And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily.

EZEKIEL 30:16KJV
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Ezekiel 30:16 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 30:16 mean?

Ezekiel 30:16 describes how God will bring destruction and suffering to Egypt, specifically mentioning that the city of Sin will experience great pain, No will be broken apart, and Noph will face constant troubles. The verse paints a picture of widespread disaster affecting several major Egyptian cities.

In this verse, the prophet Ezekiel is relaying a message from God to the people, warning them of coming judgment against Egypt. The setting is during a time when Egypt was a powerful nation, but God is announcing that its cities—Sin (Pelusium), No (Thebes), and Noph (Memphis)—will each face severe hardship as part of a larger prophecy against Egypt’s pride and power.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 30:16

  • "Set" (נָתַן, nathan, H5414) means to give or place, here used for God actively bringing or sending fire upon Egypt, emphasizing intentional judgment.
  • "Fire" (אֵשׁ, esh, H784) often symbolizes destruction or purifying judgment in the Hebrew Bible, so its use here stresses the severity of what will happen to Egypt.
  • "Pain" (חִיל, chil, H2342) is a word that can mean to writhe or tremble, often used for labor pains, which highlights the intensity and agony of what Sin will experience.
  • "Asunder" (בָּקַע, baqa, H1234) means to split or break open, showing that No will not just be attacked but thoroughly broken apart.
  • "Distresses" (מָצוֹר, matsor, H6862) refers to siege or trouble, and "daily" (יוֹם, yom, H3119) makes clear that Noph’s suffering will be ongoing, not a single event.

Why Ezekiel 30:16 matters

  • This verse clarifies that God’s judgment is not vague or general but targets specific cities, showing the thoroughness and reach of the coming disaster.
  • The mention of daily distress for Noph underlines that the suffering will be relentless, not just a momentary crisis.
  • Ezekiel 30:16 fits into a larger section where God is pronouncing judgment on Egypt and its allies, connecting this verse to a broader theme of accountability for nations that oppose God’s purposes.

Where else these words appear

“No” Hebrew H4996 · used in 5 verses

  • Jeremiah 46:25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him:
  • Ezekiel 30:14 And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No.
  • Ezekiel 30:15 And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No.

“Sin” Hebrew H5512 · used in 6 verses

  • Exodus 16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
  • Exodus 17:1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.
  • Numbers 33:12 And they took their journey out of the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah.

“Noph” Hebrew H5297 · used in 7 verses

  • Isaiah 19:13 The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.
  • Jeremiah 44:1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,
  • Jeremiah 46:19 O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity: for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant.

“asunder” Hebrew H1234 · used in 50 verses

  • Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
  • 1 Chronicles 11:18 And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD,
  • Isaiah 35:6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.