The prophet’s lamentation for the king of Egypt.
The Prophet lamenteth the destruction of Aegypt. 11. prosecuting his prophecie of the most lamentable destruction therof. 17. foreshewing that the more it is exalted in strength and glorie, so much more miserable shal be the fal therof.
1And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying:L'anno duodecimo, il duodecimo mese, il dì primo del mese, il Signore parlommi, dicendo:AND it came to passe, the twelth yeare, in the twelth moneth, in the first of the moneth, the word of our Lord was made to me, saying:Et factum est, duodecimo anno, in mense duodecimo, in una mensis: factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens: 2Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharao the king of Egypt, and say to him: Thou art like the lion of the nations, and the dragon that is in the sea: and thou didst push with the horn in thy rivers, and didst trouble the waters with thy feet, and didst trample upon their streams.Figliuolo dell'uomo, intuona lugubre cantico sopra Faraone re dell'Egitto, e darai a lui: Tu fosti simile a un lione tralle nazioni, e al dragone, che sta nel mare: e ruotavi il corno ne' tuoi fiumi, e intorbidavi co' tuoi piedi le acque, e conculcavi le loro correnti.Sonne of man, take vp a lamentation vpon Pharao the king of Aegypt, & thou shalt say to him: Thou art likened to the Lion of the Gentils, and the dragon, that is in the sea: and thou didst strike with the horne in thy riuers, and didst truble the waters with thy fete, and didst conculcare their streames.Fili hominis, assume lamentum super Pharaonem regem Ægypti, et dices ad eum: Leoni gentium assimilatus es, / et draconi qui est in mari: / et ventilabas cornu in fluminibus tuis, / et conturbabas aquas pedibus tuis, / et conculcabas flumina earum. 3Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: I will spread out my net over thee with the multitude of many people, and I will draw thee up in my net.Per questo così dice il Signore Dio: Io con una turba di molti popoli stenderò sopra di te la mia rete, e col mio amo ti trarrò fuora.Therfore thus saith our Lord God: I wil spred my nette vpon thee in the multitude of manie peoples and I wil draw thee out in my nette.Propterea hæc dicit Dominus Deus: / Expandam super te rete meum in multitudine populorum multorum, / et extraham te in sagena mea. 4And I will throw thee out on the land, I will cast thee away into the open field and I will cause all the fowls of the air to dwell upon thee, and I will fill the beasts of all the earth with thee.E ti getterò sulla terra, ti lascerò in mezzo ai campi, e farò, che calino sopra di te tutti gli uccelli dell'aria, e di te satollerò le bestie di tutta la terra.And I wil throw thee forth on the ground, vpon the face of the filde wil I cast thee away: and I wil make al the foules of heauen to dwel vpon thee, and I wil fil of thee the beastes of al the earth.Et projiciam te in terram; / super faciem agri abjiciam te: / et habitare faciam super te omnia volatilia cæli, / et saturabo de te bestias universæ terræ.
5And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and will fill thy hills with thy corruption,E le carni tue spargerò sopra i monti, e le tue colline saranno piene del tuo marciume.And I wil geue thy flesh vpon the moutaines, and wil fil the litle hilles with thy corruption.Et dabo carnes tuas super montes, / et implebo colles tuos sanie tua. 6And I will water the earth with thy stinking blood upon the mountains, and the valleys shall be filled with thee.E del tuo fetido sangue innaffierò la terra dei monti, e di esso saran ripiene le valli.And I wil water the earth with the stinche of thy bloud vpon the mountaines, and the valleis shal be filled of thee.Et irrigabo terram fœtore sanguinis tui super montes, / et valles implebuntur ex te. 7And I will cover the heavens, when thou shalt be put out, and I will make the stars thereof dark: I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.E oscurerò il cielo nella tua morte, e farò annerir le sue stelle, cuoprirò di nuvole il sole, e la luna non darà la sua luce.And I wil couer the heauens, when thou shalt be extinguished, and I wil make the starres therof to waxe blacke: the sunne I wil couer with a cloude, and the moone shal not geue her light.Et operiam, cum extinctus fueris, cælum, / et nigrescere faciam stellas ejus: / solem nube tegam, / et luna non dabit lumen suum. 8I will make all the lights of heaven to mourn over thee and I will cause darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God, when thy wounded shall fall in the midst of the land, saith the Lord God.Farò ai luminari tutti del cielo menar duolo sopra di te, e spanderò tenebre sopra la tua terra, dice il Signore Dio, allorché i tuoi cadranno feriti per la campagna, dice il Signore Dio.I wil make al the lightes of heauen to mourne vpon thee: & I wil geue darkenes vpon thy land, saith our Lord God, when thy wounded shal fal in the middes of the land, saith our Lord God.Omnia luminaria cæli mœrere faciam super te, / et dabo tenebras super terram tuam, / dicit Dominus Deus, / cum ceciderint vulnerati tui in medio terræ, / ait Dominus Deus. 9And I shall provoke to anger the heart of many people, when I shall have brought in thy destruction among the nations upon the lands, which thou knowest not.E riempirò di terrore il cuore di molti popoli, allorché la tua calamità farò pervenire a notizia delle genti in paesi non conosciuti da te.And I shal prouoke to anger the hart of manie peoples, when I shal haue brought in thy destruction in the Gentils vpon the landes, which thou knowest no•.Et irritabo cor populorum multorum, / cum induxero contritionem tuam in gentibus super terras quas nescis.
