seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Ezekiel 29:1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. 3 Speak to him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
you great monster lying among your streams.
You say, “The Nile belongs to me;
I made it for myself.”
4 But I will put hooks in your jaws
and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales.
I will pull you out from among your streams,
with all the fish sticking to your scales.
5 I will leave you in the desert,
you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open field
and not be gathered or picked up.
I will give you as food
to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky.
you great monster lying among your streams.
You say, “The Nile belongs to me;
I made it for myself.”
4 But I will put hooks in your jaws
and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales.
I will pull you out from among your streams,
with all the fish sticking to your scales.
5 I will leave you in the desert,
you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open field
and not be gathered or picked up.
I will give you as food
to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky.
6 Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord.
“‘You have been a staff of reed for the people of Israel. 7 When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched.[a]
8 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will bring a sword against you and kill both man and beast. 9 Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
“‘Because you said, “The Nile is mine; I made it,” 10 therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush.[b] 11 The foot of neither man nor beast will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years. 12 I will make the land of Egypt desolate among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.
13 “‘Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were scattered. 14 I will bring them back from captivity and return them to Upper Egypt, the land of their ancestry. There they will be a lowly kingdom. 15 It will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the other nations. I will make it so weak that it will never again rule over the nations. 16 Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence for the people of Israel but will be a reminder of their sin in turning to her for help. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’”
17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre; every head was rubbed bare and every shoulder made raw. Yet he and his army got no reward from the campaign he led against Tyre. 19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder the land as pay for his army. 20 I have given him Egypt as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign Lord.
21 “On that day I will make a horn[c] grow for the Israelites, and I will open your mouth among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
a. Ezekiel 29:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint and Vulgate); Hebrew and you caused their backs to stand
b. Ezekiel 29:10 That is, the upper Nile region
c. Ezekiel 29:21 Horn here symbolizes strength
This is from bible-studys.org.
Egypt would also be judged because her Pharaoh had made himself a god, even claiming to have created the Nile River. God gives His opinion of Pharaoh when He calls him the great dragon, by using a word that Israel’s pagan neighbors utilized to refer to a mythical sea monster.
The fish sticking together could be speaking of the lesser nations that made alliance with Egypt representing the people who followed Pharaoh and who were a part of God’s judgment on Egypt as a whole.
It appears it had taken 13 years to overcome Tyre, or Tyrus. The expense of the campaign was so great, that Nebuchadnezzar did not profit from the destruction of Tyrus. He had come against them under orders from God.
(In 585-573), Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre for 13 years before subduing the city . The Tyrians then retreated to the island bastion out in the sea and survived, not giving Babylon full satisfaction in spoils (Wages), equal to such a long struggle. So the Babylonians took the city on shore, but not the stronghold which was built on the isle which was located out in the sea for their ships and storage (that was the one which Alexander took in 7 months).
God caused Israel’s power to return and restored her authority as the power in an animal’s horn. Though other nations subdued her, her latter end in messianic times will be blessed. “Opening of the mouth” most likely refers to the day when Ezekiel’s writings would be understood by looking back at their fulfillment. His muteness had already ceased (in 586-85 B.C.), when Jerusalem fell.
Here's some more information on Egypt.... from the easy English site.This prophecy is against the king of Egypt and his nation. This message is against King Hophra. He ruled from 588 BC to 569 BC. He was the grandson of King Neco who had killed Josiah at Megiddo (2 Chronicles 35:20-27). Zedekiah had asked Hophra for help against Babylon. At first, the Egyptians did come and the Babylonians left Jerusalem. Then the army of Egypt returned to their own country. When Nebuchadnezzar came again to Jerusalem, the Egyptians did not support Zedekiah.
The Lord describes King Hophra as a large crocodile. To the Egyptians, the crocodile was the god Sebek. Hophra was a proud man. He felt that he was strong. He thought that no god could defeat him. He imagined that he owned the River Nile.
God would punish Hophra as men catch the crocodile. Because he was proud, God would pull Hophra from his position. With him would be his ‘fishes’. This meant the Egyptian people. God would leave them as food for the animals and the birds. This means that people would not even bury the dead bodies. God would use Babylon to achieve his purposes against Egypt.
At a place called Cyrene, Hophra lost the battle. We do not know who the enemy was in this battle. His people took his crown from him. Then an Egyptian named Amasis murdered him in 569 BC. Ahmose II became king of Egypt in 568 BC.
Because Hophra was so proud, the Lord ruined all Egypt. Migdol and Aswan were the northern and southern borders of Egypt. Cush was the ancient Nubia, which is now in modern Ethiopia.
Egypt would be a desert where few people would live for 40 years. Then, after that time, the people would return. The Babylonians destroyed Egypt in the year 586 BC. At the end of the 40 years, the Persians (people from Persia) overcame the Babylonians. It seems that the Persians sent the Egyptians back to their country.
Never again would Egypt be a great nation. Egypt would become a weak kingdom. It would not rule other nations.
Israel would learn that it must never depend on Egypt again for help. They would remember their sin. They had trusted Egypt instead of the Lord. But Israel will know that the Lord is God.
War is expensive. As I understand the rules of modern warfare.... we pay for all the ships, planes, guns, bullets, and soldiers. Then we pay for all the medical and rehabilitation of our troops. Then we pay to send people over to guard what we were fighting over. Then we pay the government so we can stay there. Then we pay reparation to the families we destroyed. War is expensive. Apparently, Babylon spent more leveling Tyre [the city that was partially on the shore and partially on an island] than they received in loot. So they had to go wipe out that big headed pharaoh in Egypt. This guy thought he was god and he claimed to have created the Nile. [Even an old woman with an online Bible and some online commentary could tell the king of Egypt was just asking to be destroyed by saying he was god. God is jealous! God doesn't tolerate big headed pharaohs who think they are gods.]
Now.... in the last verse.... it mentions a horn.... and I know the monsters in Revelation grew horns and the horns were numbered etc., etc., etc. It occurred to me that God didn't just pick "horns" out of think air to show strength. Well, maybe He did... He is God after all.... but why horns? Why not toe nails or noses?
IMHO>... the reason God picked horns .... was the back story. Not all animals who look like they have horns actually have horns.... they may be antlers instead of horns. Antlers are dead bone.... replaceable..... Horns are living... they grow... they stick and do their job. Egypt was an antler.... Tyre was an antler.... Israel.... was a horn. Now I don't know how this opinion of mine is going to play out.... but it seems to be a pretty good backstory for this "horn".
