Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · Ezekiel · Chapter 29 – Chapter 33
CHAP. XXIX.
HEre is a prophesie against Egypt, and the King thereof, because he promised helpe to Zedekiah, whereupon he bearing himself rebelled against the King of Babylon to his own destruction, and therefore he is accused to be as a broken reed as also Esa. 36. 6. For time, it was the tenth yeer, the tenth month the tenth day, that is, of Jehoiak…s captivity, and so the tenth yeer of Zedekiah V. 1.his reigne, but the prophesie against Tyrus was in the 11. yeer, ch. 26. which was after this, but the order of time most probably was thus, because that although Tyre was last prophesied against, yet it was first destroyed by Nebuehad. as appeareth v. 17. where Egypt is said to be given unto him, as a reward for his executing judgement upon Tyre. This prophesie also if we compare it with chap. 24. 1. was a yeer after the siege of Jerusalem began, and therefore proofe was by this time made of the King of Egypts failing to help the King of Judah in his straights.
The King of Egypt is prophesied against as a great dragon in the midst of V. 3.rivers, and he is thus compared, because Egypt stood a certaine time of the yeer every yeer in a river, as being all drowned by the river Nilus. And in V. 4.speaking of the fishes sticking to his scales he meaneth, whom he threateneth to draw out together with him, he meaneth by them the Egyptians his subjects, who should together be carryed into captivity by the Caldeans; for the whole land of Egypt is set-forth by the name of a river, and the inhabitants of fishes Now this was not done, till the twenty seventh yeer, the first monethmonth as v. 17. which was 17. yeers after this, 16. after Judah destroyed, v. 5. he saith that this great dragon and all his fish shall be thrown into the wilderness, and V. 5.there be meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowles of the aire, that is, some desert places in Caldea, where both the King and his dying through famine were suffered to lye unburyed, and so became a prey to the beasts and fowles. The cause why the Egyptians were thus severely punished is laid down part v. 3. their pride, Thou saidst the river is mine, and v. 6. their proving V. 6.an help to tear and destroy Judah in stead of helping her, as a reed breaking, that a man leaneth upon, runneth into and teareth his shoulder.
He threatned to lay all Egypt wast from the tower of Syene to the border of Ethiopia, V. 10. Junius.that is, from the South to the North.
No footof man or beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited fourty yeers. Of the fulfilling of this no history maketh mention, but at the expiration of V. 11.this time after the destruction of Jerus. the state of the king of Babylon beginning to decline, it is most probable, that the Egyptians began to gather together againe into their own land, which all this time lay in desolation, that now it began to be peopled againe, that is, about sixty yeers of the captivity of Judah, for if we adde to seventeen yeers after Jerusalem destroyed fourty, we shall come neer sixty, and within ten yeers after Cyrus subdued Babylon, at what time they had a king againe called Amasis, but it is V. 14.said then to be but a base kingdom, because under the Persians as long as that Monarchy stood, and that of the Grecians under Alexander, till the time of the Ptolemies, which was about two hundred yeers, whereas then it is said, that it should rise no more, it is meant only whilst that Monarchy stood, V. 15. 16.whereby it was brought down, or the Monarchies succeeding it, that is the Grecian and the Roman, for although it grew potent again under the Ptolemees, yet by Romans it was againe subdued and so continued a base kingdom, and when the Roman state declined, it came under the power of the Turke, and so continueth to this day.
Here the Lord sheweth by what means Egypt should be thus brought down, first it should be given to Nebuchadnezzar for a reward of his labour in overthrowing V. 17.the kingdom of Tyre, in the siege whereof because he spent 13 yeers it is said, that every head was made bald and every shoulder peiled, that is, off Nebuchad. souldiers by wearing their head-pieces, which did wear of their haire, and carrying burthens to land up the sea to the City upon their shoulders so V. 18.long a time, thus Lyra, but Jerom, they made bald their heads also by carrying burthens upon them. And he is said to have had there no recompence, because the men of Tyre, when they saw that they should be overcome, carryed away their goods by sea to Carthage and other parts, and went away themselves to inhabit elswhere, by which means Nebuchad. found nothing at his entrance into Tyre, but a bare rock, so Jerom who saith, that he read it in an Hieron.old Assyrian book. And he saith, that Nebuchad. had herein done his work, because that by a secret instinct from God for the punishment of the Tyrians, he went so unwearyably on in the conquest of that City.
In that day I will cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, &c. As he concluded, V. 21.ch. 28. with comfort to the Israelites, so he doth this by the horn budding forth, understanding something to come long after, bringing farre greater even spiritual and everlasting comfort by Christ, wherefore Christ and not Zerubbabel, as some say, is this horne, for so he is called, Luc. 1. 69. the horne of salvation raised up for Israel. Whereas the time seemes not to agree, for it is said, in that day, but Christ came not till five hundred yeers after; I answer he came in that day, wherein Egypt was a base kingdome yet, as was before threatened, that it should be, for it was then under the Romans more then ever it was, Anthony and Cleopatra being overcome by Augustus Cesar. And if not so, yet if by a day we understand a day with the Lord, which is as a thousand yeers, this horne budded in that day. If it shall seem to make against this that he saith, I will give thee the opening of the mouth, as was said before, ch. 24. 27. The Lord by telling Ezekiel thus meaneth nothing else, but that his prophesie against Tyre and Egypt being fulfilled, it should then really appeare, that he had not opened his mouth in prophesying as he did in vaine, but all men should acknowledge him a true prophet and worthy to be regarded in all his prophesyings, fearing therefore by the like sins to pull upon themselves the like heavy judgements at any time hereafter.
