Ezekiel chapter 32

vs 1

More word, more Egypt I think.

vs 2

Sounds like a sea lion. Get it, sea lion? Never mind. Sounds like he is both a lion and a crocodile. The thrashing and such I think is just mostly to represent the strength and power of the crocodiles in the nile. Almost like he's putting on a show of strength.

vs 3

This obviously isn't good for a crocodile.

vs 4

The crocodile isn't even being hunted for meat or anything. It's being hunted because people want it dead. Once they catch it, they just leave it out on the ground to be eaten by carrion birds. I assume they kill it first, though - leaving a crocodile on the ground would probably just allow it to crawl back into the water - perhaps it's still in the net?

vs 5

This is obviously rather hyperbolic. Perhaps it refers to the fact that carrion birds carry off bits of flesh and sometimes drop them on unsuspecting places.

vs 6

Pharoah does not have this much blood. It's probably talking about his people.

vs 7

I wonder if this is out of some sort of strange respect, or is it a doom prophecy, or just showing that he's God and it was him who did it?

vs 8

Darkness is probably a pretty potent sign against Egypt, since they worship the sun, or whatever. You know what I mean.

vs 9

This verse definitely seems to have something to do with the dispersal of Egypt among nations. Apparently lots of people will become worried when Egypt falls.

vs 10

People will look to the ground and shake their heads, I think. Look, there goes Egypt - used to be a superpower, now it's a desolate wasteland. Dear dear.

vs 11

Ahh, Babylon - tool of God.

vs 12

God almost wants them to be ruthless, so they can do all the dirty wetwork that he has planned for them - Israel, Tyre, Egypt, etc.

vs 13

And God has this thing about killing livestock too. It's kind of disturbing. I guess it is an attack on wealth as well as life.

vs 14

As in slowly and viscously? That's not a nice picture.

vs 15

They may not be happy to know, but they will know.

vs 16

I believe this is referring backwards, because what comes after isn't really a lament I don't think. It's always hard to tell, and there's no firm rule for when statements refer backwards or forwards.

vs 17

More word.

vs 18

Egypt's great armies and apparently some other nations are headed down to the pit. The pit is not a nice place. The pit is death.

vs 19

I find it fascinating that they go to where the rest of the uncircumcised go. Well, not that so much, but that this is the distinction that is made (so obviously God's people go somewhere different when they die) and is made so obviously. Was Egypt really expecting to go elsewhere? I guess they were - into a pyramid or something, whatever their eschatology was. I guess what I mean is, would Israel have expected them to go elsewhere? Perhaps at this point they might have, and so God is correcting their false ideas.

vs 20

If you didn't get the message after all these chapters - Egypt is going to be destroyed by Babylon.

vs 21

Repetition, although this time it includes some other dead people talking about Egypt.

vs 22

Assyria has copped it pretty badly in the last couple of chapters. I guess they were something of a byword among empires. Now Egypt is going to join them.

vs 23

They were slain, and apparently judged for their crimes - if not necessarily punished, there certainly seems to be a negative connotation to them.

vs 24

I have no idea who Elam is, but apparently it was another race or tribe or nation or empire that did pretty much the same thing - killed bunches of people - and now they rot in the pit in shame too.

vs 25

Although God let these nations rise up and gain power, and do evil things, they do get shamed. They are all considered uncircumsised - that is, separated from God. Nebuchadnezzar actually has his chance - I wonder where he went?

vs 26

Again, no idea who these people/nations are.

vs 27

Okay, there is something going on here, because apparently Meshek and Tubal are treated slightly differently. Without knowing who they are, I'm really at a loss to know why they aren't buried with their swords and shields, why they aren't counted with all the other terrorising warriors.

vs 28

This is where Pharoah is headed - it's not exactly auspicious.

vs 29

Edom is still around at this point though, isn't it? Perhaps their previous kings and rulers were powerful and dastardly.

vs 30

So it would seem that no matter who you are, no matter how powerful, no matter how much fear you struck into the world, you still die, and you end up dead and separate from God, like all the other powerful, scary armies. I think there's something in that for all of us. Most likely Hitler is down there with them.

vs 31

Apaprently there will be some consolation for Pharoah down there - perhaps all the generals get together and share a drink and reminisce? It's funny, if this is hell we're talking about, I honestly didn't imagine consolation taking place.

vs 32

Even though God was the one who put him in power, that doesn't mean he is automatically going to find himself in God's presence when he dies. That's a hugely powerful image. No doubt there have been people who have attributed their greatness in whatever type in some way to God, thinking, "If I am this great, surely God has blessed me, which means I'm on the right track," but this just isn't so.