Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Ezekiel
Chapter 30: The Day of the LORD Is Near
The judgment on Egypt continues, now as 'the day of the LORD,' a phrase that reaches far beyond Egypt to every day when God comes in judgment. 'Howl ye, Woe worth the day! For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day.' The sword will fall on Egypt and all her allies and mercenaries; 'the pride of her power shall come down.' God will shatter her idols at Memphis, set fire to her great cities one by one, No, Sin, Zoan, Tehaphnehes, and darken her day. And He gives a vivid picture of what He does to human strength: 'I have broken the arm of Pharaoh,' and it will not be bound up to heal, while God 'strengthens the arms of the king of Babylon.' Every proud power that lifts its arm against God's purpose will find that arm broken, for the LORD alone is strong.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Ezekiel chapter 30, continuing the oracles against Egypt. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
A Cloudy Day
The day of the LORD draws near against Egypt and her allies.
Images Made to Cease
God shatters the idols of Memphis; no prince will be left in the land.
Fire in Egypt
City after city, No, Sin, Zoan, Tehaphnehes, falls under judgment.
Pharaoh's Arm Broken
God breaks the arm of Pharaoh and strengthens the arm of Babylon.
Woe Worth the Day! (Ezekiel 30:1-9)
The day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day of the sword against Egypt; her proud power and all her helpers and allies will fall, that they may know He is the LORD.
The Pride of Her Power Shall Come Down
"The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day! For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen. And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword. Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted. And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed. In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh."
Hebrew Study
"the day of the LORD," yom YHWH (יוֹם יְהוָה). A great prophetic theme: the day when God intervenes in judgment. Each historical "day of the LORD" against a nation (here Egypt) is a foreshadowing of the final, universal Day of the LORD at the end of history (Joel 2:1-2; Zephaniah 1:14-18; 2 Peter 3:10). Every local judgment is a rehearsal for the last reckoning.
"a cloudy day," yom anan (יוֹם עָנָן). A day of gloom, darkness, and storm-cloud, the atmosphere of judgment (Joel 2:2, "a day of clouds and of thick darkness"). The bright confidence of proud Egypt gives way to a dark, overcast day of doom. The "day" of the wicked is not sunshine but gathering storm.
Explanation
The oracle opens with a wail: "Howl ye, Woe worth the day! For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day." Egypt's judgment is framed as a "day of the LORD," when God comes to reckon with proud human power. "The sword shall come upon Egypt," and with her fall all her allies and mercenaries, "Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people," and "the men of the land that is in league." Every prop and helper collapses together.
The heart of the judgment is in verse 6: "the pride of her power shall come down." Egypt's confidence was her own might, and God aims His judgment precisely at that pride. When "all her helpers shall be destroyed," the nations "shall know that I am the LORD." No alliance, army, or ally can stand when God sets Himself against a proud power. The "careless" (complacent) peoples who felt secure will be seized with "great pain," "for, lo, it cometh." The day of the LORD comes suddenly on those who thought themselves safe.
Gospel Focus
Every historical "day of the LORD," like this one on Egypt, is a preview of the final Day of the LORD, when God will judge the whole world. Peter warns, "the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night" (2 Peter 3:10), and it will fall suddenly on the "careless" and complacent, "when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them" (1 Thessalonians 5:3). The gospel takes this seriously and answers it: there is one refuge from the day of wrath, and it is Jesus Christ, "Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come" (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Those who trust Him are "not appointed... to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:9). The wise do not presume on a false "peace and safety" like careless Egypt, but flee to Christ before the cloudy day dawns. For the believer, the day of the LORD is not terror but the coming of our Savior.
I Will Set Fire in Egypt (Ezekiel 30:10-19)
By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar God will destroy Egypt's idols and princes, and pour out His judgment on her great cities one by one, until they know He is the LORD.
I Will Destroy the Idols
"Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain. And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the LORD have spoken it. 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. And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No. And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No. And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily. The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity. At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity. Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD."
Hebrew Study
"Noph," "No," "Sin," "Zoan", the great cities of Egypt. Noph is Memphis (the old capital and religious center); No is Thebes (the great southern capital, called "No-Amon" for its god Amon); Sin is Pelusium (the fortress "strength of Egypt" guarding the eastern approach); Zoan is Tanis. God names Egypt's proudest cities one by one, none is too great to escape His judgment. He is Lord of every city and stronghold.
