Ezekiel 32:26, commentary and pictures

The verse belongs to the prophecies against Egypt and Pharaoh and his host, showing Meshech, Tubal and all her multitude slain by the sword of the king of Babylon and buried together indiscriminately with their weapons of war about them. It pictures the downfall of once-great kingdoms, literally fulfilled in Egypt made the basest of the kingdoms, brought low never to rise again among the nations. Sheol, the same as hades, is in the earth beneath as the common region and state of all the dead, while their graves are literal burial places for covering and hiding the dead, so that all the dead are in sheol in death and unconsciousness though only some lie in such graves. It is set against the land of the living on the earth's surface where they caused their terror, proving it is the land of the dead with no living beings, knowledge, wisdom, work or life, and not Paradise. The strong speaking out of sheol, and Pharaoh seeing, being comforted and being ashamed among the slain, is figurative personification and not literal consciousness, speech or feeling in death, like dead kings rising to mock the king of Babylon and like Rachel weeping long after her death. The nether parts of the earth are the lower parts into which Christ descended in death before He ascended, and the same figurative device is used in the parable of the rich man speaking in hades to impress heeding Moses and the prophets.

Prophecy Against Egypt

Ezekiel 32:26 belongs to the prophecies in chapters 29-32 concerning Egypt and the certain fate of Pharaoh and his host. It is part of Jehovah's instruction given through Ezekiel during twenty-two years pleading with Israel to turn to God. It stands among the prophecies concerning Egypt as one of the former oppressors of God's people and the symbol of black infidelity.

Meshech, Tubal and all her multitude are pictured there as slain by the sword and lying in graves round about in sheol in the nether parts of the earth. They were slaughtered in battle with the king of Babylon, with Pharaoh and his army and their enemies buried together indiscriminately in pits, friend and foe cast together. They went down with their weapons of war, their swords laid under their heads, their graves surrounding them. Though uncircumcised and killed by the sword, they had once spread terror in the land of the living, which is contrasted with the dark abode full of the dead.

The prophecy describes the downfall of once-great kingdoms and is literally fulfilled. Egypt would become the basest of kingdoms, brought low and abased never to rise again among the nations. The kingdoms on all sides of Israel are used as illustrations of how God has dealt with them, bringing down their pride and bringing down the pride of those still remaining.

Sheol and the Dead

Sheol is identical with the Greek hades rendered hell, lying in the earth beneath in the interior and nether parts of the earth. It embraces the interior of the earth as the common region of the dead and the place of every grave, always located beneath and sometimes called the nether parts of the earth, the pit, and the lower parts of the earth. Ezekiel 32:18-32 places Sheol, or hades, in those depths, and verse 26 belongs to that description of slain nations buried there after having caused terror among the living.

Meshech, Tubal and all her multitude lie there as dead slain by the sword, uncircumcised, with her graves round about in the nethermost parts of the earth. Their graves are keverim, literal individual burial places meaning a grave or cavern, a place to cover, bury and hide the dead. Only some of the dead are buried in such keverim while all the dead are in sheol, the state of death and unconsciousness. They are pictured lying in Sheol with their weapons, their swords under their heads, buried together in the depths of the earth, contrasting that abode with the land of the living.

The underworld is contrasted with the earth's surface as the land of the living where they caused their terror, proving hades is the land of the dead and not of living beings. No living beings are found there, so it cannot be Paradise where there would be knowledge, wisdom, work and life. That realm beneath the land of the living, called the nethermost parts of the earth, the pit, or hades, will be consumed in the devouring fire.

The depiction of the slain as if they could see and speak in the grave is figurative personification and metaphorical teaching, not literal consciousness, conversation, feeling, action or speech in death. The strong among the mighty speak to Pharaoh out of the midst of sheol, and Pharaoh lying among the slain multitudes sees them and is comforted at the sight of his slain enemies, and is ashamed. This speaking, being comforted and being ashamed does not mean the dead literally speak, comfort one another, or lie with swords under their heads. It is like dead kings rising from thrones to mock the king of Babylon and like Rachel weeping for her children long after her death.

The nether parts of the earth are the lower parts into which Christ descended in death before he ascended. Ezekiel 32:17-32 is an Old Testament example of metaphorical teaching, showing that imagery about the dead can be used as a figure rather than as a literal account of their condition. The same figurative device is used in the parable of the rich man endowed with life and speech in hades to set forth great truths. The unconscious inhabitants of hades are represented as speaking and acting, personified to bring truth forcibly to bear on the minds of the living, to impress heeding Moses and the prophets and to rebuke covetousness.