Ezequiel 32

ARC · Chapter 32/48

1E succedeu que, no anno duodecimo, no mez duodecimo, ao primeiro do mez, veiu a mim a palavra do Senhor, dizendo:

2Filho do homem, levanta uma lamentação sobre Pharaó, rei do Egypto, e dize-lhe: Similhante eras a um filho de leão entre as nações, e tu foste como um dragão nos mares, e trasbordavas os teus rios, e turbavas as aguas com os teus pés, e enlameavas os seus rios.

3Assim diz o Senhor Jehovah: Portanto, estenderei sobre ti a minha rede com ajuntamento de muitos povos, e te farão subir na minha rede.

4Então te deixarei em terra; sobre a face do campo te lançarei, e farei morar sobre ti todas as aves do céu, e fartarei de ti os animaes de toda a terra.

5E porei as tuas carnes sobre os montes, e encherei os valles da tua altura.

6E a terra onde nadas regarei com o teu sangue até aos montes; e as correntes se encherão de ti.

7E, apagando-te eu, cobrirei os céus, e ennegrecerei as suas estrellas: ao sol encobrirei com uma nuvem, e a lua não deixará resplandecer a sua luz.

8Todas as brilhantes luzes do céu ennegrecerei sobre ti, e trarei trevas sobre a tua terra, diz o Senhor Jehovah.

9E farei vexar o coração de muitos povos, quando eu levar a tua destruição entre as nações, ás terras que não conheceste.

10E farei com que muitos povos fiquem pasmados de ti, e os seus reis tremam em grande maneira, quando eu brandir a minha espada ante os seus rostos; e estremecerão a cada momento, cada um pela sua vida, no dia da tua queda.

11Porque assim diz o Senhor Jehovah: A espada do rei de Babylonia virá sobre ti.

12Farei cair a tua multidão com as espadas dos valentes, que são todos os mais formidaveis das gentes; e destruirão a soberba do Egypto, e toda a sua multidão será perdida.

13E destruirei todos os seus animaes de sobre as muitas aguas; nem as turbará mais pé de homem, nem as turbarão unhas de animaes.

14Então farei profundar as suas aguas, e farei correr os seus rios como o azeite, diz o Senhor Jehovah.

15Quando eu tornar a terra do Egypto em assolação, e a terra fôr assolada em sua plenitude, e quando ferir a todos os que habitam n'ella, então saberão que eu sou o Senhor.

16Esta é a lamentação, segundo a qual lamentarão; as filhas das nações assim lamentarão; sobre o Egypto e sobre toda a sua multidão assim lamentarão, diz o Senhor Jehovah.

17E succedeu que, no anno duodecimo, aos quinze do mez, veiu a mim a palavra do Senhor, dizendo:

18Filho do homem, pranteia sobre a multidão do Egypto, e faze-a descer, a ella e ás filhas das nações magnificas, á terra mais baixa, aos que descem á cova.

19A quem sobrepujas tu em ser aprazivel? desce, e deita-te com os incircumcisos.

20No meio d'aquelles que foram traspassados á espada cairão; á espada está entregue; arrastae-a e a toda a sua multidão.

21Os mais poderosos dos valentes lhe fallarão desde o meio do inferno, com os que a soccorrem: desceram, jazeram os incircumcisos traspassados á espada.

22Ali está Assur com todo o seu ajuntamento; em redor d'elle estão os seus sepulchros; todos elles foram traspassados e cairam á espada.

23Cujos sepulchros foram postos nos lados da cova, e o seu ajuntamento está em redor do seu sepulchro: todos foram traspassados, e cairam á espada, os quaes tinham causado espanto na terra dos viventes.

