Ezekiel 32:22 kjv
Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:
Ezekiel 32:22 nkjv
"Assyria is there, and all her company, With their graves all around her, All of them slain, fallen by the sword.
Ezekiel 32:22 niv
"Assyria is there with her whole army; she is surrounded by the graves of all her slain, all who have fallen by the sword.
Ezekiel 32:22 esv
"Assyria is there, and all her company, its graves all around it, all of them slain, fallen by the sword,
Ezekiel 32:22 nlt
"Assyria lies there surrounded by the graves of its army, those who were slaughtered by the sword.
Ezekiel 32 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 14:9-11 | "Sheol beneath is stirred up... It stirs up the shades for you... all the chiefs of the earth." | Sheol welcomes kings. |
| Ezek 32:17-31 | Lists other nations in Sheol: Elam, Meshech, Tubal, Edom, Sidon. | Context: Egypt joins other fallen nations. |
| Nahum 3:1-7 | "Woe to the bloody city! All full of lies and plunder..." | Prophecy of Nineveh (Assyria's capital) fall. |
| Zeph 2:13 | "And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria..." | God's judgment against Assyria. |
| Isa 10:5-19 | "Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger..." | Assyria used then judged by God. |
| Jer 25:27-33 | "Drink, be drunk and vomit... because of the sword that I am sending..." | Nations drinking God's wrath, falling by sword. |
| Ezek 31:18 | "To whom are you thus like in glory... yet you will be brought down..." | Egypt's pride leads to its downfall like others. |
| Ezek 30:6-8 | "Thus says the Lord God: Those who support Egypt shall fall..." | Judgment upon Egypt and its allies by sword. |
| Psa 49:10-14 | "For he sees that even the wise die... Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue forever..." | Mortality and ultimate end of all, even powerful. |
| Psa 88:10-12 | "Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you?" | Sheol as place of the dead, loss of power. |
| Job 7:9 | "As the cloud fades and vanishes, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up." | Finality of descent into Sheol. |
| Rev 6:4 | "And another horse, bright red, came out. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth..." | The sword as a symbol of war and death. |
| Psa 2:1-4 | "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain... He who sits in the heavens laughs." | God's sovereignty over rebellious nations. |
| Dan 2:37-38 | "You, O king, are the king of kings... and have given them into your hand." | God grants and takes away kingdoms. |
| Dan 4:17 | "the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of mortals..." | God's absolute sovereignty over earthly powers. |
| Jer 19:6 | "I will make this place a valley of slaughter." | Foreshadows places becoming mass graves. |
| Psa 9:17 | "The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God." | Sheol as destination for the ungodly nations. |
| Psa 115:17 | "The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence." | Lack of activity/praise in the grave. |
| Hab 2:5 | "...He who enlarges his appetite like Sheol and is like Death, and cannot be satisfied..." | Empires likened to insatiable death/Sheol. |
| Isa 2:11-12 | "The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled..." | Humbling of human pride by the Lord. |
| Matt 11:23 | "And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades." | Warnings of pride leading to downfall. |
Ezekiel 32 verses
Ezekiel 32 22 Meaning
Ezekiel 32:22 proclaims the presence of Assyria (Asshur) and her vast host within the realm of the dead, Sheol. It vividly depicts them as being surrounded by their graves, all of them having perished violently by the sword. This serves as a stark warning and comparison to Egypt, indicating that even mighty empires, once boasting great power, are ultimately destined for the same inglorious end in the depths of the pit when God's judgment falls upon them. Their former glory is transformed into the shame of the slain in the underworld.
Ezekiel 32 22 Context
Ezekiel 32 forms part of a series of oracles and laments directed against Egypt, a significant geopolitical power during Ezekiel's time. The particular oracle beginning in verse 17, and which includes verse 22, is a lamentation commanded by God for Pharaoh, the King of Egypt. This lament, delivered in the twelfth year of King Jehoiachin's exile (586 BC), vividly portrays Egypt's imminent descent into Sheol, the underworld, to join other great nations that have already fallen. These preceding mighty nations serve as a chilling welcoming committee for Egypt, underscoring that no nation, regardless of its previous strength or perceived invincibility, is exempt from God's judgment and the universal fate of death. The inclusion of Assyria here is particularly potent because Assyria had been the dominant world superpower for centuries, ruling with an iron fist, and its empire had only recently (Nineveh fell in 612 BC) met a devastating end. Its downfall served as a powerful historical precedent and warning, demonstrating that even the mightiest can be utterly extinguished by God's decree.
