And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.

EZEKIEL 29:5KJV
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Ezekiel 29:5 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 29:5 mean?

Ezekiel 29:5 describes God’s judgment against Egypt, saying that Egypt and its people will be left abandoned in the wilderness, unburied and exposed, becoming food for wild animals and birds. The verse paints a picture of total defeat and disgrace, with no one to gather or bury the dead.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to announce what will happen to Egypt because of its pride and false promises. The imagery of being left in the wilderness, along with “the fish of thy rivers,” refers to Egypt’s dependence on the Nile and its resources. The verse uses strong language to show that Egypt’s downfall will be public and humiliating, with no honor in death.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 29:5

  • “Wilderness” (מִדְבָּר, midbar) often means a deserted or uninhabited place, emphasizing how Egypt will be left isolated and vulnerable, far from the safety of its cities and civilization.
  • “Fish” (דָּגָה, dagah) and “rivers” (יְאוֹר, ye’or) highlight Egypt’s connection to the Nile, suggesting that not just the people but everything Egypt relies on will share in this judgment.
  • “Gathered” (קָבַץ, qavats) and “together” (אָסַף, asaf) both carry the sense of being collected or brought together, usually for burial; their absence here stresses the shame of being left unburied.
  • “Meat” (אָכְלָה, okhlah) means food, showing that the bodies will become food for animals and birds, a sign of utter defeat and dishonor in the ancient world.

Why Ezekiel 29:5 matters

  • This verse clears up that the judgment is not just military defeat but a complete humiliation, with even the dead left exposed and unburied, which was a great disgrace in ancient times.
  • The mention of “fish of thy rivers” ties Egypt’s fate to the Nile, underlining how the nation’s pride in its natural resources will not save it from God’s judgment.
  • Ezekiel 29:5 fits into a larger prophecy against Egypt, showing that God holds nations accountable for their actions and that even powerful empires are not beyond His reach.

Where else these words appear

“fish” Hebrew H1710 · used in 13 verses

  • Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
  • Numbers 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:
  • Ezekiel 29:4 But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.

“meat” Hebrew H402 · used in 18 verses

  • Genesis 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
  • Leviticus 11:39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.
  • Ezekiel 23:37 That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them.

“leave” Hebrew H5203 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 31:28 And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing.
  • 1 Samuel 30:16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
  • Isaiah 16:8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.

“rivers” Hebrew H2975 · used in 48 verses

  • Genesis 41:1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.
  • Exodus 7:24 And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
  • Isaiah 33:21 But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.