24Ali está Elam com toda a sua multidão em redor do seu sepulchro: todos elles foram traspassados, e cairam á espada, os quaes desceram incircumcisos ás mais baixas partes da terra, os quaes causaram terror na terra dos viventes, e levaram a sua vergonha com os que desceram á cova

25No meio dos traspassados lhe pozeram uma cama entre toda a sua multidão; ao redor d'elle estão os seus sepulchros: todos elles são incircumcisos, traspassados á espada; porque causaram terror na terra dos viventes, e levaram a sua vergonha com os que desceram á cova; no meio dos traspassados foi posto.

26Ali esta Mesech e Tubal com toda a sua multidão; ao redor d'elles estão os seus sepulchros: todos elles são incircumcisos, e traspassados á espada, porquanto causaram terror na terra dos viventes.

27Porém não jazeram com os valentes que cairam dos incircumcisos, os quaes desceram ao inferno com as suas armas de guerra e pozeram as suas espadas debaixo das suas cabeças; e a sua iniquidade está sobre os seus ossos, porquanto eram o terror dos heroes na terra dos viventes.

28Tambem tu serás quebrado no meio dos incircumcisos, e jazerás com os que foram traspassados á espada.

29Ali está Edom, os seus reis e todos os seus principes, que com o seu poder foram postos com os que foram traspassados á espada; estes jazem com os incircumcisos e com os que desceram á cova.

30Ali estão os principes do norte, todos elles, e todos os sidonios, que desceram com os traspassados, envergonhados com o terror causado pelo seu poder; e jazem incircumcisos com os que foram traspassados á espada, e levam a sua vergonha com os que desceram á cova.

31Pharaó os verá, e se consolará com toda a sua multidão, os traspassados á espada, Pharaó, e todo o seu exercito, diz o Senhor Jehovah.

32Porque tambem eu dei o meu espanto na terra dos viventes; pelo que jazerá no meio dos incircumcisos, com os traspassados á espada, Pharaó e toda a sua multidão, diz o Senhor Jehovah.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A final lament over Pharaoh and Egypt describes them descending into the grave alongside other already-defeated empires — Assyria, Elam, Edom, and others — all lying together among the 'uncircumcised slain by the sword.'

Explanation

This poetic vision of the realm of the dead (Sheol) gathering great defeated empires functions as a picture of final equality: however powerful these nations may have been in life, they all end up in the same place of humiliation. The repetition of neighboring nations (Assyria, Elam, Meshech and Tubal, Edom) that had already fallen before Egypt serves as a historical catalog of empires the original audience would readily recognize. The central message, repeated throughout all the oracles against the nations (chs. 25-32), is that no human power, however great, is beyond God's judgment and sovereignty over history.

