The big picture
Ezekiel 29 opens in verse 1 with “In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 11 with “No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither…”, and closes in verse 21 with “In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, Egypt, land, rivers, desolate. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Ezekiel · King James Version · 21Ezekiel 29:1-7
1–7: In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month…
Ezekiel 29:1–7 opens with “In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD…” and reaches “When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 29 develops its own movement around LORD, Egypt, land, rivers, desolate, with particular weight carried by rivers, Egypt, fish.
Context that brings the passage to life
“In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,” The line’s distinctive content terms include month, tenth, LORD. Its relationship to verses 2 shows what work it does in this passage.
“Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:” Naming Egypt and Pharaoh keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that…” Naming Egypt keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Ezekiel 29:1-7
King James Version1In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:
3Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.
4But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.
5And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.
6And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD , because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.
7When 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.
Ezekiel 29:8-14
8–14: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I will bring a sword upon…
Ezekiel 29:8–14 opens with “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and…” and reaches “And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 29 develops its own movement around LORD, Egypt, land, rivers, desolate, with particular weight carried by desolate, land, Egypt.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
“And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD : because he hath said, The…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and…” Naming Egypt and Ethiopia keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Ezekiel 29:8-14
King James Version8Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.
9And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD : because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.
10Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.
11No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years.
12And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.
13Yet thus saith the Lord GOD ; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered:
14And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.
Ezekiel 29:15-21
15–21: It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself…
Ezekiel 29:15–21 opens with “It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the…” and reaches “In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 29 develops its own movement around LORD, Egypt, land, rivers, desolate, with particular weight carried by LORD, army, Babylon.
Context that brings the passage to life
“It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of…” This familiar narrative signal moves the clock forward. What follows is a new scene, consequence, or answer to an earlier tension.
Ezekiel 29:15-21
King James Version15It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.
16And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD .
17And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
18Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:
19Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.
20I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD .
21In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the LORD .
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Ezekiel 29:1 begins with “In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,”
Where the chapter turns
Ezekiel 29:8 forms a natural hinge: “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.”
The final note
Ezekiel 29:21 leaves the reader with “In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, Egypt, land, rivers, desolate, king help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
How does Laban's deception echo Jacob's earlier conduct?
An older and younger sibling are exchanged through a disguised identity, with family custom used to justify the outcome.
What changes when the narrator follows Leah?
Readers hear the pain of the less-loved woman and God's attention to her.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.