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Eze_32:1. Sept.: ... ìéá ô . ìçíïò —(Anoth. read.: áòùúé òùøä , undecimo anno.)
Eze_32:2. … Ëåïíôé … ὁìïéùèçò … ê . ὲêåñáôéæåò ôïéò ðïôáìïéò … ô . ðïôáìïõò óïõ . Vulg.: Leoni assimilatus es et draconi … et ventilabas cornu in—(Other readings: åúøôî and áðäøúַéִê .)
Eze_32:3. ... êáé ἀíêîù óå ἐí ô . ἀãêéóôñù ̣ ìïõ ; so too the Vulg.
Eze_32:4. ... Ðåäéá ðëçóèçóåôáé óïõ —(Anoth. read.: ëì çéä äàøõ , Syr.)
Eze_32:5. ... ἀðï ô . áἱìáôïò óïõ ôáóáí ãçí Vulg.: … colles tuos sanie tua. Anoth. read.: øîåúéêְ , excelsa tua; øîúéêּ , projectionibus tuis (Targ.), v. vermibus tuis (Syr.).
Eze_32:6. ... ðïôéóèçóåôêé ἡ ãç ἀðï ô . ÷ùñçìáôïí óïõ ê . ἀðï ô . ðëçèïõò óïõ … öêñáããáò ἐìðëçóù ê ̓ ðï óïõ . Vulg.: fœtore sanguinis tui—
Eze_32:8. Vulg.: mœrere faciam super te—
Eze_32:9. Sept.: ... ἡíé÷á ἀí … áἰ÷ìáëùóéáí óïõ … åἰò ãçí ἡí —Vlug.: irritabo contritionem tuam—
Eze_32:10. Sept.: ... ðñïóäå÷ïìåíïé ôçí ðôùóéí áὐôùí ἀö ʼ ἡìåñáò ðôùóåùò óïõ .
Eze_32:12. ἐí ìá÷áéñáéò ãéãáíôùí , ê . êáôáâáëù ô . ἰó÷õí óïõ Ëïéìïé ἀðï ἐèíùí —
Eze_32:14. Ïὑôùò ôïôå ἡóõ÷áóåé —Vulg.: Tunc púrissimas reddams … adducam—
Eze_32:15. cum dedero … deseretur autem—(Anoth. read.: åîùîä in Hophal.)
Eze_32:17. Anoth. read.: áòùúé òùøä , Syr. and interlined Bible. Sept.: ... ἐí ô . ðñùôù ̣ ìçíé —
Eze_32:18. Sept.: ... êêé êáôáâéâáóïõóéí áὐôçò ôáò èõãáôåñáò ôê ἐèíò íåêñáò åἰò ôï âáèïò ô . ãçò ðñïò ôïõò … (Eze_32:19 : Åí ìåóù ̣ ôñáõìáôéùí ìáêáéñá ðåóïõíôáé ìåô ʼ áὐôïõ , ê . êïéìçèçóåôáé ðáóá ἡ ἰóêõò . ê . ἐñïõóéí óïé ïἱãéãáíôåò Ἐí âáèåé âïèñïõ ãéíïõ ôéíïò ÷ñåéôôùí åἱ ; ê . êáôáâçèé ê . êïéìçèçôé . Vulg.: gentium robustarum ad terram ultimam (Other read.: åäåøéãå , and àì àøõ úçúéú , and àì éåøãé , Sept.)
Eze_32:19. ʼ Åî ὑäáôùí åὑðñåðïõò ÷áôáâçèé , ê . êïéìçèçôé ìåôá
Eze_32:20. ðåóïõíôáé ìåô ʼ áὐôïõ , ê . êïéìçèçóåôáé ðáóá ἡ ἰó÷õò áὐôïõ . (Other read.: äîåðä .)
Eze_32:21. Sept.: ... óïé ïἱ ãéãáíôåò . ʼ Åí âáèåé âïèñïí ãéíïõ , ôéíïò ÷ñåéôôùí åé ; Êáôáâçèé ê . êïéìçèçôé ìåôá —Vlug.: qui cum auxiliatoribus ejus descenderunt et dormierunt—
Eze_32:22. … óõíáãùãç áὐôïõ , ð÷íôåò ôñáõìáôéáé ἐ÷åé ἐäïèçóáí ἡ ôáöç áὐôùí ἐí âáèåé âáèñïõ ÷ ἐãåíçèç ἡ óõí÷ãùãç áὐôïõ ðåñé÷õ÷ëù ̣ ô . ìíçáôïò áὐôïõ , ðáíôåò —
Eze_32:23. ïἱ ἐäù÷áí ô . ôáö÷ò áὐôçò ἐí ìçñïéò ëá÷÷ïõ —
Eze_32:25. The words ëéÎðúï× are not represented in the Sept.
Eze_32:26. Sept.: ʼ Å÷åé ἐäïèçóáí … ê . Èïâåë … ðåñé÷õ÷ëù ô . ìíçìáôïò áὐôïõ , ðáíôåò ôñáõìáôéáé áὐôïõ , ðáíôåò ἀðåñéôìçôïé ôñáõìáôéáé ἀðï ìá÷áéñáò , ïἱ äåäù÷ïôåò —Vulg,; … interfectique et cadentes gladio—
Eze_32:27. Êáé ἐ÷ïéìçè÷óáí ìåôá ô . ãéãáíôùí … ἀð ’ áἰïíïò , ïé … ὁôé ἐîåöïâçóáí ãéãáíôáò —Vulg.: … et incircumcisis—(Anoth. read.: òåðí , Syr.)
Eze_32:29. Sept.: ê . ïἱ âáóéëåéò áὐôçò ê … ïἱ ἁñ÷ïíôåò Ἀóóïõñ ïἱ äïíôåò ô . ἰó÷õí áὐôùí åἰò ôñêõìá ìá÷áéñáò , êὐôïé ἐêïéìçèçóáí ìåôá ôñáõìáôéùí ìá÷áéñáò , ἐêïéìçèçóáí ìåôá —
Eze_32:30. ðáíôåò óôñáôçãïé " Áóóïõñ , ïἱ … ôñáõìáôéáé óïí ô . öïâù ̣ ÷ὑôùí ÷ . ô . ἰó÷õé áὐôùí —Vulg.: … et universi venatores, qui … paventes et in … confusi—(Anoth. read.: åëì öãåðéí , Chald., Syr.; or they read ñøðֵé , satraps. Instead of àùø , Sept. read àùåø .)
Eze_32:31. Vulg.: Vidit eos et consolatus est—
Eze_32:32. Quia dedi terrorem meum … et dormivit—
Eze_32:1-16. The Lamentation over Pharaoh.
Eze_32:2. Comp. Eze_19:1.—As Eze_27:2 upon Tyre, and Eze_28:12 upon the prince of Tyre, so here it is first upon Pharaoh, and afterwards, Eze_32:17 sq., upon Egypt.—The designation as young lion (Eze_19:2) of the heathen nations (meaning of them not in the sense of being among them, but in that of showing himself to be such toward them), ëְּôִéø âּåֹéִí , as in Eze_31:11 àì âåéí , an antithetical reference, very fitly applies to the personality of Hophra. The youthful, rapacious, conquest-loving spirit of this prince may have been characterized.— ðִãְîֵéָú , Niph. (from ãîä ), “to make one’s self like” (the subjective of Pharaoh’s to the objective of Jehovah’s, Eze_31:2; Eze_31:18).— àֶì dropt, perhaps, on account of the immediately preceding àֵìָéå , or to be construed accusatively; anyhow, perfectly plain as to the meaning, since ëַּúðéí immediately follows. That Pharaoh could not be found “like a lion and also a dragon,” as Hitzig alleges, has this only as a ground of offence, that it overlooks the distinction, the contrast, between the two resemblances. As a young lion Pharaoh is conscious of what belonged to him out of himself, whereas the other image rather represents the customary, perhaps also the limits to be kept by the Pharaohs of Egypt. (“With the third Ramses,” says Duncker, “Egypt had ceased to be the first power of the old world. About the same time, when the warlike ambition of Assyria began to display itself, Egypt returned to a peaceful mode of life, and remained quiet within its old natural boundaries.”) Philippson: “Pharaoh, who belonged only to Egypt as crocodile, would also as a lion seize upon other lands.” So also Raschi. [Hitzig translates ðãîéú : “thou art a dead man” (Cocceius); Hengst.: “thou art undone; ðãîä never means: to be made like, always: to be silent, undone.” According to him, Eze_32:2 is a short outline which must be afterwards filled up.]