Ezekiel 29 7

Ezekiel 29:7 kjv

When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand.

Ezekiel 29:7 nkjv

When they took hold of you with the hand, You broke and tore all their shoulders; When they leaned on you, You broke and made all their backs quiver."

Ezekiel 29:7 niv

When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched.

Ezekiel 29:7 esv

when they grasped you with the hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins to shake.

Ezekiel 29:7 nlt

When Israel leaned on you,
you splintered and broke
and stabbed her in the armpit.
When she put her weight on you,
you collapsed, and her legs gave way.

Ezekiel 29 verses

Ezekiel 29 7 meaning

Ezekiel 29:7 portrays Egypt as an utterly unreliable and damaging support for the people who leaned upon it, specifically the Israelites. The verse employs vivid, forceful imagery to convey that instead of providing stability or refuge, Egypt inflicted pain and instability upon its allies. Its superficial strength proved to be a source of betrayal, causing deep injury and weakening rather than bolstering those who trusted in its power.

Ezekiel 29 7 Context

Ezekiel 29 initiates a series of prophecies against Egypt (chapters 29-32), focusing on God's judgment against Pharaoh and the nation. This specific oracle is dated to the tenth year, tenth month, and twelfth day of Judah's exile (circa January 587 BC), placing it roughly a year and a half before Jerusalem's final fall. During this period, the remnant in Jerusalem was once again looking to Egypt for military aid against the encroaching Babylonians, much as they had previously relied on Egypt against the Assyrians. The historical context reflects Israel's persistent political inclination to seek powerful, pagan nations as allies, often against prophetic warnings to trust solely in Yahweh. This chapter presents Pharaoh as a great "dragon" or "monster" (Hebrew: tannîm, referring to a crocodile), dwelling securely in the Nile, symbolic of Egypt's immense power and pride. Verse 7, therefore, serves as a retrospective condemnation of Egypt's historical unreliability as an ally, preparing the audience for God's impending judgment upon a nation that misled and ultimately harmed His people.

Ezekiel 29 7 Word analysis

• When they took hold of you (לְאֶחֹז בְּךָ֙ lĕʾeḥōz bĕkā):

  • lĕʾeḥōz (לְאֶחֹז): "to grasp, to take hold." This verb implies a firm, expectant grip, suggesting active reliance and seeking support. It conveys Israel's intentional act of clinging to Egypt.
  • bĕkā (בְּךָ֙): "in you," or "on you" referring to Egypt. This prepositions "in" or "on" emphasizes Egypt as the direct object of their trust and dependence.
  • Significance: Highlights the initiative and misplaced trust of Israel (or those seeking Egypt's aid), showing they actively sought strength from Egypt.

• with their hand (בְּכַף־יָ֔דָם bĕkhaf-yādām):

  • bĕkhaf (בְּכַף): "in the palm of" or "by the hand." Kaf specifically refers to the palm or sole, implying a careful, supportive grip.
  • yādām (יָ֔דָם): "their hand." Refers to the hands of those seeking support (Israel).
  • Significance: This depicts an act of vulnerable trust, with people placing their full weight or expectation onto Egypt's supposed strength. It humanizes the reliance, making the subsequent betrayal more poignant.

• you broke (וַתִּשָּׁבֵ֗ר wattishšāvēr):

  • wattishšāvēr (וַתִּשָּׁבֵ֗ר): "and you broke/shattered." Qal perfect verb, conveying a definitive, completed action. From root šāvar (שָׁבַר), meaning to break, shatter, or demolish.
  • Significance: Directly states Egypt's failure to provide support. It emphasizes fragility and sudden collapse, rather than gradual weakening. This highlights the active nature of Egypt's betrayal.

• and tore all their shoulder (וַתִּבְקַ֥ע לָהֶ֛ם כָּל־כָּתֵף wattivqaʿ lāhem kol-kātēf):

  • wattivqaʿ (וַתִּבְקַ֥ע): "and you split open, tore apart." From the root bāqaʿ (בָּקַע), meaning to cleave, burst, or rip open.
  • lāhem (לָהֶ֛ם): "for them" or "into them." Denotes the recipients of the harm.
  • kol-kātēf (כָּל־כָּתֵף): "all shoulder." Kātēf (כָּתֵף) refers to the shoulder, a crucial part for carrying burdens and providing strength. Kol emphasizes the entirety of the shoulder, suggesting widespread damage.
  • Significance: This describes severe physical injury. Not only did Egypt fail to support, but it actively inflicted pain, akin to a sharp reed piercing flesh, damaging the very part that relied on it. The imagery implies profound physical and emotional distress.

