Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:
Son of man is told to set his face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and to prophesy against him and against all Egypt, opening a judgment directed at both the ruler and the whole land. At that time Egypt was struggling with Babylon for world supremacy. Before its downfall Egypt had been among the greatest kingdoms, and at one time the greatest empire. It had been a former oppressor of God's people and stands as a symbol of black infidelity. The verse belongs to an extended prophecy in chapters 29-32, one of several prophecies describing Egypt's future.
As a prophecy against another nation it stands among the prophecies concerning the nations, in contrast to the prophecies of restoration for Israel, and it foretells the certain fate of Pharaoh and his host. It declares that Egypt would be brought low and abased, become the basest of kingdoms, lose its rule over other nations, never rise again among the nations, and suffer conquest by foreign powers and lasting subjection. The judgment includes the breaking of its foundations, the fall of those who supported it, the ruin of its cities, the end of its princes, the drying up of its rivers, and the destruction and abolition of its idols, with judgments named on Zoan and No. These predictions were literally fulfilled, a fulfillment evident today, and the later history of Egypt fulfills them as evidence of prophetic truth. The prophecy is applied to England taking complete control of Egypt, with Turkey's nominal sovereignty over Egypt passing away.
Son of man is told to set his face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and to prophesy against him and against all Egypt, opening a judgment directed at both the ruler and the whole land. At that time Egypt was struggling with Babylon for world supremacy. Before its downfall Egypt had been among the greatest kingdoms, and at one time the greatest empire. It had been a former oppressor of God's people and stands as a symbol of black infidelity. The verse belongs to an extended prophecy in chapters 29-32, one of several prophecies describing Egypt's future.
As a prophecy against another nation it stands among the prophecies concerning the nations, in contrast to the prophecies of restoration for Israel, and it foretells the certain fate of Pharaoh and his host. It declares that Egypt would be brought low and abased, become the basest of kingdoms, lose its rule over other nations, never rise again among the nations, and suffer conquest by foreign powers and lasting subjection. The judgment includes the breaking of its foundations, the fall of those who supported it, the ruin of its cities, the end of its princes, the drying up of its rivers, and the destruction and abolition of its idols, with judgments named on Zoan and No. These predictions were literally fulfilled, a fulfillment evident today, and the later history of Egypt fulfills them as evidence of prophetic truth. The prophecy is applied to England taking complete control of Egypt, with Turkey's nominal sovereignty over Egypt passing away.