Ezekiel 32 22 Word analysis
- Asshur (אַשּׁוּר, Ashshur): Refers to Assyria, the powerful Mesopotamian empire centered in northern Mesopotamia, with its capital first at Assur and later Nineveh. Its mention here signifies a recent, spectacular, and undeniable example of a major world power utterly overthrown, serving as a powerful point of comparison for Egypt's coming fall.
- is there (שָׁם הִיא, sham hi): Literally "there she is." This phrase powerfully emphasizes the actual, undeniable presence of Assyria in Sheol, rather than it being a distant memory or theoretical state. The feminine pronoun 'she' refers to Asshur as a collective entity – the nation, its people, and its fallen power.
- and all her company (וְכָל־קְהָלָהּ, ve'khol-qehalah): "And all her assembly," "all her congregation," or "all her multitude." This encompasses Assyria's entire populace, especially its formidable army. It denotes the complete and utter collapse of the entire national structure, not just its leaders, signifying a comprehensive defeat.
- his graves (קִבְרֹתֶיהָ, qivroteyha): While the King James Version translates it as "his graves," the Hebrew word is grammatically feminine, meaning "her graves" (referring to Assyria) or "its graves." This highlights the countless individual graves of its soldiers and subjects, forming the collective resting place of a mighty nation in the underworld. It visualizes the sheer multitude of the slain.
- are about him (סְבִיבֹתֶיהָ, sevivoteyha): Again, KJV has "him," but the Hebrew feminine suffix means "around her" or "surrounding her" (referring to Assyria and her company). This phrase paints a grim picture: Assyria, as a collective entity, is surrounded by the very evidence of its own demise – the countless graves of its fallen. It evokes a desolate, permanent state of death.
- all of them slain (כֻּלָּם חֲלָלִים, kullam halalim): "All of them slain ones," or "all of them corpses." The Hebrew halalim specifically refers to those violently killed, often by piercing weapons like a sword. This reiterates the complete destruction and violent manner of their death, leaving no survivors or remnants of their former strength.
- fallen by the sword (נִפְלֵי־חֶרֶב, nifley-kherev): "The fallen of the sword." This phrase specifies the instrument of their downfall. The sword represents war, divine judgment, and decisive violence. It underscores the active, destructive force that brought this once-dominant empire to its knees.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Asshur is there and all her company": Establishes the subject – Assyria – and includes its entire populace or military. The "is there" confirms their definite presence in the underworld, making them a tangible warning.
- "his graves are about him": More accurately, "her graves are about her." This powerful image portrays Assyria literally enshrouded by the signs of its own total destruction, the multitude of its deceased members. It highlights a collective national demise.
- "all of them slain, fallen by the sword": These phrases emphatically reiterate the comprehensive and violent nature of their end. "Slain" refers to their state as corpses, and "fallen by the sword" explicitly identifies the method of their destruction – military defeat and judgment.
Ezekiel 32 22 Bonus section
This passage from Ezekiel provides a unique window into the ancient Near Eastern understanding of Sheol as a 'pit' where even great kings and their armies retain some form of collective identity, though devoid of power or praise. They are described as "uncircumcised" sleepers (Ezek 32:21, 24, etc.), a significant detail mocking the kings who once considered themselves superior. The imagery used – graves surrounding the collective "she" (Asshur) – creates a profound visual metaphor for the legacy of violence and death left by tyrannical empires. The sword, as the instrument of their fall, highlights the poetic justice, as these empires often rose to power through military conquest. This serves as a precursor to future prophetic pronouncements about the ultimate fate of all kingdoms opposed to God's kingdom.
Ezekiel 32 22 Commentary
Ezekiel 32:22 serves as a sobering indictment of imperial pride and a vivid demonstration of divine sovereignty over the nations. By placing Assyria, a recently dominant and seemingly invincible power, firmly within Sheol amidst its slain multitudes, God provides a historical mirror for Pharaoh and Egypt. It shatters the illusion of any nation's enduring power in the face of the Most High. The meticulously detailed description – "all her company," "her graves about her," "all of them slain," "fallen by the sword" – leaves no ambiguity concerning the totality and ignominy of Assyria's fate. It is a state of utter desolation, a vast collective grave. This verse is not merely descriptive; it's a profound prophetic warning that the same fate awaits Egypt and any nation that defies God and boasts in its own strength, ultimately reinforcing the truth that "the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof" (Psa 24:1). It showcases God's justice, humbling the proud and mighty.