In chapter 29, Ezekiel returned to one of his favorite themes, then [they] will know I AM the Lord. This section refers to Egypt—if they knew their history, they would remember how I AM delivered his people hundreds of years earlier.
Read Ezekiel 29:1-6.
- The Lord called Ezekiel to prophesy against Egypt.
- God accused Pharaoh of claiming he created the Nile.
- The Lord referred to two prominent gods in Egyptian mythology, the crocodile and serpent. He was against Pharaoh and all Egypt’s gods.
- In contrast, God would treat Pharaoh as a fish, created instead of creator.
- He would remove Egypt’s ruler from his natural habitat, pulling him away as a fish caught with a hook, and forsake him on dry ground.
- As no one would desire a dead fish in a field, no one would come for Pharaoh.
- Then all who live in Egypt will know that I AM the Lord.
- Ezekiel proclaimed a message for a new generation of Egyptians who hadn’t personally witnessed God’s hand at work.
Why do you think God called Ezekiel to prophesy against Egypt?
What do we learn about the Lord in these verses?
Read Ezekiel 29:6-9.
- Pharaoh was a tool in Israel’s hands, under the Lord’s direction.
- God allowed the oppression Israel faced in Egypt—for a time.
- But when Israel stood up to Pharaoh and demanded their freedom, with the Lord’s help, they splintered and broke Egypt’s might.
- Egypt was a “reed” for Israel—this word refers to nations as “feeble, frail staffs, not to be trusted.”1
- Israel held onto Egypt for support when they first arrived in the land.
- God and Ezekiel are masters of emphasis—in verse 7 alone there are three words to describe the breaking and shattering of nations who trust in people instead of the Sovereign Lord.
- Then they will know I AM the Lord.
- They would observe God’s consistent actions against his enemies.
How do we see God’s hand at work in this passage?
Why are nations untrustworthy compared to the Lord?
Read Ezekiel 29:9-12.
- The Lord was against Pharaoh’s claim as creator of the Nile.
- For their worship of false gods, even worshiping a man as god, God would make Egypt a ruin and desolate waste.
- Again Ezekiel placed emphasis on the concept of wasteland with at least three separate terms for wilderness, wasteland, and desolation, in noun and verb forms.
- Meanings include desert, ruined (by God’s judgment), destroyed, and devastated.2
- Egypt would be desolate among devastated lands.
- Her cities would be desolate among ruined cities.
- No one would live there for forty years. I didn’t read anything about the significance of this time period compared to Israel wandering in the desert for forty years, but I wonder.
- God would disperse Egyptians among nations and scatter For emphasis, there are two words used, each meaning disperse and scatter. As the Lord declared elsewhere in Ezekiel, he has spoken and he will do it.
- As with the tower of Babel, they would no longer be able to work together to honor a man as god or set up their own religious system.
How would you describe Egypt’s ruin and devastation as punishment?
How would you interpret Egypt’s forty-year desolation in light of Israel’s forty-year wanderings?
What is the significance of God’s declaration he would disperse Egypt among the nations?
Read Ezekiel 29:13-16.
- The Lord obviously had a purpose to his plan.
- After forty years, he would gather Egypt again and bring them back from captivity.
- Once they returned, Egypt would not enjoy the status they previously had among the nations.
- God would make them too weak to rule over other nations.
- The Lord made his point:
“Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence for the people of Israel but will be a reminder of their sin in turning to her for help. Then they will know that I AM the Sovereign Lord.”
Why did the Lord gather Egypt after scattering them among the nations?
How would you write verse 16 in your own words to reflect Ezekiel’s message about trusting in nations?
Read Ezekiel 29:17-21.
- Sixteen years later, God gave Ezekiel another message concerning Egypt, in which he described Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest.
- When Nebuchadnezzar campaigned against Tyre, he received no wages, payment, or plunder. Again, Ezekiel used three distinct terms to describe the Babylonian king’s “rightful” reward.3
- God declared he would give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar and allow Babylon’s king to plunder Egypt and carry off its wealth.
- God described Nebuchadnezzar’s work and efforts as “divinely guided deeds and actions of a pagan king”—for the Lord.4
- In the midst of apparent triumph for Israel’s enemies, the Lord reassured them.
- He would bring one (a king) “spouting of the line of kings from David.”5
- Many commentators agree this could refer to Israel’s return from captivity. It may also in a broader sense refer to Jesus’ coming as the sprout of Jesse.6
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1). 
- Then they will know I AM is (still!) the (their) Lord.
Why do you think there’s a slight emphasis on Nebuchadnezzar’s reward?
What is your reaction to God divinely guiding a pagan king’s actions and in the next verse reassuring Israel regarding their future?
What takeaway from this chapter is most relevant for you?
- Warren Baker, D.R.E., Eugene Carpenter, Ph.D. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament. (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2003), 687
- Ibid., Baker, 373-375, 570, 1165
- Ibid., 125, 1141-1142, 1151
- Ibid., 911
- Ibid., 956
- Bible Study Tools.https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/ezekiel-29-21.html