Ezekiel Chapter 19 · Verse 4
The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.
Original Language Analysis
וַיִּשְׁמְע֥וּ
also heard
H8085
וַיִּשְׁמְע֥וּ
also heard
Strong's:
H8085
Word #:
1 of 10
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
גּוֹיִ֖ם
The nations
H1471
גּוֹיִ֖ם
The nations
Strong's:
H1471
Word #:
3 of 10
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
בְּשַׁחְתָּ֣ם
in their pit
H7845
בְּשַׁחְתָּ֣ם
in their pit
Strong's:
H7845
Word #:
4 of 10
a pit (especially as a trap); figuratively, destruction
נִתְפָּ֑שׂ
of him he was taken
H8610
נִתְפָּ֑שׂ
of him he was taken
Strong's:
H8610
Word #:
5 of 10
to manipulate, i.e., seize; chiefly to capture, wield, specifically, to overlay; figuratively, to use unwarrantably
וַיְבִאֻ֥הוּ
and they brought
H935
וַיְבִאֻ֥הוּ
and they brought
Strong's:
H935
Word #:
6 of 10
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
Cross References
2 Chronicles 36:4And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.2 Chronicles 36:6Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
Historical Context
Pharaoh Necho II captured Jehoahaz after deposing him, installing his brother Jehoiakim as puppet king and imposing heavy tribute on Judah (2 Kings 23:33-35). Jehoahaz never returned from Egypt. Egypt, which Israel fled under Moses, became the prison of Israel's king—bitter irony.
Questions for Reflection
- How do we see God's sovereign justice even in political tragedies?
- What does capture by foreign nations teach about the consequences of forsaking God?
Analysis & Commentary
'The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.' The young lion's fate: trapped and exiled. 'Taken in their pit' suggests capture through strategy, not merely military defeat. 'Chains unto...Egypt' describes Jehoahaz's humiliating deportation. The mighty lion reduced to a chained captive—complete reversal of royal expectations. This fulfills Deuteronomic covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28:36).