Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And the sword shall come upon Egypt,.... The sword of the Chaldeans shall come upon the Egyptians, by which they should be cut off; it having a commission from the Lord for that purpose:

and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt; Ethiopia being a neighbouring nation to Egypt, shall be in a panic when it shall hear of the sword of the Chaldeans being in Egypt, and of the ravages made by it, of the multitudes slain with it; fearing it will be their turn next to fall into the same hands, and in the same manner; and the rather, not only as they were neighbours, but allies:

and they shall take away her multitude; that is, the Chaldeans shall carry captive vast numbers of the Egyptians; such as fell not by the sword should not escape the hand of the enemy, but be taken and carried into other lands. Egypt was a very populous country; according to Agrippa's speech in Josephus^F6De Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 16. sect. 4. , there were in it 7,500,000 persons from Ethiopia to Alexandria, besides the inhabitants of the latter, as might be gathered from the tribute each person paid; hence they are compared to the trees of a forest that cannot be searched, and to grasshoppers innumerable, Jeremiah 46:23, but now their numbers should be lesser:

and her foundations shall be broken down; either in a literal sense, the foundations of the cities, towers, and fortified places in Egypt, should be undermined and destroyed, and consequently the buildings on them must sink and fall; or in a figurative sense, her king, princes, magistrates, laws, and government, which are the support of a state, should be removed, and be of no more service.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

pain — literally, “pangs with trembling as of a woman in childbirth.”

Wesley's Explanatory Notes

And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.

Ethiopia — The neighbour and ally to Egypt.

Take away — Into miserable captivity.

Her foundations — Their government, laws, and strong holds.

John Trapp Complete Commentary

Ezekiel 30:4 And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.

Ver. 4. Great pain.] Heb., Pain upon pain, as the throes in childbirth.

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible

Ezekiel 30:4. Her multitude— Her wealth. Houbigant: and so Ezekiel 30:10.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

The sword: see Ezekiel 29:8.

In Ethiopia; next neighbour and ally to Egypt; they shall tremble at so great danger, so near, and they uncertain whether it will come on them, but very certain to be ruined if it does come, and as certain that they have cause to suspect it will come on them.

When the slain shall fall in Egypt; when the Egyptians, under the eye of the Ethiopians, shall fall in battle, and at the taking of their towns.

They shall take away her multitude; in miserable captivity carry them to Babylon, by whole droves.

Her foundations, their government, laws, counsellors, strong holds, which are to a nation as foundations to a house, are destroyed.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

4.Multitude — See Ezekiel 29:19.

Her foundations shall be broken down — The national power of Egypt was as strong as her temple walls, but both should feel the shock of invasion.

George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

Ethiopia. Hebrew, "Chus," denoting part of Arabia, or rather Ethiopia.

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

Ethiopia. Hebrew Cush, allied with Egypt. Compare Ezekiel 30:9; and Jeremiah 46:9. Also resorted to for help by Israel.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged

And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.

Great pain shall be in Ethiopia - "pain," literally, pangs with trembling, as of a woman in childbirth.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

the sword

29:8; Isaiah 19:2; Jeremiah 50:35-37

pain

or, fear.

9; Exodus 15:14-16; Psalms 48:6,7; Isaiah 19:16,17; Revelation 18:9,10

and they

10; 29:12,19

and her

Isaiah 16:7; Jeremiah 50:15