Ezekiel 29:8-16·~1 min

The Desolation of Egypt

The Lord GOD therefore brings the sword against Egypt, cutting off man and beast so the land becomes desolate. Because Pharaoh said the Nile was his, Egypt will be laid waste for forty years, emptied of inhabitant, and its people scattered among the nations. Yet after that period God will regather the Egyptians to Pathros and restore them there as a lowly kingdom. They will never again rule over the nations or serve as a source of confidence for the house of Israel, which will now remember the guilt of turning to them.

T⁸herefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will bring a sword against you and cut off from you man and beast. ⁹The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD. ¹⁰Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it,’ therefore I am against you and against your rivers. I will turn the land of Egypt into a ruin, a desolate wasteland from Migdol to Syene, and as far as the border of Cush. ¹¹No foot of man or beast will pass through, and it will be uninhabited for forty years. ¹²I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among desolate lands, and her cities will lie desolate for forty years among the ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the countries. ¹³For this is what the Lord GOD says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations to which they were scattered. ¹⁴I will restore Egypt from captivity and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom. ¹⁵Egypt will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the nations. For I will diminish Egypt so that it will never again rule over the nations. ¹⁶Egypt will never again be an object of trust for the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity in turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.”

Section summaryBecause of Pharaoh's pride and Egypt's treacherous support of Israel, the LORD brings the sword against the land and makes it desolate from end to end. Egypt will lie waste for forty years, and its people will be scattered among the nations. Afterward God will regather them to Pathros, their place of origin, but only as a reduced kingdom. Egypt will never again dominate the nations or function as Israel's confidence, so that God's people learn not to turn back toward that old temptation.

Role in the chapterThis section declares Egypt's long desolation and deliberately limited restoration so that it can no longer rival God's rule or seduce Israel's trust.