Ezekiel 29:7

When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand. WHEN THEY TOOK HOLD OF THEE BY THY HAND - or handle of the reed. THOU DIDST BREAK, AND REND ALL THEIR SHOULDER - by the splinters on which the shoulder or arm would fall, on the support failing the hand. THOU BRAKEST, AND MADEST ALL THEIR LOINS TO BE AT A STAND - i:e., thou madest them to be disabled. Maurer somewhat similarly (referring to a kindred Arabic form), 'thou hast stricken both their loins.' Fairbairn, not so well, 'thou lettest all their loins stand,' i:e., by themselves, bereft of the support which they looked for from thee....

1-16 Worldly, carnal minds pride themselves in their property, forgetting that whatever we have, we received it from God, and should use it for God. Why, then, do we boast? Self is the great idol which all the world worships, in contempt of God and his sovereignty. God can force men out of that in which they are most secure and easy. Such a one, and all that cleave to him, shall perish together. Thus end men's pride, presumption, and carnal security. The Lord is against those who do harm to his people, and still more against those who lead them into sin. Egypt shall be a kingdom again, but it shall be the basest of the kingdoms; it shall have little wealth and power. History shows the complete fulfilment of this prophecy. God, not only in justice, but in wisdom and goodness to us, breaks the creature-stays on which we lean, that they may be no more our confidence....

So Egypt was continually proving to Israel, to Jehoiakim and to Zedekiah. The tenses are present not past. TO BE AT A STAND - Others, “to totter.”...

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 29:1 IN THE TENTH YEAR, etc. The precision with which the dates of the several portions of the prophecy against Egypt are given, here and in Ezekiel 29:17; Ezekiel 30:20; Ezekiel 31:1; Ezekiel 32:1, Ezekiel 32:7, shows that each was called forth by the political events of the time, and has to be studied in connection with them. It will be well, therefore, to begin with a Brief survey of the relat

WHEN THEY TOOK HOLD OF THEE BY THY HAND,.... When the Israelites entered into an alliance and confederacy with the Egyptians, called for their assistance according to treaty, and put their confidence in them: THOU DIDST BREAK AND REND ALL THEIR SHOULDER; as a reed which a man puts under his armhole, and leans upon, and it breaks under him, the splinters run into the flesh up to the very shoulder, and tear the flesh to pieces; so, through Zedekiah's trusting to the king of Egypt, he rebelled against the king of Babylon, which brought on his ruin, and the destruction of his kingdom: AND WHEN THEY LEANED UPON THEE THOU BRAKEST, AND MADEST ALL THEIR LOINS TO BE AT A STAND; when they put their confidence in the king of Egypt, and sent to him for help when besieged by the king of Babylon, and he failed them, they were obliged to raise up themselves, as a man is forced to do when his staff br...

Ezekiel 29-30. First Egypt's desolation is announced (Ezekiel 29:1). The king of Egypt addressed in this prophecy was Pharaoh-Hophra, called in Greek, Apries. He was the grandson of Pharaoh-Necho, who defeated King Josiah at Meggido 2 Chronicles 35:20. King Zedekiah of Judah expected help and relief from Pharaoh-Hophra, when Jerusalem was besieged. The Egyptian army under Hophra advanced through Phoenicia and forced the Chaldeans to raise the siege of Jerusalem Jeremiah 37:5. But the relief was only temporary, for the Egyptian army had to retire. The prophet Jeremiah announced also the doom of Hophra, associating it with Zedekiah's doom: “Thus saith the LORD, Behold I will give Pharaoh-Hophra, King of Egypt,

EZEKIEL 29-32. ORACLE AGAINST EGYPT. Next and last to be denounced is Egypt, the great rival of Babylon, and consequently the opponent of Yahweh's purpose. The separate oracles were written either not long before (Ezekiel 29:1) or not long after (Ezekiel 32:1) the fall of Jerusalem. An Egyptian army marched to the relief of the city during the siege (Jeremiah 37:5); probably Ezekiel 29:6 is a warning of the futility of this attempt, while Ezekiel 30:21 may definitely refer to its repulse by the Babylonians....

TO BE AT. STAND. to come to. stand, or to halt. Ginsburg thinks, to shake" (Isa 69:2)....

WHEN THEY TOOK HOLD OF THEE, &C.— _For when they took hold of thee, thou wast broken in their hand, and didst rend the hand of each of them. When they leaned upon thee thou breakest, and didst loose_ or _put out of joint all their shoulders._ Houbigant. Instead of, _By thy hand, s_ome read, _With their hands;_ and instead of, _All their loins to be at a stand;—All their loins shake,_ or _to be pierced._...

CHAPTER FOURTEEN THE ECLIPSE OF EGYPT 29:1-32:32 In the four Chapter s devoted to Egypt Ezekiel speaks seven words from the Lord. All but one of these words are given specific dating. Why such a large section devoted to this one heathen power? Because the affairs of tiny Judah were so intertwined with that of the superpowers of the sixth century. Egypt had been very much involved in encouraging Judah's final revolt against Babylon. The main point stressed by Ezekiel and the other Hebrew prophets is that the final destiny of Israel was in the hands of God, not the hands of human monarchs. Furthermore, the prophets dared to preach what was in their day a revolutionary doctrine: even the destiny of the superpowers was determined by God and God was Yahweh! Israel might be little; but Israel's God was great to the ends of the earth. Israel appeared to be only a pawn in the hands of political...