Ezekiel 32

King James Version

Full text for Ezekiel Chapter 32

1¶ 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,

2Son 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.

3Thus 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.

4Then 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.

5And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height.

6I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, [even] to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.

7And 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.

8All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.

9I 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.

10Yea, 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.

11For thus saith the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee.

12By 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.

13I 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.

14Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord GOD.

15When 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.

16This [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.

17¶ 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,

18Son 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.

19Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.

20They 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.

21The 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.

22Asshur [is] there and all her company: his graves [are] about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:

23Whose 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.

24There [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.

25They 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.

26There [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.

27And 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.

28Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with [them that are] slain with the sword.

29There [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.

30There [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.

31Pharaoh 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.

32For 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.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Ezekiel is commanded to lament for Pharaoh and Egypt, prophesying their violent destruction by the sword of Babylon, leading to widespread desolation and darkness. The Lord declares that Egypt, once mighty, will be cast down and consumed, its fall serving as a terrifying spectacle to other nations. Furthermore, Egypt's multitude will descend into the pit of Sheol, joining other uncircumcised nations already slain by the sword, bearing their shame in the nether parts of the earth.

Medium Summary

The chapter opens with a lamentation for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, comparing him to a fearsome but ultimately snared beast whose dominion will be violently ended. The Lord declares His intention to ensnare Pharaoh with a net of many people, casting him forth to be devoured by birds and beasts, and his land to be watered with his blood. This divine judgment will be accompanied by cosmic signs, as the heavens will be darkened over Egypt's destruction, causing terror and amazement among other nations and their kings. The instrument of this destruction is identified as the sword of the king of Babylon, which will utterly spoil Egypt's pomp and destroy its multitude. The land will be made desolate, its rivers flowing like oil in a state of quiet ruin, so that all will know the Lord's power. A second prophecy then details Egypt's descent into the netherworld, where it will join a company of other once-mighty, uncircumcised nations like Asshur, Elam, Meshech, Tubal, Edom, and Zidon. Pharaoh and his army will lie among those slain by the sword, bearing their shame in the pit, finding a grim comfort in their shared fate, as a testament to God's terror in the land of the living.

Long Summary

Ezekiel 32 presents two distinct but related prophecies concerning the downfall of Egypt and its Pharaoh. The first, given in the twelfth year, twelfth month, commands Ezekiel to take up a lamentation for Pharaoh, likening him to a young lion among nations and a whale troubling the seas. The Lord declares His intent to spread a net over Pharaoh, bringing him up to be cast upon the land, where his flesh will become food for the fowls of heaven and beasts of the earth, and his blood will water the mountains. This catastrophic judgment will be marked by cosmic darkness, as the sun, moon, and stars will be obscured, setting darkness upon Egypt's land. The destruction of Egypt will cause great vexation and terror among many nations and their kings, who will tremble at the brandishing of God's sword. The instrument of this divine wrath is revealed to be the sword of the king of Babylon, which will utterly destroy Egypt's multitude and spoil its former glory. The land will be rendered desolate, its waters made deep and its rivers caused to run like oil, signifying a profound and lasting ruin, through which the inhabitants will come to know the Lord. This lamentation, prophesied to be sung by the daughters of the nations, underscores the complete and public nature of Egypt's fall. The second prophecy, delivered shortly after, in the twelfth year, fifteenth day, further details Egypt's fate in the afterlife. Ezekiel is commanded to wail for Egypt's multitude and cast them down to the nether parts of the earth, into the pit, alongside the uncircumcised slain by the sword. Despite its former beauty, Egypt will be laid low, joining a grim assembly in Sheol. There, the strong among the mighty, already fallen, will speak to Pharaoh, acknowledging his arrival among them. The text then enumerates various nations already residing in this subterranean realm, including Asshur (Assyria), Elam, Meshech, Tubal, Edom, and the princes of the north and Zidonians. All these nations, once formidable and causing terror in the land of the living, are now described as uncircumcised, slain by the sword, and bearing their shame in the pit, their graves surrounding them. Pharaoh and his entire army will be laid in the midst of these uncircumcised slain, finding a somber comfort in the shared fate of the once-powerful. This ultimate descent into the pit serves as a final testament to the Lord God's terror manifested in the land of the living, ensuring that Pharaoh and his multitude will share the ignominious end of other proud, uncircumcised nations.

Core Concepts

  • Divine Judgment on EgyptThe Lord's direct intervention to bring about the destruction of Pharaoh and Egypt, using the king of Babylon as His instrument, demonstrating His sovereignty over nations.
  • Lamentation and ProphecyThe command for Ezekiel to compose and deliver a dirge for Egypt, serving as both a prophetic announcement of its impending doom and a mournful reflection on its fall.
  • Cosmic and Natural DesolationThe prophecy describes not only the destruction of human life but also the darkening of the heavens and the desolation of the land, signifying the profound and far-reaching impact of God's judgment.
  • Descent into SheolEgypt's ultimate fate is depicted as a descent into the netherworld (the pit/hell), where it joins other uncircumcised nations already slain by the sword, emphasizing a shared, ignominious end for the proud.
  • The Uncircumcised in the PitA recurring motif highlighting the spiritual status and fate of nations outside of God's covenant, who, despite their earthly might, lie in shame among the slain in the underworld.
  • Terror of the LordThe chapter repeatedly emphasizes that the destruction of Egypt and the fate of other nations in the pit are a manifestation of the Lord God's terror, intended to make all know His power and authority.
  • Shared Fate of Proud NationsPharaoh finds a grim 'comfort' in seeing other once-mighty nations like Asshur, Elam, and Edom already in the pit, underscoring that pride and earthly power ultimately lead to a common, inglorious end under divine judgment.