“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.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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.
- 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.
- 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, no remedy for your sores, no recovery for you.
- Jer 46:11Go up to Gilead for balm, O Virgin Daughter of Egypt! In vain you try many remedies, but for you there is no healing.
- Jer 48:25The horn of Moab has been cut off, and his arm is broken,” declares the LORD.
- Ps 37:17For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
- Ezek 30:24I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place My sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, who will groan before him like a mortally wounded man.
- Ps 10:15Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call him to account for his wickedness until none is left to be found.
- Isa 1:6From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil.
- Jer 51:8–9Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been shattered. Wail for her; get her balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.
- Nah 3:16You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away.
- Rev 18:21Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never to be seen again.
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Original language
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