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- Ezekiel then prophesies the conquest of Egypt, the scattering of its entire population (it was to be uninhabited for 40 years), and Nebuchadnezzar plundering Egypt (Ezekiel 29:3 - Ezekiel 30:26).
This includes the claim that God will make Egypt so weak that it will never again rule over other nations[1]. Pharaoh Amasis II (who drove off Nebuchadrezzar) also conquered Cyprus[2], ruling it until 545 BC[3]. Despite being a powerful nation in ancient times, Egypt has since been ruled by the Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantine Empire, Ottomans, British and the French,[4] and has also enjoyed periods of independence from external rule. During the Hellenistic period, the break-up of the empire of Alexander the Great left the Ptolemaic Dynasty (of Macedonian/Greek origin) as rulers of Egypt: the Ptolemies then conquered and ruled Cyrenaica (now northeastern Libya), Palestine, and Cyprus at various times.[5] (see also History of Ptolemaic Egypt and Ptolemaic kingdom).
There is some uncertainty among modern scholars regarding when (and by whom) various portions of the Book of Ezekiel were written[6], making the timing of prophecies difficult to unravel (see Book of Ezekiel).
Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt around 568 BC. However, the armies of Pharaoh Amasis II defeated the Babylonians (though the author did not elaborate and there are no known detailed accounts of this invasion)[7]. Herodotus reports that this Pharaoh had a long and prosperous reign.[8] The Egyptians were conquered by the Persians in 525 BC[9]
- ^ Ezekiel 29:15
- ^ http://www.windowoncyprus.com/history_of_cyprus.htm
- ^ http://www.boccf.org/main/default.aspx?tabID=46&itemID=113&mid=365
- ^ http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761557408_10/Egypt.html#s44
- ^ http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761562217/ptolemaic_dynasty.html
- ^ Gustav Hoelscher, "Hesekiel: Der Dicter und das Buch,"BZAW 39 (1924).
- ^ Alan B. Lloyd, 'The Late Period' in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (ed. Ian Shaw), Oxford Univ. Press 2002 paperback, pp.381-82
- ^ Herodotus, (II, 177, 1)
- ^ Alan B. Lloyd, 'The Late Period' in The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (ed. Ian Shaw), Oxford Univ. Press 2002 paperback, pp.383