Ezekiel 32:17 kjv
It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 32:17 nkjv
It came to pass also in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Ezekiel 32:17 niv
In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:
Ezekiel 32:17 esv
In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:
Ezekiel 32:17 nlt
On March 17, during the twelfth year, another message came to me from the LORD:
Ezekiel 32 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 31:18 | To whom are you equal in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below. | Consequence of pride |
| Isaiah 14:12 | "How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!" | Judgment on powerful rulers |
| Jeremiah 25:38 | He has left his lair like a lion, for their land has become a wasteland because of the sword of the oppressor and fierce wrath. | Destruction by invasion |
| Lamentations 1:6 | From the daughter of Zion has all her splendor gone. Her princes are like deer that find no pasture; they flee, powerless before the pursuer. | Suffering and exile |
| Ezekiel 30:24 | "I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but I will put them away with groans, like a slain man groaning. I will strike down Babylon and all who dwell there, says the Lord GOD." | Fall of powerful nations |
| Ezekiel 26:17 | "The merchants will be astonished at you; you will be a place of terror, and you will be no more." | Desolation of Tyre |
| Psalm 89:47 | Remember how brief my days are, for what vanity you have made all the sons of men! | Frailty of human life |
| Job 3:13-19 | For now I would have lain still and been quiet. I would have slept; then I would have been at rest. | Desire for rest in death |
| Matthew 11:23 | And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? You will be cast down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. | Divine judgment |
| Revelation 18:10 | They will stand far off, terrified by her torment, and cry out: "'Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.'" | Judgment on oppressive cities |
| Isaiah 19:5-10 | The waters of the Nile will dry up, and the river will be wasted and dried up; the reeds and rushes will wither. | Judgment on Egypt |
| Ezekiel 32:4-6 | I will cast you onto the ground, and lay you at the surface of the fields. I will cause all the birds of the sky to roost upon you, and I will fill the beasts of the earth with you. | Public disgrace |
| Amos 5:2-3 | "Fallen, fallen is Israel, no more to rise, with no one to raise her up." | Fall of a nation |
| Zechariah 11:3 | "Hark to the howling of the shepherds, and the wailing of the princes of the flock, for the LORD of hosts recalls his pasture and his flock, the house of Israel." | Ruin of leaders |
| Ezekiel 29:18 | "Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor against Tyre each man carrying his head, and each shoulder rubbed raw. But he and his army got no profit from Tyre for his labor against it." | Futility of strength |
| Nahum 3:10 | Yet she went into exile, yes, into captivity; her little ones were dashed in pieces at the head of every street; and they cast lots for her nobles, and all her dignitaries were bound in chains. | Calamity upon Nineveh |
| Psalm 92:7 | But when the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers blossom, it is that they may be forever destroyed. | Destruction of wicked |
| Jeremiah 51:49 | Babylon too shall fall for the slain of Israel, just as for Babylon have fallen all the slain of the whole land. | Retribution |
Ezekiel 32 verses
Ezekiel 32 17 Meaning
Ezekiel 32:17 states, "They also descended into the world below, among those pierced by the sword, and all their armies, wailing over the terror they caused in the land of the living." This verse vividly describes the ultimate fate of Egypt and its mighty but idolatrous empire. It paints a picture of their final disposition in the realm of the dead, specifically with those who met a violent end. The mention of "wailing over the terror they caused" signifies their utter downfall and the painful recognition of the devastation they inflicted upon others.
Ezekiel 32 17 Context
Ezekiel chapter 32 is a powerful lamentation and prophecy concerning the downfall of Egypt. God has instructed Ezekiel to utter a dirge over Pharaoh and all his hordes. Pharaoh, described as a mighty, proud crocodile or dragon dwelling in the Nile, represents Egypt's arrogant and destructive power. The chapter details the future conquest of Egypt by the Babylonian armies, likening it to being captured, dragged to the land, and left as prey for wild beasts and birds. This verse, Ezekiel 32:17, is a specific depiction of where these powerful but wicked nations end up in the afterlife. It is placed within a broader context of God's judgment upon nations that oppose Him and oppress His people, demonstrating that even the mightiest earthly empires will face divine reckoning.
Ezekiel 32 17 Word Analysis
- "They": Refers to Egypt and its powerful army, specifically Pharaoh and his host, mentioned in the preceding verses (Ezekiel 32:11-16).
- "also": Connects this fate with previous judgments or descents into Sheol.
- "descended": Implies a going down into the grave or the realm of the dead, known as Sheol in Hebrew thought. This descent is not into honor but into shame.
- "into the world below": Refers to Sheol (Hebrew: שְׁאוֹל, She'ol). Sheol is understood as the abode of the dead, a place of darkness, silence, and forgetfulness, where the dead go regardless of their righteousness or wickedness, but where their state is characterized by the absence of God's presence and the finality of death. It's depicted as a shadowy underworld.
- "among those pierced by the sword": This is a critical descriptor. It specifically links Egypt's fate to those who have met a violent end through warfare. The context of the chapter is Egypt's defeat in battle. This phrase emphasizes that their death is not peaceful but a violent, public execution by military force. It includes the mighty who have been slain in war, suggesting they are placed among the ranks of other defeated armies throughout history.
- "and all their armies": Encompasses not just the leadership but the entire military might of Egypt. Their collective power and strength in life are rendered insignificant in death.
- "wailing": Hebrew: (אֶלֶג, eleg). This denotes grief, mourning, and lamentation. The cause of this wailing is explicitly stated.
- "over the terror": The cause of their grief is the terror and fear they themselves had previously inflicted upon others. This points to a conscious suffering and remorse in the afterlife regarding their earthly actions and the consequences they brought upon the living.
- "they caused": Their own actions are the reason for their sorrow and condemnation. It is not an accidental fate but a direct result of their destructive deeds.
- "in the land of the living": Contrasts their current state in Sheol with their former existence in the world of the living, highlighting the irreversible nature of their demise and the separation from life and God's blessing that belongs to the living.
Group Analysis:The phrase "descended into the world below, among those pierced by the sword" vividly illustrates the nature of divine judgment. It's a collective judgment affecting a nation and its military, not an individual reckoning at this point in the prophecy. The emphasis on being "pierced by the sword" underscores the ignominious end brought about by military defeat, a far cry from the glory they sought. The "wailing over the terror they caused" signifies an awareness of their sin and its consequences, a stark contrast to their life of pride and oppression. Their final destination is the realm of the dead, associated with violent death and marked by remorse.
Ezekiel 32 17 Bonus Section
The concept of Sheol as a place where consciousness and memory persist regarding earthly actions, especially for the wicked, is a developing theme in Old Testament prophecy. While often portrayed as a silent and forgetful place, this verse, along with others like Luke 16:19-31 (the rich man and Lazarus), suggests a level of awareness and suffering in the afterlife that is directly tied to one's conduct in life. This specific imagery of nations being gathered with the "pierced by the sword" also echoes the universal principle of retribution, where those who live by the sword often perish by it. It underscores that the judgment of nations, as well as individuals, reflects their deeds.
Ezekiel 32 17 Commentary
This verse pronounces a grim fate for Egypt, portraying them as joining the company of the slain in the underworld. Their pride and violent oppression of others are directly linked to their ignominious end and their subsequent remorse. The "terror they caused" suggests a posthumous acknowledgment of their wickedness, leading to sorrow in death. It serves as a potent reminder that earthly power and the suffering inflicted upon others do not go unnoticed by God and will ultimately result in judgment and despair, even in the realm of the dead. The imagery contrasts sharply with the blessed state of those in God's presence, emphasizing the consequences of rejecting divine will.