Ezekiel 30:13, commentary and pictures

The verse says the Lord Himself will wipe out the idols and cause their images to cease out of Noph, the Bible name for ancient Memphis, will leave Egypt with no more native prince of its own on its throne, and will put fear upon the land. It was spoken when Egypt was still one of the greatest kingdoms on earth, a fruitful land fed by the Nile and watered by innumerable streams, famed for greatness, wealth and art yet known for fearful idolatry, cruelty and wickedness, and looked to by backslidden Israel for hope against the oncoming Babylonians. The judgment began through Nebuchadnezzar's conquest, by which its idols and images were destroyed, its native ruler ceased, fear came upon the land, and many were carried captive to Babylon. Native rule finally ended when Persia invaded with overwhelming force and Nectanebo, the last Egyptian king, fled southward to Ethiopia, and for more than two thousand years since, even under successive foreign powers, not one native prince has sat on the throne of the Pharaohs. Its once rampant idolatry has been totally destroyed and abolished, and with Egypt diminished to become the very basest of the kingdoms no more ruling over other nations, the prophecy stands remarkably fulfilled as evidence of the faithfulness of God's word and witness to the truthfulness of prophecy.

Words and Judgment Foretold

Noph is the Bible name for ancient Memphis in Egypt. The word rendered destroy is the Hebrew abad, which means to be lost and is elsewhere rendered destroyed. The verse belongs to the prophecies against Egypt in Ezekiel 29-32. Those chapters are part of the prophecies against other nations in Ezekiel 25-31, in which Ammon, Moab, Tyre, and Egypt pass before the prophet with the certain fate to come upon Pharaoh and his host.

It was spoken in the days of Pharaoh Apries. At that time Egypt was one of the greatest kingdoms on earth, at one time the greatest empire and the strongest nation in the world, one of the very first nations to reach great power and civilization. It was a fruitful land fed by the Nile and watered by innumerable streams at the mouth of the Nile, for centuries the powerful center of world civilization, known for greatness, fame, wealth, art, fearful idolatry, cruelty and wickedness. It was a former oppressor of God's people and the symbol of black infidelity, still great and looked to by backslidden Israel for hope and salvation against the oncoming Babylonians.

The verse declares that the Lord Himself will destroy Egypt's idols and cause their images to cease out of Noph. That ceasing of idols and images out of Noph means their abolition. The verse declares that there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt, meaning no more native prince or ruler of its own on its throne, and that Egypt will never again be ruled by a native Egyptian.

The verse declares that God will put fear in the land of Egypt. It is part of God's doom on proud Egypt, bringing down its pride and bringing it low and abasing it, never to rise again among the nations. Its punishment was to come by fire and sword from the delta to Ethiopia, making proud Egypt an utter waste and desolation. In this Egypt, which had at one time been the greatest empire, became the very basest of the kingdoms, diminished so it would no more lift itself up above the nations, no more rule over other nations, and be no more the confidence of the house of Israel.

Literal Fulfillment and Witness

The judgment first fell through Nebuchadnezzar's conquest, by which the idols and images were destroyed, the native ruler ceased, fear came upon the land, and many Egyptians were carried captive to Babylon. He invaded Egypt twice and succeeded, although the details of his conquest are not known. Native rule then ended when Persia invaded in 350 B.C. and Nectanebo fled from the invasion, after which Egypt remained under foreign rulers. Those who date the close more precisely place it in B.C. 344, when Ochus of Persia invaded with three hundred forty-four thousand troops against Egyptian king Nectanebo with only one hundred thousand men including twenty thousand Greek mercenaries. He conquered the country, demolished the walls of the cities, plundered the temples, and returned with immense booty, while Nectanebo, the last Egyptian king Egypt ever had, fled southward to Ethiopia to end nearly three thousand years of the monarchy of the Pharaohs.

The disappearance of Egypt's local princes after Alexander's conquest is a literal fulfillment of the declaration that Egypt would have no more native princes. For more than two thousand years since the fall of the Pharaoh monarchy, and for centuries in humiliation, even when Egypt has at times been independent, not one native prince has sat on the throne of the Pharaohs. Though its rulers have been multiplied, it has been left under successive foreign powers and oppression, conquered and left under foreign rule with no ruler of its own. Its loss of former rule, with ruin brought about by internal dissensions, is the fulfilled state foretold for it.

The end of idolatry is literally fulfilled and remarkable because Egypt was the most idolatrous nation that ever lived, rampant with idolatry and worshiping heavenly and earthly bodies, animate and inanimate, real and imaginary, fish, flesh, fowl, and vegetable. Its gods and objects of worship were great in number and variety, so that it was easier to find a god than a man, yet its idols have been totally destroyed and abolished and its images have utterly ceased. All images of wood and stone are now banished and public images have disappeared under Muslim rule. The ruins of ancient Memphis, Noph in the Bible name, stand as a visible object-lesson that the prophecy is fulfilled.

Together with the drying of the rivers in the preceding verse, the verse describes Egypt's decline from glory to dishonor following devotion to idolatry, with punishment by fire and sword from the delta to Ethiopia. That decline has been literally fulfilled in the abolition of idols, the drying of rivers, ruin brought about by internal dissensions, and Egypt becoming the very basest of the kingdoms no longer ruling over other nations. The prophecy is remarkably and evidently fulfilled today and stands as evidence of the faithfulness of God's word. With the fulfilled dooms of Babylon, Nineveh, Tyre, Greece, Rome and Jerusalem it stands as mute witness to the truthfulness and importance of prophecy as God's light for the present time in uncertain darkness. The same prophecy about Egypt foretells that England will take complete control of the country and Turkey's nominal sovereignty over it will pass away.