Page 159 - NOTES ON EZEKIEL
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CHAPTER  XXXII.           153
      lament for her, even for Egypt, and for all her multitude,
       saith the Lord Jehovah.”  (Ver.  1—16.)  The prophet
       announces that the king of  Egypt should  be  an object
       of  horror  and  pity,  and  an  occasion  of  mourning,  no
       longer of  fear  and envy.  Pharaoh  should be  like  the
       sea-monster  disabled on shore, captured  by  a crowd of
       men, deluging with  blood  the land of  its swimming, a
       prey to all birds and  beasts, its  flesh  on the mountains
       and  the  valleys  filled  with  its  height,  the  rivers
       also.
         It  may help  the  reader  to  compare  Revelation viii.
       12,  13  with  verses  7,  8.   The  political  destruction
       of Egypt is compared to the darkening of the stars, the
       clouding of  the sun,  and the withdrawal of  the moon’s
       light.   The  notable  difference  in  the  Revelation  is
       another  and distinct feature, which appears to mark that
       it was to  be  only  in  the  west (comp. Rev. xii. 4),  the
       eastern empire not being involved in this judgment, but
      bearing its  own  afterwards.  Here  the  gloom  has for
      sphere the land of  Egypt.
         Then, in verses 9,10,  we hear of  the effect produced,
      •dropping symbol for ordinary language, when countries
      which  Egypt  had  not  known  should  know of  its de­
      struction, and many  people  and  their  kings  should be
      amazed  and violently troubled at its fall, trembling each
      for liis owrn life  in that day.
         Verses 11—16  proclaim  the  coming conqueror who
      .should  destroy Egypt’s pride as well as  its multitudes,
      a  source  of  grief  among  the  nations.  There  lie  the
      ruins in witness of both, of  old splendour, and of  utter
      sudden desolation,  to the extinction  of once busy trade
      and  even  of  agriculture  celebrated  over  all  the world.
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