Ezekiel 30 Study Notes: Egypt’s Day of Doom
Ezekiel announces that the LORD’s day of judgment is near for Egypt, when its allies will fall with it and Babylon’s ruthless army will lay the land waste. God will destroy Egypt’s idols, break Pharaoh’s arms, strengthen Babylon’s king, and scatter the Egyptians so they recognize Him as the LORD.
General
What does Ezekiel announce is near at the start of Ezekiel 30?
Answer: The LORD’s day of judgment, dark for the nations
God told Ezekiel to cry out a call to wail over a coming day. It was close at hand: the LORD’s own day, a cloudy, gloomy day, a time of ruin for the nations (30:2-3). This day means a time when God Himself steps in to judge. Here it would fall on Egypt: a sword would come against it, its people would be slain, its wealth carried off, and its foundations torn down (30:4). Other prophets used the same language. Obadiah says the LORD’s day is close at hand for every nation (Obadiah 1:15), and Isaiah calls for wailing because that day is near and brings ruin sent by the Almighty (Isaiah 13:6). Isaiah also says the LORD’s day is set against everything proud and lofty (Isaiah 2:12), and Egypt’s pride was exactly what God was judging.
- Ezekiel 30:2-4 (BSB)““Son of man, prophesy and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Wail, ‘Alas for that day!’ For the day is near, the Day of the LORD is near. It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. A sword will come against Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush when the slain fall in Egypt, its wealth is taken away, and its foundations are torn down.”Ezekiel is to raise a wail because the LORD’s day is at hand, dark and ruinous for the nations, with a sword coming on Egypt.
- Obadiah 1:15 (BSB)“For the Day of the LORD is near for all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your recompense will return upon your own head.”Obadiah also says the LORD’s day is close at hand for every nation.
- Isaiah 13:6 (BSB)“Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty.”Isaiah summons a wail because the LORD’s day is close and brings ruin sent by the Almighty.
- Isaiah 2:12 (BSB)“For the Day of the LORD of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled—”The LORD’s day is set against all human pride and arrogance, to humble it.
Theological
What does Ezekiel proclaim to be near at the opening of Ezekiel 30?
Answer: The LORD’s day of judgment, dark for the nations
The oracle opens with a summons to lament: the LORD’s day is at hand, clouded and dark, a season of ruin for the nations (30:2-3). It is God’s decisive intervention in judgment, and here it falls on Egypt: the sword, the slain, wealth taken, foundations torn down (30:4). The language is shared across the prophets. Obadiah declares the LORD’s day close at hand for every nation (Obadiah 1:15); Isaiah summons wailing because that day brings ruin sent by the Almighty (Isaiah 13:6); and Isaiah also sets the day against everything proud and lofty (Isaiah 2:12), which identifies the target here. Each historical day of the LORD against a nation testifies that the whole world stands accountable to His judgment.
- Ezekiel 30:2-4 (BSB)““Son of man, prophesy and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Wail, ‘Alas for that day!’ For the day is near, the Day of the LORD is near. It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. A sword will come against Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush when the slain fall in Egypt, its wealth is taken away, and its foundations are torn down.”Ezekiel is to raise a wail because the LORD’s day is at hand, dark and ruinous for the nations, with a sword coming on Egypt.
- Obadiah 1:15 (BSB)“For the Day of the LORD is near for all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your recompense will return upon your own head.”Obadiah also says the LORD’s day is close at hand for every nation.
- Isaiah 13:6 (BSB)“Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty.”Isaiah summons a wail because the LORD’s day is close and brings ruin sent by the Almighty.
- Isaiah 2:12 (BSB)“For the Day of the LORD of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled—”The LORD’s day is set against all human pride and arrogance, to humble it.
General
True or False: The LORD says Egypt’s allies and helpers would escape while Egypt itself fell (Ezekiel 30:4-8).
Answer: False
This is false. God says the peoples allied with Egypt would be cut down together with Egypt (30:5). Those who propped Egypt up would fall, and its proud strength would come down (30:6). When God set Egypt on fire, every one of its supporters would be broken, and then they would recognize Him as the LORD (30:8). Egypt’s alliances could not protect it, and joining Egypt could not protect anyone else. Isaiah says the same: once the LORD raises His hand against them, the helper stumbles and the one being helped falls, and both perish together (Isaiah 31:3). A psalm says kings are not rescued by large armies or great might (Psalm 33:16-17).
