Ezekiel 29:3
New International Version
Speak to him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “’I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, you great monster lying among your streams. You say, “The Nile belongs to me; I made it for myself.”

New Living Translation
Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: “I am your enemy, O Pharaoh, king of Egypt— you great monster, lurking in the streams of the Nile. For you have said, ‘The Nile River is mine; I made it for myself.’

English Standard Version
speak, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lies in the midst of his streams, that says, ‘My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.’

Berean Standard Bible
Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it myself.’

King James Bible
Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.

New King James Version
Speak, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, Who has said, ‘My River is my own; I have made it for myself.’

New American Standard Bible
Speak and say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, The great monster that lies in the midst of his canals, That has said, ‘My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.

NASB 1995
“Speak and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, The great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, That has said, ‘My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.’

NASB 1977
“Speak and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, The great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, That has said, ‘My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.’

Legacy Standard Bible
Speak and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, The great monster that lies in the midst of his canals of the Nile, That has said, ‘My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.’

Amplified Bible
Speak and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, The great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, [Boastfully] declaring, ‘My Nile is my own, and I have made it for myself.’

Christian Standard Bible
Speak to him and say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster lying in the middle of his Nile, who says, “My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Speak to him and say: This is what the Lord GOD says: Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster lying in the middle of his Nile, who says, ‘My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.’

American Standard Version
speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lieth in the midst of his rivers, that hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.

Contemporary English Version
that I am saying: King of Egypt, you were like a giant crocodile lying in a river. You acted as though you owned the Nile and made it for yourself. But now I, the LORD God, am your enemy!

English Revised Version
speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Tell him, 'This is what the Almighty LORD says: I'm against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. You are like a monster crocodile lying in the Nile River. You say, "The Nile River is mine. I made it for myself."

Good News Translation
Say that this is what the Sovereign LORD is telling the king of Egypt: I am your enemy, you monster crocodile, lying in the river. You say that the Nile is yours and that you made it.

International Standard Version
Tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Watch out! I'm coming to get you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt! You big monster! You lay in wait in the middle of your waterways and say, "My waterways belong to me! I made them for myself!"

Majority Standard Bible
Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it myself.’

NET Bible
Tell them, 'This is what the sovereign LORD says: "'Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster lying in the midst of its waterways, who has said, "My Nile is my own, I made it for myself."

New Heart English Bible
Speak and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, that has said, 'My river is my own, and I have made it for myself.'

Webster's Bible Translation
Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is my own, and I have made it for myself.

World English Bible
Speak and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the middle of his rivers, that has said, ‘My river is my own, and I have made it for myself.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Speak, and you have said, Thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I [am] against you, "" Pharaoh king of Egypt! The great dragon that is crouching in the midst of his floods, "" Who has said, My flood [is] my own, "" And I have made it [for] myself.

Young's Literal Translation
Speak, and thou hast said: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt! The great dragon that is crouching in the midst of his floods, Who hath said, My flood is my own, And I -- I have made it for myself.

Smith's Literal Translation
Speak and say, Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Behold me against thee Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great sea monster lying in the midst of his rivers, who said, The, river is to me, and I made me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Speak, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, Pharao king of Egypt, thou great dragon that liest in the midst of thy rivers, and sayest: The river is mine, and I made myself.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Speak, and you shall say: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, you great dragon, who rests in the midst of your rivers. And you say: ‘Mine is the river, and I have made myself.’

New American Bible
Say to him: Thus says the Lord GOD: Pay attention! I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, Great dragon crouching in the midst of the Nile, Who says, “The Nile belongs to me; I made it myself!”

New Revised Standard Version
speak, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon sprawling in the midst of its channels, saying, “My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Speak, and say, Thus says the LORD God: Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lies in the midst of the rivers, who says, The river is my own; I have made it for myself.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Speak and say, ‘Thus says THE LORD OF LORDS: behold, I am against you, Pharaoh, King of Egypt, The great Dragon that crouches within the rivers and says, “The river is mine and I have made it!”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
speak, and say: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh King of Egypt, The great dragon that lieth In the midst of his rivers, That hath said: My river is mine own, And I have made it for myself.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I am against Pharao, the great dragon that lies in the midst of his rivers, that says, The rivers are mine, and I made them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Judgment Against Pharaoh
2“Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. 3Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it myself.’ 4But I will put hooks in your jaws and cause the fish of your streams to cling to your scales. I will haul you up out of your rivers, and all the fish of your streams will cling to your scales.…

Cross References
Isaiah 27:1
In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea.

Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Revelation 20:2
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

Jeremiah 46:7-8
Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters churn? / Egypt rises like the Nile, and its waters churn like rivers, boasting, ‘I will rise and cover the earth; I will destroy the cities and their people.’

Isaiah 51:9
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the dragon?

Psalm 74:13-14
You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea; / You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

Job 41:1-34
“Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie down his tongue with a rope? / Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? / Will he beg you for mercy or speak to you softly? ...

Isaiah 19:1-4
This is the burden against Egypt: Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud; He is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them. / “So I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian; brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. / Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be emptied out from among them, and I will frustrate their plans, so that they will resort to idols and spirits of the dead, to mediums and spiritists. ...

Revelation 17:1
Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.

Revelation 13:1
Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.

Jeremiah 51:34
“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me. He has set me aside like an empty vessel; he has swallowed me like a monster; he filled his belly with my delicacies and vomited me out.

Isaiah 14:29
Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken. For a viper will spring from the root of the snake, and a flying serpent from its egg.

Isaiah 30:7
Egypt’s help is futile and empty; therefore I have called her Rahab Who Sits Still.

Exodus 7:8-12
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, / “When Pharaoh tells you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a serpent.” / So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent. ...

Daniel 7:2-8
Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea. / Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others: / The first beast was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man and given the mind of a man. ...


Treasury of Scripture

Speak, and say, Thus said the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lies in the middle of his rivers, which has said, My river is my own, and I have made it for myself.

I am

Ezekiel 29:10
Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.

Ezekiel 28:22
And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her.

Psalm 76:7
Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?

the great

Ezekiel 32:2
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.

Psalm 74:13,14
Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters…

Isaiah 27:1
In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

My river

Ezekiel 29:9
And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.

Ezekiel 28:2
Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:

Deuteronomy 8:17
And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

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Dragon Egypt Great Lies Midst Monster Pharaoh River Rivers Speak
Ezekiel 29
1. The judgment of Pharaoh for his treachery to Israel
8. The desolation of Egypt
13. The restoration thereof after forty years
17. Egypt the reward of Nebuchadnezzar
21. Israel shall be restored














Speak and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says
This phrase introduces a divine oracle, emphasizing the authority and sovereignty of God. The Hebrew word for "speak" (דַּבֵּר, dabar) is often used in prophetic contexts, indicating a message that is not of human origin but divinely inspired. The phrase "the Lord GOD" (אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, Adonai Yahweh) underscores the supreme authority of God, combining the titles of Lord and the covenant name of God, Yahweh. This introduction sets the stage for a message that carries the weight of divine judgment and purpose.

Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt
The word "Behold" (הִנֵּה, hinneh) is a call to attention, signaling the importance and immediacy of the message. The phrase "I am against you" is a declaration of divine opposition, a serious pronouncement given the historical context of Egypt's power and influence. Pharaoh, as the king of Egypt, was seen as a god-like figure, yet here he is subject to the judgment of the true God. This highlights the theme of God's sovereignty over all nations and rulers, regardless of their earthly power.

the great monster lying in the midst of his rivers
The "great monster" (תַּנִּים, tannin) is often interpreted as a crocodile or a mythical sea creature, symbolizing chaos and opposition to God. In the context of Egypt, it likely refers to the Nile crocodile, a powerful and feared creature, representing Pharaoh's perceived strength and dominance. The "rivers" (יְאֹרִים, ye'orim) refer to the Nile and its tributaries, the lifeblood of Egypt. This imagery conveys the message that even the mightiest earthly powers are subject to God's control and judgment.

who says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it for myself.’
This phrase captures the arrogance and self-deification of Pharaoh, who claims ownership and creative power over the Nile, the source of Egypt's prosperity. The Nile was central to Egyptian life and religion, often deified and worshiped. Pharaoh's claim, "I made it for myself," reflects a prideful assertion of divine-like power and control. This hubris is directly challenged by God, who alone is the true Creator and Sustainer of all things. The verse serves as a reminder of the dangers of pride and the ultimate authority of God over creation.

