Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 32:18
Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, [even] her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.
18. The lament is primarily over the multitude or nationality of Egypt.
cast them down, even her ] Probably: and sink them down, thou and the daughters of famous nations. In Eze 32:16 the daughters of the nations were spoken of as chanting the dirge over Pharaoh and his multitude. The prophet (LXX. Eze 32:16) and these daughters together chant the lament. They are said to “sink the multitude down” because in their lament they describe their sinking down. The reading “thou” for “her” implies no change in the consonantal text, and the “daughters of famous nations” cannot be those that are interred, but those who inter. It is Pharaoh and his multitude who are let down into the pit (cf. Eze 32:31).
them that go down ] that are gone down, Eze 26:20, Eze 31:16.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 18. Cast them down] Show them that they shall be cast down. Proclaim to them a casting down prophecy.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Prepare the funeral ceremonies at the burial of Egypt, compose a suitable song or speech, utter it with a like suitableness to the sad occasion. Jer 9:17-19, and Amo 5:16, use the word, and the places read will explain this.
Cast them down; either declare that they shall be cast down from their height and glory; or rather, because this was done already, lay them down as dead in the grave, bring him to his grave, as the word is used, with addition of sheol, 1Ki 2:9, and much like are Eze 26:20; 31:16.
The daughters of the famous nations; and celebrate the funerals of other cities and kingdoms, that lie buried in their own ruins and other mens oblivion.
The nether parts of the earth; a well-known description of the state of the dead and the grave.
Go down into the pit: usually this is no more than a common description of mens going to the dust in their burial, but here it includes more. The Egyptians affected to be buried either in the isle Chemnis, or in the pyramids, their kings and great ones thus would be laid by themselves; but Ezekiel provides them their grave among common people, buries them where they fall; for they shall not have what they account so much of in their funeral.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. cast them downthat is,predict that they shall be cast down (so Jer1:10). The prophet’s word was God’s, and carried with it its ownfulfilment.
daughters of . . .nationsthat is, the nations with their peoples. Egypt is toshare the fate of other ancient nations once famous, now consigned tooblivion: Elam (Eze 32:32;Eze 32:24), Meshech, &c. (Eze32:26), Edom (Eze 32:29),Zidon (Eze 32:30).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt,…. Sing a funeral song or dirge, or compose one, to be sung by the mourning women, on account of the vast numbers of the inhabitants of Egypt that shall be slain; for the prophet himself would not mourn, but rejoice, on this occasion; but this is said to show the certainty of the destruction, and the lamentation that would be made on that account:
and cast them down, even her and the daughters of the famous nations; Egypt, and all those countries, and the inhabitants of them, that were in alliance and friendship with her; that is, declare by prophecy that they shall be cast down and destroyed, or be brought down from the height of grandeur and prosperity in which they now were:
unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down to the pit; not unto stately sepulchres built on high, such as were made for the kings of Egypt; but unto common pits or graves, dug in the lower parts of the earth, where the meaner and common sort of people were buried; there should be no distinction between them and others, they should have one common burial. The Targum is,
“son of man, prophesy concerning the multitude of Egypt, and break her, even her, and the villages of the mighty people; prophesy that they shall be delivered unto the lowest earth, with those that go down to the pit of the house of perdition.”
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(18) Cast them down.The prophet is here, as often elsewhere, told to do that which he prophesies shall be done. This is a forcible way of stating the certain fulfilment of that which is declared by Divine command.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18. The pit A synonym for Sheol (Psa 30:3; Psa 88:3-4, etc.).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eze 32:18. Son of man, wail, &c. Bishop Lowth observes, that this prophetic ode is a master-piece in that species of writing which is appropriated to the exciting of terror. Houbigant reads the second clause, And thrust them down, with the daughters of the nations; thrust them down to the lower parts of the earth, to those who are gone down to the lake. And he observes, that the prophet is commanded to thrust the Egyptians down to the shades below, that is, to exhibit by an hypotoposis familiar with the prophets, the ruin of the Egyptians, similar to the ruin of the people who have been destroyed and gone down to the regions of the dead. See the note on Eze 32:2.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eze 32:18 Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, [even] her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.
Ver. 18. Wail for the multitude. ] Prophesy their destruction, but do it not without grief and regret.
Cast them down.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
cast them down = cause them to descend: i.e. by Heb, idiom declare (by the dirge) that they shall descend. See note on Eze 14:8, Eze 14:9; Eze 20:28.
nether = lower.
the pit. Hebrew. bor = a grave dug in the earth. See note on 31. is, showing the meaning of Sheol in Eze 32:21.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
wail: Eze 32:2, Eze 32:16, Eze 21:6, Eze 21:7, Isa 16:9, Mic 1:8, Luk 19:41, Rom 12:15
cast: That is, predict that they shall be cast down. Eze 43:3, Jer 1:10, Hos 6:5
the daughters: The cities and colonies of the celebrated nations afterwards enumerated.
unto the: Eze 32:21, Eze 32:24-32, Eze 26:20, Eze 31:14, Psa 30:9, Psa 63:9, Isa 14:15
Reciprocal: Num 16:33 – into the Psa 88:5 – Free Isa 5:14 – hell Isa 14:18 – all of Isa 25:5 – shalt bring Eze 19:1 – take Eze 28:8 – shall bring Eze 30:7 – General Eze 30:18 – the pomp Eze 31:16 – When I Luk 10:15 – thrust
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 32:18. To wail means about the same as “to lament in some previous verses. Cast them down Is a way of saying predict that they will be cast down. This form of speech is used in Jer 1:10 and Eze 43:3. When an inspired man predicts that a certain thing will happen, it is virtually the same as if he will be the doer of it, for the Lord will see that all such predictions are carried out. The lexicon defines the original word for nether as “lowermost, and pit is defined in the same lexicon, a pit hole (especially one used as a cistern or prison), The people of Egypt were doomed to be taken into custody by Nebuchadnezzar and in that sense they will be prisoners. In other words, the land of Egypt was destined to go down in shame and her greatness was to be forgotten as other countries before had suffered.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
32:18 Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and {k} cast them down, [even] her, and the daughters of the famous nations, to the lower parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.
(k) That is, prophecy that they will be cast down: thus the Lord gives his prophets power both to plant and to destroy by his word, read Jer 1:10 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Ezekiel was to wail for Egypt and the other peoples that would fall with her as people mourned when someone died. We can visualize these words being cried as people stood around an open grave. Even though Egypt had been unsurpassed in her beauty as a nation, she would lie in the grave with the most ordinary and barbarian dead nations. God would not favor Egypt over the uncircumcised peoples that she proudly disdained.