—The representation generally is not that of the glory of the fallen king (Keil), and the image of the dragon in particular will not explain that of the lion (Hengst.); though it is right to say that the bearing of Pharaoh is meant to be set forth, only not so properly among the peoples as in his own relation. For in the sea is neither the sea of the peoples (Hengst.), nor to be taken along with what precedes = on land and in water (Rosenm.), but a reproduction of the Nile-situation (Eze_29:3, “in the midst of his streams”) corresponding to the self-elation implied in the “young lion of the heathen,” as (comp. Isa_19:5) in Homer the Nile is called ὠêåáíïò , and the native designation speaks of the white, blue seas. The counter-position ( åְàַúָּä ) is this: To the heathen nations thou wouldst show thyself as a young lion, and thine own people thou didst destroy, didst ruin—as is presently brought out in the prophet’s delineation. To the éַîִּéí correspond the ðַäֲøåֹú ; åַúָּâַç . from âּåֹçַ ( âִּéçַ ?), is, according to Kimchi, the Kal; who, however, allows it also as Hiphil, which Fürst takes to be the form, wishing, however, to understand it transitively: “and broughtest forth thy waters through thy streams;” but of Hiphil, as of Kal, is only the intransitive signification known. [Hitzig, who holds that the breaking forth of the crocodile is not meant to be expressed, would fain make it: “thou causest thy streams, namely, out of thy nostrils, to break forth;” but the streams and áְּ are against him, and he hence reads with Ewald: ðְçִøúéê , who translates: “since thou art as the crocodile in the waters, and with thy nostrils dost splutter (Job_41:20).” Hengst. cites, for the mischief which Pharaoh did among the nations, the North American crocodiles (“thou brakest forth with thy rivers”)—how, while breathing with the most frightful noise, they spurt forth streams of smoke and water, like a torrent in a hurricane, through their jaws and blowholes.] The sense, however, is much simpler: while in Eze_29:3, Pharaoh, the great dragon, lies in the midst of his streams at his ease, he is now represented as breaking forth in the same (“thine,” as he there pretends); that is, not precisely with his hosts, but in this, his national-Egyptian pride of power, rising up, elevating himself—which elevation of Pharaoh (as indicated by Jerome, Vulg., and Sept.) troubled the waters of Egypt ( ãìç , comp. Eze_32:13), while he with his feet trampled their streams or caused a muddy jumbling. [Schmieder: “With his restless ambition for war he stirred up the slumbering passions (the mire) among his peoples.”] Very good Philippson: “brought his people into agitation, guilt, and danger;” while the heterogeneous intermingling of the figure of the dragon with that of the lion, and in consequence thereof the explanation with reference to the nations, occasions misunderstanding and needless attempts at interpretation—as when Ewald, who is followed by Hävernick, speaks of the crocodile foully wallowing with mouth and feet in the fresh waters and life-sources of the nations—as troubling all that was pure.
Eze_32:3. See Eze_12:13; Eze_17:20.— áִּ÷ְäַì× , on comparison with Eze_23:24, can scarcely be understood of mere spectators, since they pull up, therefore, as helpers, associates, servants, carry the matter into effect. The peoples punish the sin of Pharaoh committed on his own people. Under the many we may think of the Chaldean army as composed of many races (Dereser), or also of the diverse peoples that followed the Chaldeans in making war upon Egypt.—Comp. Eze_26:5; Eze_26:14; Eze_29:4. In Siam, people often spread nets upon the river to catch the crocodile. Comp. Ælian, Var. Hist. Eze_10:21.
