Ezekiel 30:17
New International Version
The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall by the sword, and the cities themselves will go into captivity.

New Living Translation
The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will die in battle, and the women will be taken away as slaves.

English Standard Version
The young men of On and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword, and the women shall go into captivity.

Berean Standard Bible
The young men of On and Pi-beseth will fall by the sword, and those cities will go into captivity.

King James Bible
The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity.

New King James Version
The young men of Aven and Pi Beseth shall fall by the sword, And these cities shall go into captivity.

New American Standard Bible
“The young men of On and of Pi-beseth Will fall by the sword, And the women will go into captivity.

NASB 1995
“The young men of On and of Pi-beseth Will fall by the sword, And the women will go into captivity.

NASB 1977
“The young men of On and of Pi-beseth Will fall by the sword, And the women will go into captivity.

Legacy Standard Bible
The choice men of On and of Pi-beseth Will fall by the sword, And the women will go into captivity.

Amplified Bible
“The young men of On (Aven) and of Pi-beseth Will fall by the sword, And the women [and children] will go into captivity.

Christian Standard Bible
The young men of On and Pi-beseth will fall by the sword, and those cities will go into captivity.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The young men of On and Pi-beseth will fall by the sword, and those cities will go into captivity.

American Standard Version
The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword; and these cities shall go into captivity.

Contemporary English Version
The young soldiers in the cities of Heliopolis and Bubastis will die in battle, and the rest of the people will be taken prisoner.

English Revised Version
The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The young men from Heliopolis and Bubastis will die in battle, and people from these cities will go into exile.

Good News Translation
The young men of the cities of Heliopolis and Bubastis will die in the war, and the other people will be taken prisoner.

International Standard Version
The young men of On and Pi-beseth will die violently, and their cities will be taken captive.

Majority Standard Bible
The young men of On and Pi-beseth will fall by the sword, and those cities will go into captivity.

NET Bible
The young men of On and of Pi-beseth will die by the sword; and the cities will go into captivity.

New Heart English Bible
The young men of On and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword; and these cities shall go into captivity.

Webster's Bible Translation
The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity.

World English Bible
The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth will fall by the sword. They will go into captivity.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
The youths of Aven and Pi-Beseth fall by sword, "" And these go into captivity.

Young's Literal Translation
The youths of Aven and Pi-Beseth by sword do fall, And these into captivity do go.

Smith's Literal Translation
The young men of Aven and Pibeseth shall fall by the sword: and these shall go into captivity.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The young men of Heliopolis, and of Bubastus shall fall by the sword, and they themselves shall go into captivity.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The young men of Heliopolis and Pibeseth will fall by the sword, and the young women will be led into captivity.

New American Bible
The warriors of On and Pi-beseth will fall by the sword, the cities taken captive.

New Revised Standard Version
The young men of On and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword; and the cities themselves shall go into captivity.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The young men of Mapibest shall be weak, and they shall fall by the sword; and the remnant shall go into captivity.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the young men of Mephibseth shall be like water, and they shall fall by the sword, and they shall depart into captivity
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword; And these cities shall go into captivity.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The youths of Heliopolis and Bubastum shall fall by the sword, and the women shall go into captivity.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Lament for Egypt
16I will set fire to Egypt, Pelusium will writhe in anguish, Thebes will be split open, and Memphis will face daily distress. 17The young men of On and Pi-beseth will fall by the sword, and those cities will go into captivity. 18The day will be darkened in Tahpanhes when I break the yoke of Egypt and her proud strength comes to an end. A cloud will cover her, and her daughters will go into captivity.…

Cross References
Isaiah 19:13
The princes of Zoan have become fools; the princes of Memphis are deceived. The cornerstones of her tribes have led Egypt astray.

Jeremiah 46:25
The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I am about to punish Amon god of Thebes, along with Pharaoh, Egypt with her gods and kings, and those who trust in Pharaoh.

Nahum 3:8-10
Are you better than Thebes, stationed by the Nile with water around her, whose rampart was the sea, whose wall was the water? / Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were her allies. / Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity. Her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her dignitaries, and all her nobles were bound in chains.

Isaiah 20:4-5
so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame. / Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.

Jeremiah 43:12-13
I will kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar will burn those temples and take their gods as captives. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in his garment, and he will depart from there unscathed. / He will demolish the sacred pillars of the temple of the sun in the land of Egypt, and he will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’”

Isaiah 30:4
For though their princes are at Zoan and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,

Jeremiah 44:30
This is what the LORD says: Behold, I will deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who seek his life, just as I delivered Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who was seeking his life.”

Isaiah 19:11
The princes of Zoan are mere fools; Pharaoh’s wise counselors give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise, a son of eastern kings”?

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. ...

Jeremiah 46:14
“Announce it in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol; proclaim it in Memphis and Tahpanhes: ‘Take your positions and prepare yourself, for the sword devours those around you.’

Isaiah 19:16-17
In that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble with fear beneath the uplifted hand of the LORD of Hosts, when He brandishes it against them. / The land of Judah will bring terror to Egypt; whenever Judah is mentioned, Egypt will tremble over what the LORD of Hosts has planned against it.

