The Meaning of Ezekiel 32:2 Explained

Ezekiel 32:2

KJV: Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.

YLT: Son of man, lift up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and thou hast said unto him: A young lion of nations thou hast been like, And thou art as a dragon in the seas, And thou comest forth with thy flowings, And dost trouble the waters with thy feet, And thou dost foul their flowings.

Darby: Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou wast like a young lion among the nations, and thou wast as a monster in the seas; and thou didst break forth in thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.

ASV: Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou wast likened unto a young lion of the nations: yet art thou as a monster in the seas; and thou didst break forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Son  of man,  take up  a lamentation  for Pharaoh  king  of Egypt,  and say  unto him, Thou art like  a young lion  of the nations,  and thou [art] as a whale  in the seas:  and thou camest forth  with thy rivers,  and troubledst  the waters  with thy feet,  and fouledst  their rivers. 

What does Ezekiel 32:2 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Ezekiel was to utter a lamentation over Pharaoh. In the other oracles of judgment against foreign nations recorded in this book, lament typically follows announcement (cf. ch19; Ezekiel 26:17-18; Ezekiel 27; Ezekiel 28:12-19). The same is true with the oracles against Egypt. The writer"s desire to preserve this pattern is probably another reason he recorded the oracles of judgment in Ezekiel 29:17-21 and Ezekiel 30:1-19 out of chronological order.
Hophra had compared himself to a young lion, but he was more like the mythical sea-monster. The Egyptian sphinx has the body of a lion and the head of a Pharaoh. Again, the monster in view seems to be a crocodile (cf. Ezekiel 29:3). He had burst forth from the Nile and its estuaries muddying and fouling their waters. This symbolizes Pharaoh"s disturbing influence on the international scene as he complicated God"s dealings with other nations, especially Judah and Babylon.

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 32

1  A lamentation for the fearful fall of Egypt
11  The sword of Babylon shall destroy it
17  It shall be brought down to hell, among all the uncircumcised nations

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 32:2 mean?

Son of man take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him a young lion among the nations You are like and you [are] like a monster in the seas and Bursting forth in your rivers and Troubling the waters with your feet and fouling their rivers
בֶּן־ אָדָ֗ם שָׂ֤א קִינָה֙ עַל־ פַּרְעֹ֣ה מֶֽלֶךְ־ מִצְרַ֔יִם וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֔יו כְּפִ֥יר גּוֹיִ֖ם נִדְמֵ֑יתָ וְאַתָּה֙ כַּתַּנִּ֣ים בַּיַּמִּ֔ים וַתָּ֣גַח בְּנַהֲרוֹתֶ֗יךָ וַתִּדְלַח־ מַ֙יִם֙ בְּרַגְלֶ֔יךָ וַתִּרְפֹּ֖ס נַהֲרוֹתָֽם

בֶּן־  Son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אָדָ֗ם  of  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
שָׂ֤א  take  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
קִינָה֙  a  lamentation 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: קִינָה  
Sense: lamentation, dirge, elegy.
פַּרְעֹ֣ה  Pharaoh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: פַּרְעֹה  
Sense: the common title of the king of Egypt.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
מִצְרַ֔יִם  of  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣  and  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵלָ֔יו  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
כְּפִ֥יר  a  young  lion  among 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כְּפִיר 
Sense: young lion.
גּוֹיִ֖ם  the  nations 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
נִדְמֵ֑יתָ  You  are  like 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: דָּמָה  
Sense: to be like, resemble.
וְאַתָּה֙  and  you  [are] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
כַּתַּנִּ֣ים  like  a  monster 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: תַּנִּין  
Sense: dragon, serpent, sea monster.
בַּיַּמִּ֔ים  in  the  seas 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
וַתָּ֣גַח  and  Bursting  forth 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: גָּחָה 
Sense: to burst forth.
בְּנַהֲרוֹתֶ֗יךָ  in  your  rivers 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
וַתִּדְלַח־  and  Troubling 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: דָּלַח  
Sense: to stir up, make turbid.
מַ֙יִם֙  the  waters 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
בְּרַגְלֶ֔יךָ  with  your  feet 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, fdc, second person masculine singular
Root: רֶגֶל  
Sense: foot.
וַתִּרְפֹּ֖ס  and  fouling 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: רָפַשׂ  
Sense: to stamp, tread, foul by stamping or treading.
נַהֲרוֹתָֽם  their  rivers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.