Daily Tanach – Yechezkel Chapter 32: Lamentations Over Pharaoh and Egypt’s Descent to the Pit
- A Lament for Pharaoh: From Lion to Crocodile (Verses 1–2)
In the twelfth year, on the first day of the twelfth month, G‑d tells Yechezkel to raise a lament over Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Pharaoh once fancied himself a majestic young lion among nations, but in truth he behaved like a destructive crocodile churning the Nile and muddying its waters.
- G‑d’s Net Will Capture Pharaoh (Verses 3–6)
G‑d declares that He will spread His net over Pharaoh, drawing him out with the combined force of many nations. Pharaoh’s carcass will be cast upon the mountains, feeding birds and beasts. His blood will drench the land, filling valleys and channels.
- Cosmic Darkness as a Sign of Egypt’s Fall (Verses 7–8)
G‑d proclaims that when Pharaoh falls, the heavens will seem darkened: the sun will be veiled, the moon will not shine, and the stars will lose their brightness. This imagery expresses the magnitude of Egypt’s downfall.
- The Nations Tremble at Pharaoh’s Calamity (Verses 9–10)
Pharaoh’s destruction will shock far‑off lands. Kings will tremble as G‑d brandishes His sword before them. Each ruler will fear for himself when he sees what becomes of Egypt.
- Babylon Will Strike Egypt (Verses 11–16)
G‑d announces that the sword of the king of Babylon will fall upon Egypt. Mighty warriors—the strongest of the nations—will destroy Egypt’s pride and multitudes.
Her rivers will be stilled and made clear, her livestock destroyed, and her land left desolate.
Nations will lament over Egypt, and “the daughters of the nations” will sing a funeral dirge over her fall.
- A Second Lament: Egypt Descends to the Pit (Verses 17–21)
On the fifteenth day of the month, another word of G‑d comes to Yechezkel: He is told to lament not only Pharaoh but “the multitude of Egypt,” and portray them descending to the netherworld along with other fallen empires. Pharaoh is asked, “Whom have you surpassed in beauty?” Yet he must descend and lie among the uncircumcised, slain by the sword. The mighty warriors of the underworld will speak of his arrival as he joins them in disgrace.
- Egypt Joins Other Fallen Nations in the Grave (Verses 22–30)
The chapter lists great nations already in the netherworld:
- Assyria is there with all its slain warriors.
- Elam is there, fallen in disgrace.
- Meshech and Tubal lie there, slain and uncircumcised.
- Edom, its kings and princes, are laid among the slain.
- The princes of the north and the Zidonians also lie in shame among the uncircumcised.
These nations once spread terror “in the land of the living,” yet all ended in the same dishonored resting place.
- Pharaoh’s Final Fate (Verses 31–32)
When Pharaoh sees all these fallen kingdoms in the Pit, he will be “consoled”—not from joy, but because he realizes that his fate mirrors theirs. Pharaoh and all his army will lie among the uncircumcised, slain by the sword. G‑d ends by stating again that He has cast His terror over the land of the living, and that Egypt’s fate is firmly sealed.
Key Message
Yechezkel 32 portrays the utter collapse of Egypt’s power. Pharaoh is dragged down from arrogance to humiliation, and Egypt joins the long list of once‑mighty nations that fell through pride, violence, and idolatry. Through this fall, all will know that Hashem alone directs history and humbles the mighty.