Revelation 11:8
Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where their Lord was also crucified.

Acts 7:22
So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

Matthew 2:15
where he stayed until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Revelation 18:2
And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast.


Treasury of Scripture

The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity.

Aven.

Genesis 41:45
And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

Pibeseth.

Jump to Previous
Aven Captivity Cities Fall Heliopolis Prisoners Sword Themselves Towns Women Young Youths
Jump to Next
Aven Captivity Cities Fall Heliopolis Prisoners Sword Themselves Towns Women Young Youths
Ezekiel 30
1. The desolation of Egypt and her helpers
20. The arm of Babylon shall be strengthened to break the arm of Egypt.














The young men of On and Pi-beseth
This phrase refers to the inhabitants of two significant cities in ancient Egypt. "On," also known as Heliopolis, was a major center of worship for the sun god Ra. The Hebrew name "On" is derived from the Egyptian "Iunu," meaning "pillar" or "pillar city," reflecting its religious significance. "Pi-beseth," identified with the city of Bubastis, was a center for the worship of the goddess Bastet. The mention of "young men" highlights the strength and vitality of these cities, which would be decimated by the coming judgment. Historically, these cities were known for their cultural and religious influence, and their downfall signifies the collapse of Egypt's spiritual and societal structures.

will fall by the sword
This phrase indicates a violent and decisive defeat. The "sword" is a common biblical symbol for warfare and divine judgment. In the Hebrew context, the sword often represents God's instrument of justice against nations that have turned away from His commandments. The fall of these young men by the sword underscores the severity of God's judgment against Egypt, a nation that had long been an adversary of Israel. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of idolatry and rebellion against God.

and those cities will go into captivity
The phrase "will go into captivity" suggests a complete subjugation and loss of freedom. In the ancient Near Eastern context, captivity often involved the deportation of a city's inhabitants to foreign lands, stripping them of their identity and autonomy. This fate for On and Pi-beseth symbolizes the totality of God's judgment, not just in physical destruction but in the dismantling of their societal and cultural identity. Scripturally, captivity is frequently used as a metaphor for spiritual bondage, emphasizing the need for repentance and return to God. The historical context of this prophecy aligns with the broader narrative of God's sovereignty over nations and His ultimate plan for redemption through judgment.

(17) Of Aven and of Pi-beseth.--Aven is the same as On of Genesis 41:45; Genesis 41:50, and as Bethshemesh (House of the Sun) of Jeremiah 43:13, the Heliopolis of the Greeks, so called because from the remotest times a chief seat of the worship of the sun. The vowel points are slightly changed from On to make Aven, nothingness, often used of idols. Pi-beseth, on the monuments Pi-Pasht--so called from the cat-headed goddess there worshipped--is Bubastis, situated on the canal leading from the Pelusiac branch of the Nile towards Suez.

Verse 17. - The young men of Aven; the "On" of Genesis 12:45, the "house of the sun" of Jeremiah 43:13, the Heliopolis of the LXX. and Vulgate. The form Avert (Hebrews for "a vain thing!" as in Hosea 4:15; Hosea 10:5) was perhaps chosen as a word of scorn pointing to the idolatry of the city. Pibeseth; LXX., Bubastos. The city situated on the Suez Canal, begun by Necho and finished under Ptolemy II. (Herod., 2:59). It derived its name from the eat-headed goddess Pasht, and was the chief seat of the home which was named after it. It was destroyed by the Persians (Diod. Sic., 15:51), but the name lingers in Tebbastat, a heap of ruins about seven hours journey from the Nile.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The young men
בַּח֥וּרֵי (ba·ḥū·rê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 970: Selected, a youth

of On
אָ֛וֶן (’ā·wen)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 206: Aven -- 'wickedness', a contemptuous synonym for two places

and Pi-beseth
בֶ֖סֶת (ḇe·seṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 6364: Pi-beseth -- a place in Egypt

will fall
יִפֹּ֑לוּ (yip·pō·lū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5307: To fall, lie

by the sword,
בַּחֶ֣רֶב (ba·ḥe·reḇ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2719: Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, sword

and those [cities]
וְהֵ֖נָּה (wə·hên·nāh)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person feminine plural
Strong's 2007: Themselves

will go
תֵלַֽכְנָה׃ (ṯê·laḵ·nāh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

into captivity.
בַּשְּׁבִ֥י (baš·šə·ḇî)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7628: Exiled, captured, exile, booty


Links
Ezekiel 30:17 NIV
Ezekiel 30:17 NLT
Ezekiel 30:17 ESV
Ezekiel 30:17 NASB
Ezekiel 30:17 KJV

Ezekiel 30:17 BibleApps.com
Ezekiel 30:17 Biblia Paralela
Ezekiel 30:17 Chinese Bible
Ezekiel 30:17 French Bible
Ezekiel 30:17 Catholic Bible

OT Prophets: Ezekiel 30:17 The young men of Aven (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 30:16
Top of Page
Top of Page