Fun facts

  • Elam was an ancient kingdom located in what is now southwestern Iran, with its capital at Susa, also mentioned in the book of Daniel as the setting of prophetic visions.
  • The term 'uncircumcised' used for the dead of foreign nations reflects the Israelite perspective that circumcision was a sign of the covenant with God, making its absence a symbol of being outside that covenant of protection.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Ezequiel 32:1A specific date (around 585 BC) opens a second lament over Pharaoh, still within the block of oracles against Egypt.
  2. Ezequiel 32:2Pharaoh is again compared to a crocodile stirring up the waters of his own river — the same image from chapter 29, reinforcing that the pride of dominating the Nile is exactly what will sink him.
  3. Ezequiel 32:3The image of a fishing net cast over the ‘dragon’ of the Nile, with the help of several nations allied with Babylon — it repeats the capture already announced in chapter 29.
  4. Ezequiel 32:4After being captured, the body is thrown onto the land to become food for birds and animals — the same image of unburied humiliation seen before.
  5. Ezequiel 32:5The ‘flesh’ scattered over mountains and valleys is a poetic exaggeration describing total destruction, covering the whole surrounding landscape.
  6. Ezequiel 32:6Pharaoh’s blood watering the land all the way to the mountains is a shocking image, meant to convey the scale of the predicted slaughter.
  7. Ezequiel 32:7Darkening the sun, the moon, and the stars because of Egypt’s fall is a common poetic convention among the prophets for describing a catastrophe as though the whole universe were reacting — it is not a literal astronomical prediction.
  8. Ezequiel 32:8The darkening of the sky — sun, moon, and stars — symbolically marks the end of an era, an image the prophets use whenever a great power falls.
  9. Ezequiel 32:9The news of Egypt’s fall would shock even distant peoples who had never had direct contact with it, showing the reach of its impact.
  10. Ezequiel 32:10Kings of other nations would tremble at seeing the sword used against Egypt, fearing for their own survival as they watched so great a power fall.
  11. Ezequiel 32:11It again identifies the instrument of judgment: the sword of the king of Babylon, the same agent named in the previous chapters.
  12. Ezequiel 32:12‘The terrible of the nations,’ the Babylonian army, destroy Egypt’s pride — repeating language already used in the earlier oracles against other nations.
  13. Ezequiel 32:13Egypt’s waters would be free of the people and animals that once stirred them — an image of an almost total emptying-out of life in the country.
  14. Ezequiel 32:14Calm waters running ‘like oil’ contrast with the earlier chaos — a stillness that here is a sign of death and abandonment, not of peace.
  15. Ezequiel 32:15The final refrain of this section: only when the land is truly devastated will everyone recognize who the Lord is behind the judgment.
  16. Ezequiel 32:16The text itself identifies as a formal ‘lamentation,’ a mourning-song pattern that other nations would repeat over Egypt’s fall.
  17. Ezequiel 32:17A second date within the same chapter, marking a new section: this is no longer prediction, but a scene of Egypt already descending into the world of the dead.
  18. Ezequiel 32:18The order to wail for the ‘multitude’ of Egypt, symbolically sending it down to ‘the nether parts of the earth’ together with other great nations already dead.
  19. Ezequiel 32:19An ironic question: why would Egypt be different, ‘passing in beauty’ beyond the other peoples who already ended up in this same place?
  20. Ezequiel 32:20A description of how Egypt, together with ‘all her multitudes,’ would be dragged into the same fate as those already slain by the sword.
  21. Ezequiel 32:21The warriors already dead, in the world of the dead, remark on the arrival of one more group of the ‘uncircumcised’ defeated by the sword.
  22. Ezequiel 32:22The list of already-defeated empires — Assyria, Elam, Meshech and Tubal, Edom — lying together in the world of the dead works like a gallery of the great empires that had already fallen before — Egypt is being warned that it will join this same list.
  23. Ezequiel 32:23Asshur (Assyria) is already there, its graves all around — a people that once caused terror is now among the dead like anyone else.
  24. Ezequiel 32:24Elam, a kingdom east of Babylon, appears on the same list of powerful nations that fell and are now in the same place, without any honor.
  25. Ezequiel 32:25It repeats the description of Elam, visually reinforcing the scene: graves arranged around one who was once feared by everyone.
  26. Ezequiel 32:26Meshech and Tubal, northern peoples in the region of Anatolia and the Caucasus, round out the list with the same fate: feared in life, without honor in death.
  27. Ezequiel 32:27A subtle contrast: even among the dead, these peoples do not receive the kind of rest given to honored warriors, because they had spread so much terror.
  28. Ezequiel 32:28It applies directly to Pharaoh the same sentence given to the earlier nations: he too would be broken and would lie among the uncircumcised.
  29. Ezequiel 32:29Edom, already judged in chapter 25, reappears in this final gallery of fallen nations, now with its kings and princes.
  30. Ezequiel 32:30‘The princes of the north’ and the Zidonians, already judged in chapter 28, round out the list of nations that now all lie in the same place.
  31. Ezequiel 32:31Pharaoh would see this whole company of defeated nations and find a bitter comfort in not being alone in this situation.
  32. Ezequiel 32:32It closes the chapter, and the entire block of oracles against the nations, repeating that the same terror caused in life ends in the same symbolic pit of the defeated.

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