Introduction: A Repeated Prophecy Concerning Egypt
Chapter 30 of Yechezkel is a direct continuation of the prophecies of destruction concerning Egypt. The Malbim explains that the prophecy before us completes the prophecy delivered in the tenth year, in which Yechezkel prophesied about Egypt's destruction. The prophet then juxtaposed the prophecy of the twenty-seventh year, which marks the absolute end of Egypt, to inform us how the entire matter would culminate. Now, he returns to recount what was said in the tenth year, since immediately afterward he will describe the prophecies of the eleventh and twelfth years. This repetition is not superfluous: here, matters are described in greater detail and in a different style. Furthermore, the Malbim adds a crucial principle: a prophecy that is repeated twice or three times will inevitably come to pass. A prophecy uttered only once may be altered through a change of deeds, but a prophecy doubled or tripled will certainly be fulfilled.
Wail, Woe for the Day - Two Days of Calamity
בֶּן־אָדָם הִנָּבֵא וְאָמַרְתָּ כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה הֵילִילוּ הָהּ לַיּוֹם׃ - Son of man, prophesy and say: Thus said the Lord Hashem: Wail, "Woe for the day!"
"Wail" (heileilu) means to utter a lamentation, an expression that recurs more than ten times in Tanach. Cry out in lament and say "Woe!" - a cry of agonizing pain - over that day of calamity. Although Egypt had already undergone episodes of devastation, that day will be its total, ultimate destruction, and it therefore calls for a distinct wailing.
כִּי־קָרוֹב יוֹם וְקָרוֹב יוֹם לַיהֹוָה יוֹם עָנָן עֵת גּוֹיִם יִהְיֶה׃ - For near is a day, and near is a day for Hashem; it will be a day of cloud, a time of nations.
The verse speaks of two distinct days. "For near is a day" - the day when Egypt will be laid waste is near, which will happen immediately following the destruction of the Temple. "And near is a day for Hashem" - this is the second day, the day of Egypt's final and complete destruction in Nebuchadnezzar's twenty-seventh year. From our perspective, this is not near at all, as significant time remains; but before the Holy One, Blessed is He, it is near, for time is not considered long in His sight. The first day is "a day of cloud," a poetic idiom for a day of darkness and gloom. The second day, further in the future, is "a time of nations" - when not only Egypt will fall, but it will be the time to settle the score with the nations as well. All the nations that had a covenant with Egypt will fall alongside it in that same downfall.
The Sword in Egypt and Terror in Cush
וּבָאָה חֶרֶב בְּמִצְרַיִם וְהָיְתָה חַלְחָלָה בְּכוּשׁ בִּנְפֹל חָלָל בְּמִצְרָיִם וְלָקְחוּ הֲמוֹנָהּ וְנֶהֶרְסוּ יְסוֹדוֹתֶיהָ׃ - A sword shall enter Egypt, and there shall be convulsive terror in Cush when the slain fall in Egypt, and they take away its multitude, and its foundations are broken down.
Corresponding to "a day of cloud," which is the imminent period, the prophet says, "A sword shall enter Egypt" - the sword will sweep across all of Egypt. Corresponding to "a time of nations," when Hashem will settle accounts with all of Egypt's helpers and supporters, he says, "and there shall be convulsive terror in Cush" - Cush too will be gripped by fear. "And they take away its multitude" - they will carry off Egypt's populace; "and its foundations are broken down" - and who are these foundations? These are the allied nations that assist her, serving as the bedrock of her kingdom and might.
כּוּשׁ וּפוּט וְלוּד וְכׇל־הָעֶרֶב וְכוּב וּבְנֵי אֶרֶץ הַבְּרִית אִתָּם בַּחֶרֶב יִפֹּלוּ׃ - Cush, Put, Lud, and all the mixed multitudes, and Chub, and the children of the allied land, shall fall with them by the sword.
Here the prophet specifies who these foundations are. All of these assisted Egypt, and when Egypt falls, they too will fall, for they serve as the foundations upon which Egypt stands. Radak explains the meaning of "convulsive terror in Cush": when the people of Cush see the slain falling in Egypt, they will shudder, tremble, and fear that the sword will come upon them as well, since they are all descendants of Cham. If part of the family falls, it is highly likely that whoever settles accounts with Egypt will settle accounts with them as well. "And all the mixed multitudes" (kol ha'erev) - Radak explains that this refers to a population assembled from various peoples who intermingled, and Targum Yonatan similarly translates somchavat'hon, those who rely upon them and mingle with them. "And the children of the allied land" (bnei eretz habrit) - those who had a covenant with the land of Egypt, though they were not of its family, unlike Cush, Put, and Lud, who all descend from Cham and Egypt, as it is written, "The sons of Cham: Cush, Mitzrayim, Put..." and "Mitzrayim fathered Ludim." All of them will fall by the sword along with Egypt, and this is the "time of nations" - the time when all the nations closely linked to Egypt will pay the price.