Eze_32:4. Comp. Eze_29:5.— áָàָøֶõ , land, in contrast to the water; while in Ezekiel 29 it is the “wilderness.”— èåּì , “to throw down,” Hiphil, strengthens ðָèַùׁ , as áָàָøֶõ is pictured out by òַì ôְּðֵé× , “on the plains (face) of the field.”—Eze_31:13. It is acutely remarked by Bunsen, that in the description, as it passes over into the monstrous, the prophet comes to do with the matter, touches less upon the image.
Eze_32:5. As the guilt, so the punishment takes place within the land, which is represented by mountains and valleys (Eze_31:12). Pharaoh is laid there as to his flesh, together with his warriors.— øָîåּú , Gesen. from øåּí , “a high heap of corpses.” Hengst.: “with thy height,” in contrast to the valleys as low ground, “with the proud corpse.” It were better to read øִîָּúֶêָ , from øִîָּä , collective, “worms.” Hitzig thinks of the blood which should flow down from the mountains into the valleys. Others take it, after the plural reading, of the hosts of which Pharaoh was proud, their corpses; Raschi, from øîä , “to throw away:” thy thrown away, that is: thy fallen.
Eze_32:6. Here öָôָä (from öåּó , “to overflow,” “to inundate”) with àֶøֶõ is not “the land of thy swimming” (Gesen.), in which thou as crocodile hast swimmed, but Egypt—only not as Hengst.: “the land which thou formerly didst overflow with thy rivers.” At least Eze_32:2 cannot be adduced for this sense, except in so far as the Nile, which Pharaoh in Ezekiel 29 had in a manner claimed for himself, overflows Egypt, and thereby provides the ground of prosperity and strength to Pharaoh. That God “causes the land to drink” (Gen_2:10) is placed over against the boasted overflowing of it through Pharaoh’s Nile; besides, however, the closer determination of the meaning by “out of (with) thy blood” (Exo_7:17 sq.), which Hitzig explains as a gloss of øָîåּúֶêָ in Eze_32:5. (Keil takes öָôָä as the “outflowing,” and construes äִùְׁ÷ֵּéúִé with two objects, so that îִãָּîְêָ announces whence the outflowing comes, and wherein it consists. Schmieder: “Pharaoh’s life-juice, which flows with his blood from his wounds, the most precious, most peculiar possessions of his home-power.” Häv.: “I saturate the earth with thy current, on occasion of thy blood covering the mountains.” Hitzig: “the soil of the earth with thy outflow.” Kimchi takes öôä as a fem. part.: “thy land over which the waters swam.” Others: the land which from thee was overflowed, namely, by thy blood. Attention has been called by Kimchi also to öָôָä , “to spy out”—the land of thy spying out—so that the high places thereof might be meant.)—Even to the mountains signifies: to as far as the overflowing of the Nile usually extends.
