Ezekiel Chapter 32 — Lamentations for Egypt and Pharaoh

God instructs Ezekiel to lead a lamentation for Pharaoh and Egypt, foretelling their complete desolation and descent into the realm of the dead.

Divine JudgmentFallen EmpiresMortalitySovereign PowerLamentation

1In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

2“Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and tell him,

3The Lord GOD says:

4I will leave you on the land.

5I will lay your flesh on the mountains,

6I will also water the land in which you swim with your blood,

7When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens

8I will make all the bright lights of the sky dark over you,

9“I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples,

10Yes, I will make many peoples amazed at you,

11For the Lord GOD says:

12I will cause your multitude to fall by the swords of the mighty.

13I will destroy also all its animals from beside many waters.

14Then I will make their waters clear,

15“When I make the land of Egypt desolate and waste,

16“ ‘ “This is the lamentation with which they will lament. The daughters of the nations will lament with this. They will lament with it over Egypt, and over all her multitude,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”

17Also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

18“Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her and the daughters of the famous nations, to the lower parts of the earth, with those who go down into the pit.

19Whom do you pass in beauty? Go down, and be laid with the uncircumcised.

20They will fall among those who are slain by the sword. She is delivered to the sword. Draw her away with all her multitudes.

21The strong among the mighty will speak to him out of the middle of Sheol*Sheol is the place of the dead. with those who help him. They have gone down. The uncircumcised lie still, slain by the sword.

22“Asshur is there with all her company. Her graves are all around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword,

23whose graves are set in the uttermost parts of the pit, and her company is around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who caused terror in the land of the living.

24“There is Elam and all her multitude around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised into the lower parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living, and have borne their shame with those who go down to the pit.

25They have made Elam a bed among the slain with all her multitude. Her graves are around her, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for their terror was caused in the land of the living, and they have borne their shame with those who go down to the pit. He is put among those who are slain.

26“There is Meshech, Tubal, and all their multitude. Their graves are around them, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for they caused their terror in the land of the living.

27They will not lie with the mighty who are fallen of the uncircumcised, who have gone down to Sheol with their weapons of war and have laid their swords under their heads. Their iniquities are on their bones; for they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.

28“But you will be broken among the uncircumcised, and will lie with those who are slain by the sword.

29“There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, who in their might are laid with those who are slain by the sword. They will lie with the uncircumcised, and with those who go down to the pit.

30“There are the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who have gone down with the slain. They are put to shame in the terror which they caused by their might. They lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.

31“Pharaoh will see them and will be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword,” says the Lord GOD.

32“For I have put his terror in the land of the living. He will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude,” says the Lord GOD.

WEB Translation

Notable Verses

Ezekiel 32:11

For the Lord GOD says: I will cause your multitude to fall by the swords of the mighty.

This verse identifies the specific physical means by which Egypt's worldly power would be dismantled.

Ezekiel 32:18

Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her and the daughters of the famous nations, to the lower parts of the earth, with those who go down into the pit.

It sets the stage for the graphic vision of nations descending into the realm of the dead.

Ezekiel 32:31

Pharaoh will see them and will be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword,” says the Lord GOD.

This verse provides a haunting conclusion where Pharaoh realizes his shared fate with other fallen powers.

Chapter Summary

Ezekiel Chapter 32 contains two distinct prophecies of lamentation for Egypt. The first part, dated to the twelfth year, compares Pharaoh to a great sea monster that God will capture and leave on the open land to perish. This judgment will cause darkness and terror among other nations who witness Egypt’s fall to the swords of the mighty. The second part, occurring fifteen days later, provides a vivid description of Egypt's descent into Sheol, the place of the dead. Egypt is depicted as joining other fallen powers like Assyria, Elam, Edom, and Sidon. These nations, once fearsome in the land of the living, now lie in shame and silence among those slain by the sword. The chapter concludes by noting that Pharaoh will find a grim comfort in seeing that he is not alone in his downfall, as many other once-great empires share his fate in the pit.

Frequently Asked Questions

The chapter focuses on two final laments regarding the judgment and destruction of Egypt and its king, Pharaoh. It details their transition from a terrifying world power to a fallen nation in the realm of the dead.

Ezekiel lists several fallen empires including Assyria, Elam, Meshech, Tubal, Edom, and the Sidonians. These serve as a reminder that no powerful nation is exempt from God's judgment or the reality of death.

In this chapter, the pit (or Sheol) represents the grave and the finality of death for those who once caused terror. It is depicted as a place of shame where once-mighty warriors and kings lie powerless.

Study Note

The specific dating in verses 1 and 17 places these prophecies around 585 BC, shortly after the final fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians.

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