10And I will make many people to be amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when my sword shall begin to fly upon their faces: and they shall be astonished on a sudden, every one for his own life, in the day of their ruin.E del tuo caso farò, che restino sbigottiti molti popoli; e i loro regi in sommo orror tremeranno per te, quando principierà a lampeggiar la mia spada dinanzi a' loro occhi; e tutti saranno in timor grande per loro stessi nel giorno di tua rovina;And I wil make manie peoples to be astonied vpon thee, and their kinges, with exceding horrour shal be afraid vpon thee, when my sword shal beginne to flie vpon their faces: and they shal be astonied sodenly, euerie one for his life, in the day of thy ruine.Et stupescere faciam super te populos multos, / et reges eorum horrore nimio formidabunt super te, / cum volare cœperit gladius meus super facies eorum: / et obstupescent repente singuli pro anima sua in die ruinæ tuæ. 11For thus saith the Lord God: The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee,Imperocché queste cose dice il Signore Dio: La spada del re di Babilonia verrà sopra di te.Because thus saith our Lord God:Quia hæc dicit Dominus Deus: / Gladius regis Babylonis veniet tibi. 12By the swords of the mighty I will overthrow thy multitude: all these nations are invincible: and they shall waste the pride of Egypt, and the multitude thereof shall be destroyed.Colle spade di que' forti abbatterò le molte tue schiere: tutte quelle genti sono invincibili: ed elle umilieranno la superbia dell'Egitto, e le sue schiere saran dissipate.The sword of the king of Babylon shal come to thee, in the swordes of the valients wil I ouerthrow thy multitude: inuincible are al these Gentils: and they shal waste the pride of Aegypt, and the multitude therof shal be dissipated.In gladiis fortium dejiciam multitudinem tuam: / inexpugnabiles omnes gentes hæ, / et vastabunt superbiam Ægypti, / et dissipabitur multitudo ejus. 13I will destroy also all the beasts thereof that were beside the great waters: and the foot of man shall trouble them no more, neither shall the hoof of beasts trouble them.E io sterminerò tutti i suoi giumenti, che pascolano sulle ripe delle grandi acque, queste non saranno intorbidate più da piede di uomo, né saranno intorbidate da zoccolo di giumento.And I wil destroy al the beasts therof, that were vpon verie manie waters: and the foote of man shal truble them no more, neither shal the hoofe of beasts truble them.Et perdam omnia jumenta ejus, / quæ erant super aquas plurimas: / et non conturbabit eas pes hominis ultra, / neque ungula jumentorum turbabit eas.
14Then will I make their waters clear, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord God:Allora io renderò limpidissime le loro acque, e i loro fiumi faro simili all'olio, dice il Signore Dio,Then wil I make their waters most pure, and their riuers I wil bring as oile, saith our Lord God.Tunc purissimas reddam aquas eorum, / et flumina eorum quasi oleum adducam, / ait Dominus Deus, 15When I shall have made the land of Egypt desolate: and the land shall be destitute of her fulness, when I shall have struck all the inhabitants thereof and they shall know that I am the Lord.Quand'io avrò desolata la terra d'Egitto. Or questa terra sarà vuota di tutto quel, che la empie, quand'io avrò percossi tutti i suoi abitatori, e conosceranno, ch'io sono il Signore.When I shal haue made the Land of Aegypt desolate: and the land shal be made desert of her fulnes, when I shal haue strooken al the inhabitāts therof: & they shal know that I am the Lord.cum dedero terram Ægypti desolatam: / deseretur autem terra a plenitudine sua / quando percussero omnes habitatores ejus: / et scient quia ego Dominus. 16This is the lamentation, and they shall lament therewith: the daughters of the nations shall lament therewith for Egypt, and for the multitude thereof they shall lament therewith, saith the Lord God.Questo è il carme lugubre, e questo sarà cantato: le figlie delle nazioni lo canteranno; lo canteranno sopra l'Egitto, e sopra la sua gente, dice il Signore Dio.It is lamentation, and they shal lament it, the daughters of the Gentils shal lament it, vpon Aegypt, and vpon the multitude therof they shal lament it, saith our Lord God.Planctus est, et plangent eum: / filiæ gentium plangent eum: / super Ægyptum et super multitudinem ejus plangent eum, / ait Dominus Deus. 17And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me saying:E l'anno duodecimo, ai quindici del mese, il Signore parlommi, dicendo:And it came to passe in the twelfth yeare, in the fiftenth of the moneth, the word of our Lord was made to me, saying:Et factum est in duodecimo anno, in quintadecima mensis: factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens: 18Son of man, sing a mournful song for the multitude of Egypt: and cast her down, both her, and the daughters of the mighty nations to the lowest part of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.Figliuolo dell'uomo, canta carme lugubre sopra il popolo dell'Egitto, e precipita lui, e le figlie di possenti nazioni nell'infima terra insieme con que', che scendono nella fossa.Sonne of man, sing a mourning song vpon the multitude of Aegypt: and plucke her downe, herself, and the daughters of the strong nations to the lowest earth with them, that goe downe into the lake.Fili hominis, cane lugubre super multitudinem Ægypti: / et detrahe eam ipsam, et filias gentium robustarum, ad terram ultimam, / cum his qui descendunt in lacum.
19Whom dost thou excel in beauty? go down and sleep with the uncircumcised.Che è quello, onde tu sei più rispettabile? Scendi a basso, e dormi tra gli incirconcisi.Fayrer then whom art thou? Descend, and sleepe with the vncircumcised.Quo pulchrior es ? / descende, et dormi cum incircumcisis. 20They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain with the sword: the sword is given, they have drawn her down, and all her people.Ei periranno di spada come la turba degli altri uccisi: è stata consegnata la spada: hanno gettato a terra (l'Egitto), e tutti i suoi popoli.In the middes of the slaine by the sword they shal fal: the sword is geuen, they haue drawen her, and al her peoples.In medio interfectorum gladio cadent; / gladius datus est: / attraxerunt eam et omnes populos ejus. 21The most mighty among the strong ones shall speak to him from the midst of hell, they that went down with his helpers and slept uncircumcised, slain by the sword.Volgeranno a lui la parola di mezzo all'inferno i più possenti guerrieri, che sceser laggiù co' suoi aiutatori, è morirono incirconcisi, uccisi di spada.The most mightie of the strong shal speake to him from the middes of hel, which went downe with his helpers, and slept vncircumcised, slame by the sword.Loquentur ei potentissimi robustorum de medio inferni, / qui cum auxiliatoribus ejus descenderunt, / et dormierunt incircumcisi interfecti gladio. 22Assur is there, and all his multitude: their graves are round about him, all of them slain, and that fell by the sword.Ivi l'Assiro, e tutto il suo popolo sepolto intorno a lui: tutti questi furono uccisi, e periron di spada.There Assur, and al his multitude: round about him their graues, al the slaine, and they that fel by the sword.Ibi Assur, et omnis multitudo ejus: / in circuitu illius sepulchra ejus, / omnes interfecti, et qui ceciderunt gladio. 23Whose graves are set in the lowest parts of the pit: and his multitude lay round about his grave: all of them slain, and fallen by the sword, they that heretofore spread terror in the land of the living.I quali son sepolti nel più profondo della fossa, e il popolo di lui giace all'intorno del suo sepolcro: tutti uccisi, e abbattuti dalla spada, eglino, che una volta ingombravano di spavento la terra de' vivi.Whose graues were made in the lowest lakes: and his multitude was made round about his graue: al the slaine, and they that fel by the sword, which sometime had geuen feare in the land of the liuing.Quorum data sunt sepulchra in novissimis laci, / et facta est multitudo ejus per gyrum sepulchri ejus: / universi interfecti, cadentesque gladio, / qui dederant quondam formidinem in terra viventium.
