Ezekiel 32:7 kjv
And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
Ezekiel 32:7 nkjv
When I put out your light, I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, And the moon shall not give her light.
Ezekiel 32:7 niv
When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light.
Ezekiel 32:7 esv
When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light.
Ezekiel 32:7 nlt
When I blot you out,
I will veil the heavens and darken the stars.
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon will not give you its light.
Ezekiel 32 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 32:7 | "And when I shall extinguish you, I will cover the heavens, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light." | Divine withdrawal of light/glory |
| Isaiah 13:10 | "For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be dark at its rising, and the moon shall not give its light." | Judgment depicted as cosmic darkness |
| Joel 2:31 | "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come." | Messianic era signs of judgment |
| Amos 8:9 | "And in that day, saith the Lord God, I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and will darken the earth in the clear day;" | Judgment depicted as sudden darkness |
| Matthew 24:29 | "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:" | Signs of the end times |
| Revelation 6:12 | "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;" | Symbolic of great upheaval |
| Exodus 13:21 | "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:" | God’s tangible guidance |
| Deuteronomy 31:17 | "And my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall become a prey, and many evils and troubles shall befall them: so that they will say in that day, Surely because my God is not among us these evils have befallen me." | Consequences of divine abandonment |
| Psalm 46:2-3 | "Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah." | God's presence ensures stability |
| Jeremiah 15:1 | "Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth:" | God's persistent judgment |
| Zephaniah 1:15 | "That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of waste and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness," | Day of the Lord's wrath |
| Jeremiah 50:12 | "Your mother shall be sore ashamed; she that bare you shall be confounded: behold, the hindmost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert." | Nation brought to desolation |
| Isaiah 30:26 | "Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound." | God's healing brings increased light |
| Psalm 18:11 | "He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies." | God dwelling in darkness/mystery |
| Isaiah 47:5 | "Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called the lady of kingdoms." | Humiliation and loss of power |
| Lamentations 4:1 | "How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street." | Decline of former glory |
| Psalm 104:2 | "Who covereth thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:" | God as light giver |
| Nahum 1:3 | "The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet." | God's power and wrath |
| Job 3:5 | "Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it." | Desire for utter oblivion |
| Genesis 1:3 | "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." | God as creator of light |
Ezekiel 32 verses
Ezekiel 32 7 Meaning
This verse describes the powerful and devastating cessation of divine intervention, likened to extinguishing a bright light or a consuming flame. It signifies the abrupt end of God's active protection and favor for a nation, plunging it into darkness and vulnerability. The "covering" refers to the protective cloud by day and fiery pillar by night, God’s visible presence and guidance. Its removal means the end of this manifestation of God's presence and a transition to a state of desolation.
Ezekiel 32 7 Context
Ezekiel chapter 32 continues the prophet's lament over the downfall of Egypt, specifically Pharaoh and his armies. This chapter is rich with imagery of maritime destruction and the fallen state of mighty nations. Verse 7 directly follows an address to Pharaoh, symbolizing him as a fierce but ultimately doomed sea monster or crocodile, basking in the sun. The immediate context sets up the imagery of God withdrawing His light and protection from Egypt, signaling its utter ruin and the end of its national influence. Historically, this would have resonated with the Israelites' experience of God's presence being their guide and protector. The surrounding verses detail the totality of the destruction, emphasizing that even the celestial bodies are affected by the divine judgment, thereby underscoring the immense power of God and the complete collapse of Egypt's strength and pride. This serves as a stark warning and a testament to God's sovereignty over all nations.
Ezekiel 32 7 Word Analysis
- And when (Hebrew: וְכִי - vəḵî): "And when" - marks a temporal or conditional clause, setting the stage for the subsequent action.
- I shall extinguish you (Hebrew: אֲכַבֶּה־) - ’ăḵabbəh-): From the root ḵāḇâ (כבה) meaning "to extinguish," "to quench," "to put out." This powerfully signifies the complete annihilation or cessation of existence, often applied to flames or light, representing the end of a nation's vitality or God's presence.
