Ezekiel 32 3

Ezekiel 32:3 kjv

Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will therefore spread out my net over thee with a company of many people; and they shall bring thee up in my net.

Ezekiel 32:3 nkjv

'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I will therefore spread My net over you with a company of many people, And they will draw you up in My net.

Ezekiel 32:3 niv

"?'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "?'With a great throng of people I will cast my net over you, and they will haul you up in my net.

Ezekiel 32:3 esv

Thus says the Lord GOD: I will throw my net over you with a host of many peoples, and they will haul you up in my dragnet.

Ezekiel 32:3 nlt

Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
I will send many people
to catch you in my net
and haul you out of the water.

Ezekiel 32 verses

Ezekiel 32 3 meaning

Ezekiel 32:3 declares God's solemn judgment upon Pharaoh and Egypt, portrayed metaphorically as a great sea creature. The Lord God asserts His absolute authority and purpose to bring about Pharaoh's downfall through a divine act of capture. Using the imagery of spreading a net and drawing up the catch, God signifies His control over nations. He states that He will deploy "a company of many peoples"—likely referring to the Babylonian empire and its allies—as instruments to ensnare and remove Egypt from its place of power. This is a divine decree ensuring the certain and inescapable demise of a nation once seen as formidable and self-reliant.

Ezekiel 32 3 Context

Ezekiel chapter 32 is a lamentation concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt, pronounced in the twelfth year, twelfth month, on the first day (32:1). It forms part of Ezekiel's series of prophecies against foreign nations (chapters 25-32), specifically against Egypt, which occupies chapters 29-32. Chapters 30-32 specifically depict Egypt's downfall at the hand of Babylon. This lament depicts Pharaoh, and by extension Egypt, as a great, menacing sea monster—a "dragon" or "monster in the seas" (32:2), possibly a reference to Leviathan, Tiamat, or other primordial chaos creatures known in ancient Near Eastern mythology, implying Egypt's self-perception of unassailable power and the threat it posed. The historical context is the period of the Babylonian Empire's dominance under Nebuchadnezzar, which had previously captured Jerusalem and would eventually conquer Egypt. The chapter describes God's direct intervention to capture and dismantle this perceived powerful entity, serving as a warning against trusting in earthly powers and challenging divine sovereignty. It also carries a polemical tone against Egyptian religious beliefs, which deified Pharaoh and various aspects of the Nile and its creatures, portraying their 'god' as nothing more than a helpless catch for the true God of Israel.

Ezekiel 32 3 Word analysis

• Thus says the Lord God: (kôh 'āmar 'ăḏōnay yhwh - Hebrew). This formula emphatically introduces a direct, authoritative, and non-negotiable divine decree. It stresses that the ensuing words are not human conjecture but the absolute declaration of Yahweh, Israel's covenant God, who is also sovereign Lord over all nations. It underscores the certainty of the prophecy.
• I will spread My net over you: (wəpāraśtî ‘ālāyik rištî - Hebrew).
  • I will spread: (wəpāraśtî) indicates God's active, intentional action. It's not a passive event but a deliberate intervention.
  • My net: (rištî) refers to a fishing net or a fowler's snare. In this context, it symbolizes inescapable divine judgment and capture. It is God's net, signifying His control and proprietary right over the instruments of judgment and the target. This imagery is particularly potent following the description of Pharaoh as a large aquatic creature in verse 2, establishing the 'fishing' metaphor for his downfall.
• with a company of many peoples: (biqᵉhal ‘ammîm rabbîm - Hebrew).
  • company of many peoples: (biqᵉhal ‘ammîm rabbîm) literally a "multitude of great nations/peoples." This clarifies the instrument of God's judgment. While the primary "fisher" is God, the physical means will be a coalition of nations, primarily the Babylonian Empire, led by Nebuchadnezzar, and their associated forces. This highlights God's sovereignty over global geopolitics, using powerful human empires to execute His will against others.
• and they will draw you up in My net: (wəhe‘elîtîḵā bərištî - Hebrew).
  • they will draw you up: (wəhe‘elîtîḵā - second person singular, meaning "I will draw you up," rather than "they will draw you up." This implies God's direct action despite using other peoples as instruments, maintaining His primary agency. It means "I will cause you to be lifted out" or "I will bring you up.") This confirms the direct act of capture. "Drawing up" from the waters aligns perfectly with the fishing net imagery, removing the sea creature from its natural element, signaling its demise and inability to thrive outside it.
  • in My net: Reinforces that the capture and instrument belong to God, underscoring His ultimate control over the entire process.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Thus says the Lord God: I will spread My net over you...": This phrase unequivocally asserts divine initiation and execution of the judgment. God isn't merely permitting events; He is orchestrating them with a specific tool, His "net," which signifies His sovereign power and inescapable grasp over nations, however mighty.
• "...with a company of many peoples, and I will draw you up in My net.": This segment clarifies God's methodology. He utilizes human agents—a conglomerate of powerful nations—to enact His will, yet He remains the primary actor ("I will draw you up"). The emphasis remains on the inescapable nature of Pharaoh's capture, as he is brought out of his element (the river, symbolizing Egypt's power base and natural defenses) and exposed to destruction.

Ezekiel 32 3 Bonus section

The "net" imagery used here has strong resonances with ancient Near Eastern iconography where deities or powerful kings are sometimes depicted subjugating chaotic forces, often represented as aquatic creatures, with a net or a similar capturing device. However, Ezekiel here applies it directly to Yahweh and an actual historical king (Pharaoh), thus co-opting and subverting pagan imagery to assert Yahweh's unique, absolute power over all perceived cosmic or national 'dragons'. This serves as a direct theological challenge (polemic) to Egypt's imperial cult, where the Pharaoh was considered a divine being or an embodiment of Horus. Ezekiel’s prophecy diminishes Pharaoh from a divine, self-sufficient river monster to a mere catch in God’s vast net, ready to be "drawn up" and discarded. This prophecy emphasizes not only the might of God but also the certain consequence of national pride and opposition to His will, echoing earlier warnings in Exodus where God directly confronts Pharaoh and Egypt.

Ezekiel 32 3 Commentary

Ezekiel 32:3 is a potent declaration of God's absolute sovereignty over earthly powers, encapsulated in the metaphor of a cosmic fisherman ensnaring a formidable sea monster. Pharaoh, emblematic of Egypt's immense pride and self-sufficiency, is depicted as an untamed beast that God easily subdues. The "net" signifies not just a trap but a divinely purposed instrument of inevitable judgment. This judgment isn't executed directly by divine fire, but through the geopolitical maneuvering of "many peoples," notably the Babylonians, demonstrating God's control over the rise and fall of nations. Pharaoh, despite his might, is no match for the Lord God, whose will ensures his humiliation and the collapse of his empire. The verse thus preaches humility before God and cautions against placing trust in temporal strength.

• Example 1: Just as a fisherman skillfully prepares his net to catch the mightiest fish, God orchestrates international affairs to bring down seemingly unconquerable regimes.
• Example 2: Pharaoh, believing himself a god, is reduced to a struggling creature caught in God's snare, illustrating that all human power is fleeting when confronted by divine authority.