Ezekiel 30: Nebuchadnezzar and Egypt – Did Ezekiel Get It Wrong?
“Thus saith the Lord God; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land; and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain. And Is ill make the rivers to dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of the strangers: I the Lord have spoken it…”
Ezekiel 30:10-19
Plenty of people are looking for ways to disprove the Bible. Some use archeology or secular theories to do so. However, time and time again, archeology has proven the Bible right. Others claim that the Bible doesn’t align with their secular theories, but that is because they are comparing the Bible to theories, not fact, or evidence based on theories.
But those who seek to destroy the Word of God most know that prophecy is their ‘holy grail.’ If one can show that a prophecy is wrong, then God is wrong. If God makes a mistake, then the entire Bible is just a book. So, prophecy and prophets are among the passages must heavily attacked.
Growing up, I didn’t understand the importance of prophecy in the Bible. It was neat, of course, but that was about it. Prophecy itself is a sign of God, and the prophets were the voice of God at the time. Now, I genuinely enjoy studying prophecy, and God’s promises. So, if I were unable to trust God’s promises, that would be a huge blow to my Christian faith.
Let’s face it, the Bible is 1/4 to 1/3 prophecy! And here is the kicker: the majority of that is actually future fulfillment prophecy. So, if the historically fulfilled prophecy of the Bible fails, all of our hope in future fulfillment is gone and that is a HUGE chunk of Scripture. The Bible would be basically worthless. This result is why Satan strives to denounce historically fulfilled prophecy.
As I came to Ezekiel 30:10-19, the difficulty of this prophecy on Nebuchadnezzar stood out immediately. God, through the prophet Ezekiel, tells us that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, will invade Egypt which does happen. Nebuchadnezzar does invade Egypt in 601 BC and then again in 568 BC. But the ‘devil is in the details’ so to speak, and these details just do not align with what we know historically about Nebuchadnezzar and his relationship with Egypt.
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon spent a considerable amount of his time as king consolidating the Babylonian kingdom subjugating much of the known world at that time. Nebuchadnezzar eyed Egypt not only for the obvious economic and strategic importance, but also because Egypt played a significant role in promoting uprisings among the numerous vassal states Babylon had set up. The Bible details how Zedekiah, king of Judah, turned to Egypt to help them rebel against Babylon. Years before, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, God’s prophets, warned Zedekiah not to rebel against Babylon, but he did not listen. Hundreds of years before, Isaiah also warned of Babylon’s invasion. Just as God had promised, Egypt did not provide the help that Judah had hoped when they were defeated in 605 BC at Carchemish.
Nebuchadnezzar does enter Egypt, but he is ultimately unsuccessful in subjugating the country. In 601 BC, Nebuchadnezzar invades Egypt, but Pharaoh Necho is able to hold him back. This failure is likely the cause of the uprisings that followed by the surrounding nations, namely Judah, who unfortunately decided to place their hope in the power of Egypt instead of the Word of God from the prophets. Babylon destroys these nations who decide to rebel, including Judah. Egypt, however, retreats except for a small attempt in 588 BC to stop Babylon during the siege of Jerusalem. The attempt fails, however, when Egypt retreats unwilling to enter into a major conflict with Babylon. In 568 BC, there is mention of a final attempt by Nebuchadnezzar to invade Egypt. However, almost no information regarding this invasion exists indicating that the invasion was likely mostly unsuccessful. It wasn’t until the Persian empire marches on Egypt that the nation was fully subjugated. The later empires of Greece and Rome also held on to Egypt.
Keeping this history in mind, one can easily see how the details described in Ezekiel 30:10-19 do not seem to line up. This prophecy clearly states that the following will happen to Egypt:
War by a foreign army and many will die
The “rivers” will dry (this likely refers to the canals coming off of the Nile)
The land will be sold to the wicked
The land will be “made waste”
The idols of Egypt will be destroyed
There will be no more princes
There will be fear
Pathros, Zoan, No, Sin, Noph, Aven, Pibeseth, and Tehaphnehes will be affected (these cities span Upper, Lower, and Middle Egypt, in other words, all of Egypt is affected)
Many Egyptians will go into captivity
The only part of the prophecy that could be easily attributed to Nebuchadnezzar is the first detail I listed. Nebuchadnezzar was a foreign army that would come and attack Egypt and many likely died. However, the other specifics are harder to place with Nebuchadnezzar. Many of these did take place under Persian, Greek, and Roman rule where the foreign rulers were sometimes respectful of Egypt and sometimes cruel and ruthless.
So, where does that leave us? Did Ezekiel get this one wrong?
I contend that there are a couple of ways to address this prophecy, but, first and foremost, we need to approach anything secular with the understanding that the Bible is always right. Here is that aspect of FAITH that is the Bible is always talking about. For example, I say to myself, ‘I don’t understand this passage in light of what I currently know, but I do know that, in the end, God will be proven right.” That is faith and it is the crux of the Bible and Christianity.
The Bible is clear that the prophets were speaking the words of God. The Holy Spirit was guiding them. Peter reminds us in 2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophesy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” For example, God tells the prophet Jeremiah, “I have put my words in thy mouth” (Jeremiah 1:9). This was also said to Moses and Ezekiel (Exodus 4:12 and Ezekiel 2:7). In fact, God took His prophetic message so seriously that he warns that those who abuse the office of prophesy were to be put to death (Deuteronomy 18:20). These prophets would be the ones who spoke prophecies that did not come true (Deuteronomy 18:22) or prophets that did not follow the Law (Deuteronomy 13:1-3).
Prophecy exists as a sign to us to bolster our faith and teach us. Paul clarifies the important of the gift of prophecy when he says, “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort” (1 Corinthians 14:3). 2 Timothy 3:16 reiterates this thought, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” Furthermore, God distinguishes Himself by the fact that He is all-knowing and those who are wise will heed His words, “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it” (Isaiah 46:10).
How am I to evaluate this prophesy of Nebuchadnezzar that seems to be wrong (note: the emphasis is on the word “seems” here)? First of all, we know it is true even if we can’t explain it because God’s Word is true. We live by faith. That being said, I do not see this prophecy as incorrect at all! There are a few ways to evaluate this prophecy that actually prove God RIGHT!
Option 1: Lack of Historical Data
There is a serious lack of historical data regarding Nebuchadnezzar’s 2nd invasion of Egypt. As the aphorism says, ‘absence of evidence is not evidence of absence’. Just because we do not have the information in hand doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. It is possible that the details of Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion has been lost to history. That said, it is unusual that a victory as glorious as the one described here, especially over Egypt, was not more highly commemorated in Babylonian records. But again, it is possible that those records are just not available to us currently.
Option 2: Nebuchadnezzar and “His People with Him”
While Nebuchadnezzar is the king specifically mentioned in this passage, the phrases “his people with him” and “the terrible of the nations” may refer to the invaders that come after him such as Persia, Greece, and Rome. It is tempting to just assume that these phrases are describing Nebuchadnezzar’s army, but that certainly doesn’t have to be the case. Babylon certainly set the stage for the next empires to come as one empire overthrew the one before it assuming their territories.
Some Persian rulers were especially cruel to Egypt and could certainly be characterized by the details in this passage such as destroying temples and idols. Herodotus, an ancient historian, alleged that Cambyses II of Persia easily took Pelusium, a key city to Egypt, by having his soldiers hold sacred animals as they marched to the city so that the Egyptians could not fire arrows at them for fear of killing the sacred animals. It is said that 50,000 Egyptians were killed. He also destroyed temples and even killed and ate the sacred bull Apis. Other historians portray Cambyses as a little more reverent, but, on all accounts, he did enslave the Egyptians via force. Also, the position of Pharaoh was never again held by an Egyptian. While Greek and Roman rule tended to be more respectful, the Egyptians were seen as subservient to Greeks and Romans.
There are some issues with this option, though. One struggle I see with this choice is whether or not the land was really “laid waste” as the passage describes. This phrase is inexact and therefore hard to definitely ascribe to Nebuchadnezzar or any of the following empires. Also, when I looked into other mentions of the phrase “the terrible of the nations” that Ezekiel used, it is often associated with Babylon, although not exclusively.
Option 3: True King of Babylon
In this option, Nebuchadnezzar is representative of the true king of Babylon, Satan. While this possibility may seem strange on the surface, the Bible does suggest that the true ruler of the nations in our sinful world is actually Satan. Satan is the force behind all of the world’s empires as described in Revelation. In addition, Revelation uses Babylon as name of the future world empire. Isaiah also furthers this thought by calling Satan the “king of Babylon” in Isaiah 14:4. Here Isaiah issues a prophecy that is clearly speaking to Satan while referring to Satan as the “king of Babylon.”
The idea that demonic forces are behind the world empires can also be found in Daniel 10. Daniel meets with an angel who explains that he was delayed by the “prince of Persia.” He had to fight him until Michael could come and help. After meeting with Daniel, the angel would return to fight the “prince of Perisa” and then will need to fight the “prince of Greece.” Note: it was the Greek empire that took over the Persian empire and this occurred HUNDREDS of years after Daniel records this interaction.
In Ezekiel 28, we see that the king of Tyre is given a prophecy of his demise. Interestingly, this chapter contains two prophecies, one to the “prince of Tyre” and one to the “king of Tyre.” The first prophecy is clearly the physical king and the second is to the spiritual king, Satan.
In Revelation, we see that the future Babylon world empire is controlled and consumed by the antichrist creating the final and 8th world empire ruled by non other than the beast (who I believe is the antichrist possessed by Satan). This leaves no doubt that Babylon is not only a physical kingdom but a spiritual one as well: Satan’s kingdom.
Option 4: Multiple Prophecies – this one is my choice
Here we can apply Occam’s Razor: ‘the simplest answer is most often the correct one.”
There is no reason to believe that this passage contains only one prophecy. It is very possible that it actually contains two (or more). Many scholars and readers assume that the bit about Nebuchadnezzar in verses 10-11 apply to the entire passage, however, I do not see the necessity of that.
After close inspection, verses 10-11 are clearly referring to Nebuchadnezzar and his army. But, starting verse 12, we only have the word “and.” This word certainly connects verses 10-11 to verse 12-19. Now we must ask ourselves: how are these groups of verses connected? There are two possibilities: Nebuchadnezzar or Egypt’s demise.
I contend that the link or the subject shared between these two sets of verses is not Nebuchadnezzar but the destruction of Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar would be responsible for some of the destruction (verses 10-11) but more destruction will come (verse 12-19). The origin of the rest of the destruction to come is not specified which is what throws people off.
This option is simple but makes the most sense. Plus, it completely fits with history! In fact, it is even possible that some of these details are still yet to be fulfilled. It is very common for prophecies to contain fulfillment at different time periods.
The bottom line is that God is faithful to His Word. We can rest assure in His promises. Although many strive to tear down the Word of God, His prophecy remains sure. What He says will come to pass, will indeed come to pass.
When someone tells you that a prophecy in the Bible is not true, analyze it for yourself. Do not take their word for it. Because…
The only ‘word’ we can rely on is God’s Word.