Bible Strands
Ezekiel 30:22
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one already broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Lord GOD speaks through Ezekiel to the prophet, pronouncing judgment on Pharaoh king of Egypt immediately after describing the unhealed breaking of his arm.
The words — The phrase הִנְ/נִי֙ (hi./Ni) literally means "behold, I" or "here I am," signaling direct divine intervention against Pharaoh. The term אֶל\־ ('el-) translates as "against," establishing God's active opposition to the Egyptian ruler.
The thread — This theme of divine judgment on political power appears in Psalms 37:17, where the arms of the wicked are broken, and 2 Kings 24:7, which notes Egypt's lost territorial control. Jeremiah 37:7 also records a similar oracle concerning Pharaoh's military limitations.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that human military strength is subject to divine reversal, requiring readers to recognize God's sovereignty over earthly powers. It calls for a sober assessment of political alliances that oppose divine purposes.
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
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.
Cross-references
- Psalms 37:17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
- 2 Kings 24:7 Now the king of Egypt did not march out of his land again, because the king of Babylon had taken all his territory, from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
- Jeremiah 37:7 “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to help you, will go back to its own land of Egypt.
- 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.’
- Jeremiah 46:1 This is the word of the LORD about the nations—the word that came to Jeremiah the prophet
- Jeremiah 46:21 Even the mercenaries among her are like fattened calves. They too will turn back; together they will flee, they will not stand their ground, for the day of calamity is coming upon them—the time of their punishment.
- Ezekiel 34:16 I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bind up the broken, and strengthen the weak; but the sleek and strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them with justice.’