24There is Elam and all his multitude round about his grave, all of them slain, and fallen by the sword; that went down uncircumcised to the lowest parts of the earth: that caused their terror in the land of the living, and they have borne their shame with them that go down into the pit.Ivi Elam, e tutto il suo popolo intorno al suo sepolcro: tutti costoro uccisi, e atterrati dalla spada, i quali scesero incirconcisi nell'infima terra, eglino, che si fecer temere nella terra de' vivi, e portano la loro ignominia come quegli, che scendono nella fossa.There Aelam, and al the multitude therof round about her graue. al these slaine, and falling by the sword: that went downe vncircumcised to the lowest earth: which did put their terrour in the land of the liuing, and they haue borne their ignominie with them, that goe downe into the lake.Ibi Ælam, et omnis multitudo ejus per gyrum sepulchri sui: / omnes hi interfecti, ruentesque gladio, / qui descenderunt incircumcisi ad terram ultimam; / qui posuerunt terrorem suum in terra viventium, / et portaverunt ignominiam suam cum his qui descendunt in lacum. 25In the midst of the slain they have set him a bed among all his people: their graves are round about him: all these are uncircumcised, and slain by the sword: for they spread their terror in the land of the living, and have borne their shame with them that descend into the pit: they are laid in the midst of the slain.In mezzo agli uccisi è stato collocato il letto per lui, e per tutti i suoi popoli, i quali intorno a lui hanno sepolcro: tutti questi incirconcisi, e morti di spada, perchè si fecer temere nella terra de' vivi, e portano la loro ignominia con que', che scendono nella fossa: giacciono in mezzo agli uccisi.In the middes of their slaine they haue set her couche among al her peoples: round about him their grace: al these vncircumcised, and slaine by the sword, for they gaue their terrour in the land of the liuing, and haue borne their ignominie with them, that descend into the lake: they are layde in the middes of the slaine.In medio interfectorum / posuerunt cubile ejus in universis populis ejus: / in circuitu ejus sepulchrum illius: / omnes hi incircumcisi, interfectique gladio. / Dederunt enim terrorem suum in terra viventium, / et portaverunt ignominiam suam cum his qui descendunt in lacum: / in medio interfectorum positi sunt. 26There is Mosoch, and Thubal, and all their multitude: their graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised and slain, and fallen by the sword: though they spread their terror in the land of the living.Ivi Mosoch, e Thubal, e tutta la sua gente, la quale intorno a lui ha i suoi sepolcri: tutti questi incirconcisi, e uccisi sotto la spada, perchè si fecer temere nella terra de' vivi.There Mosoch, and Thubal, and al their multitude: round about him their graues: al these vncircumcised, and slaine, and falling by the sword: because they gaue their feare in the land of the liuing.Ibi Mosoch et Thubal, et omnis multitudo ejus: / in circuitu ejus sepulchra illius: / omnes hi incircumcisi, interfectique et cadentes gladio, / quia dederunt formidinem suam in terra viventium. 27And they shall not sleep with the brave, and with them that fell uncircumcised, that went down to hell with their weapons, and laid their swords under their heads, and their iniquities were in their bones, because they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.E non morranno della morte dei forti incirconcisi, che perirono, e scesero nell'inferno colle loro anni, e a' quali poste furono sotto i loro capi le loro spade; e le loro iniquità penetravano le loro ossa, perchè erano il terrore de' forti nella terra de' vivi.And they shal not sleepe with the valients, and them that fel, and the vncircumcised, that went downe to hel with their weapons, and put their swordes vnder their heades, and their iniquities were in their bones: because they were made the terrour of the valients in the land of the liuing.Et non dormient cum fortibus, / cadentibusque, et incircumcisis, / qui descenderunt ad infernum cum armis suis, / et posuerunt gladios suos sub capitibus suis, / et fuerunt iniquitates eorum in ossibus eorum: / quia terror fortium facti sunt in terra viventium.