- I will cover the heavens (Hebrew: וְכִסִּיתִי אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם) - wəḵissîtî ’eṯ haššāmayim): "And I will cover the heavens." This refers to God making the sky dark, obscuring it from view.
- And make the stars thereof dark (Hebrew: וְהַכְחֵד לִכּוֹכָבֶיהָ) - wə·haḵ·hêḏ liḵ·wō·ḵā·wê·hā): "And I will make its stars obscure." From the root ḵāhēḏ (החד), related to hiding or making dim. It means to render unseen or incapable of being seen, emphasizing total darkness.
- I will cover the sun with a cloud (Hebrew: וְסִכַּכְתִּי אֶת־הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בָּעָב) - wə·siḵ·ḵǝṯî ’eṯ-haš·šɛ·meš bā·‘āḇ): "And I will cover the sun with a cloud." The verb sikkaḵ (סכך) means to cover, protect, or screen. Here, it's used for God actively veiling the sun, an image of immense darkness and concealment.
- And the moon shall not give her light (Hebrew: וְיָרֵחַ לֹא־יָהֵב נֹגְהָהּ) - wə·yā·rē·aḥ lō’-yā·hêḇ nō·ğə·hāh): "And the moon will not give her brightness/light." From the root yāhêḇ (הב) which means to give or bestow. The inability of the moon to emit light signifies a profound lack of illumination and a state of deep night.
Word Group Analysis
- Covering the heavens and darkening the stars/sun/moon: This cluster of phrases uses cosmic phenomena as a metaphor for catastrophic loss and divine judgment. The inability of these natural sources of light to function points to a disruption of the natural order caused by God's displeasure. It speaks to a complete withdrawal of visibility and guidance, not just for the afflicted nation but also reflecting the magnitude of the event that would impact the very fabric of existence.
- Extinguishing and covering: The juxtaposition of "extinguish" (the subject, Egypt) and "cover" (God's action on the heavens) shows God's overwhelming power. Just as He extinguished Pharaoh, He also conceals the lights of heaven. This conveys the absolute nature of God's sovereignty over even the most fundamental elements of creation when He acts in judgment.
Ezekiel 32 7 Bonus Section
The imagery of God affecting the celestial bodies is a recurring motif in prophetic literature to denote significant divine interventions, particularly judgment. This passage connects the downfall of a single nation (Egypt) to a disruption of the cosmic order, emphasizing that God is the sovereign Lord of all creation, not just of nations. This universality of God’s power extends to the very elements that govern natural life and order. Scholars note that such cosmic signs are often meant to portray judgment as a universal event, affecting the heavens and the earth in response to sin or defiance of divine authority. The "covering" and "darkening" are echoes of creation itself (Genesis 1), where God brought light out of darkness, but here, God brings darkness upon what was once illuminated, signifying the reversal or undoing of His blessings. This serves to underscore the gravity of the judgment and the ultimate source of all light and life, which God can withhold or withdraw.
Ezekiel 32 7 Commentary
This verse employs powerful apocalyptic imagery to depict the absolute judgment upon Egypt, as prophesied through Ezekiel. God's intention to "extinguish" Egypt signifies its complete and utter destruction as a nation of prominence. This is further amplified by the actions taken upon the celestial bodies – covering the heavens, darkening stars, and veiling the sun and moon. This cosmic imagery conveys that Egypt's fall is not a minor event but one of immense proportion, causing a universal darkness.
This divine act symbolizes the withdrawal of God's presence, guidance, and life-giving energy, represented by light. For ancient Israel, the pillar of cloud and fire in the wilderness was the tangible manifestation of God's presence leading them. The removal of this "light" would signify abandonment and utter vulnerability.
The prophecy against Egypt serves as a theological statement: human pride and power, symbolized by Pharaoh’s might, are ultimately subject to God’s judgment. Even nations that seem as powerful as a great sea monster, basking in perceived glory, can be completely extinguished by God's hand. The resulting darkness across the celestial sphere communicates the total devastation, a complete absence of hope, and the end of an era for Egypt, highlighting the awesome power and justice of the Almighty.