Christian Standard Bible
Ezekiel 29:3
3Speak to him and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster lying in the middle of his Nile, who says, “My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.”
Ezekiel 29:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.
- New International Version (NIV)Speak to him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “ ‘I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, you great monster lying among your streams. You say, “The Nile belongs to me; I made it for myself.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)speak, and say, Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lies in the midst of his streams, that says, 'My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.'
- New King James Version (NKJV)Speak, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, Who has said, ‘My River is my own; I have made it for myself.’
Context of Ezekiel 29:3
1In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2“Son of man, face Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all of Egypt. Speak to him and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster lying in the middle of his Nile, who says, “My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.” 4I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your streams cling to your scales. I will haul you up from the middle of your Nile, and all the fish of your streams will cling to your scales. 5I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open ground and will not be taken away or gathered for burial. I have given you to the wild creatures of the earth and the birds of the sky as food.
Read all of Ezekiel 29Ezekiel 29:3 word by word
דַּבֵּ֨ר וְאָמַרְתָּ֜ כֹּֽה־אָמַ֣ר׀ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֗ה הִנְנִ֤י עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ פַּרְעֹ֣ה מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֔יִם הַתַּנִּים֙ הַגָּד֔וֹל הָרֹבֵ֖ץ בְּת֣וֹךְ יְאֹרָ֑יו אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָמַ֛ר לִ֥י יְאֹרִ֖י וַאֲנִ֥י עֲשִׂיתִֽנִי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Speakדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
- and sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
- Godיְהֹוִהyehôvih · YHWH/GodH3069
- against thee, Pharaohפַּרְעֹהpar‛ôh · PharaohH6547
- kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
- the greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- dragonתַּנִּיןtannîyn tannîym · serpent: monsterH8577
- that liethרָבַץrâbats · to stretchH7257
- in the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
- of his riversיְאֹרye'ôr · NileH2975
- mine own, and I have madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
Cross-references for Ezekiel 29:3
- Ezekiel 29:10therefore, I am against you and your Nile. I will turn the land of Egypt into ruins, a desolate waste from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush.
- Ezekiel 28:22You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Look! I am against you, Sidon, and I will display my glory within you. They will know that I am the Lord when I execute judgments against her and demonstrate my holiness through her.
- Psalms 76:7And you — you are to be feared. When you are angry, who can stand before you?
- Jeremiah 44:30This is what the Lord says: I am about to hand over Pharaoh Hophra, Egypt’s king, to his enemies, to those who intend to take his life, just as I handed over Judah’s King Zedekiah to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, who was his enemy, the one who intended to take his life.’”
- Nahum 1:6Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his burning anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; even rocks are shattered before him.
- Ezekiel 32:2“Son of man, lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him, ‘You compare yourself to a lion of the nations, but you are like a monster in the seas. You thrash about in your rivers, churn up the waters with your feet, and muddy the rivers.
- Psalms 74:13You divided the sea with your strength; you smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the water;
- Isaiah 27:1On that day the Lord with his relentless, large, strong sword will bring judgment on Leviathan, the fleeing serpent — Leviathan, the twisting serpent. He will slay the monster that is in the sea.
- Isaiah 51:9Wake up, wake up! Arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength. Wake up as in days past, as in generations long ago. Wasn’t it you who hacked Rahab to pieces, who pierced the sea monster?
- Revelation 12:3Then another sign appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven crowns.
- Revelation 13:2The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority.
- Revelation 16:13Then I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming from the dragon’s mouth, from the beast’s mouth, and from the mouth of the false prophet.
- Revelation 20:2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
- Ezekiel 29:9The land of Egypt will be a desolate ruin. Then they will know that I am the Lord. Because you said, “The Nile is my own; I made it,”
- Ezekiel 28:2“Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, “I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.” Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god.
- Deuteronomy 8:17You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,’
Commentaries on Ezekiel 29:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The great dragon - התנים hattannim should here be translated crocodile, as that is a real animal, and numerous in the Nile; whereas the dragon is wholly fabulous. The original signifies any large animal. The midst of his rivers - This refers to the several branches of the Nile, by which this river empties itself into the Mediterranean. The ancients termed them septem ostia Nili, "the seven mouths of the Nile." The crocodile was the emblem of Egypt.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The king is addressed as the embodiment of the state. Dragon - Here the crocodile, the great monster of the Nile, which was regarded very differently in different parts of Egypt. By some it was worshipped and embalmed after death, and cities were named after it (e. g., in the Arsinoite nome). Others viewed it with the utmost abhorrence. An animal so terrible, so venerated, or so abhorred, was an apt image of the proud Egyptian monarch - the more so…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-16The message of judgment begins with a judgment against Pharaoh, who is called a great sea monster. In the ancient Near East, sea monsters were common in stories about the gods. These creatures represented chaos, which the gods had to control. In Genesis 1:21, however, sea creatures appear as part of God’s good creation. They are not enemies of God. In this chapter, the image changes slightly. The sea monster also reflects Pharaoh as a great crocodile. He…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. dragon--Hebrew, tanim, any large aquatic animal, here the crocodile, which on Roman coins is the emblem of Egypt. lieth--restest proudly secure. his rivers--the mouths, branches, and canals of the Nile, to which Egypt owed its fertility.Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 29:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 29
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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