In this chapter, we read of the judgment against Pharaoh (586 B.C.), and the armies of Egypt will be destroyed.
The destruction of Egypt will be a day of wailing, Ezekiel 30:1-2. In prophecy, the phrase The day of the Lord, Ezekiel 30:3, meant that judgment and destruction were coming.
The day of the Lord also meant deliverance of the righteous by the destruction of the wicked, 2 Peter 3. It would certainly be a day of clouds and a time of doom, Ezekiel 30:3.
Wiersbe, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The Jews were led out of Egypt by a bright cloud, Exodus 13:21, but the Egyptians who once enslaved them will be under a dark cloud.’
An enemy would invade Egypt, kill many of the people, take away their wealth, and tear down her foundations, Ezekiel 30:4. Men from Cush and Libya, Lydia and all Arabia, Kub and the people of the covenant would die by the sword, Ezekiel 30:5. Note the KJV uses the words, ‘mingled people’, Ezekiel 30:5.
Feinberg, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Who are the mingled people? The reference is so general that a positive identification cannot be made. They have been understood to be the foreigners who served in the Egyptian army as mercenary soldiers, Ezekiel 27:10 / Jeremiah 25:20 / Jeremiah 25:24 / Jeremiah 46:9 / Jeremiah 46:21. Extrabiblical sources confirm the fact that Egypt made great use of hired soldiers from various nationalities. This is a possible, perhaps even a probable, interpretation of Ezekiel’s meaning.’
Any nations who supported Egypt would also fall, Ezekiel 30:6, and as a result, Egypt would be humbled and humiliated, Ezekiel 29:10, as their enemies killed them, Ezekiel 30:6.
Egypt’s land and her people will become desolate, Ezekiel 30:7. When God destroys their land with fire, and all those who helped her are crushed, then they will know that God, is the LORD, Ezekiel 30:7.
In this historical context, Egypt and all nations that were in alliance with her were to suffer the destruction that would be coming from the Babylonian Empire. When Egypt and its alliance countries fell to the Babylonians, the neighbouring Ethiopians to the south of Egypt would also suffer.
On that day, the day when Egypt will be judged, Ezekiel 30:9 / Ezekiel 30:3, God is going to send messengers against Egypt in ships, and they will frighten even the distant Cushites, that is, the Ethiopians, Ezekiel 30:9 / Ezekiel 30:4.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Ships can ascend the Nile up to Syene or Essuan, by the cataracts; and when Nebuchadnezzar’s vessels went up, they struck terror into the Ethiopians. They are represented here as the ‘messengers of God.’
Feinberg, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The terror and consternation of Egypt in that hour can only be likened to the time of Egypt’s judgment when Israel was delivered from Egyptian servitude in the exodus, Exodus 15:12-16.’
God said He will bring an end to the hordes of Egypt using Nebuchadnezzar, Ezekiel 30:10 / Ezekiel 29:12. Nebuchadnezzar will come with his ruthless army, fight against the Egyptians, and kill many of them, Ezekiel 30:11. God was going to cause the canals of the Nile River to dry up, Ezekiel 30:12.
The Nile River would not completely dry up, but it would be so low that the irrigation canals would not feed through to the crops. However, most of the small rivers that dispersed from the mouth of the Nile in the land of Goshen would dry up.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘By rivers, we may understand the various canals cut from the Nile to carry water into the different parts of the land. When the Nile did not rise to its usual height, these canals were quite dry.’
The cities mentioned are the principal cities throughout Egypt. Memphis was the capital of Lower Egypt, the northern region, and Pathros was the capital of Upper Egypt, the southern region.
God is also going to destroy the idols of Egypt, from Memphis, the capital of Lower Egypt, Ezekiel 30:13 / Exodus 7-11. Egypt will no longer have a prince, that is, a king, Ezekiel 30:13, and as a result of having no king, Egyptians would become fearful, Ezekiel 30:13.
God is going to destroy Zoan with fire, Ezekiel 30:14 / Ezekiel 29:14, and inflict punishment on Thebes, Ezekiel 30:14, Egypt’s southern capital. Pelusium, an Egyptian stronghold, is going to experience God’s wrath, they will be judged too, and the hordes of Thebes will be wiped out, Ezekiel 30:15.
Egypt will be set on fire, speaking of destruction, Ezekiel 30:14 / Ezekiel 30:16 / Ezekiel 15:5 / Ezekiel 39:6. Pelusium will writhe in agony, Thebes will be taken by storm and Memphis will be in constant daily distress, due to the war, Ezekiel 30:16. Heliopolis, a major religious centre and Bubastis a capital city, will die by the sword, and the cities themselves will go into captivity, Ezekiel 30:17.
It will also be a dark day for Tahpanhes, Ezekiel 30:18, which was a heavily fortified town and also the home of the Pharaohs, Isaiah 30:4 / Jeremiah 2:16 / Jeremiah 43:7 / Jeremiah 43:9 / Jeremiah 44:1. They too will go into captivity, Ezekiel 30:18, and then they will know that He is the LORD, Ezekiel 30:19.
Wiersbe, in his commentary, says the following.
‘During Israel’s sojourn in Egypt, Pharaoh wouldn’t recognise the Lord; but now the nation would learn that the Lord God of the Hebrews was indeed the only true and living God.’
The date of this message against Pharaoh was 586 B.C., the year that Jerusalem fell, Ezekiel 30:20. While Nebuchadnezzar was besieging Jerusalem, the Egyptians came up to help Judah. But Nebuchadnezzar temporarily left his siege of Jerusalem and engaged the Egyptians, whom he defeated and sent back to Egypt.
Then again, in 582/581 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar took his army into Egypt and ravaged the land. The prophecy here made by Ezekiel possibly refers to the 582/581 attack of Nebuchadnezzar against Egypt.
God tells Ezekiel that He has broken the arm of Pharaoh, Ezekiel 30:21. His arm wasn’t bound to heal or put in a splint so that it could hold a sword, Ezekiel 30:21.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This may refer to Egypt’s defeat at Carchemish in 605 B.C. when Egypt lost its share of control over the ancient Near East, 2 Kings 24:7 / Jeremiah 46:2. Another possibility is that the defeat in view was Hophra’s unsuccessful attack against the Babylonians near Judea a few months earlier, 2 Kings 24:7 / Jeremiah 37:5 / Jeremiah 37:9 / Jeremiah 44:30.’
Notice that God says He is going to break both of Pharaoh’s arms, so that he will become defenceless, Ezekiel 30:22. God is going to scatter them, and they will end up living in other places, Ezekiel 30:23 / Ezekiel 29:12 / Ezekiel 30:26. He is going to strengthen and use the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar to destroy them, Ezekiel 30:24.
Nebuchadnezzar will break Hophra’s arms in the fight, and Egypt will groan like a mortally wounded man. Ezekiel 30:24. God will strengthen the arms of Nebuchadnezzar, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall limp, Ezekiel 30:25. Then they will know that He is the LORD, Ezekiel 30:25.
Morgan, in his commentary, says the following.
‘These apparently mighty monarchs of Egypt and Babylon were both in the hands of Jehovah. Their apparent successes and failures resulted from His action. They were completely in His power.’
When Nebuchadnezzar comes against Egypt, Ezekiel 30:26, God is going to scatter them, and they will end up living in other places, Ezekiel 30:26 / Ezekiel 30:17-18 / Ezekiel 30:23 / Ezekiel 29:12. Then they will know that He is the LORD, Ezekiel 20:26.