Egypt's Four Sources of Security
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה וְנָפְלוּ סֹמְכֵי מִצְרַיִם וְיָרַד גְּאוֹן עֻזָּהּ מִמִּגְדֹּל סְוֵנֵה בַּחֶרֶב יִפְּלוּ־בָהּ נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה׃ - Thus said the Lord God: The supporters of Egypt shall fall, and the pride of her power shall come down; from Migdol to Syene they shall fall by the sword within it, says the Lord God.
The Malbim explains that Egypt's might rested upon four pillars: First, on the many nations that aided and assisted her. Second, on the vast multitude dwelling within Egypt itself. Third, on the Nile streams that surrounded her, which served both as defenses and as an inexhaustible water supply for irrigating her fields. And fourth, on their belief that they relied upon their idols, headed by their king - the great, cruel crocodile, their chief deity. Against all of these, the Holy One, blessed be He, comes and proclaims in prophecy that all will perish. "The supporters of Egypt shall fall" - these are her helpers and allies, and that is where the downfall begins; they will fall "from Migdol to Syene", which marks one extreme border.
וְנָשַׁמּוּ בְּתוֹךְ אֲרָצוֹת נְשַׁמּוֹת וְעָרָיו בְּתוֹךְ־עָרִים נַחֲרָבוֹת תִּהְיֶינָה׃ - And they shall be desolate in the midst of the lands that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are laid waste.
All the lands on that side of Migdol Syene will be devastated - meaning, they will become desolate and laid waste.
וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה בְּתִתִּי־אֵשׁ בְּמִצְרַיִם וְנִשְׁבְּרוּ כׇּל־עֹזְרֶיהָ׃ - And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and all her helpers are broken.
Through the fire that Hashem sets in Egypt, all her supporters will be broken. And why must her supporters specifically be brought down? The Malbim enumerates three reasons. First, as long as someone has a support holding them up, they cannot fall, for someone is holding them. Therefore, Hashem will bring down Egypt's supporters, so that she has no one to uphold her. Second, so that the surrounding land will also be desolate. As explained in the previous chapter, when a particular place is desolate but its surroundings are fertile, its inhabitants are not so terrified, because there is somewhere to obtain produce, and they can remain in contact with neighboring lands. Here, however, Hashem will destroy the supporting nations as well, so that all become desolate. This magnifies Egypt's desolation - she will have nothing to lean on and nowhere from which to bring food. Then the verse will be fulfilled: "No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast." For had the surrounding cities still existed, travelers would pass through Egypt to reach them; but when they too are desolate, who would pass through Egypt? That is the ultimate, total desolation. And third, "And they shall know that I am the Lord" - through this they will recognize that the Holy One, blessed be He, Who foretold these events in prophecy, is the One Who brought them about in reality, and the word of Hashem stands forever.
Messengers in Ships - To Terrify Confident Cush
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יֵצְאוּ מַלְאָכִים מִלְּפָנַי בַּצִּים לְהַחֲרִיד אֶת־כּוּשׁ בֶּטַח וְהָיְתָה חַלְחָלָה בָהֶם בְּיוֹם מִצְרַיִם כִּי הִנֵּה בָּאָה׃ - On that day shall messengers go forth from before Me in ships to terrify confident Cush, and trembling shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt; for behold, it comes!
The meteg is on the alef, so "ba'ah" must be read in the present tense ("it is coming"), not in the past tense. The Malbim explains: Not only will her helpers and allies in war fall and be broken, and not only will the nations on the side of Migdol Syene be shattered, as we saw in verse 6, but on that very day, "shall messengers go forth from before Me" - through My Divine providence, messengers will go forth to terrify Cush, which lies on the opposite border. How do we know it is on the opposite border? As the verse states earlier, "from Migdol Syene as far as the border of Cush" - Migdol Syene at one end, and Cush at the other. The messengers will go out to terrify them right inside their own land, where they dwelt in confident security.
