The Meaning of Ezekiel 30:4 Explained

Ezekiel 30:4

KJV: And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.

YLT: And come in hath a sword to Egypt, And there hath been great pain in Cush, In the falling of the wounded in Egypt, And they have taken its store, And broken down have been its foundations.

Darby: And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and there shall be anguish in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be overthrown.

ASV: And a sword shall come upon Egypt, and anguish shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt; and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the sword  shall come  upon Egypt,  and great pain  shall be in Ethiopia,  when the slain  shall fall  in Egypt,  and they shall take away  her multitude,  and her foundations  shall be broken down. 

What does Ezekiel 30:4 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 30

1  The desolation of Egypt and her helpers
20  The arm of Babylon shall be strengthened to break the arm of Egypt

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 30:4 mean?

And shall come the sword upon Egypt and shall be [great] anguish in Ethiopia when fall the slain in Egypt and they take away her wealth and are broken down her foundations
וּבָאָ֥ה חֶ֙רֶב֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם וְהָיְתָ֤ה חַלְחָלָה֙ בְּכ֔וּשׁ בִּנְפֹ֥ל חָלָ֖ל בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם וְלָקְח֣וּ הֲמוֹנָ֔הּ וְנֶהֶרְס֖וּ יְסוֹדֹתֶֽיהָ

וּבָאָ֥ה  And  shall  come 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
חֶ֙רֶב֙  the  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם  upon  Egypt 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
וְהָיְתָ֤ה  and  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
חַלְחָלָה֙  [great]  anguish 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חַלְחָלָה  
Sense: pain, trembling, terror, writhing, anguish.
בְּכ֔וּשׁ  in  Ethiopia 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: כּוּשׁ 
Sense: a Benjamite mentioned only in the title of Ps 7.
בִּנְפֹ֥ל  when  fall 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
חָלָ֖ל  the  slain 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָלָל 
Sense: slain, fatally wounded, pierced.
בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם  in  Egypt 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
וְלָקְח֣וּ  and  they  take  away 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
הֲמוֹנָ֔הּ  her  wealth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: הָמֹון 
Sense: (Qal) murmur, roar, crowd, abundance, tumult, sound.
וְנֶהֶרְס֖וּ  and  are  broken  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָרַס  
Sense: to tear down, break down, overthrow, beat down, break, break through, destroy, pluck down, pull down, throw down, ruined, destroyer, utterly.
יְסוֹדֹתֶֽיהָ  her  foundations 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: יְסׄוד  
Sense: foundation, base.