Eze_32:7 (Eze_30:18). The covering of the heaven, in its symbolic character, fitly enough regarded as analogous to the judgment-day of God (Eze_30:3; Joe_2:4), need not, however, be conceived of from this point of view, but may remind us of Exo_10:21 sq., while still it is expressly thought of in connection with Pharaoh’s extinction, who in his glory must not be contemplated merely as a bright shining light (Hengst.), but, according to the Egyptian style of thought, as the light of the world for his subjects, beaming forth upon the land and imparting prosperity and blessing (comp. at Eze_29:6 a, Eze_30:17; see also Duncker, i. p. 150). It is unnecessary, therefore, for Hitzig to fall back upon Dereser, who, under the expression: “when thou art extinguished,” makes the constellation of a dragon follow here upon the image of a sea-dragon, as then the zodiac might be of Egyptian origin. Keil regards Ezekiel as leaning upon Isa_14:12; but the discourse is not at all of Pharaoh as a star of the first magnitude (Dereser), but with his extinction the heaven (the heaven, namely, of Egypt), the higher, the governing supremacy and glory, one may say, is veiled, which in what follows is more nearly defined and expressed. Comp. Eze_31:15. The heaven comes into consideration as to its stars, and as such are specified (in place of all) sun and moon, which, again, appear in Eze_32:8 as îְàåֹøִéí ,—the sun, with ëָּñָä pointing back to ëִּñֵּéúִé ; the moon, with negative reproduction of the äִ÷ְãַּøְúִé . That with what is said, mourning, condolence should be expressed (as at Eze_31:15), does not lie in the words; and just on that account Eze_32:9-10 do not give, as Hitzig would have it, the import of the figurative speech here in Eze_32:7-8. Finally, neither kingdoms, nor peoples, nor individual men of distinction are indicated by the stars.
Eze_32:8. Gen_1:14.— òָìֶéêָ , agreeably to Eze_32:7 ( áְëַáּåֹúְêָ ): on account of thee, or as upon thy land.—All the luminaries resume the “stars” in Eze_32:7; àַ÷ְãִéøֵí repeats äִ÷ְãַּøְúִé there, and the darkness, sq., combines what is said of sun and moon together in the effect. Through “thy land” light falls upon the “land of thy overflowing,” in Eze_32:6.
Eze_32:9. The vexing of the heart is to be understood according to Eze_32:10. Sorrow; not sympathy, but, in consideration of themselves, and of that which might still also be done to them, grief. It is not hard words only which vex us, but there are also hard fates which cause us vexation, especially the more we would live and would let live. ùֵׁáֶø (and with Segol twice), probably: the report (but not necessarily to be read, as Ewald, with an Aramaic signification, ùׂáøê )of the destruction; that such a world-power was broken could not but cause many heart-breakings in the world. The addition: which thou knowest not, however, points to more than simple knowledge, namely, to persons who become acquainted with that of which they had hitherto been entirely ignorant, regions utterly unknown to them. (Targum of Jonathan: those broken through the war; Häv., with a reference to the Sept.: the prisoners, who, as ruins of the old glory of Egypt, are themselves the heralds of the misfortune among the nations.) Comp. Eze_30:9.
Eze_32:10. See Eze_27:35; Eze_28:19.— ùָׂòø , so that the hair stands on end.— òåֹôֵó , Pilel from òåּó , to make to fly. The sword, while they see how it flies to and fro over Pharaoh, is swung before their face, that they may with shuddering take a warning from it to themselves.—On åְçָøְãåּ ìִøְâָòִéí , comp. Eze_26:16.—Eze_31:16.
Eze_32:11. Since Jehovah’s sword which is brandished is that of the king of Babylon, the coming of this king can now be fitly spoken of. úְּáåֹàֶêָ for úָּáåֹà ìְêָ . Comp. also. Eze_30:10. There is a similar break in the discourse.
Eze_32:12. Comp. on Eze_31:2; Eze_31:12; Eze_28:7.— ëֻּìָּí , in their collective character; òָøéöֵé , from òָøַõ , properly: spreading terror.—On àֶúÎâְּàåֹï× Hitzig remarks: “not that of which Egypt is proud, but what is proud in Egypt, what raises itself up, pushes into the height.” Comp. Eze_30:6; Eze_30:18.