• when they leaned on you (וּבְהִשָּׁעֲנָ֥ם עָלֶ֖יךָ uvĕhishshaʿănām ʿāleḵā):

  • uvĕhishshaʿănām (וּבְהִשָּׁעֲנָ֥ם): "and in their leaning" or "when they leaned." Hithpael infinitive construct of šāʿan (שָׁעַן), meaning to lean, rest, or depend upon. The Hithpael suggests a reflexive or reciprocal action, an active self-placement of dependence.
  • ʿāleḵā (עָלֶ֖יךָ): "upon you."
  • Significance: This reinforces the depth of their dependence, not just a casual grasp, but a full weight-bearing trust, emphasizing vulnerability.

• you broke (וַתַּעֲמֵ֣ד wattāʿămēd – alternative reading/interpretation wattishšāvēr is used by some, but MT has wattāʿămēd):

  • wattāʿămēd (וַתַּעֲמֵ֣ד): While typically from ʿāmad meaning "to stand," here in the Hiphil form and context, it is widely interpreted as from mua (מוּע), meaning "to totter, shake." Hence, "and you made to totter."
  • Significance: It repeats the failure of Egypt, this time focusing on a catastrophic disruption of balance and stability. The imagery moves from physical injury to complete destabilization.

• and made all their loins to totter (כָּל־מָתְנַ֙יִם֙ לַעֲמֹֽד kol-motnayim laʿămōd):

  • kol-motnayim (כָּל־מָתְנַ֙יִם֙): "all loins." Motnayim (מָתְנַ֙יִם֙) refers to the loins or hips, considered the seat of physical strength, stability, and generative power. Kol again signifies the entirety.
  • laʿămōd (לַעֲמֹֽד): Here the meaning is not "to stand firm," but to cause "staggering" or "unsteadiness" to those attempting to stand. Combined with the verb wattāʿămēd, it strongly indicates making them stumble or totter.
  • Significance: Loins symbolize core strength and stability. Egypt's failure caused a profound loss of inner strength and balance in those who leaned on it, incapacitating them. It emphasizes deep-seated and pervasive damage beyond mere surface wounds.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "When they took hold of you with their hand" vs. "when they leaned on you": These two phrases progressively intensify the depiction of Israel's trust. The first describes an initial grasp, perhaps exploratory, while the second indicates a full commitment of weight, a deep, invested reliance. This emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the trust placed in Egypt.

• "you broke, and tore all their shoulder" vs. "you broke, and made all their loins to totter": This parallelism highlights two facets of Egypt's destructive nature. First, it directly harmed (tore all their shoulder), causing acute pain and rending. Second, it caused systemic instability (made all their loins to totter), incapacitating them from finding balance or strength themselves. The repetition of "you broke" underlines Egypt's inherent weakness and active role in its allies' downfall. The shoulder and loins represent key anatomical areas of physical support and strength, underscoring the comprehensive failure and damage.

Ezekiel 29 7 Bonus section

The "broken reed" imagery, though not explicitly stated in Ezekiel 29:7, is strongly evoked by the description and finds its direct textual counterpart in other prophecies. Rabshakeh's speech in 2 Kings 18:21 and Isaiah 36:6 directly refers to Egypt as "that broken reed of a staff," perfectly illustrating the meaning of Ezekiel's imagery here. This recurring motif serves as a stark warning across Israelite history: political expediency that leads to alliances with pagan nations, despite their perceived power, invariably results in pain and instability rather than security. The language used, focusing on physiological damage (shoulder and loins), signifies the comprehensive and intimate harm caused by such misplaced trust, affecting not just external well-being but the very core of one's ability to stand.

Ezekiel 29 7 Commentary

Ezekiel 29:7 delivers a powerful and graphic indictment against Egypt as an unreliable and dangerous ally. Through the vivid metaphor of a treacherous staff or reed, the prophet demonstrates that dependence on Egypt for military or political aid resulted not in support, but in severe injury and destabilization. Those who sought Egypt's strength, like a person leaning on a fragile reed, found it not only shattered under their weight but also splintering, piercing their shoulder and causing them to stumble and lose their fundamental stability (loins to totter).

This passage directly challenges any trust Israel might have placed in Egypt, especially during a time when Judah desperately sought aid against Babylon. It served as a reminder that throughout history (2 Kgs 18:21, Isa 36:6), Egypt consistently proved to be a "broken reed" – alluring in its apparent power, but ultimately weak and destructive. The divine perspective reveals Egypt not merely as a failed helper, but as an active agent of harm, exposing the futility and curse of trusting in human power over God's unwavering sovereignty. The prophet thereby underscored a foundational theological truth: ultimate security and help come from the Lord alone, and reliance on worldly powers leads only to sorrow and defeat.