- Ezekiel 30:6 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD says: The allies of Egypt will fall, and her proud strength will collapse. From Migdol to Syene they will fall by the sword within her, declares the Lord GOD.”Egypt’s supporters will go down with her, and the strength she boasted in will come to an end.
- Ezekiel 30:8 (BSB)“Then they will know that I am the LORD when I set fire to Egypt and all her helpers are shattered.”When God sets Egypt ablaze and every one of her helpers is broken, they will recognize Him as the LORD.
- Isaiah 31:3 (BSB)“But the Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, the helper will stumble, and the one he helps will fall; both will perish together.”Once the LORD acts, Egypt the helper and those it helps stumble and perish side by side.
- Psalm 33:16-17 (BSB)“No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.”A great army cannot rescue a king, and great might cannot save a warrior.
Theological
True or False: The LORD declares that Egypt’s allies and supporters would be spared while Egypt itself fell (Ezekiel 30:4-8).
Answer: False
This is false. Egypt’s allies share its fate: they fall with it by the sword (30:5); those who prop Egypt up fall, and its proud strength comes down (30:6); and when the LORD sets Egypt ablaze, every one of its supporters is broken, issuing in the recognition that He is the LORD (30:8). Coalitions offer no refuge from divine judgment. Isaiah states the principle exactly: once the LORD raises His hand, helper and helped stumble and perish together (Isaiah 31:3). The psalmist adds that no ruler is delivered by the size of his army (Psalm 33:16-17). Security sought in human alliances against God multiplies the ruin.
- Ezekiel 30:6 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD says: The allies of Egypt will fall, and her proud strength will collapse. From Migdol to Syene they will fall by the sword within her, declares the Lord GOD.”Egypt’s supporters will go down with her, and the strength she boasted in will come to an end.
- Ezekiel 30:8 (BSB)“Then they will know that I am the LORD when I set fire to Egypt and all her helpers are shattered.”When God sets Egypt ablaze and every one of her helpers is broken, they will recognize Him as the LORD.
- Isaiah 31:3 (BSB)“But the Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, the helper will stumble, and the one he helps will fall; both will perish together.”Once the LORD acts, Egypt the helper and those it helps stumble and perish side by side.
- Psalm 33:16-17 (BSB)“No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.”A great army cannot rescue a king, and great might cannot save a warrior.
General
True or False: The LORD says He will destroy Egypt’s idols and that Egypt will be left without a prince (Ezekiel 30:13).
Answer: True
This is true. God’s judgment on Egypt reached its religion as well as its armies. He would destroy its idols and abolish its images, no prince would remain in Egypt, and He would bring terror on the land (30:13). Idols are statues or objects that people worship as gods. Egypt’s gods could not protect it, because they were not gods at all. This had happened before: at the exodus, God judged every one of Egypt’s gods (Exodus 12:12). Isaiah pictures Egypt’s idols trembling when the LORD comes (Isaiah 19:1). The many cities named in 30:13-19 all lie under the same judgment, so that Egypt would recognize Him as the LORD (30:19).
- Ezekiel 30:13 (BSB)“This is what the Lord GOD says: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis. There will no longer be a prince in Egypt, and I will instill fear in that land.”God will destroy Egypt’s idols and images, leave it without a prince, and put fear in the land.
- Exodus 12:12 (BSB)“On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.”At the exodus God executed judgment against all the gods of Egypt.
- Isaiah 19:1 (BSB)“This is the burden against Egypt: Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud; He is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them.”Isaiah pictures the idols of Egypt trembling as the LORD comes to Egypt.
Theological
True or False: The LORD declares that He will destroy Egypt’s idols and leave Egypt without a prince (Ezekiel 30:13).