CHAP. XXX.
IN this Chap. is another prophesie against Egypt for further confirmation of that before going; and whereas there it was said, From the tower of Syene to the border of Ethiopia, here Ethiopia is threatened also, which adjoyned to Egypt, V. 4.and was sometime under the same king, and commonly in league with him. Lybia also and Lydia and Chub, and all other his confederates are threatened likewise. V. 5.Junius for Lybia hath Putaei, and quoteth Gen. 10. 6. and for Lydia he Junius.refers us to Gen. 10. 13. where Phut is said to be one that came of Ham, and Lud another, and for Lybia Hebr. is Phut. Touching Chub, Junius also hath Cubaei, saying they were a people of the inferiour part of Lybia by the river Nigris, for there Ptol. geograph. lib. 4. writeth of a City called Chuphe. It is Note. since to be noted, that the confederates of any wicked Nation are in the same case that they are in, when judgements come, if they be not only confederates as Abraham and Abimelech, Jacob and Laban, not to hurt one another, but also to account the cause of one another common to help and to take part with the Nation confederate for offence and defence, for such commonly are all birds of a feather, and therefore worthy to be ruined together.
Messengers shall go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, that V. 9.is, the Caldeans sayling thither from Egypt after the subduing thereof to subdue Ethiopia also, and the Lord calleth them his messengers, because sent by him to do that work there.
I will powre out my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt, Vulg. and Jun. Pelusium V. 15.in his Annotations, although in the text he hath it Sin, as it is in Heb. but now there is no part of Egypt so called, but Pelusium a strong port town in Egypt over against Arabia Petraea, but called Sin according to the name of the wilderness of that name where mount Sinai stood.
At Taphanes the day shall be darkness; this was also another chief City of Egypt, V. 18.and so was No and Noph and all the rest here named: by going into darkness he meaneth into misery, and likewise by being under a cloud of which he next speaketh alluding to the darkness in Egypt of old in the dayes of that hard hearted Tyrant Pharaoh, and to the cloud going betwixt the Israelites and Egyptians in Pihahiroth neer the Red sea, which was so fatal to them.
Having hitherto threatened Egypt the tenth yeer the tenth monethmonth, now the forces of Pharaoh, which were coming to help Zedekiah being broken in the V. 20.11. yeer, wherein Jerusalem was destroyed, he threateneth the same over again with other words, saying, that the sword should be taken out of Pharaohs hand and put into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar to be by him used to destroy Egypt, by sword power being meant, as Rom. 13.
CHAP. XXXI.
THe 11. yeer, the third monethmonth. The same argument of threatning Pharaoh and V. 1.his land with destruction is here further prosecuted at another time the same yeer, but three moneths after, and that altogether by the example of the king of Assyria his greatness and fall set forth, yet for his pride he was as a most high Cedar cut down, and so he sheweth Pharaoh should be and not be spared. That if he would not be moved by any thing yet spoken by way of commination, he might by this example of this his compeer, yet superiour to him in dominion by far, be moved, and humble himself and repent.
CHAP. XXXII.
HEre the prophet also proceedeth in the same argument, first stirring up to lamentation for the horrible destruction of Egypt in the twelfth yeer, the twelfth monethmonth, the first day. Then he diversly setteth V. 1.forth the destruction thereof by mentioning other Nations likewise destroyed the fifteenth day of the same monethmonth, as Ashur and Elam, V. 17.Meshech and Tubul, the princes of the North and Zidon, whose not only fall, but lying in the pit he speaketh of, intimating their continuing in desolation and as Nations buryed after their destruction, which as men dead buryed are never seen any more, and mentioneth often uncircumcision to denote their baseness, and to shew, that although the Egyptians had learned of the Hebrews living amongst them to be circumcised, yet they should fall and lye for ever, as the uncircumcised in the pit of misery. Whence note, that no external rite profiteth, when they to whom it is used are uncircumcised in Note. heart, as is shewed more at large Rom. 2. that is, uncomformable to that which the Lords peculiar people ought to be in humility, holiness and righteousness and pure and incorrupt worshiping of God.
CHAP. XXXIII.
IN this Chapter from the 1. verse to the 21. the Prophet is againe told, that he was set for a watchman to the house of Israel as ch. 3. and bidden to V. 1.speake, as he had done before, ch. 18.
The v. 21. it is shewed, how that spoken of ch. 24. 27. was in him fulfilled at the coming of one from Jerusalem anno 12. the tenth monethmonth the fifth V. 21.day, at telling him of the destruction of Jerusalem his mouth was now opened againe, which had been dumb for speaking to the Jews a long time, that is almost three yeers, as may be gathered from comparing the time here spoken of with ch. 24. 1.
And what saith he now, that his mouth is againe opened to speak to Israel? Verily that for their sins, wherein they still went on, who dwelt yet in the waste of Judah, they should also be carryed away thence, and the V. 25. 26, 27, 28.whole land should lye desolate, although they thought, that they being many in comparison of Abraham, who was but one, should still be permitted to inhabit there.
Finally he concludeth the Chapter by laying open their gross hypocrisie, amongst whom he lived, who spake and agreed together to come and hear the word of God at his mouth and did so, but because their hearts still went after V. 30. 31, 32, 33.covetousness, he censureth this, as a conspiring against the prophet and no honour doing to him. And such are all they in these dayes that pretending zeal Note. to the word do greatly frequent it, but notwithstanding this they are meer worldlings.