[Ezekiel, 28:25–29:21]
“Thus says the Lord God; when I have gathered the House of Israel, etc.” [28:25]. Thus says the Lord God: in My gathering the House of Israel from the nations among whom they are dispersed, I will be sanctified through them, before the eyes of the nations. They will dwell in the land that I have given to My servant Jacob.
“They shall dwell on it in security. They will build houses and plant vineyards” [28:26]. Israel will sit on their land secure, and they will build houses and they will plant vineyards and they will dwell in security on them. I will execute judgment upon the foreigners who have harmed them and they will know that I am God, their God.
“In the tenth year, on the twelfth day of the tenth month” [29:1]. In the tenth year of Zedekiah the king, God spoke with me.1Radak, Ezekiel, 29:1.
“Mortal, turn your face against Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all of Egypt” [29:2]. You, son of man, should prophesy about Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.
“Speak and say. Thus says the Lord God, I am going to deal with you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, etc.” [29:3]. Speak and you should say: God has said, I am coming against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. You great fish who rests in the midst of your water channels. That is to say, the land of Egypt was fed through the Nile river. They did not need rain for their fields, but the Nile river watered their fields. That is why the Egyptians were very haughty, because of the Nile. That is why the prophet compared Egypt to a great river, and he compared Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to a great fish in the great channel.2Radak, Ezekiel, 29:3.
“Who said to me, etc.” [29:3]. The one who said to me, when one has a good river to water all the fields, one does not need rain and does not need to go to other lands to search for grain. I have enough water and have all of this prepared for me in my water. I have also prepared myself to be a king.3Radak, Ezekiel, 29:3.
“I will put hooks in your jaws, etc.” [29:4]. I will put a ring in your jaws. That is to say, a big hook with which one catches a big fish. I will attach the other fish to your scales and I will take you out of your channel, with the other fish. That is to say, he compares the other nations to small fish.
“I will fling you into the desert, with all the fish of your channels. You will fall in the open field and not be gathered” [29:5]. I will leave you in the wilderness. That is to say, you are like a fish that dies when it comes out of the water, into the wilderness where there is no water. In this way, I will bring you, Pharaoh, to the sword and you will not remain alive. That is to say, I will also put the other fish in the field where they will not be able to live. You will fall and will not be buried. The wild animals of the earth will eat you and I will feed you to the birds of the sky.
“They will know” [29:6]. The inhabitants of the land will know that I am God.
“Because you were a staff of reed to the House of Israel” [29:6]. They were similar to a stick on which one leans to walk. If the stick breaks, the person will fall. So were the nations. Israel relied on Egypt, on Sennacherib, and on Nebuchadnezzar. None of these helped, just like a stick that breaks.4Rashi, Ezekiel, 29:6.
“When they grasped you with the hand, you would splinter, and wound all their shoulders” [29:7]. When they will grasp you and your staff, you will break and wound all of their limbs, just like a person who holds on to a staff and the staff breaks. The pieces of the staff break and stick him in his limbs. When they will lean on you, you will break and you will injure all of their limbs.5Rashi, Ezekiel, 29:7.
“Therefore” [29:8]. Therefore, God says, I will bring a sword upon you and cut off man and beast.
“The land of Egypt will be” [29:8]. The land of Egypt will be desolate and they will know that I am God. Because he made himself very important and said: the pond is mine and I do not desire any rain from God, and also said: I have prepared a river for myself.
“Therefore” [29:10]. Therefore, I am against you and your pond, and I will cause your land of Egypt to be desolate.
“No foot of man shall traverse it and no foot of beast shall traverse it” [29:11]. It should become totally desolate and no foot of man or beast should traverse the land of Egypt.
“It will be uninhabited for forty years” [29:11]. It will not be inhabited for forty years. There should have been a famine for forty-two years in the days of Joseph. However, the famine lasted only two years. The famine ended when Jacob came. That is why Egypt will be desolate for another forty years.6Rashi, Ezekiel, 29:11.
“Furthermore, thus says the Lord God: at the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from among the nations among whom they were dispersed” [29:13]. Thus says God: after forty years I will gather Egypt from the nations where I have dispersed them. I will return Egypt to its homeland, the land of Pathros, and they will be a lowly kingdom there.
“It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms and shall not lord it over the nations” [29:15]. They will be lowlier than all the other nations and they will not be overlords.
“I will reduce them so that they will never again rule over the nations” [29:15]. I will reduce them that they should not rule over the nations.
“Never again shall they be the trust of the house of Israel, recalling its guilt in having turned to them” [29:16]. They will no longer be an assurance for Israel that Israel used to rely on Egypt. The Holy One says: I must remember the sins of Israel, that they turned to Egypt, that they should help them in their time of trouble.7Rashi, Ezekiel, 29:16.
“In the twenty-seventh year, on the first day of the first month” [29:17]. It was in the in the twenty-seventh year, on the first day of the first month. That is to say, when Nebuchadnezzar was king for twenty-seven years, the Holy One said that Egypt should fall into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.8Rashi, Ezekiel, 29:17.
“O Mortal, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, etc.” [29:18]. You man. Nebuchadnezzar worked very hard along with his nation against the city of Tyre before he was able to vanquish it.
“Every head is rubbed bald, and every shoulder scraped” [29:18]. Because of their great labors, that they had to carry much stone and earth in the siege of the city of Tyre, the hair of their heads fell out and the skin of their shoulders was rubbed off, from the great loads that they carried.9Rashi, Ezekiel, 29:18.
“And he had no reward, etc.” [29:18]. Nebuchadnezzar and his people had no reward from their work. That is to say, Nebuchadnezzar conquered the city of Tyre, which had much money within it. The ocean came over the city of Tyre and drowned it all. Thus, Nebuchadnezzar and his people worked for nothing. The Holy One gave them their reward that they conquered Egypt and they had much money and goods from Egypt. Instead, they lost much money in the city of Tyre. The Holy One had commanded Nebuchadnezzar to conquer the city of Tyre. Therefore, the Holy One had to pay him his reward.10Radak, Ezekiel, 29:18.
“Therefore, the Lord God says: I will give, etc.” [29:19]. Therefore, the Holy One said: I will give the land of Egypt to the king of Babylon. They will carry away its people and its spoils and this will be their reward for the labors they exerted for the city of Tyre.11Rashi, Ezekiel, 29:19.
“The wage for which he labored, etc.” [29:20]. I have paid him for his labors by giving him the land of Egypt. Therefore, because they have done evil toward me. They reassured Israel for nothing and completely foolishly.
“On that day I will endow the house of Israel with strength” [29:21]. On the day when the forty years of Egypt, when the Egyptians will again be gathered from the nations, dominion will come to Israel. This is the kingdom of the Persians that king Cyrus will build the Temple and will be a ruler for Israel.12Rashi, Ezekiel, 29:21.
“I will open your lips, etc.” [29:21]. I will make you Ezekiel a spokesman to the nations, that they will see your prophecy has come true and everything you have said has been fulfilled.