The Meaning of Ezekiel 29:4 Explained

Ezekiel 29:4

KJV: But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.

YLT: And I have put hooks in thy jaws, And I have caused the fish of thy floods to cleave to thy scales, And I have caused thee to come up from the midst of thy floods, And every fish of thy floods to thy scales doth cleave.

Darby: And I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales;

ASV: And I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales; and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, with all the fish of thy rivers which stick unto thy scales.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But I will put  hooks  in thy jaws,  and I will cause the fish  of thy rivers  to stick  unto thy scales,  and I will bring thee up  out of the midst  of thy rivers,  and all the fish  of thy rivers  shall stick  unto thy scales. 

What does Ezekiel 29:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord promised to remove Pharaoh and his people from their land, as a fisherman pulls a crocodile out of the water with hooks. He would remove the river-dragon along with the lesser fish that would cling to it. These fish probably refer to the neighbor nations and allies of Egypt that relied on her. Normally people caught crocodiles by placing hooks in their jaws and then dragging them onto land where they killed them. [1] In the delta region of Egypt, the Egyptians worshipped the crocodile as a god, Sebek, which they believed protected their nation (cf32:2; Psalm 74:13; Isaiah 27:1; Isaiah 51:9). Thus God promised to destroy Pharaoh, Egypt, and the god supposedly responsible for their protection.

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 29:4 mean?

But I will put - hooks in your jaws and cause to stick the fish of your rivers to your scales and I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers and all the fish in your rivers to your scales will stick
וְנָתַתִּ֤י [חחיים] (חַחִים֙) בִּלְחָיֶ֔יךָ וְהִדְבַּקְתִּ֥י דְגַת־ יְאֹרֶ֖יךָ בְּקַשְׂקְשֹׂתֶ֑יךָ וְהַעֲלִיתִ֙יךָ֙ מִתּ֣וֹךְ יְאֹרֶ֔יךָ וְאֵת֙ כָּל־ דְּגַ֣ת יְאֹרֶ֔יךָ בְּקַשְׂקְשֹׂתֶ֖יךָ תִּדְבָּֽק

וְנָתַתִּ֤י  But  I  will  put 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
[חחיים]  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
(חַחִים֙)  hooks 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חָח  
Sense: hook, ring, fetter, brooch.
בִּלְחָיֶ֔יךָ  in  your  jaws 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, fdc, second person masculine singular
Root: לְחִי  
Sense: jaw, cheek.
וְהִדְבַּקְתִּ֥י  and  cause  to  stick 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: דָּבַק  
Sense: to cling, stick, stay close, cleave, keep close, stick to, stick with, follow closely, join to, overtake, catch.
דְגַת־  the  fish 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: דָּגָה  
Sense: fish.
יְאֹרֶ֖יךָ  of  your  rivers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: יְאֹר  
Sense: river, stream, canal, Nile, Nile-canal.
בְּקַשְׂקְשֹׂתֶ֑יךָ  to  your  scales 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת  
Sense: scale (of fish, water animals).
וְהַעֲלִיתִ֙יךָ֙  and  I  will  bring  you  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
מִתּ֣וֹךְ  out  of  the  midst 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
יְאֹרֶ֔יךָ  of  your  rivers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: יְאֹר  
Sense: river, stream, canal, Nile, Nile-canal.
דְּגַ֣ת  the  fish  in 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: דָּגָה  
Sense: fish.
יְאֹרֶ֔יךָ  your  rivers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: יְאֹר  
Sense: river, stream, canal, Nile, Nile-canal.
בְּקַשְׂקְשֹׂתֶ֖יךָ  to  your  scales 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת  
Sense: scale (of fish, water animals).
תִּדְבָּֽק  will  stick 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: דָּבַק  
Sense: to cling, stick, stay close, cleave, keep close, stick to, stick with, follow closely, join to, overtake, catch.