Ezekiel 30:14

30:1-19 The prophecy of the destruction of Egypt is very full. Those who take their lot with God's enemies, shall be with them in punishment. The king of Babylon and his army shall be instruments of this destruction. God often makes one wicked man a scourge to another. No place in the land of Egypt shall escape the fury of the Chaldeans. The Lord is known by the judgments he executes. Yet these are only present effects of the Divine displeasure, not worthy of our fear, compared with the wrath to come, from which Jesus delivers his people.

And I will make Pathros desolate,.... A country in Egypt; See Gill on Ezekiel 29:14 , perhaps it was the first place that Nebuchadnezzar entered, and so went from place to place in the order hereafter mentioned: and I will set fire in Zoan; or Tunis, a famous city in Egypt in the times of Moses, Numbers 13:22. The Targum and Septuagint version call it Tanis here; and from hence a nome in Egypt was called the Tanitic nome. This city was burnt down by the king of Babylon: the place now built on the spot is called Mansourah, as Dr. Shaw (w) says: and I will execute judgment in No. The Vulgate Latin version renders it Alexandria; and so does the Targum; of which place Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech interpret it; and so does Jerom; which, though built after these times by Alexander, and called so after his name, yet is supposed to be built on or near the place where ancient No stood. The city is now called Scanderoon, or Scanderea; the Turks calling Alexander Scander: here the judgments of God were executed in the destruction of it by the Chaldean army; and great devastations have been made in it since it was rebuilt by Alexander, by the Saracens, who destroyed all places where they came; so that, as Dr. Shaw (x) observes, it is somewhat extraordinary that the greatest part of the ancient walls, together with their respective turrets, should have continued entire quite down to this time.

The Septuagint version calls it Diospolis, or the city of Jupiter, as does the Arabic version, that is, of Jupiter Hammon; the city of Thebes, where he was worshipped; as it is in a following verse called Hammon No; though Hillerus (y) thinks neither of these places are meant, neither Alexandria nor Diospolis; but Memphis, as it is rendered by the Septuagint in the next verse; See Gill on Nahum 3:8. (w) Travels, p. 304. Ed. 2.((x) Ib. p. 292. (y) Onomastic. Sacr. p. 571, &c.

Ezekiel 30:14-15 . I will make Pathros desolate — That is, Thebais; and will set fire in Zoan — Or, Tanis, one of the ancient cities in Egypt, and the metropolis of the kingdom in Moses’s time: see Psalm 78:12 ; Psalm 78:43 . I will execute judgments in No — Called the multitude of No, or Hamon-no, in the next verse, and probably the same with the city Thebes, famous for its hundred gates: see the note on Jeremiah 46:25 . I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt — It is generally agreed that Sin is the same with Pelusium, one of the seven mouths of the Nile, which was commonly called the key of Egypt, as Suidas observes, and therefore was strongly fortified, that no enemy might gain admittance.

(14) Pathros . . . Zoan . . . No.— For Pathros, see Note on Ezekiel 29:14 . Zoan (see Numbers 13:22 ; Isaiah 19:11 ) is Tanis, a city of Lower Egypt, on the Tanitic branch of the Nile. No, mentioned again in the next Verse, more fully written No-Amon ( Nahum 3:8 ), is the celebrated Thebes of Upper Egypt, still famous for its ruins at Luxor and Karnac. The mention of these various cities is to make emphatic the universality of the judgment upon the whole land.

Verse 14. - (For Pathros , see note on Ezekiel 29:14.) Zoan - joined with Noph in Isaiah 19:11 , mentioned in Numbers 13:22 as older than Hebron - is the Tanis of the Greeks, situated on the Tanitic branch of the Delta of the Nile. No ; or, as in Nahum 3:8 , No Amon (equivalent to "the abode of Ammen"), the sacred name of the Egyptian Thebes. The LXX. gives Diospolis; the Vulgate, by a curious anachronism, Alexandria. Ezekiel 30:14

Parthos: see Ezekiel 29:14 . Set a fire in Zoan: it may be literally understood, that Zoan, Tanis, for that is its name, should be burnt down to ashes; or metaphorically, of war, and civil dissensions. No; a very great and populous city, situate on one of the mouths of Nilus, and on the sea, Nahum 3:8 . Now Alexandria stands where that did. But it was greater in sin than in people, and it was visited with very great and dreadful judgments, Nahum 3:8-11 , which see.

Further Description of the Judgment Ezekiel 30:13. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, I will exterminate the idols and cut off the deities from Noph, and there shall be no more a prince from the land of Egypt; and I put terror upon the land of Egypt. Ezekiel 30:14. And I lay Pathros waste, and bring fire into Zoan, and execute judgments upon No; Ezekiel 30:15. And I pour out my fury upon Sin, the stronghold of Egypt, and cut off the multitude of No; Ezekiel 30:16. And I put fire in Egypt; Sin will writhe in pain, and No will be broken open, and Noph - enemies by day. Ezekiel 30:17. The men of On and Bubastus will fall by the sword, and they themselves will go into captivity. Ezekiel 30:18. At Tachpanches the day will be darkened when I shatter the yokes of Egypt there, and an end will be put to its proud haughtiness; cloud will cover it, and its daughters till go into captivity. Ezekiel 30:19. And thus I execute judgments upon Egypt, that they may know that I am Jehovah. - Egypt will lose its idols and its princes (cf.