Bible Strands
Ezekiel 29:6
Then all the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD. For you were only a staff of reeds to the house of Israel.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God declares through Ezekiel to Pharaoh and Egypt immediately after pronouncing desolation and exposure to scavengers (Ezekiel 29:5). The statement addresses Egypt's impending humiliation and its past role as a failed political ally.
The words — The text uses יָדְעוּ (ya.de'u) for "they will know" and כִּי (ki) for "that," framing the clause as a future declaration of divine identity rather than a causal link. יַעַן (ya'an) follows with "because," introducing the explanation for that future knowledge.
The thread — The broken staff imagery reappears in 2 Kings 18:21 and Isaiah 36:6, where Egypt is described as a reed that pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it. The pattern of divine acts producing knowledge of God also appears in Exodus 9:14.
Why it lands — The text states that Egypt's collapse will force recognition of Yahweh's authority, using the nation's failure as proof. It requires readers to treat political reliance on unstable human powers as a concrete demonstration of divine sovereignty.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And 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.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 18:21 Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
- Isaiah 36:6 Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
- Exodus 9:14 Otherwise, I will send all My plagues against you and your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.
- Exodus 14:18 The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I am honored through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
- Isaiah 20:5 Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.
- Isaiah 30:2 They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade.
- Isaiah 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.
- Jeremiah 2:36 How impulsive you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be disappointed by Egypt just as you were by Assyria.
- Lamentations 4:17 All the while our eyes were failing as we looked in vain for help. We watched from our towers for a nation that could not save us.
- Ezekiel 28:22 And you are to declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I am against you, O Sidon, and I will be glorified within you. They will know that I am the LORD when I execute judgments against her and demonstrate My holiness through her.