Ezekiel 32:5

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 32:5 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height.
Ezekiel 32:5 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 32

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
5And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, &c.] The remainder of it, left by the birds and beasts of prey, and who might carry it thither; or it intends such of the Egyptians who should flee to the mountains for safety, but should fall by the hands of the enemy there. So the Targum, “and I will give the flesh of thy slain upon the mountains.” And fill the valleys with thy height; his huge army, and with which he prided and lifted up himself, and thought himself safe in; which should fall in such great numbers as to cover the plains and valleys where the battle was fought. Jarchi observes, that the word for “height” has with some the signification of “worms”; and so the Syriac version…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“thy height--thy hugeness [FAIRBAIRN]. The great heap of corpses of thy forces, on which thou pridest thyself. "Height" may refer to mental elevation, as well as bodily [VATABLUS].”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The prophet passes from the image of the crocodile to that of dead bodies of the slain heaped up on the land. Some render “height,” “foulness.” return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“With thy height - With the carcasses of thy princes. Ezekiel 32:6”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“And I: To represent the power, rapaciousness, and cruelty of Pharaoh, he had been compared to a fierce young lion, and also to an immense, overgrown sea-monster, or crocodile; and here it is predicted that God would cast a net over him, by which many companies of people should drag him out of his rivers, and cast him into the open field, mountains, valleys, etc., to be devoured by birds and beasts of prey; that is, his ruin would be complete, and attended with terrible miseries to the Egyptians, and afford a large booty to their enemies. Ezekiel 32:6”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification