Ezekiel 30:9

In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh. IN THAT DAY SHALL MESSENGERS GO FORTH FROM ME IN SHIPS, TO MAKE THE CARELESS ETHIOPIANS AFRAID - (Isaiah 18:1). The cataracts interposing between them and Egypt should not save them. Egyptians "fleeing from before me" in my execution of judgment, as "messengers" in 'skiffs' ("vessels of bulrushes," ) shall go up the Nile, as far as navigable, to announce the advance of the Chaldeans. In Isaiah 18:1 the messengers were to announce good news to the Ethiopians-namely, that God would overthrow Sennacherib the Assyrian king...

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....

Verse Ezekiel 30:9. _MESSENGERS GO FORTH FROM ME IN SHIPS_] Ships can ascend the Nile up to Syene or Essuan, by the _cataracts_; and when Nebuchadnezzar's vessels went up, they struck terror into the Ethiopians. They are represented here as the "messengers of God....

CARELESS ETHIOPIANS - The Ethiopians, who were dwelling in fancied security Zephaniah 2:15, shall tremble at Egypt’s ruin....

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 30:1 THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME AGAIN, etc. The section that follows, ending with Ezekiel 30:18, is exceptional as standing without a date. It may be either (1) a continuation of the prophecy in Ezekiel 29:17, and so belong to the latest years of Ezekiel's work; or (2) that prophecy may be regarded as standing by itself—a parenthesis inserted at a later date, so that we go back to the earlier word of the Lord in Ezekiel 29:1. Jerome, Havernick, Hitzig, Rosenmüller, Kliefoth, and others are in favor of the former

IN THAT DAY SHALL MESSENGERS GO FORTH FROM ME IN SHIPS,.... Either by the river Nile, or by the Red sea, to Arabia Felix, which some think is meant by Ethiopia. Cush or Ethiopia was encompassed about with water, so that there was no coming to it but by ships; see Genesis 2:13, compare with this Isaiah 18:1, the messengers here were either such who under a divine impulse, or however by the providence of God, were directed to go to Ethiopia, and tell them the news of the destruction of Egypt; or these were messengers sent by the king of Babylon, to demand a surrender of their country to him; or it may design him himself, and his army, who marched thither to subdue that country also, after the conquest of Egypt. So the Targum, "at that time messengers shall go forth from before me with legions;''...

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 30. THE DESOLATION OF EGYPT. The interrupted denunciation of Egypt is resumed. The neighbours and allies will be involved in her ruin, which is to be effected by Nebuchadrezzar and his terrible army (Ezekiel 30:1). (In Ezekiel 30:5, for Put and Lud see Ezekiel 27:10: for mingled people read Arabians. For Cub, read Lub = Lybians; and for the next clause read the Cretans.) The collapse of Egypt is then described in detail, the towns which are singled out for special mention being all of religious, political, or military importance (Ezekiel 30:13). (In...

FROM ME. frorn before Me. IN SHIPS. Going up the Nile. The Septuagint reads "hastening" or "running"; but note that Ethiopia sent messengers in ships to promise help to Judah, but Jehovah sent His messengers in ships to prophesy her judgment. AS IN THE DAY. Many codices (including the Hillel Codex, A.D. 600, quoted in the Masserah), with three early printed editions, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "in the day". Other codices. with seven early printed editions and Aramaean, read "as (or like, or about the time of) the day". LO. Figure of speech _Asterismos_ App-6....

IN THAT DAY SHALL MESSENGERS GO FORTH, &C.— _In that day shall swift messengers go forth from me, who shall terrify the secure Ethiopian; and he shall have great fears concerning the day of Egypt, because it shall be nigh._ Houbigant; who observes, that as the messengers are sent to Cush or Ethiopia, if the Arabians be meant, they were not to be gone to by ships: if the Ethiopians, properly so called, to the south of Egypt, it was not proper for messengers to be sent to them in ships, because the navigation was against the stream, and could not be so quick as it ought upon an approaching calamity....