Prophecy for Egypt – Egypt the Crocodile
In the tenth year, on the twelfth day of the tenth month, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, commanding him to turn toward Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.
God declares that He is against Pharaoh and against Egypt. Egypt is personified as a great crocodile or dragon lying in the midst of the Nile, proudly claiming ownership over it. God says He will put hooks in Pharaoh’s jaws, causing the fish of the Nile to cling to his scales, and He will drag both Pharaoh and Egypt out of the river and cast them into the wilderness. There they will fall in the open field, never to be gathered again. Through this judgment, all the inhabitants of Israel will know that the Lord is God.
The reason for this judgment is Egypt’s unfaithfulness and unreliability toward Israel.
“Because you were a staff of reed
for the house of Israel:
when they grasped you with the hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders;
and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins shake.”
— Ezekiel 29:6–7
Egypt had proven to be weak and deceptive support for Israel. Therefore, God declares that He will bring the sword against Egypt, cutting off both people and animals, and the land will become a desolate waste.
Another major reason for judgment was Egypt’s pride, especially Pharaoh’s claim over the Nile:
“The Nile is mine;
I made it for myself.”
— Ezekiel 29:9
Because of this arrogance, God says He is against both Pharaoh and the Nile itself. Egypt would become ruined and desolate, from Migdol to Syene, all the way to the border of Ethiopia. No human or animal would pass through it, and it would remain uninhabited for forty years. Egypt’s cities would become deserted, and the Egyptians would be scattered among the nations.
Yet the prophecy does not end only in destruction. After forty years, God promises to restore Egypt’s fortunes and gather the Egyptians back from the lands where they had been scattered.
However, Egypt would never again rise to greatness. It would become a lowly kingdom, no longer exalted above the nations. Egypt would never again serve as a source of security for Israel; instead, it would stand as a reminder of Israel’s misplaced trust and unfaithfulness in turning toward foreign powers instead of toward God.
Later, in the twenty-seventh year, on the first day of the first month, the word of the Lord again came to Ezekiel concerning Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. God says that Nebuchadnezzar and his army had labored greatly in their siege against Tyre, yet received little reward for their efforts. Therefore, God would give Egypt to Babylon as compensation. Nebuchadnezzar would plunder Egypt, carrying away its wealth and spoils as payment for his toil in executing God’s judgment.
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