“Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.
- KJV Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:
- NKJV “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt.
- NASB “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.
- NLT “Son of man, turn and face Egypt and prophesy against Pharaoh the king and all the people of Egypt.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God commands Ezekiel to set his face against Pharaoh and prophesy against all Egypt. The mighty empire is summoned before the judgment of God.
Overview
The prophet is directed to confront Pharaoh and the whole nation, signaling comprehensive judgment. Egypt had long been a symbol of worldly power and a tempting but treacherous ally for Judah. The oracle declares that even the greatest earthly kingdom answers to the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ezek 6:2“Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them.
- Jer 44:30This is what the LORD says: Behold, I will deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who seek his life, just as I delivered Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who was seeking his life.”
- Jer 46:2–16concerning Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah:
- Ezek 25:2“Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them.
- Ezek 30:1Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
- Isa 18:1Woe to the land of whirring wings, along the rivers of Cush,
- Zech 14:18–19And if the people of Egypt will not go up and enter in, then the rain will not fall on them; this will be the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
- Jer 25:18–19to make them a ruin, an object of horror and contempt and cursing, as they are to this day—Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials;
- Ezek 21:2“Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel
- Jer 9:25–26“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish all who are circumcised yet uncircumcised:
- Ezek 28:21–22“Son of man, set your face against Sidon and prophesy against her.
- Ezek 20:46“Son of man, set your face toward the south, preach against it, and prophesy against the forest of the Negev.
- Isa 20:1–6Before the year that the chief commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it,
- Joel 3:19Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a desert wasteland, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.
- Jer 43:8–13Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah at Tahpanhes:
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Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 29:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.