"I will also destroy the idols," gillulim (גִּלּוּלִים). Egypt was famous for her many gods. God will "cause their images to cease out of Noph." The judgment on Egypt was also a judgment on her gods, as at the Exodus, when God executed judgment "against all the gods of Egypt" (Exodus 12:12). The true and living God exposes every idol as powerless before Him.
Explanation
God names the instrument, "the hand of Nebuchadrezzar," and the scope, "I will make the rivers dry" (striking at the Nile, Egypt's very life). Then He turns to Egypt's gods and cities. "I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph" (Memphis), and "there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt." One by one the great cities are named for judgment: Pathros, Zoan (Tanis), No (Thebes), Sin (Pelusium, "the strength of Egypt"), Noph (Memphis), Aven (Heliopolis), Pibeseth (Bubastis), Tehaphnehes. Each proud center of Egyptian power and religion would be broken.
Two themes stand out. First, the judgment falls on Egypt's idols, exposing them as helpless; the God of Israel is Lord over all the gods of the nations. Second, God is sovereign over every city and stronghold, however ancient or mighty; He names them individually, and none escapes. "The pomp of her strength shall cease." The recurring refrain seals the purpose: "they shall know that I am the LORD." Egypt's whole edifice of power, gods, cities, princes, would be dismantled so that the one true God would be recognized.
Gospel Focus
God's judgment reaching to Egypt's idols, "I will also destroy the idols... out of Noph," echoes the Exodus, where He judged "all the gods of Egypt" (Exodus 12:12), and points to the gospel's power over every false god. Wherever the true God comes, the idols must fall, as Dagon fell before the ark (1 Samuel 5:3-4) and the idol-makers of Ephesus lost their trade when the gospel came (Acts 19). The living God shares His glory with no other, and the coming of Christ's kingdom dethrones every rival. This is a summons to us as well: "little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21). Whatever we exalt in the place of God, wealth, power, self, is a "Noph" that God will one day bring down. Better to tear down our idols now in glad surrender than to cling to what cannot stand before Him. The God who "executed judgments" on the gods of Egypt still reigns, and every idol will cease before the King of kings.
I Have Broken the Arm of Pharaoh (Ezekiel 30:20-26)
God declares that He has broken Pharaoh's arm, and it will not heal; He will break both his arms and strengthen the arms of Babylon, putting His sword in the conqueror's hand, that all may know He is the LORD.
I Will Strengthen the Arms of the King of Babylon
"And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man. But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt. And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD."
Hebrew Study
"arm," zeroa (זְרוֹעַ). The arm is the symbol of strength and power to act. To "break the arm" of Pharaoh is to shatter his military might so he cannot "hold the sword." Significantly, God's own saving strength is described as His "arm", "the LORD hath made bare his holy arm" (Isaiah 52:10); "his arm brought salvation" (Isaiah 59:16). God breaks the arm of the proud and bares His own arm to save.
"put my sword in his hand," natatti charbi be-yado (נָתַתִּי חַרְבִּי בְּיָדוֹ). God calls the conqueror's sword "my sword." Babylon's weapon is, at the deepest level, an instrument in God's hand; He gives it and directs it. The nations imagine they act by their own power, but "the king's heart is in the hand of the LORD... he turneth it whithersoever he will" (Proverbs 21:1).
Explanation
The final oracle uses a vivid image of arms, symbols of strength. "I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt", already, in a recent defeat (likely Pharaoh Hophra's failed attempt to relieve besieged Jerusalem), God had shattered Egypt's power, "and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed." Now He announces He will break "both his arms," even "the strong" one, "and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand." Egypt's military strength is broken beyond repair.
At the same time, "I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand." God is the one who breaks one nation's power and builds another's; the rise of Babylon and the fall of Egypt are both His doing. Pharaoh will "groan... with the groanings of a deadly wounded man." Four times over, the purpose rings: "they shall know that I am the LORD." The whole drama of empires, one arm broken, another strengthened, is orchestrated by the God who alone gives and takes away strength. Human power is never autonomous; it is held, and broken, in the hand of God.
