Ezekiel Chapter 30 · Verse 13
Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.
Original Language Analysis
כֹּֽה
H3541
כֹּֽה
Strong's:
H3541
Word #:
1 of 19
properly, like this, i.e., by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now
וְהַאֲבַדְתִּ֨י
I will also destroy
H6
וְהַאֲבַדְתִּ֨י
I will also destroy
Strong's:
H6
Word #:
5 of 19
properly, to wander away, i.e., lose oneself; by implication to perish (causative, destroy)
גִלּוּלִ֜ים
the idols
H1544
גִלּוּלִ֜ים
the idols
Strong's:
H1544
Word #:
6 of 19
properly, a log (as round); by implication, an idol
וְהִשְׁבַּתִּ֤י
to cease
H7673
וְהִשְׁבַּתִּ֤י
to cease
Strong's:
H7673
Word #:
7 of 19
to repose, i.e., desist from exertion; used in many implied relations (causative, figurative or specific)
אֱלִילִים֙
and I will cause their images
H457
אֱלִילִים֙
and I will cause their images
Strong's:
H457
Word #:
8 of 19
good for nothing, by analogy vain or vanity; specifically an idol
וְנָשִׂ֥יא
and there shall be no more a prince
H5387
וְנָשִׂ֥יא
and there shall be no more a prince
Strong's:
H5387
Word #:
10 of 19
properly, an exalted one, i.e., a king or sheik; also a rising mist
לֹ֣א
H3808
לֹ֣א
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
13 of 19
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
יִֽהְיֶה
H1961
יִֽהְיֶה
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
14 of 19
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
ע֑וֹד
H5750
ע֑וֹד
Strong's:
H5750
Word #:
15 of 19
properly, iteration or continuance; used only adverbially (with or without preposition), again, repeatedly, still, more
וְנָתַתִּ֥י
and I will put
H5414
וְנָתַתִּ֥י
and I will put
Strong's:
H5414
Word #:
16 of 19
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
Cross References
Zechariah 10:11And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.Jeremiah 2:16Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.Jeremiah 46:14Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee.
Historical Context
After Nebuchadnezzar's invasion (568/567 BC), Egypt declined rapidly. The last native Egyptian dynasty (26th) ended in 525 BC with Persian conquest. Egypt was ruled by foreigners for 2,500 years: Persians, Greeks (Ptolemies), Romans, Arabs, Ottomans, British—until 1952. Even today, ethnic Egyptians are Arabized; ancient Egyptian culture and religion are extinct. The prophecy proved stunningly accurate.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the end of Egypt's idols and native rulers demonstrate God's comprehensive judgment?
- What does 2,500 years of foreign rule teach about the permanence of God's decrees?
- How should the fate of Egypt's gods inform our view of modern idols?
Analysis & Commentary
Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph—נֹף (Nōph, Memphis), Egypt's ancient capital and religious center. גִּלּוּלִים (gillûlîm, 'idols/dung-gods') and אֱלִילִים (ĕlîlîm, 'worthless images') would cease (שִׁבַּתִּי, shabbattî, 'cause to cease').
Egypt's vast pantheon—Ra, Osiris, Isis, Ptah, Apis bull—would prove powerless before YHWH. And there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt—לֹא־יִהְיֶה עוֹד נָשִׂיא מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם (lōʾ-yihyeh ʿôd nāsîʾ mēʾereṣ miṣrayim, 'there shall not be again a prince from the land of Egypt'). Native Egyptian rulers would end. And I will put a fear in the land of Egypt—מוֹרָא (môrāʾ, 'fear/terror') from YHWH Himself. Egypt's confidence would be shattered.