They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will lie among ruined cities.
Parallel translations
- WEB They shall be desolate in the middle of the countries that are desolate; and her cities shall be in the middle of the cities that are wasted.
- KJV And 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.
- NKJV “Theyshall be desolate in the midst of the desolate countries, And her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are laid waste.
- NASB “They will be desolate In the midst of the desolated lands; And her cities will be In the midst of the devastated cities.
- NLT Egypt will be desolate, surrounded by desolate nations, and its cities will be in ruins, surrounded by other ruined cities.
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 and her cities will lie desolate among other ruined nations. She joins the wasteland of judged peoples.
Overview
Egypt's lands and cities are numbered among the desolate, sharing the fate of nations God has already judged. The imagery of widespread ruin reinforces the totality of the coming devastation. It testifies that the same righteous standard by which God judges all nations now falls upon mighty Egypt.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Ezek 29:12I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among desolate lands, and her cities will lie desolate for forty years among the ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the countries.
- Jer 25:18–26to 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 32:18–32“Son of man, wail for the multitudes of Egypt, and consign her and the daughters of the mighty nations to the depths of the earth with those who descend to the Pit:
- Jer 46:1–28This is the word of the LORD about the nations—the word that came to Jeremiah the prophet
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 30:7 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.