28So thou also shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt sleep with them that are slain by the sword.Tu stesso adunque tra gli incirconcisi sarai calpestato, e dormirai con quegli, che periron di spada.And thou therfore shalt be destroyed in the middes of the vncircumcised, and shalt sleepe with the slaine by the sword.Et tu ergo in medio incircumcisorum contereris, / et dormies cum interfectis gladio. 29There is Edom, and her kings, and all her princes, who with their army are joined with them that are slain by the sword: and have slept with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down into the pit.Ivi l'Idumea, e i suoi regi, e tutti i suoi condottieri, i quali insieme co' loro eserciti hanno luogo tra quegli, che furono uccisi di spada, e i quali dormono tra gl'incirconcisi, e tra que', che scendono nella fossa.There Idumea, and her kinges, & al her princes, which were geuen with their host with the slaine by the sword: and which slept with the vncircumcised, and with them that goe downe into the lake.Ibi Idumæa, et reges ejus, et omnes duces ejus, / qui dati sunt cum exercitu suo cum interfectis gladio, / et qui cum incircumcisis dormierunt, / et cum his qui descendunt in lacum. 30There are all the princes of the north, and all the hunters: who were brought down with the slain, fearing, and confounded in their strength: who slept uncircumcised with them that are slain by the sword, and have borne their shame with them that go down into the pit.Ivi tutti i principi del settentrione, e tutti quanti i tiranni, i quali insieme con gli uccisi di spada vi sono condotti, pieni di paura, e con tutta la lor fortezza umiliati: i quali incirconcisi dormono tra que', che periron di spada, e portano la loro ignominia come que', che scendono nella fossa.There al the princes of the North, and al the hunters: which were brought downe with the slaine, fearing, and in their strength confounded: which slept vncircumcised with the slaine by the sword, and haue borne their ignominie with them, that goe downe into the lake.Ibi principes aquilonis omnes, et universi venatores, / qui deducti sunt cum interfectis, paventes, / et in sua fortitudine confusi: / qui dormierunt incircumcisi / cum interfectis gladio, / et portaverunt confusionem suam / cum his qui descendunt in lacum. 31Pharao saw them, and he was comforted concerning all his multitude, which was slain by the sword: Pharao, and all his army, saith the Lord God:Faraone li vide, e si racconsolò della molta sua gente uccisa di spada, Faraone, e tutto il suo esercito, dice il Signore Dio.Pharao saw them, and he was comforted vpon al his multitude, which was slaine by the sword, Pharao, and al his host, saith our Lord God:Vidit eos Pharao, et consolatus est / super universa multitudine sua, / quæ interfecta est gladio: / Pharao, et omnis exercitus ejus, / ait Dominus Deus.
32Because I have spread my terror in the land of the living, and he hath slept in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain by the sword: Pharao and all his multitude, saith the Lord God.Perocché io spanderò il mio terrore sulla terra de' vivi, e in mezzo agl'incirconcisi, con que', che moriron di spada, si addormentò Faraone, e tutto il suo popolo, dice il Signore Dio.because I gaue his terrour in the land of the liuing, & he slept in the middes of the vncircumcised with the slaine by the sword: Pharao and al his multitude: saith our Lord God.Quia dedi terrorem meum in terra viventium, / et dormivit in medio incircumcisorum cum interfectis gladio: / Pharao, et omnis multitudo ejus, / ait Dominus Deus.
32:1
Year of the World 3417, Year before Christ 587.
Worthington
Twelfth. He counts from the captivity of Jechonias, as Sedecias reigned only eleven years. (Worthington)
32:2
Dragon, or crocodile; two of the most terrible creatures.
Calmet
With the horn is not expressed in Hebrew and the crocodile has nothing like a horn. It has four feet, with which it makes the water muddy. (Calmet)
32:3
Calmet
Net. Septuagint, "hook," Ezechiel 29:4. (Calmet)
Some take the crocodile with a net, ver. 3. (Elian. Hist. 10:21.)
32:5
Calmet
Corruption. Septuagint, "blood." But romuth (Haydock) means rather "worms." (Syriac) (Calmet)
32:7
Haydock
Out, like a candle, by death; extinctus. (Haydock)
Worthington
The glory of Egypt was so great, that at its fall the light of heaven seemed diminished. (Worthington)
Great desolation is thus intimated.
Calmet
When, etc., is not in some Latin copies, nor in Hebrew, etc. (Calmet)
32:9
Calmet
Anger, as they will not know why I have treated thee so severely: or rather, they shall be afraid for themselves, ver. 10. (Calmet)
32:12
Haydock
Invincible, when they wield God's sword. Cyrus easily conquered them. (Haydock)
Hebrew, "strong,." Septuagint, "pestiferous."
32:14
Oil. It is very transparent. It seems the Nile was rendered muddy by cattle, etc.
32:15
Fulness, or all of it shall be desolate.
32:17
Year of the World 3417.
Month: probably the twelfth, ver. 1.
32:18
Calmet
Down: announce this catastrophe. (Calmet)
32:21
Haydock
Most. Septuagint, "giants shall say to thee: Remain in the depth of the pit. Whom dost thou excel? descend," etc. (Haydock)
St. Jerome
They vary much in this chapter from the Hebrew. (St. Jerome)
Calmet
Helpers; Lybians, etc., Ezechiel 30:5. These shall come to compliment the king. (Calmet)
Theodoret
After a battle, those of the same nation were buried together, ver. 22. (Theodoret)
Haydock
The Egyptians had tombs like houses, in which there were separate holes or apartments (Calmet) as in large vaults. (Haydock)
32:24
Shame. They are buried without any distinction.
32:27
Calmet
Not. Some copies of Septuagint omit the negation. Others render the Hebrew, "Have they not slept?" etc. These nations were deprived of military honours, dying like cowards; and therefore their swords were not placed with them in the grave. (Calmet)
Calmet
It was customary to inter such things as the deceased had liked the most. (Serv. in Virgil's Aeneid X. Arma quibus laetatus habe tua, etc. Simon (1 Machabees 13:29.) placed arms and representations of ships on the pillars at Modin, in honour of his kindred. If Elam, etc., had not received such distinction, why should the Egyptian repine? Were they any better? (Calmet)
Worthington
The country and king of the Elamites, Assyrians, and other infidels, shall be destroyed. (Worthington)
32:28
Midst. This threat would make great impression on the Egyptians, who were particularly solicitous to be buried with their fathers.
32:29
Haydock
Edom. Septuagint add, "and all the Assyrian princes." Some copies omit Edom. (Haydock)
Calmet
This nation had laid aside circumcision, which Hircan forced them to resume. They had been present at the siege of Jerusalem, Ezechiel 35. (Calmet)
32:30
Haydock
Hunters of men, like Nemrod, the first king of Assyria. (Haydock)
32:32
Haydock
My. Hebrew, Septuagint, "his," (Calmet) alluding to the ravages of Nechao; (Grotius) though the Hebrew may also signify my, as the Jews read Egypt, and Palestine, the land of the living, were filled with terror. After the latter had been chastised, Pharao might dread (Calmet) a worse fate; (Haydock) and the multitudes slain before him, might afford him some (Calmet) wretched consolation. (Haydock)
Calmet
It is evident that these nations believed the existence of separate spirits, and had not given in to the errors of the Sadducees, or of the Metempsychosis. (Calmet)
32:1
Here it is manifest that this prophet counteth the yeares by the time of transmigration of king Iechonias, for it is clere that Sedecias reigned only eleuen yeares. 4. Reg. 24. & 25. Iere. ••. & 52
32:8
This hyperbolical speach describeth the former glorie of Aegypt, as if al lightes were much diminished, when this kingdom was darkned.