Answer: True
This is true. The judgment strikes Egypt’s religious and political foundations together: the idols destroyed, the images abolished, no prince left, and terror brought upon the country (30:13). The gods in whom Egypt trusted prove powerless before the living God. The oracle recalls the exodus, when the LORD executed judgment on every one of Egypt’s gods (Exodus 12:12), and parallels Isaiah’s picture of Egypt’s idols trembling at the LORD’s approach (Isaiah 19:1). The catalog of cities in 30:13-19 extends the same sentence throughout the land, ending in Egypt’s knowing that He is the LORD (30:19). Idolatry is exposed not by argument but by the judgment of the only true God.
- Ezekiel 30:13 (BSB)“This is what the Lord GOD says: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis. There will no longer be a prince in Egypt, and I will instill fear in that land.”God will destroy Egypt’s idols and images, leave it without a prince, and put fear in the land.
- Exodus 12:12 (BSB)“On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.”At the exodus God executed judgment against all the gods of Egypt.
- Isaiah 19:1 (BSB)“This is the burden against Egypt: Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud; He is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them.”Isaiah pictures the idols of Egypt trembling as the LORD comes to Egypt.
General
Through whom does the LORD say He will destroy Egypt’s multitudes (Ezekiel 30:10-12)?
Answer: Babylon’s ruthless king and his armies
God says He will finish off Egypt’s crowds through Babylon’s king, Nebuchadnezzar (30:10). His army, the cruelest of the nations, would come to lay the land waste and fill it with the dead (30:11). Yet the real actor is God: He would dry up the streams, sell the land into evil hands, and make it desolate through foreign invaders. The LORD had spoken (30:12). Babylon was God’s tool for judgment. Jeremiah also says God would send His servant Nebuchadnezzar to strike Egypt (Jeremiah 43:10-11). Habakkuk records God raising up the ruthless Chaldeans, another name for the Babylonians (Habakkuk 1:6), and Isaiah pictures Assyria as a rod wielded in God’s anger (Isaiah 10:5). God rules over the nations and uses even fierce empires for His purposes.
- Ezekiel 30:10-11 (BSB)“This is what the Lord GOD says: I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He and his people with him, the most ruthless of the nations, will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.”God will end Egypt’s hordes by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, whose ruthless people will fill the land with the slain.
- Ezekiel 30:12 (BSB)“I will make the streams dry up and sell the land to the wicked. By the hands of foreigners I will bring desolation upon the land and everything in it. I, the LORD, have spoken.”God will dry up the streams and bring desolation through foreigners; the LORD has spoken.
- Jeremiah 43:10-11 (BSB)“Then tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones that I have embedded, and he will spread his royal pavilion over them. He will come and strike down the land of Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword.”Jeremiah also announces that God will send His servant Nebuchadnezzar to strike Egypt.
- Habakkuk 1:6 (BSB)“For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans—that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own.”God says He is stirring up the fierce Chaldean nation, showing that He directs even a ruthless people.
- Isaiah 10:5 (BSB)“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath.”God calls Assyria the rod of His anger, the same pattern of a nation serving as His instrument.
Theological
By whose agency does the LORD say He will bring Egypt’s multitudes to an end (Ezekiel 30:10-12)?
Answer: Babylon’s ruthless king and his armies
The instrument is named: Babylon’s king Nebuchadnezzar, with his people, the cruelest of the nations, coming to lay the land waste and fill it with the dead (30:10-11). Yet every verb of ultimate agency belongs to the LORD: He brings them, dries up the streams, sells the land into the hand of evildoers, and makes it desolate through foreign invaders, and He has spoken (30:12). Primary and secondary causes are held together. Jeremiah likewise announces God sending His servant Nebuchadnezzar against Egypt (Jeremiah 43:10-11); Habakkuk records the LORD raising up the ruthless Chaldeans (Habakkuk 1:6); Isaiah pictures Assyria as a rod wielded in His anger (Isaiah 10:5). The empires remain accountable for their cruelty, yet they serve the counsel of the One who rules them.
- Ezekiel 30:10-11 (BSB)“This is what the Lord GOD says: I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He and his people with him, the most ruthless of the nations, will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.”God will end Egypt’s hordes by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, whose ruthless people will fill the land with the slain.