Gospel Focus
God breaks "the arm of Pharaoh" and strengthens "the arms of the king of Babylon", a reminder that all human strength is His to give and to shatter. "The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up" (1 Samuel 2:7). No arm of flesh is secure; "Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm" (Jeremiah 17:5). But the gospel points to another arm, God's own. When no human strength could save, "he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him" (Isaiah 59:16). "The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations" (Isaiah 52:10), and that saving arm is revealed in Jesus Christ, "the arm of the LORD" (Isaiah 53:1) stretched out to rescue us. The proud who trust their own arm will have it broken; those who rest on the saving arm of the Lord will never be moved. Do not lean on the arm of flesh, which God can break in a day, but on the everlasting arms, "underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27).
Chapter 30 in Review
Ezekiel 30 continues the judgment on Egypt as "the day of the LORD... a cloudy day." The sword falls on Egypt and all her allies and mercenaries; "the pride of her power shall come down." By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, God will dry her rivers, shatter her idols at Memphis, and set fire to her great cities one by one, No, Sin, Zoan, Tehaphnehes, until "the pomp of her strength shall cease." And in a vivid closing image, God declares, "I have broken the arm of Pharaoh," beyond healing, while He strengthens "the arms of the king of Babylon" and puts "my sword in his hand." Four times over: "they shall know that I am the LORD."
For the Apostolic reader, this chapter proclaims God's sovereignty over every power and points to Christ. Every historical "day of the LORD" foreshadows the final day of judgment, which will fall suddenly on the "careless" who trust a false "peace and safety"; the one refuge is "Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." God's toppling of Egypt's idols declares that every false god must fall before Him, a call to tear down our own idols now. And His breaking of Pharaoh's arm while baring His own saving arm teaches the whole gospel in a symbol: no arm of flesh can save or stand, but "the arm of the LORD," revealed in Jesus Christ, "brought salvation." Do not trust the arm that God can break in a day; rest on the everlasting arms.
- Every historical "day of the LORD" foreshadows the final day of judgment (30:3; Joel 2:1-2; 2 Peter 3:10).
- The day of wrath falls suddenly on the "careless" who trust false peace; flee to Christ (30:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:3, 9-10).
- God judges the idols of the nations; every false god must fall before Him (30:13; Exodus 12:12; 1 John 5:21).
- God is sovereign over every city and stronghold; He names them one by one (30:14-18).
- All human strength is God's to give and to break; He breaks Pharaoh's arm and strengthens Babylon's (30:21-25; 1 Samuel 2:7).
- No arm of flesh can save; the saving "arm of the LORD" is revealed in Christ (30:21; Isaiah 53:1; 59:16; Deuteronomy 33:27).
Questions for Reflection
- Are you presuming on a false "peace and safety," or are you ready for the day of the LORD in Christ?
- What "idols" in your life would God bring down? Will you tear them down now in surrender?
- Where are you leaning on "the arm of flesh," your own strength or another's, that God could break?
- How does resting on "the arm of the LORD," revealed in Jesus, change your security?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. "The day of the LORD" (verse 3) is a major prophetic theme foreshadowing the final judgment (Joel 1:15; 2:1-2; Zephaniah 1:14-18; Amos 5:18; 2 Peter 3:10); the "cloudy day" is Joel 2:2. The sudden fall on the "careless" is 1 Thessalonians 5:3; the refuge from wrath is 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9. The Egyptian cities named (verses 13-18), Noph (Memphis), No (Thebes), Sin (Pelusium), Zoan (Tanis), Aven (Heliopolis), Pibeseth (Bubastis), Tehaphnehes, were her great centers. Judgment on Egypt's idols echoes Exodus 12:12; keeping from idols is 1 John 5:21. The "arm" as strength (verses 21-25) contrasts human might (Jeremiah 17:5; 1 Samuel 2:7) with God's saving "arm" (Isaiah 52:10; 53:1; 59:16), and "the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27). God directing the conqueror's sword reflects Proverbs 21:1. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The day of the LORD against Egypt and her allies; the pride of her power brought down: Ezekiel 30:1-9; Joel 2:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:3-10.
- Nebuchadnezzar the instrument; Egypt's idols and cities judged: Ezekiel 30:10-19; Exodus 12:12; 1 John 5:21.
- Pharaoh's arm broken, Babylon's strengthened; the saving arm of the LORD: Ezekiel 30:20-26; Isaiah 53:1; 59:16; Deuteronomy 33:27.