Ezekiel 32:25
Among the slain they prepare a resting place for Elam with all her hordes, with her graves all around her. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, although their terror was once spread in the land of the living. They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit. They are placed among the slain.
Among the slain they prepare a resting place for Elam with all her hordes, with her graves all around her.
Elam was an ancient kingdom located in what is now southwestern Iran. Historically, Elam was a significant power, often in conflict with Assyria and Babylon. The "resting place" among the slain signifies judgment and defeat, a common theme in prophetic literature where nations opposing God’s people face divine retribution. The imagery of graves "all around" suggests total destruction and the end of Elam's power and influence.

All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, although their terror was once spread in the land of the living.
In the Old Testament, circumcision was a sign of the covenant between God and His people, Israel. To be "uncircumcised" symbolically represents being outside of God's covenant and favor. The phrase "slain by the sword" indicates a violent end, often used in prophetic texts to describe divine judgment. Elam's "terror" refers to its former might and influence, which has now been nullified, emphasizing the transient nature of earthly power.

They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit.
The "Pit" is a metaphor for Sheol, the abode of the dead in Hebrew thought. Bearing "disgrace" indicates a loss of honor and status, a common fate for those judged by God. This phrase connects to the broader biblical theme of divine justice, where the proud and powerful are brought low. It also echoes the fate of other nations and individuals who opposed God, as seen in Isaiah and Jeremiah.

They are placed among the slain.
This final phrase underscores the completeness of Elam's judgment. Being "placed among the slain" signifies not only physical death but also spiritual and eternal separation from God. It serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of living in opposition to God's will, a theme prevalent throughout the prophetic books. This imagery also foreshadows the ultimate judgment at the end of times, as described in Revelation.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ezekiel
A prophet of God who ministered to the Israelites during their Babylonian exile. He conveyed God's messages of judgment and restoration.

2. Egypt
The nation being addressed in this passage, symbolizing pride and earthly power that stands against God. Egypt's downfall is a central theme in this chapter.

3. The Pit
A metaphorical place representing Sheol or the grave, often associated with judgment and disgrace in the Hebrew Bible.

4. The Uncircumcised
Refers to those who are not part of God's covenant people, symbolizing spiritual separation from God.

5. The Slain
Those who have died, particularly in battle, representing the ultimate consequence of rebellion against God.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Pride
This passage serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of pride and self-reliance. Nations and individuals who exalt themselves against God will face judgment.

The Reality of Judgment
The imagery of the pit and the slain underscores the reality of divine judgment. It is a call to live in reverence and obedience to God.

The Illusion of Earthly Power
Egypt's terror in the land of the living was temporary. Earthly power and influence are fleeting and should not be the foundation of our security.

The Importance of Covenant Relationship
The reference to the uncircumcised highlights the importance of being in a covenant relationship with God. Spiritual separation leads to disgrace.

Hope in God's Sovereignty
Even in judgment, God's sovereignty is evident. Believers can find hope in His ultimate justice and righteousness.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the fate of Egypt in Ezekiel 32:25 serve as a warning to nations and individuals today?

2. In what ways does the imagery of "the Pit" challenge our understanding of life after death and divine judgment?

3. How can we guard against the pride and self-reliance that led to Egypt's downfall?

4. What does it mean to be in a covenant relationship with God, and how does this protect us from spiritual disgrace?

5. How can we find hope and assurance in God's sovereignty, even when facing the reality of judgment?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 14
Similar themes of judgment and disgrace for nations that exalt themselves against God.

Revelation 20
The final judgment and the fate of those who oppose God, paralleling the imagery of disgrace and the pit.

Psalm 49
Discusses the fate of the ungodly and the temporary nature of earthly power and wealth.
A Vision of the Unseen WorldW. Clarkson Ezekiel 32:17-32
Companionship in WoeJ.D. Davies Ezekiel 32:17-32
The Gathering of the Guilty Nations in HadesJ.R. Thomson Ezekiel 32:17-32
People
Elam, Ezekiel, Meshech, Pharaoh, Sidonians, Tubal
Places
Assyria, Babylon, Edom, Egypt, Elam, Meshech-Tubal, Tigris-Euphrates Region
Topics
Although, Appointed, Bear, Bed, Bore, Borne, Cause, Caused, Circumcision, Confusion, Dead, Death, Disgrace, Fear, Grave, Graves, Hordes, Instilled, Killed, Laid, Midst, Multitude, Pierced, Pit, Placed, Resting-place, Round, Shame, Slain, Spread, Sword, Terror, Though, Uncircumcised, Underworld, Wounded, Yet
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 32:17-32

     9110   after-life

Ezekiel 32:23-25

     4257   pit

Ezekiel 32:24-32

     6260   uncircumcised

Library
How the Preacher, when He Has Accomplished all Aright, Should Return to Himself, Lest Either his Life or his Preaching Lift Him Up.
But since often, when preaching is abundantly poured forth in fitting ways, the mind of the speaker is elevated in itself by a hidden delight in self-display, great care is needed that he may gnaw himself with the laceration of fear, lest he who recalls the diseases of others to health by remedies should himself swell through neglect of his own health; lest in helping others he desert himself, lest in lifting up others he fall. For to some the greatness of their virtue has often been the occasion
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Second Coming of Christ.
^A Matt. XXIV. 29-51; ^B Mark XIII. 24-37; ^C Luke XXI. 25-36. ^b 24 But in those days, ^a immediately after the { ^b that} ^a tribulation of those days. [Since the coming of Christ did not follow close upon the destruction of Jerusalem, the word "immediately" used by Matthew is somewhat puzzling. There are, however, three ways in which it may be explained: 1. That Jesus reckons the time after his own divine, and not after our human, fashion. Viewing the word in this light, the passage at II. Pet.
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Epistle cxxii. To Rechared, King of the visigoths .
To Rechared, King of the Visigoths [82] . Gregory to Rechared, &c. I cannot express in words, most excellent son, how much I am delighted with thy work and thy life. For on hearing of the power of a new miracle in our days, to wit that the whole nation of the Goths has through thy Excellency been brought over from the error of Arian heresy to the firmness of a right faith, one is disposed to exclaim with the prophet, This is the change wrought by the right hand of the Most High (Ps. lxxvi. 11 [83]
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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