32:25
The countrie of the Aelamites:
and the king of Aelamites shal also perish with Assirians, Aegyptians & other infidels.
32:1
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 6.43
… In the last (chapter) also of Job, in which the Lord utters to Job amid tempest and clouds what is recorded in the book which bears his name, there are not a few things referring to the serpent. I have not yet mentioned the passages in Ezekiel,
32:2
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis 2.8.3
… For the Lord also says, that, “because iniquity has abounded, the love of many will grow cold.” Nay, all things, whatever they are, which in holy Scripture are compared with the hostile power, the devil is said to be perpetually finding cold; and what is found to be colder than he? In the sea also the dragon is said to reign. For the prophet
32:5
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 4.50
… senses exercised to distinguish between good and evil, and who continually utters the prayer, “Open Thou mine eyes, and I will behold wondrous things out of Thy law.” And who is there that, on reading of the dragon that lives in the Egyptian river, and of the fishes which lurk in his scales, or of the excrement of Pharaoh which fills the mountains of Egypt,
32:12
Pseudo-Cyprian Exhortation to Repentance 1
… none of his sins which he hath sinned shall be stirred up against him: because he hath done justice and judgment, he shall live in them.”
32:17
St Jerome † AD 420 Against the Pelagians 2
Let us confess with shame that these are the utterances of men who have already won their reward; sinners upon earth, and still in our frail and mortal bodies let us adopt the language of the saints in heaven who have even been endowed with incorruption and immortality.
32:19
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 The Book of Pastoral Rule 4
… because, in calling to mind what it has done well, while it lifts itself up in its own eyes, it falls before the author of humility. For hence it is said to the soul that is proud, For that thou art more beautiful, go down, and sleep with the uncircumcised (
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 9.122
… And it plays the harlot because of its renown, when in what it has done aright it desires not the praise of its Maker to be spread abroad, but seeks the glory of its own reputation. Hence again it is written through the prophet, In that thou art more beautiful, go down (
32:1
1. And it came to pass in the twelfth year, — from the transmigration of Jeconiah. In one (that is the first day) of the month. 2. Take up a lamentation, — that is a mournful song, such as you took up over the ruin of the king of Tyre, cap. xxvii, vers. 2, and Isaiah over Baltassar, cap. xiv, vers. 4. This was the custom of the ancients both faithful and gentile, that they should bewail the dead with lamentation, and as it were pay them their funeral rites: whence in this they were accustomed to recount the riches, virtues and trophies of the deceased. Thus David, when Saul and Jonathan were slain, bewailed them with this song, II Reg. I, 19: "The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy mountains; how are the mighty fallen? etc. The bow of Jonathan never turned back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan, lovely and comely in their life, even in their death they were not divided: swifter than eagles, stronger than lions." Such a song are the Lamentations of Jeremiah, in which he bewails the ruin of Jerusalem. Such also is Jerem. li, 41, in which he bewails the fall of Babylon: "How is Sesach taken, and the renowned city, the praise of the whole earth, seized?" etc. Thus the Romans brought forth their dead to the forum, and there publicly praised them with a funeral oration from the rostrum. The origin of this praise is attributed to Valerius Poplicola, who first praised the dead Brutus from the rostrum, as witness Plutarch and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, lib. V. Others, however, refer this rite to an earlier time, to the age of kings. An ancient interpreter of Horace in the Epodes says: "Varro, he says, spoke the sepulcher of Romulus from the rostrum: where also in memory of this matter, it is established that two lions were erected; whence it came to pass that the dead were praised from the rostrum." Moreover these eulogies were delivered by the nearest relatives. Thus Plutarch is the author that Fabius praised his son from the rostrum in his Life; and of Tiberius Suetonius says: "Nine years old, he praised his dead father." Hear also Appian, lib. I: "With the corpse placed on the platform from the rostrum, the most eloquent man of his age delivered a funeral oration, because Faustus his son was not yet mature." To the lion of the nations, — as if to say O Pharaoh! you were among the nations what a lion is among beasts, and you ruled over them as a lion, indeed when it pleased you, you devoured them. And to the dragon, — a whale, or sea monster. Whence the Aquila translates, Leviathan; whence it follows: "Who is in the sea," that is who rules in the sea, who snorts forth the vast masses of waters through his nostrils, and casts them on high, and disturbs the whole sea: for thus Pharaoh ruled in Egypt, which is surrounded by seven streams of the Nile, as it were by the arms of the sea. You stirred up your horn. — Thus also the Septuagint translates, as if to say you stirred up your horn, that is your power and ferocity in Egypt. The Interpreter reads הנח vattaggach, from the root נגש nagash, that is to butt with a horn, to strike with a horn. For thus the greater and stronger beasts stir up with their horns, put to flight and strike down the smaller and weaker ones on the earth, just as crocodiles do fish and other beasts in the Nile, and whales in the sea. Thus Homer, Iliad β: Trojans he gored with his horn; this, as well as many other things, he borrowed from the Hebrews and the sacred books. Now they read מם vattaggach, that is, as Vatablus says, you drew forth, namely waters through your rivers, that is, you led the Nile into many streams, so that it might irrigate and make fertile all the fields. Others say, you leaped, you played wantonly, in your rivers; others, you creep forth, you rush forth, you thrust yourself (as fish thrust one another) in your rivers. For this is what the root מי goach signifies. And you troubled the waters, — you who with insane wars troubled whatever neighboring nations and their rivers, that is their regions you trampled. Secondly, by the troubling of waters is understood the turbulent manner of governing subjects: for Pharaoh the impious, the savage, most loving of discord, troubled and mixed everything. He alludes to the Nile, which has turbid waters, and when it overflows, covers and confuses all the land.
