What does Ezekiel 32:14 mean?
"Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord GOD." - Ezekiel 32:14
Ezekiel 32:14 in the King James Version of the Bible reads: "Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord God."
This verse comes from a larger passage in the book of Ezekiel, which is part of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. The book of Ezekiel is set in the time of the Babylonian captivity and is attributed to the prophet Ezekiel, who was a priest and a contemporary of Daniel. The book contains prophecies, visions, and parables, as well as historical narratives concerning the fall of Jerusalem and the fate of the Israelite people.
In the context of Ezekiel 32, the prophet is pronouncing a lamentation over the downfall of Egypt. The passage describes how Egypt, a once mighty and glorious nation, will be brought low by the judgment of God. The imagery in this passage is vivid and apocalyptic, depicting the desolation and destruction that will come upon Egypt and its people.
The specific verse Ezekiel 32:14 is a part of this larger lamentation, and it speaks to the idea of God's power and sovereignty over the natural world. The imagery of making waters deep and causing rivers to run like oil is symbolic of God's ability to control and manipulate the elements of creation. In the ancient Near Eastern context in which this passage was written, water was a symbol of life, fertility, and abundance. By saying he will make their waters deep and cause their rivers to run like oil, God is demonstrating his power to bring about both prosperity and devastation.
The image of rivers running like oil is particularly striking, as it conveys the idea of stagnation and desolation. In ancient times, the presence of oil on the surface of water was often seen as a sign of pollution or spoilage. Therefore, this image suggests that God will bring about a state of stagnation and decay in the land of Egypt, symbolizing the judgment and punishment that will befall the nation.
The overall theme of this verse and the passage as a whole is the inevitability of divine judgment and the sovereignty of God over the nations. The fall of Egypt is depicted as a consequence of their pride, arrogance, and sin, and it serves as a warning to other nations who might follow in their footsteps. The imagery of deep waters and rivers running like oil serves as a powerful and evocative symbol of the devastation that will come upon Egypt, a once proud and mighty nation.
In a broader theological sense, this passage also points to the overarching narrative of the Bible, which is the story of God's redemptive plan for humanity. The judgment of Egypt is just one episode in the larger drama of human history, in which God seeks to bring about the restoration and redemption of all nations. In the Christian tradition, this theme finds its ultimate fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ, who is seen as the fulfillment of God's promise to bring about salvation and reconciliation for all people.
In conclusion, Ezekiel 32:14 is a vivid and powerful verse that conveys the themes of divine judgment, the sovereignty of God, and the inevitability of consequences for human sin. The imagery of deep waters and rivers running like oil serves as a potent symbol of the devastation that will befall the nation of Egypt. Ultimately, this verse and the larger passage in which it is found point to the overarching narrative of the Bible, which is the story of God's redemptive plan for humanity.
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Ezekiel 32:14 - "Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord GOD."
"Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord GOD." - Ezekiel 32:14
Ezekiel 16:32 - "But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!"
Ezekiel 32:32 - "For I have caused my terror in the land of the living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD."
1 Corinthians 14:32 - "And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets."
Ezekiel 32:5 - "And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height."
Numbers 14:32 - "But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness."
Ezekiel 32:11 - "¶ For thus saith the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee."
Matthew 14:32 - "And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased."
Ezekiel 40:32 - "¶ And he brought me into the inner court toward the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures."
Ezekiel 14:6
Ezekiel 32:22 - "Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:"
Ezekiel 32:20 - "They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes."
Bible Art of the bible verse Ezekiel 32:19 - "Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised."
Ezekiel 32:17 - "¶ It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,"
Ezekiel 18:32 - "For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye."
Ezekiel 20:32 - "And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone."
Ezekiel 32:1 - "And 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 unto me, saying,"
Exodus 32:14 - "And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people."
Proverbs 14:32 - "The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death."
Ezekiel 21:32 - "Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the LORD have spoken it."
Ezekiel 48:32 - "And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan."
Ezekiel 32:8 - "All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD."
Genesis 32:14 - "Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,"
Ezekiel 36:32 - "Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel."
"And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets." - 1 Corinthians 14:32
Ezekiel 32:21 - "The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword."
Ezekiel 27:32 - "And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?"
Ezekiel 14:14 - "Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD."
Ezekiel 14:12 - "¶ The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,"