Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.
The prophecy is addressed to Pharaoh and his host, sentencing Egypt's proud king to go down and lie among the slain with the uncircumcised, slaughtered by the king of Babylon and cast together into pits in the nether parts of the earth. It foretold that Egypt, once among the greatest kingdoms on earth, would be brought down in judgment to become the lowest of the kingdoms and never rise again. The grave-world it names lies in the lower parts of the earth beneath, the land of the dead containing graves from many nations, in contrast to the land of the living on the earth's surface where no living beings are found. That world holds only the dead in silence and darkness without work, knowledge, or wisdom, and Christ himself first descended there whole under the power of death before ascending far above all heavens. The mighty speaking out of its midst to taunt Pharaoh, and Pharaoh being comforted at the sight of the slain, are figurative personification to set forth overthrow, shame, and leveling in death and to press thoughts of retribution upon the living, like the dead kings mocking Babylon and the rich man speaking in Hades.
Judgment Against Egypt
Ezekiel 32:19 belongs to the prophecies against Egypt in Ezekiel 29 through 32. It is addressed to Pharaoh and his host concerning their certain fate in judgment, to be brought down and laid with the uncircumcised. It is not a promise about the return of the Jews.
It asks whom Pharaoh surpasses in beauty and commands him to go down and be laid with the uncircumcised, lying among the slain who went down to Sheol. Pharaoh and his army are portrayed as slaughtered in battle by the king of Babylon. They are cast down together into pits in the nether parts of the earth, with friend and foe buried indiscriminately together. They go down with their weapons of war with their swords laid under their heads.
It foretold that Egypt, then one of the greatest kingdoms and at one time the greatest empire on earth, would be brought down in judgment and become the very lowest of the kingdoms. This was literally fulfilled. Egypt as a former oppressor of God's people and symbol of black infidelity was brought low and abased never to rise again among the nations.
Sheol Beneath Earth
Sheol, identical with Hades and rendered hell, lies in the nether and lower parts of the earth, in the depths and interior of the earth beneath. It is not only the grave but embraces the interior of the earth as the region and land of the dead and the place of every grave, always located beneath, sometimes called the nethermost parts of the earth and the pit. The interior below stands in contrast with the earth's surface, which is the land of the living, so that Hades is the realm of the dead set over against the land of the living. That lower realm contains graves and the dead from many nations and ranks, and no living beings are found there. The description of many slain going down together belongs to this same portrayal of Sheol beneath the earth, including the place of graves.
Those lower parts of the earth are where Christ first descended whole and under the power of death when he died. He afterward ascended up far above all heavens into Paradise in the third heaven, showing that Hades is the place of the dead, not Paradise.
The placing of the dead among those who go down to the lower parts of the earth identifies Sheol, or Hades, with the interior or nether parts of the earth which the final fire reaches and consumes.
Speech of Dead Figurative
The surrounding prophecy in Ezekiel 32:17-32 portrays Pharaoh and his army, slaughtered in battle by the king of Babylon, as going down to Sheol among the dead in the nether parts of the earth. They are cast down together into pits, friend and foe buried indiscriminately, laid among the slain who went down to Sheol with weapons of war and swords under their heads, in contrast to the earth's surface as the land of the living. Whom he surpasses in beauty is commanded to go down and be laid with the uncircumcised, lying there among the slain. In that scene the strong among the mighty are pictured speaking to him out of the midst of Sheol with taunts, and he is pictured as comforted by seeing the multitude of his slain enemies around him, while others are ashamed at the sight. Their seeing and speaking, with that comfort and shame, are personification and figurative scenery, not literal converse, feeling, or conscious experience by dead people.
Sheol holds only the dead in silence and darkness, without work or device or knowledge or wisdom, so it cannot mean the dead there are conscious and capable of conversing and acting. To read conscious converse and feeling into the speaking dead would contradict the positive assertion that there is no knowledge or work there.
The personification is used to set forth overthrow and shame and leveling in death, and to bring true thoughts of future retribution vividly before the mind and forcibly to bear on the living. Scripture elsewhere uses such metaphorical scenes of the unconscious inhabitants of Hades represented as speaking and acting without thereby teaching that the dead are consciously alive, intelligent and active. It is exactly like the rich man speaking in Hades, and like the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, which personifies the unconscious dead to enforce truth rather than to teach consciousness in death.
The same figure by which unconscious and inanimate things are represented as living, acting, and speaking appears in the dead kings rising from thrones to mock the king of Babylon and in Rachel weeping bitterly long after death. It appears likewise in rejoicing fir trees and cedars, in speaking timbers, in crying hire, and in crying blood.
The prophecy is addressed to Pharaoh and his host, sentencing Egypt's proud king to go down and lie among the slain with the uncircumcised, slaughtered by the king of Babylon and cast together into pits in the nether parts of the earth. It foretold that Egypt, once among the greatest kingdoms on earth, would be brought down in judgment to become the lowest of the kingdoms and never rise again. The grave-world it names lies in the lower parts of the earth beneath, the land of the dead containing graves from many nations, in contrast to the land of the living on the earth's surface where no living beings are found. That world holds only the dead in silence and darkness without work, knowledge, or wisdom, and Christ himself first descended there whole under the power of death before ascending far above all heavens. The mighty speaking out of its midst to taunt Pharaoh, and Pharaoh being comforted at the sight of the slain, are figurative personification to set forth overthrow, shame, and leveling in death and to press thoughts of retribution upon the living, like the dead kings mocking Babylon and the rich man speaking in Hades.
Judgment Against Egypt
Ezekiel 32:19 belongs to the prophecies against Egypt in Ezekiel 29 through 32. It is addressed to Pharaoh and his host concerning their certain fate in judgment, to be brought down and laid with the uncircumcised. It is not a promise about the return of the Jews.
It asks whom Pharaoh surpasses in beauty and commands him to go down and be laid with the uncircumcised, lying among the slain who went down to Sheol. Pharaoh and his army are portrayed as slaughtered in battle by the king of Babylon. They are cast down together into pits in the nether parts of the earth, with friend and foe buried indiscriminately together. They go down with their weapons of war with their swords laid under their heads.
It foretold that Egypt, then one of the greatest kingdoms and at one time the greatest empire on earth, would be brought down in judgment and become the very lowest of the kingdoms. This was literally fulfilled. Egypt as a former oppressor of God's people and symbol of black infidelity was brought low and abased never to rise again among the nations.
Sheol Beneath Earth
Sheol, identical with Hades and rendered hell, lies in the nether and lower parts of the earth, in the depths and interior of the earth beneath. It is not only the grave but embraces the interior of the earth as the region and land of the dead and the place of every grave, always located beneath, sometimes called the nethermost parts of the earth and the pit. The interior below stands in contrast with the earth's surface, which is the land of the living, so that Hades is the realm of the dead set over against the land of the living. That lower realm contains graves and the dead from many nations and ranks, and no living beings are found there. The description of many slain going down together belongs to this same portrayal of Sheol beneath the earth, including the place of graves.
Those lower parts of the earth are where Christ first descended whole and under the power of death when he died. He afterward ascended up far above all heavens into Paradise in the third heaven, showing that Hades is the place of the dead, not Paradise.
The placing of the dead among those who go down to the lower parts of the earth identifies Sheol, or Hades, with the interior or nether parts of the earth which the final fire reaches and consumes.
Speech of Dead Figurative
The surrounding prophecy in Ezekiel 32:17-32 portrays Pharaoh and his army, slaughtered in battle by the king of Babylon, as going down to Sheol among the dead in the nether parts of the earth. They are cast down together into pits, friend and foe buried indiscriminately, laid among the slain who went down to Sheol with weapons of war and swords under their heads, in contrast to the earth's surface as the land of the living. Whom he surpasses in beauty is commanded to go down and be laid with the uncircumcised, lying there among the slain. In that scene the strong among the mighty are pictured speaking to him out of the midst of Sheol with taunts, and he is pictured as comforted by seeing the multitude of his slain enemies around him, while others are ashamed at the sight. Their seeing and speaking, with that comfort and shame, are personification and figurative scenery, not literal converse, feeling, or conscious experience by dead people.
Sheol holds only the dead in silence and darkness, without work or device or knowledge or wisdom, so it cannot mean the dead there are conscious and capable of conversing and acting. To read conscious converse and feeling into the speaking dead would contradict the positive assertion that there is no knowledge or work there.
The personification is used to set forth overthrow and shame and leveling in death, and to bring true thoughts of future retribution vividly before the mind and forcibly to bear on the living. Scripture elsewhere uses such metaphorical scenes of the unconscious inhabitants of Hades represented as speaking and acting without thereby teaching that the dead are consciously alive, intelligent and active. It is exactly like the rich man speaking in Hades, and like the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, which personifies the unconscious dead to enforce truth rather than to teach consciousness in death.
The same figure by which unconscious and inanimate things are represented as living, acting, and speaking appears in the dead kings rising from thrones to mock the king of Babylon and in Rachel weeping bitterly long after death. It appears likewise in rejoicing fir trees and cedars, in speaking timbers, in crying hire, and in crying blood.