32:3
3. I will spread my net over you (you as a beast, namely a lion, and as a whale I will capture you with a net) in the multitude of peoples. — For many are accustomed to come together for the capture of a lion, just as for a whale, as if to say I will draw you, O Pharaoh! from your kingdom by the Chaldeans, and cast you upon the land (for whales and fish drawn from water die on land), so that you, that is your kingdom and riches, the "fowls," that is the princes of the Chaldeans, "and the beasts," that is the soldiers, may plunder, tear and devour. Symbolically, by the net is signified that God by his providence most easily captures and comprehends all things. Hence the proverb: "He captures cities with nets," which is said enigmatically of those to whom fortune is favorable in the conduct of affairs; drawn, as it is written, from Timothy the Athenian, to whom by good fortune the name κλευχή was given, and to whom the shadow of a demon is said to have appeared at night, which gave him a net for capturing cities: and therefore he himself was said to capture cities with nets. Ulpian writes this in the second Olynthian of Demosthenes, and the interpreter of Aristophanes. This same Timothy also was accustomed to be painted by painters in that image, Suidas and Ulpian say, so that to him sleeping, fortune would bring cities, which he would capture, enclosed in nets. But when he, lifted up with a certain arrogance, said that he accomplished such great deeds not by the will of fortune, but by his own virtue, he was reduced to the utmost poverty. Read Plutarch.
32:5
5. I will fill the hills with thy gore, — that is with the corpses of thy army. Thus R. David. For gore it can be translated thy height; that is a high heap of corpses; the Septuagint, with thy blood. For fish have gore in place of blood.
32:6
6. With stench. — In Hebrew צפה tsapha, can first be derived from צוף tsuph, which signifies to swim, to inundate, as if to say: As Egypt with waters, so now with the blood of the slain it will be inundated; so that this blood will exceed the mountains. Second, if thou derive it from the root צפה tsapha, it signifies to spy out, as if to say: The land from which thou spiest, that is thy mountains, I will water with thy blood. And the valleys shall be filled from thee, — from thy blood, that is from that of thy soldiers, as if to say: The valleys and hills will swim in thy gore. It is a hyperbole. See Canon. XXXII.
32:7
7. I will cover, etc., the heaven, and I will make the stars grow dark, — by extinguishing thy splendor, by which thou before seemed to illuminate all these things. It is a hyperbole, and poetic hypallage. For Scripture is accustomed to express the bitterness of sorrow through the darkening of the sun, moon, and stars; not that these are truly darkened, but because the sorrow is so great, and the perturbation of mind and senses in men, that to them the sun and stars seem to fall or be darkened. By a similar poetic device the Poet said: And impious ages feared eternal night. In like manner all these things are here spoken and exaggerated by the Prophet poetically. For this is the lamentation of Pharaoh, that is a mournful song, as he said in verse 2. Allegorically, these things will truly and actually come to pass at the end of the world, Matt. xxiv, 29. Tropologically, the sun, moon and stars of the Church are darkened when ecclesiastical or secular princes fail from justice and holiness to wickedness.
32:9
9. And I will provoke (that is not so much with anger, as with fear I will stir and strike down, as is evident from what follows) the heart of many peoples, when I shall have brought contrition, — that is when I shall have led thee, O Egypt! captive to nations unknown to thee: or, when I shall have made it so that thy contrition and disaster become known to unknown nations through thy flight, when thy devastated citizens shall flee to them.
32:10
10. When my sword shall begin to fly (that is, to be drawn and to flash) over their faces, — that is when they themselves shall see thee struck down by a flashing and drawn sword, they will tremble, thinking their own matter is at stake, "when the neighbor's wall is on fire." For their soul, — fearing for their soul, that is their life, lest in the same manner as thou, they be struck down.
32:13
13. I will destroy all its beasts, which were upon the many waters, — that is which were fed in the meadows and fields, which, with waters drawn from the Nile, and thence abounding in vegetation. The foot of man shall not trouble them. — So great will be the desolation and solitude of Egypt, that there will be no men to trouble the waters with their feet, as is wont to happen in watering.
32:14
14. Like oil, — that is calm, and thence pure, clear and limpid like oil. He speaks poetically, as I said in verse 7. 15. With fullness, — with inhabitants: for these fill the land, and are as it were its fullness.
32:16
16. It is a lamentation, — that is it will be: or rather from the Hebrew, as if to say: This is a lamentation. In Hebrew קינה kina, that is a lamentation, and a mournful song, by which, as I said above, they will lament Egypt. Daughters (that is nations, or cities) of the Gentiles. — For cities on account of their beauty are called daughters by the Hebrews; as daughter of Sion, that is the fair city Sion. Over Egypt, etc., shall lament it, — "it" namely the lamentation. Thus we are said to weep a weeping, to laugh a laughter. Otherwise Maldonatus: "They shall lament it," that is "her," namely Egypt, so that it be an enallage of gender. But because he says: "They shall lament it over Egypt," this "it" necessarily refers to the lamentation, not to Egypt.
32:17
17. And it came to pass in the twelfth year (the same year) in the fifteenth day of the month — of the same, that is the twelfth, as he had said in verse 1. This is fourteen days after it was said to him: "Take up a lamentation." Thus Maldonatus.
32:18
18. Bring down (proclaim Egypt to be brought down) and the daughters (that is the cities of others) of the nations (neighboring) to the earth, the lowest, into the pit, — that is not into a sepulchre, as Vatablus wishes, but into hell.
