When Pharaoh sees them, he will comfort himself for all his multitude, Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword: God’s attention now turns back to the king of Egypt and his people. He pictures them as being on their way down into the world of the dead, and they see those other nations who used to be so great and powerful already there. The picture assumes that Pharaoh, that is, Egypt’s king (see Ezek 32.2), was distressed and upset that all his multitude, that is, all the soldiers and other people of Egypt (see verse 12), had been killed and Egypt had been totally destroyed. He will comfort himself means that, when he sees the other once-powerful nations there in the underworld, he will not be so sad and upset because Egypt was not the only country to be destroyed like that. For slain by the sword, that is, killed in war, see verse 22. Good models for this sentence are “The king of Egypt and his whole army will see all of them. That will comfort him in spite of the fact that all of his people were killed in war” (similarly New International Reader’s Version) and “When the king of Egypt sees all of these graves, he and all his soldiers will be glad they are not the only ones suffering” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

Says the Lord GOD: See Ezek 32.8. This solemn declaration confirms that God is the speaker.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .