TL:DR: The Genesis Question part twenty-nine

Hi, Everybody!

17 August 14

Dear Troy & Mia; David & Marie:

Ezekiel 30, as I read it, really just reiterates Ezekiel 29 but also advances the merging of the judgement of God (Lord GOD) and YHWH (the LORD) so that they're pretty much overlapping, as can be seen in the first three verses (the expression of God, as I read it, non-italicized):

The word of the YHWH came again unto me, saying, Son of man, prophecy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD, Howl ye, woe worth the day.  For the day near, even the Day of the YHWH near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.

"The time of the heathen" seems to me more than a little ambiguous, which I see as being extensively reflected in the text in the later Ezekiel chapters.  I mean, in the one sense, both God and YHWH are empowering Nebuchad-rezzar, king of Babylon -- definitely "Not God" -- as an instrument of God, an instrument powerful enough to lay waste Egypt and to enslave Israel.  So, in the Largest Sense, God appears to be working at cross purposes to Himself: taking the YHWH's side against His own followers.  Which would certainly make it "the time of the heathen".  In the second sense, it's another way of saying "the heathen's time is up". 

God and YHWH actually share verse 6 so that you can't tell who is speaking, compelling the inference that they're both saying the same thing:

Thus saith the YHWH, They also that uphold Egypt shall fall, and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. 

I'm not sure that the attribution at the end of verse 6 isn't misplaced and actually belongs to verse 7.  That is, the YHWH speaks in verse 6 and God speaks in verse 7:

And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.

It's a more qualified judgement, elaborating on what "the time of the heathen" means.  There will be desolation, but not absolute desolation.  There will be "wasted Egyptian" cities but there will be other cities which won't be wasted.

Then the YHWH speaks again (as I read it) over the course of verses 8 and 9:

And they shall know that I, the YHWH, when I have set a fire in Egypt and all her helpers shall be broken.  In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships, to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh. 

It isn't completely clear that "the time of the heathen" and "the day of Egypt" are the same thing, although the compelled inference is that they are -- that the "day of Egypt" is, contextually, part of the "time of the heathen".  God then keeps the sense of mutual judgement going in verse 10 (note the use of the term "also" -- as in "Me, too"):

Thus saith the Lord GOD, I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchad-rezzar, 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.

It's an interesting way of phrasing it.  "He and his people with him".  It refers -- or seems to -- both to Pharaoh and his people and Nebuchad-rezzar and his people.  The slain and his people and the slayer and his people.  It overlaps in the same way that God and YHWH's judgement appears to.  Equally interesting is the use of the term "brought" as opposed to "sent" in the previous verse.  You "bring" something to where you are.  "Bring it here".  What God seems to be saying is "YHWH is Egypt and is bringing (literally!) this destruction to his/her/itself and upon his/her/itself."

I will make the rivers drought [replies the YHWH, which, to me, is equally interesting -- a kind of subordinate threat -- because water is God's medium] and sell the land into the hand of the wicked, and I will make the land waste and the fullness thereof, by the hand of strangers: I the YHWH have spoken.

God appears more than willing to trade metaphorical punches:  the rivers might be made drought, but YHWHistic-style idol-worship is also under direct threat (again, note the "Me, too" use of "also"):

Thus saith the Lord GOD, I will also destroy the idols and I will cause images to cease out of Noph: and there shall be no more a Prince of the land of Egypt, and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.

The switch from "King of Egypt" to "Prince" is interesting, as well, considering the long-simmering dispute between God and YHWH over who is whose "son".  Which is the same relationship as that between a King and a Prince. 

Verses 14 to 19, I think are the YHWH's:

And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan and will execute judgements in No.  And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt and I will cut off the multitude of No.  And I will set fire in Egypt, Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder and Noph shall have distresses daily.  The young men of Aven and of Phibisheth shall fall by the sword: and these shall go into captivity.  At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.  Thus will I execute judgements in Egypt, and they shall know that I, the YHWH. 

I say this for a couple of reasons.

One, because I think the YHWH's judgements tend to overreach what is possible.  There are cities that are made "desolate" -- Babylon is a good example: there's virtually nothing left of Babylon "that mighty city" but buried ruins and that's all that has existed of Babylon for many centuries -- but not nearly as many as the YHWH keeps promising.  Egypt certainly isn't made desolate.  Egypt still exists and thrives under that name. 

Second, it's usually only the YHWH who talks about "pouring my fury upon…" cities and peoples.  God isn't furious, I don't think.  God has nothing to be furious about.  God is measured and shows great temperance in His judgements, as befits an omniscient being. Babylon will "fill the land with the slain" in God's judgement upon Egypt.  Which is no "day at the beach" but falls well short of making Egypt "desolate". 

You can see this in the balance of the chapter when we skip ahead to the aftermath of Babylon's visitation upon Egypt when the YHWH speaks to Ezekiel and says:

Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a ruler to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.

Breaking the arm of Pharaoh -- even to the extent of it being impossible to heal (which doesn't prove, historically, to be completely true) -- is very different from making Egypt desolate.  God seems to address this in the next two verses but in a very interesting and largely oblique way (unless you're watching for it):

Therefore, thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold I against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.  And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.

"Arms" plural.  Which has several meanings:  it can mean both of Pharaoh's physical arms -- the parts of his body -- or it can mean his weapons. Or it can mean both (or, more forensically accurate, I think, in this case: all three).

The reference to "the strong, and that which was broken" seems directed at the YHWH by God in that sense. "You broke Pharaoh's arm, YHWH, in a metaphorical sense, but the one you broke wasn't his strong arm, because you're incapable of that -- or even perceiving accurately what his strong arm is.  I, God, will break that one."

Which the YHWH then, in characteristic fashion, attempts to infer literally, rather than metaphorically.  Which, to me, reinforces God's point.  That Pharaoh's strongest arm is the nature of what Egypt is: a pagan stronghold of great endurance pre-existent to A Dam and Chauah who began our own monotheistic epoch. 

The YHWH, I don't think, entirely misses the reference to the strong arm ("and that which was broken"), but essentially has no clear idea what God means by it.  And, so, simply reiterates what God has already said, while making it clear that the YHWH, in using the term "arms", is referring to Necuchad-rezzar's physical arms, both of them, and to Pharaoh's physical arms, both of them: strengthening the former and weakening the latter: 

And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms and he shall groan before him with the groanings of   a deadly wounded man.  But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down, and they shall know that I, the YHWH, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon & he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt.

Which, of course, just reinforces God's earlier point:  by inferring that "arm" and "arms" refer only to personal limbs, the YHWH hasn't actually broken Pharaoh's stronger arm -- what Egypt is and what Egypt represents -- just his weaker one: how militarily strong and materially wealthy Egypt is. 

It's almost as if, at the last second, the YHWH does get a clearer picture of this and -- instead of pronouncing a judgement whereby Nebuchad-rezzar -- with the sword put it into his hand by the YHWH -- would eradicate Egypt or utterly destroy Egypt, the YHWH backs off and just says of the King of Babylon that "he shall stretch it [his sword] upon the land of Egypt."  And then exactly mirrors God's own qualified judgement in the last verse of the chapter:

And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the countries and they shall know that I, the YHWH.

Next week, God willing, on to chapter 31!

Best,

Dave

Next Time: Stuff!