God’s Word Translation
Ezekiel 29:3
3Tell him, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I’m against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. You are like a monster crocodile lying in the Nile River. You say, “The Nile River is mine. 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
1On the twelfth day of the tenth month in the tenth year, the Lord spoke his word to me. He said, 2“Son of man, turn to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. Tell him, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I’m against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. You are like a monster crocodile lying in the Nile River. You say, “The Nile River is mine. I made it for myself.” 4“ ‘I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish in the Nile River stick to your scales. I will pull you out of your river with all the fish in the Nile sticking to your scales. 5I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish from the Nile. You will fall in an open field. No one will pick you up or bury you. I will feed you to wild animals and birds.
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 29:10That is why I’m against you and the Nile River. I will turn Egypt into a pile of rubble. It will become a wasteland, from Migdol to Syene, all the way to the border of Sudan.
- Ezekiel 28:22Tell it, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I’m against you, Sidon. I will show my greatness through you. Then people will know that I am the Lord, because I will punish you and show you how holy I am.
- Psalms 76:7You alone must be feared! Who can stand in your presence when you become angry?
- Jeremiah 44:30This is what the Lord says: I’m going to hand Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, over to his enemies and to those who want to kill him, just as I handed over King Zedekiah of Judah to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to those who wanted to kill him.’ ”
- Nahum 1:6Who can stand in the presence of his rage? Who can oppose his burning anger? He pours out his rage like fire and smashes the rocky cliffs.
- Ezekiel 32:2“Son of man, sing a funeral song for Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Tell him, ‘You think you are like a lion among the nations. Instead, you are like a crocodile in the water. You splash around in the water. You stir up the water with your feet. You make the streams muddy.
- Psalms 74:13You stirred up the sea with your own strength. You smashed the heads of sea monsters in the water.
- Isaiah 27:1On that day the Lord will use his fierce and powerful sword to punish Leviathan, that slippery snake, Leviathan, that twisting snake. He will kill that monster which lives in the sea.
- Isaiah 51:9Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, O Lord! Wake up as you did in days long past, as in generations long ago. Didn’t you cut Rahab into pieces and stab the serpent?
- Revelation 12:3Another sign appeared in the sky: a huge fiery red serpent with seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns on its heads.
- Revelation 13:2The beast that I saw was like a leopard. Its feet were like bear’s feet. Its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The serpent gave its power, kingdom, and far-reaching authority to the beast.
- Revelation 16:13Then I saw three evil spirits like frogs come out of the mouths of the serpent, the beast, and the false prophet.
- Revelation 20:2He overpowered the serpent, that ancient snake, named Devil and Satan. The angel chained up the serpent for 1,000 years.
- Ezekiel 29:9Egypt will become a wasteland and a pile of rubble. Then you will know that I am the Lord. You said, “The Nile River is mine. I made it.”
- Ezekiel 28:2“Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: In your arrogance you say, “I’m a god. I sit on God’s throne in the sea.” But you’re only human and not a god, although you think you are a god.
- Deuteronomy 8:17You may say to yourselves, “I became wealthy because of my own ability and strength.”
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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