Ezek. 32 A lamentation for the fearful fall of Egypt, Ezek. 32:1–10. The sword of Babylon shall destroy it, Ezek. 32:11–16. It shall be brought down to hell among all the uncircumcised nations, Ezek. 32:17–32.

In the twelfth year of the captivity of Jeconiah. In the twelfth month, answering to part of our February and part of March, and called Sabat. In the first day; and was the 15th of February old style, and the 5th new style.

Take a lamentation: see Ezek. 19:1, Ezek. 27:2. Pharaoh; Hophra. Like a young lion: of this hieroglyphic see Ezek. 19:3, Ezek. 19:6. Of the nations; among, or to, the nations round about thee, spoiling all thou canst, a cruel devourer abroad.

My net; a large, long, and wide net, drawn out to full extent. Over thee; with which both lions and crocodiles might be taken, and in which this lion and crocodile should certainly be taken; for God, whose hand never erreth, will spread the net.

Leave thee upon the land; thy beaten army shall be slain: see Ezek. 29:5; it was literally fulfilled in the deserts of Libya, where the slain of Hophra’s army were left to be devoured by fowls and beasts. Metaphorically it is gathering a mixture of people, soldiers, like ravenous birds and beasts.

Will lay; throw or cast. Thy flesh; the carcasses of thy slain men and soldiers. Upon the mountains; whither they retired for safety. Fill the valleys; not so fill them as to equal them in height with hills, but we say a man fills a place who scatters much or many things though but on the surface;…

Water with thy blood; most plentifully pour out thy blood, as water is poured out to water land, when men float their grounds. Wherein thou swimmest; either because of the plenty thereof, wherein they swimmed, as we say; or else because this king was a whale or crocodile, his dwelling must be the…

Put thee out; as a torch is extinguished, Isa. 43:17, so I will put out thy light, and turn thee into darkness. Cover the heaven; either by dark vapours that arise from blood and putrefying carcasses, which darken the heavens; or it is a description of great sorrows, fears, troubles, and…

These two foregoing verses contain the same thing four times with a little variation, repeated to affect the hearers, and to impress it the more deeply on their minds.

Vex; it speaks a passion mixed and made up with grief for what is done, fear of the consequence of it, anger against him that did it, and an astonishment at the report, and it seizeth the heart and spirits of the hearers. Many people, and great nations.

Many people, and mighty people too. Amazed; astonished and puzzled, not knowing what resolutions to take, what advices to follow, or what to do. Their kings, who usually are, and in reason should be, undaunted, and discover no signs of fear, shall discover mighty disorders of fear and doubt, both…

See Ezek. 30:24–25. Upon thee; both king and kingdom of Egypt.

By the swords of the mighty; the soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar, helped also by Amasis, and the rebellious Egyptians that joined with Amasis and Nebuchadnezzar against their own king. The multitude; the people of the land, which were numerous before they were wasted by these wars.

All the beasts thereof; the sheep and oxen devoured by hungry Chaldean soldiers, or else driven away; the horses taken up to mount the horsemen of the Chaldee army, whose own horses were tired or spoiled.

Make their waters deep: the sense literally this, the waters undisturbed shall be clear, the mud settled at the bottom, and the waters above it of good depth.

The former verse assures us of what it foretold, and the assurance is the word and truth of God; this verse tells us when this shall be. Shall be destitute: this phrase is Ezek. 12:19. That whereof it was full; men and women, cattle, food, wealth, and peace.

This heavy, mournful, and sad account, which the prophet hath given of the state of Egypt, is the lamentation, the funeral speech of this kingdom; for this, as a funeral oration, tells us what was their ancient glory, and what is now their miserable reproach and loss.

In the twelfth year: see Ezek. 32:1. The fifteenth day; about the 19th of February new style, or the 1st of March old style.

Prepare the funeral ceremonies at the burial of Egypt, compose a suitable song or speech, utter it with a like suitableness to the sad occasion. Jer. 9:17–19, Amos 5:16, use the word, and the places read will explain this.

The whole, from this verse, is a most elegant personating of the dead, as if sensible, and acquainted, and discoursing with, and rejoicing at the fall of proud tyrants, who took not warning by their fall. Such a prosopopoeia you have Isa. 14:0.

Now the prophet determines concerning the people, which die as others, fall undistinguished, and. as undistinguished, must be laid in the pit. They; the Egyptians. In the midst; in battle shall die.

The prophet seems in this verse to introduce the next speakers in this parley, and bringing them in, gives their character. The strong; the powerful, the valiant, whose natural strength of body was great, and their courage greater, those that were strongest.

Asshur, the famous, warlike, victorious kings of Assyria, is there; in the state of the dead, in the land of darkness and oblivion; and all her company; princes, captains, soldiers, subjects, and confederates.

At least for decorum here is supposed a spacious vault, or pit, in midst whereof the king of Asshur in a stately tomb lies buried, and round about the vault are places to lay others dead with him, and in his cause, some of his more famous captains and commanders.

Elam; the Persians, and their great, famous kings, who lived in former days. All her multitude: see Ezek. 32:22–23. All of them slain: see Ezek. 32:22. Gone down: Ezek. 32:21. Uncircumcised: see Ezek. 32:21. The nether parts of the earth: see Ezek. 32:18. Their terror: see Ezek. 32:23.

Some conceive the prophet may allude to the manner of burying with the Persians who had their coffins, or sepulchral chests, in which with balms and spices the dead were kept, and these chests placed in midst of places provided for them; in such is the king of Elam here placed with his slaughtered…

Meshech: see Ezek. 27:13. Tubal: see Ezek. 27:13; to which interpretation I still adhere, adding that in the full extent of these Moschi and Tibareni, these Cappadocians and Albanians, the Scythians may be included, many of which were next neighbours to them.

They shall not lie with the mighty; the leaders of these Scythians were not buried with a pomp like that of Asshur or Elam, but, surprised by the fraud of Halyattes and Cyaxares, were cut off with all their multitude, and tumbled into pits with the rabble.

Thou; chief of Meshech and Tubal, though not named. Shalt be broken; shalt be killed with the rest of wicked followers. Shalt lie with them; without regard hurled into the pit with the common soldiers, as thou fallest with them. That are slain; whose throats were cut after they were taken.

Edom; the posterity of Esau, the name of the country too in which they dwelt. Her kings; which had been many, and some great warriors. Her princes, or dukes, as Gen. 36:20–21. With their might; showed in the assistance they gave the Assyrians.

Of the north; of all those countries, Tyrians, Zidonia Assyrians, and Syrians, &c., which lay northward from Judea, now swallowed up by the Babylonian. With the slain conquered and slain. With their terror; their terror buried with them.

Hophra shall go to them by a like destruction, and, as he saw them all ruined as he was, should be comforted, rejoice that others before him met with the same fatal end and whatever comfort this might be, it is all he shall ever have, did he know all those things and persons that are here…

It is God that speaketh, who had punished former tyrants and by a retaliation, that the world might see his just judgments. They were a terror to the world by their cruel oppression, and continued violence, by their covetousness ambition, and pride; and God hath made them a terror his just…