Bible Strands
Ezekiel 29:9
The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it,’
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Lord speaks through Ezekiel to Pharaoh and the people of Egypt, pronouncing immediate territorial judgment after declaring a sword will cut off man and beast from the land.
The words — The Hebrew לִשְׁמָמָה (li-shma-mah) translates literally to "into a desolation," paired with וְחָרְבָּה (ve-cha-re-bah) meaning "and a ruin," which together describe the complete physical devastation of the territory.
The thread — The text grounds this judgment in Egypt's claim over the Nile, a theme developed in the immediate context of Ezekiel 29:8 and 29:10, while the structural pattern of pride meeting destruction parallels Proverbs 16:18 and 18:12.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to recognize that natural resources and political power are subject to divine sovereignty, compelling a shift from self-reliance to acknowledgment of God's authority.
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 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.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 29:3 Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it myself.’
- Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
- Proverbs 18:12 Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.
- Ezekiel 29:10 therefore I am against you and against your rivers. I will turn the land of Egypt into a ruin, a desolate wasteland from Migdol to Syene, and as far as the border of Cush.
- Proverbs 29:23 A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.
- Jeremiah 43:10 Then tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones that I have embedded, and he will spread his royal pavilion over them.
- Ezekiel 30:7 They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will lie among ruined cities.
- Ezekiel 30:13 This is what the Lord GOD says: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis. There will no longer be a prince in Egypt, and I will instill fear in that land.