Ezekiel 32:14

A Lament for Pharaoh King of Egypt · Ezekiel 32:1–16
Read Ezekiel 32

Translations

Modern
Then I will let her waters settle and will make her rivers flow like oil,’ declares the Lord GOD.
Traditional
Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord God.
Literal
Then their waters I will let settle, and their rivers I will make run like oil,’ a declaration of the Lord YHWH.
Latin
Tunc purissimas reddam aquas eorum, et flumina eorum quasi oleum adducam, ait Dominus Deus,

Original

Hebrew
English
Then I will let her waters settle and will make her rivers flow like oil,’ declares the Lord GOD.

Notes

The great sea monster (Ezekiel 32:2), a picture of Pharaoh, would no longer struggle in the river and stir up the mud like an angry crocodile.

After Pharaoh’s death, the waters of Egypt would become calm again. They would flow smoothly and quietly, like oil poured out. The land would be silent and still, like the quietness that follows death.

  • 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.

Theme notes and profiles

Messages Against the Nations

Events

People

LORD: Names or title used to refer to God

Glossary

Book of Jeremiah Ezekiel (Person) Ezekiel, Book of Lord Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadrezzar