Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered:

EZEKIEL 29:13KJV
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Ezekiel 29:13 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 29:13 mean?

Ezekiel 29:13 says that after forty years, God will bring the Egyptians back from the places where they were scattered. This verse promises that Egypt’s time of hardship and exile will not last forever, but will end after a set period.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to announce what will happen to Egypt after a time of judgment. The context is a prophecy against Egypt, where God declares that the Egyptians will be scattered among other nations, but after forty years, He will gather them again. This shows both a warning of coming trouble and a hint of future restoration for Egypt.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 29:13

  • "gather" (קָבַץ, qavats): This word means to collect or bring together. Here, it emphasizes that God Himself will actively bring the Egyptians back from their scattered places, not just allow them to return on their own.
  • "scattered" (פָּרַץ, parats): This word is about being dispersed or spread out. It highlights the severity of Egypt’s coming exile, showing that the people will be widely dispersed among many nations.
  • "forty" (אַרְבָּעִים, arba‘im): The number forty often represents a period of testing or judgment in the Bible. Its use here suggests that Egypt’s scattering is not random but has a set, meaningful duration.

Why Ezekiel 29:13 matters

  • This verse clarifies that God’s judgment on Egypt is not permanent; there is a set limit, showing both justice and mercy.
  • The mention of forty years links Egypt’s experience to other biblical periods of testing, like Israel’s forty years in the wilderness, helping readers see a pattern in how God deals with nations.
  • Ezekiel 29:13 sets up the following verses, where the nature of Egypt’s restoration is described in more detail, showing that their return will be humble and not a full return to former glory.

Where else these words appear

“end” Hebrew H7093 · used in 62 verses

  • Genesis 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
  • Esther 2:12 Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women,(for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)
  • Ezekiel 7:2 Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land.

“scattered” Hebrew H6327 · used in 66 verses

  • Genesis 10:18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
  • Job 18:11 Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet.
  • Ezekiel 11:17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

“gather” Hebrew H6908 · used in 121 verses

  • Genesis 41:35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
  • 2 Chronicles 32:4 So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?
  • Jeremiah 29:14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

“forty” Hebrew H705 · used in 124 verses

  • Genesis 5:13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
  • Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
  • 1 Chronicles 5:18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.