And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.
Parallel translations
- WEB The land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste; and they shall know that I am Yahweh. Because he has said, ‘The river is mine, and I have made it;’
- BSB The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it,’
- NKJV And the land of Egypt shall become desolate and waste; then they will know that I am the Lord, because he said, ‘The River is mine, and I have made it.’
- NASB The land of Egypt will become a desolation and place of ruins. Then they will know that I am the Lord. “Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I have made it,’
- NLT The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. “Because you said, ‘The Nile River is mine; I made it,’
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
Egypt will become a desolate waste, and they will know the LORD, because Pharaoh claimed the Nile as his own creation. Proud self-exaltation brings ruin.
Overview
The judgment is again tied to Pharaoh's arrogant boast that he made the river for himself. God answers this blasphemous pride by reducing Egypt to desolation so the nation will acknowledge him. The recurring refrain shows that God's purpose in judgment is to make his sovereign lordship known.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ezek 29:3Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.
- Prov 16:18Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
- Ezek 29:10–12Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.
- Prov 18:12Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.
- Ezek 30:13–19Thus 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.
- Ezek 30:7–8And 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.
- Prov 29:23A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
- Jer 43:10–13And say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.
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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 29:9 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
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