32:19
19. How art thou more beautiful? — Thus the Hebrew and Roman texts, as if to say, To whom dost thou, O Egypt, prefer thyself? How art thou higher, more beautiful? Behold, the higher thou seemest to thyself, the more deeply shalt thou fall; the more beautiful thou art, the more terrible a place shalt thou occupy: therefore on account of thy pride descend and sleep in the sepulchre, and in hell with the uncircumcised, and, as the Chaldean says, with sinners. This is what Christ says of Capharnaum, Luke x, 15: "And thou, Capharnaum, which art exalted up to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell." The Septuagint, reading ממים mimme, that is, from waters, instead of ממי mimmi, that is, how, translates it, from the beauty of waters, that is, from Egypt, which is made beautiful and fertile by the Nile, descend. St. Gregory, book XXIV of the Morals, chapter iii, understanding these words not interrogatively, thus explains them morally: "To the soul that exalteth itself it is said: How art thou more beautiful? Descend and sleep with the uncircumcised. For every one who neglecteth to consider the foulness of his infirmity, but through the pride of exaltation attendeth to the glory of his virtue, from that very thing descendeth: because by exalting himself from his merits he fell more grievously into the depths, whence he judged himself glorious. He who descendeth sleepeth with the uncircumcised: because in eternal death he faileth with the other sinners."
32:20
20. The sword is given (to Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans, and) they drew her, — namely Egypt, into the mouth of the sword, and unto death. Pagninus translates it, Egypt is given to the sword.
32:21
21. They shall speak to it, — as if in congratulating obedience they shall rejoice indeed at his descent to the infernal regions, as was said in the preceding chapter. The words which they shall speak I omit, but understand them from Isaiah xiv, 10, to be these or similar: "And thou art wounded, O Pharao! as we also are; thou hast descended to the infernal regions," etc.
32:22
32:23
23. Whose graves are set (that is, placed) in the lowest parts of the lake, — that is, in the depths of hell, as if to say, They who descended from the highest summit of kingdom and tyranny into the depths of Gehenna. And his multitude was made; — as if to say, The princes and soldiers of Assur are buried according to their king, when in this life they were a terror to all. See whither tyranny and tyrants come. This is the just and fitting reward, that they who slew others and sent them to Tartarus, should themselves be slain and sent to the same place. To, which signifies because, as is evident from verse 26. Note: The impious in hell are said to have graves, because they are in the second death. For as in Luke chapter xvi, 22, it is said he was buried in hell. Mystically St. Gregory, book IX of the Morals, chapter xviii: Assur, he says, is the proud devil, who draweth many with him to guilt and punishment: "Who indeed, he says, when he receiveth human hearts, they become his graves without doubt. But round about him are his graves: because those in whose minds he now burieth through desires, he joineth to himself afterwards through torments. And they who now in themselves receive wicked spirits perpetrating unlawful things, then shall their graves burn with the dead (with demons)." In the land of the living, — among those living in this world. For he opposeth the land of the living to hell, which is the land of the dead. Others, "of the living," that is, of the just and faithful, namely of the Jews, whom he afflicted.
32:24
24. There is Elam — the Persians. See what is said in Jeremiah xlix, 34. His sepulchre, — that is, the sepulchre of Elam. They have borne their shame, — as if to say, The tyrants, who here were a terror to others, being at length slain by the sword, died ignominiously, and carried with them into hell their evil works and those full of shame, whence they bear eternal shame and punishment.
32:25
25. They have set (namely the demons, who lead the tyrants and impious to the infernal regions, or rather drag them) his couch (namely of Elam, that is, of the king of the Persians, infernal among the peoples who obeyed him in this life, and) round about him his sepulchre, — namely of the people already mentioned. Note the change of number; for now he calleth them peoples, now a people. In the Hebrew also there is a change of gender. For now he speaketh of Elam in the masculine, as of a king, now in the feminine: he meaneth indeed his congregation and multitude.
32:26
26. There is Mosoch, — that is, the Cappadocians. And Thubal, — that is, the Spanish, or Iberians. Thus Lyra. Others understand the Italians. See chapter xxvii, 13. Note: He understandeth the king of these peoples. Whence it followeth: "Round about him," namely of the king, or prince, "his sepulchres," namely of the multitude, or people, are placed. Because they gave, — as if to say, Because they slew others with the sword, therefore they themselves are slain with the sword. "For all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword," Matthew xxvi, 52.
32:27
27. And they shall not sleep,—they shall not die a natural death, as heroes who, dying gloriously as victors, are buried with arms, swords and pomp: but they shall be conquered in war, and there, being vanquished, they shall be shamefully and violently slain. He compares them, therefore, not with the just, but with the infidels, who, although uncircumcised, nevertheless fell gloriously; as if to say, These therefore shall be more wretched than those; for those died gloriously, these shamefully, as it were conquered and slain, they descended to the lower regions. And they put (that is, they commanded to be put, or, they deserved to be put) swords under their heads (1). And their iniquities were in their bones,—as if to say, Their bones shall be cast out unburied on account of their iniquities, with which they are so imbued that they still appear to cling to the bones as it were. Otherwise R. David, and from him Maldonatus, as if to say, They who were pierced through to the bone with the sword paid the penalties of their iniquities: for the rest, they truly died honorably and bravely. Or, as others say, they paid the penalties of their iniquities, not by dying shamefully, but by burning in hell in their innermost bones.
32:28
28. And you therefore,—O Pharaoh! shall be with these tyrants, and, being slain, equally a partner in punishment, as in guilt and tyranny, and shall be buried with them in the depths of hell.
32:29
32:30
30. There the princes of the North,—that is, the Babylonians, and other northern tyrants, such as were the Tyrians and Sidonians, etc. And all the hunters,—that is, tyrants, who hunt the goods and bodies of others, whose father was Nemrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord, Gen. x, 9. The Chaldean translator renders it, Sidonians: for he retains the Hebrew word Sidonim, as if a proper name, which our translator took as an appellative: for thus צדנים sidonim signifies hunters.
32:31
31. Pharaoh saw them, and was comforted,—when he saw that he had so many and so illustrious companions and associates, because in itself it is a mitigation of punishment to have a companion in it: even if it grows from another source, while they mutually afflict and curse one another, as the damned do in hell.
