What is the meaning of Ezekiel 32:22? Assyria is there • Ezekiel has just called the prophet to lament over Egypt (Ezekiel 32:1–2), but before turning fully to Pharaoh, the LORD points to nations already in Sheol as evidence that no earthly power can escape His judgment. • “Assyria is there” locates that once-mighty empire in the realm of the dead, confirming that its overthrow by Babylon (612 BC) was not merely political—it was God’s settled verdict. • Cross references: Ezekiel 31:3–17 shows the prior oracle that felled Assyria “to the depths of the earth”; Isaiah 14:9-11 pictures Sheol stirred by Assyria’s fall; Nahum 3:18-19 foretold its inescapable ruin. with her whole company • The phrase sweeps in kings, princes, soldiers, and allies—no rank or connection exempted anyone from the downfall. • It undercuts human confidence in alliances, military strength, or political prestige. If “the whole company” went down, every other nation should take heed. • Cross references: Psalm 33:16-17 reminds that “a horse is a vain hope for salvation”; Jeremiah 46:11-12 speaks of armies unable to heal themselves; Nahum 3:17 pictures Assyrian officials scattered like locusts. her graves are all around her • Far from burial honors, Assyria’s dead lie in mass graves encircling the nation’s memory. The image is both literal (battlefields littered with corpses) and symbolic (perpetual shame). • Graves “all around” highlight the completeness of divine justice—there is no corner of Assyria’s glory left untouched. • Cross references: Isaiah 14:18-20 contrasts dishonored graves with the pomp Assyria once enjoyed; Ezekiel 31:15-17 says the nations were “comforted” when Assyria was laid low; Jeremiah 25:33 depicts corpses lying unburied from one end of the earth to the other. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword • God’s sentence was carried out through warfare—the sword of Babylon. The wording stresses totality (“all of them”) and violence (“slain”). • This also foreshadows Egypt’s fate: if Assyria could not escape, neither will Pharaoh. • Cross references: Jeremiah 50:18 promises Babylon would “devour” Assyria; Ezekiel 32:18-20 repeats the refrain of nations slain by the sword; Revelation 19:15 shows the ultimate sword of judgment proceeding from Christ. summary Ezekiel 32:22 points to Assyria, once the terror of the ancient world, now lying powerless in Sheol with every soldier, leader, and ally. Their graves encircle them, a lasting testimony that God’s judgments are final and comprehensive. The verse warns every nation—and each individual—that military might, alliances, and earthly glory cannot shield anyone from the righteous sword of the LORD. |
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