Eze_32:13. The extirpation of the beasts is explained by Schmieder figuratively of the potentates of Egypt, beside the crocodile Pharaoh, who stir up the population. As to the reality, Hitzig thinks of the grassy banks of the Nile, whither large herds of cattle were driven to get drink and to pasture (Gen_47:6; Gen_41:2 sq.; Exo_9:3). Rosenm. brings also to remembrance the Egyptian horse - training. The beasts, however, appear rather as embellishment, for the Nile with its waters forms the chief feature, as it also had led the inhabitants of the land of Egypt at an early period from shepherd life to agriculture, and had consequently given rise to the prosperity of the country. The desolation of the greatness and glory of Egypt, the annihilation of all its tumult (Eze_32:12), is represented by the extirpation of the beasts; in which the not unintentionally repeated ìֹà úִãְìָçֵí , in the transition to the øַáִּéñ îַéִí , points back with a certain irony to îéñ× åַúִּãְìַçÎ in Eze_32:2, while such a ruinous result for the land through the punishment of Pharaoh is rendered still more remarkable. The not any more does not import that it should no more at all happen, but only in comparison with the earlier—no more in such a sense, that the earlier ascendency of power should again have place. Foreign dominion, inflicting mischief, causing man and beast to disappear (Eze_32:12), should bring to a stand the native pernicious rule of Pharaoh. [According to the interpretation of others, it is to be understood with respect to other nations—as Hengst.: “in part also of the seductive glitter of Egypt”—of the ambitious military expeditious of Pharaoh (Cocc., Grotius), or generally of the pushing character of Egypt as a worldly power (Keil).]
Eze_32:14. àæ , when this takes place. What follows is explained by Hitzig to mean, that the Nile’s fulness of water, which hitherto had overflowed the land and made it fruitful, should no longer have any aim (Eze_30:12); Kliefoth: that God Himself would change the nature of these streams. But this would imply too much, while the words—though not to be understood as Hävernick thinks, who applies Eze_32:13 improperly to troubling through hostile armies—would still express nothing more than the reference back to Eze_32:2 already indicated in Eze_32:13; namely thus: that instead of “the breaking forth in thy streams” there, now a depression takes place, their waters sink, that is, those waters which in the former state of prosperity man and beast troubled, but which in particular Pharaoh’s haughtiness rendered turbid; i.e., the well-being of Egypt, as this is represented by its Nile, is now gone, and shall no longer give occasion for abuse. The position of Egypt as to power must henceforth be of another description. åְðַäֲøåֹúָí (Eze_32:2), “their,” of the “waters,” which through Pharaoh go in a confused manner— ëַּùֶּׁîֶï , Hitzig: flowing softly and slowly, keeping within the prescribed path. The latter does not lie in the comparison, after the manner of oil; and that they do not as hitherto rush forth in impetuous volumes of water is not the contrast; although the citation in Hitzig from Isa_8:6 corresponds, for, as with Asshur there, so was the case here with Pharaoh. Hengst. rightly: that the comparison with oil has respect to the soft flowing. Comp. Eze_29:14. There needs only the sentence of the Lord, and then the proud waves subside, and that which fancies itself so high becomes low. (Now, inasmuch as such a state can be taken as a contrast to the ruin of Eze_32:13, some modern expositors, after the example of earlier ones, have found a promise here in relation to other peoples; Targum, Grotius: that they should be left in peace; Häv., Keil: that for Egypt a time of divine blessing shall follow, the Nile shall flow with oil; Ewald even: “then first might the Messianic times come also upon Egypt, where the waterfloods should no longer be desolating and troubled, by reason, namely, of the true knowledge to which the chastisement conducts.”)
Eze_32:15. Here is combined together, through a double parallel, áְּ ְ the divine judgment and its result,—the giving up of the land of Egypt to desolation, and the realization of what this implied instead of its former fulness (Eze_12:19).—Rosenm., Hengst., translate åּðְùַׁîָּä : “and the land wasted.” It might also mean: when I give, etc., then the land is wasted.—The killing of all the inhabitants, and the knowing of Jehovah. According to Hitzig, áְּäַëּåֹúִé must be subordinated to the declaration.
Eze_32:16. Comp. Eze_19:14. The lamentation (Eze_32:2) comes here to a close. Its female singers, as this was laid upon women (Jer_9:16 [17]), will be the heathen nations themselves represented as such (daughters), or the mourning women of those nations mentioned in Eze_32:9. So certain is the matter.