- Ezekiel 30:12 (BSB)“I will make the streams dry up and sell the land to the wicked. By the hands of foreigners I will bring desolation upon the land and everything in it. I, the LORD, have spoken.”God will dry up the streams and bring desolation through foreigners; the LORD has spoken.
- Jeremiah 43:10-11 (BSB)“Then tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones that I have embedded, and he will spread his royal pavilion over them. He will come and strike down the land of Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword.”Jeremiah also announces that God will send His servant Nebuchadnezzar to strike Egypt.
- Habakkuk 1:6 (BSB)“For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans—that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own.”God says He is stirring up the fierce Chaldean nation, showing that He directs even a ruthless people.
- Isaiah 10:5 (BSB)“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath.”God calls Assyria the rod of His anger, the same pattern of a nation serving as His instrument.
General
What does the LORD say He will do to Pharaoh’s arms and to Babylon’s ruler (Ezekiel 30:20-26)?
Answer: Break Pharaoh’s arms and give strength to Babylon’s ruler
Using the arm as a picture of strength, God says He had already broken one of Pharaoh’s arms, and it had not been bandaged so that it could heal and hold a sword again (30:21). Now He would break both of Pharaoh’s arms, the healthy one and the injured one, and knock the sword out of his grip (30:22). At the same time He would give strength to Babylon’s king and put His own sword in his grip, while Pharaoh groaned like a dying man (30:24). God would scatter Egypt’s people through other lands, and they would recognize Him as the LORD (30:25-26). The power of both kings came from God. A psalm says the power of evildoers will be shattered (Psalm 37:17); Daniel says God removes kings and sets them up (Daniel 2:21); and Paul says the ruler who carries the sword is God’s servant to punish wrongdoing (Romans 13:4).
- Ezekiel 30:21 (BSB)““Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. See, it has not been bound up for healing, or splinted for strength to hold the sword.”God has already broken one arm of Pharaoh, and it has not been bound up to heal.
- Ezekiel 30:24-25 (BSB)“I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place My sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, who will groan before him like a mortally wounded man. I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I place My sword in the hand of Babylon’s king, and he wields it against the land of Egypt.”God will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and put His own sword in his grip, while Pharaoh’s arms fall limp.
- Psalm 37:17 (BSB)“For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.”The strength of the wicked will be shattered, while the LORD holds up the righteous.
- Daniel 2:21 (BSB)“He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”God takes kings away and sets others in their place.
- Romans 13:4 (BSB)“For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.”Paul says the ruler who carries the sword serves God by punishing wrongdoing.
Theological
What does the LORD declare concerning Pharaoh’s arms and Babylon’s ruler (Ezekiel 30:20-26)?
Answer: Break Pharaoh’s arms and give strength to Babylon’s ruler
The arm is the image of royal power. The LORD has already broken one of Pharaoh’s arms, left unbound and unsplinted, unable to wield the sword (30:21). He now announces the breaking of both arms, the sound and the injured, so that the sword drops from Pharaoh’s grip (30:22). Conversely, He gives strength to Babylon’s king and places His own sword in his grip, while Pharaoh groans before him like one fatally wounded (30:24). Egypt’s people are dispersed through other lands, and the oracle ends with their knowing that He is the LORD (30:25-26). Military might is a stewardship from God, given and withdrawn at His pleasure. The power of evildoers is shattered (Psalm 37:17); God removes and establishes kings (Daniel 2:21); and the sword-bearing ruler serves God in carrying out retribution (Romans 13:4).
- Ezekiel 30:21 (BSB)““Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. See, it has not been bound up for healing, or splinted for strength to hold the sword.”God has already broken one arm of Pharaoh, and it has not been bound up to heal.
- Ezekiel 30:24-25 (BSB)“I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place My sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, who will groan before him like a mortally wounded man. I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I place My sword in the hand of Babylon’s king, and he wields it against the land of Egypt.”God will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and put His own sword in his grip, while Pharaoh’s arms fall limp.
- Psalm 37:17 (BSB)“For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.”The strength of the wicked will be shattered, while the LORD holds up the righteous.
- Daniel 2:21 (BSB)“He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”God takes kings away and sets others in their place.
- Romans 13:4 (BSB)“For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.”Paul says the ruler who carries the sword serves God by punishing wrongdoing.