The Prophecy of Ezekiel

Did Babylon conquer Egypt as Ezekiel prophesied

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

You are certainly referring to Ezekiel chapters 29-32, and especially to Ezekiel 29:19-20 where it says "Therefore, says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall carry off its wealth and despoil it and plunder it; and it shall be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt as his payment for which he labored, because they worked for me, declares the Lord GOD." Yes, Ezekiel seems to prophesize that Egypt will be conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.

There are number of interpretations on how this prophecy could have been fulfilled.

1. 1. It might very well be that the Battle of Carchemish (circa 605 BCE) in which Babylon defeated Egypt and later controlled the region was a fulfillment of the prophecy.

2. 2. Even if Babylon did not formally control and occupy Egypt (this is disputed among historians) it might just be that the devastating loses that Egypt suffered in the wars against Babylon was a fulfillment of the prophecy.

3. 3. Maybe the text refers to some future war and “Nebuchadnezzar,” “Egypt,” and “Babylon” are euphemisms for other, future events.

4. 4. Perhaps it refers to something completely spiritual and physical, that happened or will happen in the future.

Judaism is very hesitant to assign positive interpretation to the words of the prophets, as the prophets –more often than not- speak in symbolic and metaphorical language, making a positive identification of what they are referring to often impossible.