32:32
32. Because I have given my terror. — Thus the Hebrew, the Septuagint and the Roman [Vulgate], that is to say, "Because," that is, I myself am God, just as formerly I gave through them terror to the Jews and to others living, whom they afflicted: so now punishing them and casting them down to the depths, I will terrify both him and all tyrants equally. Others read: Because he gave his terror, that is to say, Just as he terrified all by his cruelty: so I, punishing him, will terrify all the impious, and will set him as it were as a mirror of my terror, by which all nations are struck down. Both senses come to the same thing. Thus Virgil, in the sixth book of the Aeneid, describes Aeneas descending to the underworld, seeing there Agamemnon, Dido, the Titans, the Cyclopes, and other princes and tyrants: Among whom the Phoenician woman, fresh from her wound, Dido wandered in a great forest. And soon after: Here Tydeus met him, here the renowned Parthenopaeus in arms, and the shade of pale Adrastus. But the leaders of the Greeks, and the phalanx of Agamemnon, When they saw the man and his gleaming arms through the shadows, trembled with great fear. Some turned their backs. And here he saw Priam's son Deiphobus, mangled in his whole body. And further down: Here the ancient race of earth, the Titanian youth, struck down by the thunderbolt, roll in the depths below. appeared to be stretched from the earth. And in chapter thirty-six he relates that a certain Peter saw the torments of hell, and when he seemed about to be plunged into it, heard that he was freed by an Angel: "Return, and pay the closest attention to how you must live henceforth." And in chapter thirty-eight he relates that Chrysaorius at death saw most terrible spirits threatening him, so that they might seize him for the gates of hell. And in chapter fifty-four he relates of a certain dyer, who, buried in the temple of St. Lawrence, cried out from his tomb at night: "I am burning, I am burning," and when they inspected the tomb, they saw his garments, but did not find his body. I saw also cruel Salmoneus paying penalties, while he imitated the flames of Jupiter and the sounds of Olympus. Madman! who had imitated the clouds and the inimitable thunderbolt with bronze and the striking of horned horses. And again: A huge stone others roll, and stretched on the wheels' rays they hang; Theseus sits, and will sit eternally, unhappy: and Phlegyas, most miserable of all, admonishes, and testifies with a great voice through the shades: Learn justice, warned, and do not despise the gods. But hear what is certain and sacred. Thus Lazarus from the bosom of Abraham saw the rich feaster tortured in hell, and imploring the aid of himself and Abraham. But in vain; for he heard from Abraham: "Son, remember that thou didst receive good things in thy lifetime, and Lazarus in like manner evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented," Luke xvi, 25. Thus a holy hermit saw King Theodoric, ungirt, unshod, and with bound hands, being led and cast between Pope John and Symmachus the patrician (whom he had unjustly killed) into the forge of Vulcan, as St. Gregory relates, book IV of the Dialogues, chapter thirty. He also in chapter thirty-one relates that Reparatus saw a pyre being prepared for a certain wicked man, whose top reached to heaven Thus recently a certain counselor of Queen Elizabeth of England, dying, saw his seat in hell deep and fiery, and other similar seats prepared for him and his colleagues, as I have received from men of all credibility. God has given these to mortals as pipers, these as those who thirst, who continually with mute but fiery voices cry out to sinners: Be wise, be wise at our cost. Today for me, tomorrow for you. O vain riches, O false honors! Ambition, avarice and gluttony have led us, and will lead you likewise to the depths. Who will be able to dwell with devouring fire, to remain with eternal burnings?
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
32:7
The expressions used by the prophets to announce the "day of Yahweh," that is, the various manifestations of Yahweh's justice against the nations ("the sun will be darkened," "the stars will fall," etc.; Isa. 13:10; 24; 34; Ezek. 32:7 f.; Joel 2:10; 3:15; Zeph. 1:15; etc.) are merely grandiose metaphors (J.-M. …
Joel (Heb. Yôʾēl "Yahweh Is God")
The prodigies of nature described here are already traditional images (cf. Is. 13:10; Ez. 32:7 ff.), and indicate the grandeur of the divine intervention in the outpouring of the Spirit, without reference to real cosmic changes and to the end of the world. …
32:19
Circumcision (From Lat. circumcisio, «cutting around»; Gr. περιτομή; Heb. Milāh)
… From the time of Joshua circumcision was universally observed and became the sacred seal of the people of God: its absence was a cause of dishonor and ignominy (cf. Judg. 14:3; 15:18; I Sam. 14:6; 17:26, 36; Ezek. 28:10; 31:18; 32:19 ff.). …
32:21
… Abel, etc.), the term would have been used first for an important class of the dead: heroes, warriors, of imposing appearance (Isa. 14:9; cf. Ezek. 32:21-24) and therefore applied to the aforementioned pre-Semitic race; only later would it have been extended to all the dead. …
"descends" or "plunges" (Is. 14:9-15; 57:9; Ez. 31:15-17; 32:21; Am. 9:2; Ps. 85:13; 138:8; Prov. 15:24). The deep f. is a synonym of "death" that sweeps away (Job 24:19; Ecclus. 14:12; 51:2-9; cf. Apoc. 1:18 and 20:13-14), and "to descend into …
32:22
… Having rebelled against Esarhaddon, it was again defeated and again sacked by Nebuchadnezzar (Ezek. 32:22) and in 356 by Artaxerxes Ochus. …
32:23
… They held that all the dead (Ps. 89, 49; Job 3, 13-19) descended into sheol, an immense cavern, as large as a region (Job 10, 21-22; Ps. 88, 13), divided into sectors of varying depth (Is. 14, 15; Ez. 32, 23), poetically conceived as a deep abyss, almost an insatiable monster (Ps. 144, 7; Prov. 1, 12; 27, 20; 30, 15), which no longer gives back its prey (Job 7, 9; 14, 12; 16, 22; …
32:26
Thubal (Heb. Tûbhal; Septuagint Θοβήλ)
… the Phoenicians; T. and Javan are mentioned in Isa. 66:19 as typical distant, overseas peoples; but more often T. is associated with Meshech: both are part of the eschatological army of Gog and Magog (Ezek. 38:2,3; 39:1); their destruction is foretold (ibid. 32:26).
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.