Ezekiel 29:6

Egypt’s sin is closely connected to Israel. Egypt is described as a staff made of reeds. A reed staff looks strong but breaks easily.

Egypt claimed it would support Israel, but it did not have the power or the will to help. It encouraged Israel to rebel against Assyria and Babylon but did not provide real help (compare 2 Kings 18:21).

Israel sinned by trusting in this weak support. But Egypt was also guilty. It gave false hope and would face God’s judgment.

The message of judgment begins with a judgment against Pharaoh, who is called a great sea monster. In the ancient Near East, sea monsters were common in stories about the gods. These creatures represented chaos, which the gods had to control. In Genesis 1:21, however, sea creatures appear as part of God’s good creation. They are not enemies of God.

In this chapter, the image changes slightly. The sea monster also reflects Pharaoh as a great crocodile. He rests confidently in the streams that flow through the Nile River delta.

• The seventh and final message of judgment against the nations targets Egypt, an old enemy and ally of Israel. This message is the longest and, like the one against Tyre, it addresses both Egypt and its ruler.

• Egypt often tempted Israel and Judah to turn away from their loyalty to the Lord. Soon after leaving Egypt, Israel fell into the trap of Egypt's idolatry. Egypt led Judah to rely on chariots and horses instead of the Lord, but Egypt was unreliable when it mattered most. The Lord judged Egypt for leading his people astray (compare Luke 17:1–2).

• This section contains a series of messages of judgment against nearby nations. There are six shorter messages against Judah's immediate neighbors, arranged in a clockwise order, followed by a final message against Egypt (Ezekiel 30–32). Through experiencing God's judgment, the nations would recognize God's control over everything. The nations might be used to carry out God's judgment on his people, but they would not avoid judgment themselves.

• One of the main purposes of these messages was to show that the negative part of God's promise to Abraham ("I will … curse those who curse you," Genesis 12:3) was still active. No one can harm God's people and avoid consequences, even when God's people are under his judgment.