification and reliance on their own power. The mention of Nebuchadnezzar’s reward in verse 19 links back to earlier prophecies about Babylon’s rise as God’s instrument (e.g., WCF 5.7), while the promise of a horn for Israel prepares the reader for the restoration themes in later chapters, particularly the visions of the renewed temple and land in chapters 40–48.

What it teaches. God asserts His sovereign control over nations, judging arrogance and self-sufficiency, especially when such pride leads to deception of others (Egypt as a "broken reed" to Israel, WCF 3.7, 5.4). The imagery of the Nile as a creature reflects the biblical theme of chaotic powers subdued by divine authority (cf. ), and the forty-year desolation recalls periods of divine discipline in Israel’s history (cf. HC LD 9). The eventual restoration of Egypt, though as a lowly kingdom, shows God’s restraint and purpose in judgment (WCF 5.6), while the promise of a horn for Israel signals the eventual fulfillment of covenant hope (; cf. WCF 8.6).

Apply. When worldly powers collapse under the weight of their own pride, God’s people are given fresh occasion to trust His promises.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.