Bible Strands
Ezekiel 30:21
“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. See, it has not been bound up for healing, or splinted for strength to hold the sword.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses Ezekiel as "Son of man" to declare judgment on Pharaoh king of Egypt. The oracle is delivered in a prophetic sequence warning of imminent confrontation and the collapse of Egyptian military power.
The words — The Hebrew זְרֹעַ (zəroaʿ) means "arm," representing Pharaoh's strength, while שָׁבַרְתִּי (šāḇartî) translates literally to "I have broken," indicating divine action that leaves the arm unbound and unable to wield a sword.
The thread — The theme of broken arms for the wicked appears in Psalms 37:17, and Jeremiah 46:11 parallels the futility of Egyptian healing efforts. Jeremiah 30:13 addresses the house of Israel and Judah, noting their lack of remedy rather than Egypt's condition.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that human military power is subject to divine judgment and cannot be self-repaired. It requires the reader to acknowledge that strength for warfare originates only from the one who grants or withholds it.
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
Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 30:13 There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sores, no recovery for you.
- Jeremiah 46:11 Go up to Gilead for balm, O Virgin Daughter of Egypt! In vain you try many remedies, but for you there is no healing.
- Psalms 37:17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
- Jeremiah 48:25 The horn of Moab has been cut off, and his arm is broken,” declares the LORD.
- Psalms 10:15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call him to account for his wickedness until none is left to be found.
- Ezekiel 30:24 I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place My sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, who will groan before him like a mortally wounded man.
- Isaiah 1:6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil.
- Jeremiah 51:8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been shattered. Wail for her; get her balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.
- Nahum 3:16 You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away.
- Revelation 18:21 Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never to be seen again.