Mirror Images: The Role of Egypt in Ezek 29–32

Abstract:Many scholars have studied Ezekiel's oracles concerning Egypt and how they relate to the fate of Israel. As has been shown, the language used to describe the exile and restoration of Egypt contains numerous parallels with Ezekiel's language pertaining to Israel's exile and restoration. However, many aspects of the rhetorical particularities of Ezekiel's use of Egypt have yet to be explained. In this article, I examine the rhetorical use of Egypt in Ezek 29. I argue that the rhetoric of Ezekiel not only binds the fate of Israel and Egypt together, but also communicates the judgment against and hope of Israel within the judgment against and restoration of Egypt. I explore the categories of macro-syntax and word choice in order to show how details in Ezek 29:1–21 relate to prophetic rhetoric elsewhere in the book and convey a prophetic argument to Israel.