Ezekiel 29:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Douay-RheimsHebrew (Masoretic text)

And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the lands that are desolate, and the cities thereof in the midst of the cites that are destroyed, and they shall be desolate for forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.
Douay-Rheims

וְנָתַתִּ֣י אֶת־אֶרֶץ֩ מִצְרַ֨יִם שְׁמָמָ֜ה בְּת֣וֹךְ ׀ אֲרָצ֣וֹת נְשַׁמּ֗וֹת וְעָרֶ֙יהָ֙ בְּת֨וֹךְ עָרִ֤ים מָֽחֳרָבוֹת֙ תִּֽהְיֶ֣יןָ שְׁמָמָ֔ה אַרְבָּעִ֖ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַהֲפִצֹתִ֤י אֶת־מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ בַּגּוֹיִ֔ם וְֽזֵרִיתִ֖ים בָּאֲרָצֽוֹת׃
Hebrew (Masoretic text)

The Church Fathers on this verse

One Church Father comments on this verse

Theodoret of Cyrus

5th centuryChurch Father

The love of God is beyond expression! He administers discipline with precision, while also providing healing to those who suffer. His declaration stands: I will kill, and I will make alive; I will strike, and I will heal (Deuteronomy 32:39). In this context, He warns the Egyptians of their impending captivity and devastation; however, He does not allow this desolation to persist indefinitely. He states that Egypt will remain untraversable for forty years, but this does not encompass the entire land, rather it extends from Magdol and Sina to the borders of Ethiopia. Following this, He assures a restoration, for He proclaims:

Cross references

Passages read together with this verse.