nied by which, the Lord comes, are, in
the Old and New Testament writings, symbolical indications and
representations of judgment; comp. my remarks on Rev. i. 7; and besides
the passages quoted there, compare in addition Jer. iv. 13; Rev. xiv.
14. But what judgment is here spoken of? According to _Gesenius_ and
other interpreters, the calamity is the victory of Psammeticus over the
twelve princes, with which physical calamities are to be joined. But
against this view, ver. 11 alone is conclusive, inasmuch as, according
to this verse, Pharaoh, at the time when this calamity breaks in upon
Egypt, is the ruler of the whole land: "How say ye unto Pharaoh: I am
the Son of the wise a (spiritual) son of the kings of ancient times,"
who are celebrated for their wisdom. In ver. 2, according to which, in
Egypt, kingdom fights against kingdom, we cannot, therefore, think of
independent kingdom s; but following the way of the LXX., [Greek: nomos
epi nomon], of provinces only. Further,--According to _Gesenius_, the
fierce lord and cruel king in ver. 4 is assumed to be Psammeticus. But
against this the plural alone is decisive. Ezek. xxx. 12--according to
which outward enemies, the [Hebrew: zriM], are the cause of the drying
up of the Nile, of the ceasing of wealth and prosperity--militates
against the assumption of a calamity independent of the political one.
The circumstance, that the prophecy under consideration belongs to the
series of the _burdens_, and was written in the view of Asshur's
advance, leaves us no room to doubt that the Lord is coming to judgment
in the oppression by the Asiatic world's power. To this may be added
the analogy of the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel against Egypt,
which are evidently to be considered as a resumption of the prophecy
under consideration, and as an announcement that its realization is
constantly going on. They do not know any other calamity than being
given up to the Asiatic world's power. Compare _e.g._ Jer. xlvi. 25,
26: "And behold, I visit Pharaoh and Egypt, and their gods and their
kings, Pharaoh [Pg 142] and them that trust in him. And I deliver them
into the hand of those that seek their soul, and into the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon." After what we have remarked, the
discord among the Egyptians in ver. 2, can be considered as the
consequence and concomitant of the real and main calamity only: Where
God is not in the midst, there, commonly, internal discord is wont to