(3) The great dragon.--This word is usually translated dragon in the English version, but sometimes whale (Ezekiel 32:2), and (in a slightly modified form) serpent (Exodus 7:9-10; Exodus 7:12). It unquestionably means crocodile, the characteristic animal of Egypt, in some parts hated and destroyed, in some worshipped as a deity, but in all alike feared, and regarded as the most powerful and destructive creature of their country.

Lieth in the midst of his rivers.--Egypt, a creation of the Nile, and dependent entirely upon it for its productiveness, is personified by the crocodile, its characteristic animal, basking upon the sand-banks of its waters. The expression "his rivers," used of the branches of the Nile near its mouth, is peculiarly appropriate to the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, to which Pharaoh-Hophra belonged, whose capital was Sais, in the midst of the Delta.

My river is mine own.--This is characteristic of the pride of Hophra, who, according to Herodotus, was accustomed to say that "not even a god could dispossess him of power." The whole dynasty to which he belonged, beginning with Psammeticus, improved the river and encouraged commerce with foreign nations, thereby acquiring great wealth.

Verse 3. - The great dragon. The word is cognate with that used in Genesis 1:21 for the great "whales," monsters of the deep. The "dragon," probably the crocodile of the Nile (compare the description of "leviathan" in Job 41.) had come to be the received prophetic symbol of Egypt (Psalm 74:13; Isaiah 27:1; Isaiah 51:9). The rivers are the Nile-branches of the Delta. My river is mine own. The words probably imply that Hophra, like his grandfather Necho, in his plan of a canal from the Nile to the Red Sea, had given much time and labor to irrigation works in Lower Egypt. The boast which rose to his lips reminds us of that of Nebuchadnezzar as he looked on Babylon (Daniel 4:30). He, like the kings of Tyre and Babylon, was tempted to a self-apotheosis, and thought of himself as the Creator of his own power. The words of Herodotus (2. 169), in which he says that Apries believed himself so firmly established in his kingdom that there was no god that could cast him out of it, present a suggestive parallel.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Speak
דַּבֵּ֨ר (dab·bêr)
Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

to him and tell him
וְאָמַרְתָּ֜ (wə·’ā·mar·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

that this is what
כֹּֽה־ (kōh-)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

the Lord
אֲדֹנָ֣י (’ă·ḏō·nāy)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 136: The Lord

GOD
יְהוִ֗ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3069: YHWH

says:
אָמַ֣ר ׀ (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘Behold,
הִנְנִ֤י (hin·nî)
Interjection | first person common singular
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

I am against you,
עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ (‘ā·le·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

O Pharaoh
פַּרְעֹ֣ה (par·‘ōh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6547: Pharaoh -- a title of Egypt kings

king
מֶֽלֶךְ־ (me·leḵ-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428: A king

of Egypt,
מִצְרַ֔יִם (miṣ·ra·yim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa

O great
הַגָּד֔וֹל (hag·gā·ḏō·wl)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent

monster
הַתַּנִּים֙ (hat·tan·nîm)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8577: A marine, land monster, sea-serpent, jackal

who lies
הָרֹבֵ֖ץ (hā·rō·ḇêṣ)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7257: To crouch, be implication, to recline, repose, brood, lurk, imbed

among
בְּת֣וֹךְ (bə·ṯō·wḵ)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8432: A bisection, the centre

his rivers,
יְאֹרָ֑יו (yə·’ō·rāw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 2975: Nile -- a channel, a fosse, canal, shaft, the Nile, the Tigris

who
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

says,
אָמַ֛ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“The Nile is mine;
יְאֹרִ֖י (yə·’ō·rî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2975: Nile -- a channel, a fosse, canal, shaft, the Nile, the Tigris

I
וַאֲנִ֥י (wa·’ă·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

made it for myself.”
עֲשִׂיתִֽנִי׃ (‘ă·śî·ṯi·nî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular | first person common singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 29:3 Speak and say 'Thus says the Lord (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 29:2
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