Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and behold, it has not been bound up, to apply medicines, to put a bandage to bind it, that it be strong to hold the sword.
Parallel translations
- KJV 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.
- BSB “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. See, it has not been bound up for healing, or splinted for strength to hold the sword.
- NKJV “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and see, it has not been bandaged for healing, nor a splint put on to bind it, to make it strong enough to hold a sword.
- NASB “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, behold, it has not been bound up for healing or wrapped with a bandage, so that it may be strong to wield the sword.
- NLT “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. His arm has not been put in a cast so that it may heal. Neither has it been bound up with a splint to make it strong enough to hold a sword.
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 has broken Pharaoh's arm, and it will not be bound up or healed to wield the sword. Egypt's military strength is crippled beyond recovery.
Overview
The "broken arm" symbolizes Pharaoh's shattered military power, left unset and unhealed so it cannot grip a weapon. This likely refers to Egypt's defeat and inability to rescue Jerusalem from Babylon. The image graphically conveys that God has disabled the strength on which Egypt and its would-be allies relied.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Jer 30:13There is no one to plead your cause, that you may be bound up. You have no healing medicines.
- Jer 46:11Go up into Gilead, and take balm, virgin daughter of Egypt. In vain do you use many medicines. There is no healing for you.
- Jer 48:25The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken,” says Yahweh.
- Ps 37:17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but Yahweh upholds the righteous.
- Ezek 30:24I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he shall groan before him with the groaning of a mortally wounded man.
- Ps 10:15Break the arm of the wicked. As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none.
- Isa 1:6From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it: wounds, welts, and open sores. They haven’t been closed, neither bandaged, neither soothed with oil.
- Jer 51:8–9Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed! Wail for her! Take balm for her pain. Perhaps she may be healed.
- Nah 3:16You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the skies. The grasshopper strips, and flees away.
- Rev 18:21A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down, and will be found no more at all.
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How Ezekiel 30:21 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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