Ezekiel 32:19

Eze 32:19 Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.

Ver. 19. Whom dost thou pass in beauty?] What art thou better than other thy compeers and complices in sin? Thou must also dance down to hell down to hell, with the rest.

Be thou laid with the uncircumcised.] Strangers to the covenant, whereof circumcision was a seal Sinners the Chaldee here calleth them, such as the devil sweeps. They are his birds, saith Mr Bradford, martyr, {a} whom, when he hath well fed, he will broach them and eat them, chew them and champ them, world without end, in eternal woe and misery.

{a} Serm. of Repent., p. 70.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Eze 32:19-20. Whom dost thou pass in beauty? — What reason hast thou to prefer thyself before others? Art thou better than they, that thou shouldest not die and be laid in the dust as well as they? Go down — Namely, to the regions of the dead; and be laid with the uncircumcised — Among profane and loathed carcasses, such as the bodies of the uncircumcised were in the opinion of the circumcised: see notes on Eze 28:8-10; Eze 31:18. The circumcised, in Scripture, being put for those for whom God had a peculiar regard, and this being one of the distinguishing characteristics of his peculiar people, therefore the term uncircumcised seems to be used for those whom God had rejected, that is, for the wicked and profane. They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword — Thy people shall not die the common death of all men, but shall be cut off by an extraordinary judgment from the hand of God himself: they shall be slain by the sword. Draw her and all her multitude — Carry her and her people away to the grave, like so many carcasses, which are buried without any solemnity. The words seem to be spoken to the Babylonians, the executioners of God’s judgments upon Egypt.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Have not other kingdoms, more beautiful than thou, perished?

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Whom dost thou pass in beauty?--Beautiful as thou art, thou art not more so than other nations, which nevertheless have perished.

go down, &c.--to the nether world, where all "beauty" is speedily marred.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 19. Whom dost thou pass in beauty?] How little does it signify, whether a mummy be well embalmed, wrapped round with rich stuff, and beautifully painted on the outside, or not. Go down into the tombs, examine the niches, and see whether one dead carcass be preferable to another.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(19) With the uncircumcised.—See Note on Eze_28:10. All question as to the use of circumcision among the Egyptians is out of place; the word is simply used as the ordinary phrase for the heathen.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. Whom … pass in beauty] i.e. surpass; Ew., pass in fortune. Probably the meaning is very much, To whom art (wast) thou superior? The multitude of Egypt or the Pharaoh as the genius of the nation is addressed, hardly his dead body (Sm.).

go down] i.e. to the grave, or pit. “Uncircumcised” has in all the passage the sense of dishonoured, profaned in death, and differs little from slain with the sword, Eze_32:21; Eze_32:24. The pass. imper. “be thou laid” is very rare, Jer_49:8.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Whom dost thou pass in beauty?.... This question the prophet is bid to put to Egypt; what nation is there, or has been, that thou excellest in wisdom, in riches, or in strength, in the multitude of subjects, or extent of dominions, that thou thinkest thyself secure from destruction? look over other kingdoms and states mightier than thou, or at least equal to thee, and see how they are brought to ruin, and expect that this will quickly be thy case:

go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised; go down to the grave, and take thy place, and lie there among the wicked and most profligate of mankind, and such as might be most despised by the Egyptians, since they used circumcision. The Targum is,

"go down and sleep with sinners.''

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

whom dost thou pass in beauty? - Thou art not more beautiful than other nations: thou shalt not escape their fate.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The whole, from this verse, is a most elegant personating of the dead, as if sensible, and acquainted, and discoursing with, and rejoicing at the fall of proud tyrants, who took not warning by their fall. Such a prosopopoeia you have Isa 14. In this chapter the actors are the prophet, the king of Egypt and his people, and their auxiliaries.

Whom dost thou pass in beauty? the prophet begins with this question dialogue-wise, Art thou better than others, that thou shouldst not die and be laid in dust, as well as all others? speak, Hophra, if thou hast any privilege to plead, what hast thou to say why thou shouldst not go down to the pit as a despised mortal?

Go down: the prophet, hearing no plea of privilege, adjudgeth him to the grave, or lays him own with somewhat a sarcasm, Go down like others.

Be thou laid; take up thy lodging, thy long, dark, and dismal recess, where thy dust and bones shall never be known by any royal figure.

With the uncircumcised; among profane and loathed carcasses; such the uncircumcised were in the opinion of the circumcised, and Herodotus in Euterpe saith the Egyptians were circumcised. However, in Scripture, a burial with the uncircumcised is a note of dishonour and contempt; thus for the king and princes.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

19. Pass in — Surpass in (Kautzsch). Egypt, who has been brightest among the nations, must now fall to the level of the shadowy inhabitants of Sheol.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Whom dost thou pass in beauty? The lamentation, as might be expected from Ezekiel"s standpoint, is an illustration of irony and triumph rather than of sorrow. The question implies a negative answer. Glorious as Egypt had been, other nations had equaled her. They had passed away, and so should she. With the uncircumcised. The words, as Eze_31:18, suggest the thought that Israel, so far as it was faithful to its calling, circumcised in heart as well as flesh, (Jer_9:26) had a higher and happier dwelling in Hades than the uncircumcised heathen. As the Egyptians practiced circumcision, the language of the prophet had a special significance. Their place in Hades was among the heathen to whom that hereto was unknown.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Whom - Art thou better than others that thou shouldest not die, and be laid in the dust, as well as they. Go - Go down like others. With the uncircumcised - Among profane and loathed carcasses, such the uncircumcised were in the opinion of the circumcised, as were the Egyptians.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

Yahweh continues speaking to Ezekiel. He speaks of the people of Egypt as if they were a woman. (See: Metaphor)

Are you really more beautiful than anyone else? Go down and lie down with the uncircumcised.

This is a question and command that the prophet is to ask the Egyptians. AT: "Go down and lie down with the uncircumcised. Ask them all: 'Are you really more beautiful than anyone else?'" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

Go down

It is implied that they must go down to Sheol. AT: "Go down to Sheol" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

lie down

as in death. If your language has a word for dead people lying down that is different from the word for live people lying down to sleep, use it here.

Are you really more beautiful than anyone else?

This question really makes a statement. AT: "You are not more beautiful than anyone else." (See: Rhetorical Question)

They will fall

"Egypt and her people will fall"

who were killed by the sword

The word "sword" is a metonym for a soldier who kills people with a sword.This can be put into active form. AT: "whom enemy soldiers killed with swords" or "who died in battle" (See: Active or Passive and Metonymy)

The sword has been drawn!

The word "sword" here is a metonym for war that people fight with swords. This can be translated in active form. AT: "War has begun" (See: Metonymy and Active or Passive)

She has been given to the sword

This can be put in active form. AT: "I have given Egypt to the sword" (See: Active or Passive)

they will seize her and her multitudes

"her enemies will seize Egypt and her people"

about Egypt and her allies

"about the Egyptians and those who join them"

translationWords

circumcise

sword

Egypt

adversary

Hades

declare

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Whom have you surpassed in pleasantness Are you any better than the other uncircumcised ones? You too will descend into the Pit and lie with them.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.