And why did they feel secure? First, because the enemy was far from them, at Migdol Syene on the opposite side, so they were unconcerned. Second, because they were surrounded by water, and to reach them one had to cross the sea, as it is written: "Ah, land of buzzing wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush." One whom an enemy can reach only by crossing the sea is far less troubled, since the sea itself serves as a formidable barrier. Nevertheless, messengers will go forth to terrify Cush, and trembling will seize them as on the day of Egypt - the very same dread and panic that gripped Egypt, because this dread now reaches into their own homeland and is no longer just a distant rumor. "For behold, it comes!" - it is now arriving upon them. And how could it arrive if they are surrounded by sea? To this the verse replies, "in ships [tzim]" - tzim are large ships, warships, as written: "Nor shall a mighty ship [tzi addir] pass over it." (This is also the source for the name of the Israeli shipping company "Zim", as tzim refers to large vessels and fleets.)
By the Hand of Nebuchadnezzar - Utter Destruction
כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי אֶת־הֲמוֹן מִצְרַיִם בְּיַד נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל׃ - Thus said the Lord God: I will put an end to the multitude of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.
The prophet now describes how the multitude of Egypt and the vast majority of its populace will be destroyed: it will come from the Holy One, blessed be He, carried out through the agency of Nebuchadnezzar. Contrast this with Cush: there, the mission was carried out by messengers and its sole objective was merely "to make them tremble," to throw them into panic, rather than completely devastating the land of Cush. In Egypt, however, there will be utter ruin at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.
הוּא וְעַמּוֹ אִתּוֹ עָרִיצֵי גוֹיִם מוּבָאִים לְשַׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ וְהֵרִיקוּ חַרְבוֹתָם עַל־מִצְרַיִם וּמָלְאוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ חָלָל׃ - He and his people with him, the most ruthless of the nations, are brought to destroy the land; and they shall draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.
"The most ruthless of the nations" - fierce, hardened warriors. The word aritz connotes raw power, and as explained previously, it generally denotes wickedness: people devoid of mercy. These ruthless invaders will come under divine providence, and the purpose of their arrival is "to destroy the land." There is a difference between different types of conquerors: one who conquers a land in order to make use of it is naturally interested in its infrastructure and resources and does not come to destroy; but one who conquers only to leave wants to destroy everything so that nothing remains, leaving behind scorched earth. This is the meaning of "brought to destroy the land" - not to extract tribute and leave the land functional, but to utterly devastate it, so that, as we saw earlier, neither man nor beast passed through and the place was left desolate. "And they shall draw their swords" - to draw the sword (lehariq) means to pull it from its scabbard, as in "a sword drawn from its sheath," the sheath being the scabbard into which the blade is placed.
Drying Up the Nile Streams
וְנָתַתִּי יְאֹרִים חׇרָבָה וּמָכַרְתִּי אֶת־הָאָרֶץ בְּיַד־רָעִים וַהֲשִׁמֹּתִי אֶרֶץ וּמְלֹאָהּ בְּיַד־זָרִים אֲנִי יְהֹוָה דִּבַּרְתִּי׃ - And I will make the rivers dry land, and sell the land into the hand of wicked men; and I will lay waste the land and all that is in it, by the hand of strangers; I, the Lord, have spoken.
As noted, Egypt relied on several pillars: the surrounding nations, the vast multitude within it - both of which, as already stated, would be stripped away - and the waterways of the Nile. Now Hashem announces how He will call them to account in this respect as well. They leaned upon their rivers and took pride in them, boasting, "Mine is my river, and I have made it for myself"; therefore, "And I will make the rivers dry land" - the canals will dry up. It is well known that the Egyptians possessed advanced irrigation methods: they channeled water from the great river through dug canals out into the fields. Once the enemy arrives and ravages the land, no one will maintain or repair those canals, and so they will dry up and fall into ruin. "And sell the land into the hand of wicked men" - the land will be delivered into the hands of those destructive invaders. "And I will lay waste the land and all that is in it, by the hand of strangers" - the foreigners will desolate the land even in areas that still remain inhabited. "I, the Lord, have spoken" - and then the truth of what I have spoken will be manifest, as they see these words fulfilled before their very eyes.
The Destruction of the Idols and the Shift in Fear
כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה וְהַאֲבַדְתִּי גִלּוּלִים וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי אֱלִילִים מִנֹּף וְנָשִׂיא מֵאֶרֶץ־מִצְרַיִם לֹא יִהְיֶה־עוֹד וְנָתַתִּי יִרְאָה בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃ - Thus said the Lord God: I will destroy the fetishes and bring an end to the idols from Noph; and there shall no longer be a prince from the land of Egypt; and I will put fear in the land of Egypt.
This was Egypt's fourth source of security: its idols. They worshipped the lamb, regarded Pharaoh - the great crocodile - as a deity, and believed that the Nile was a god. The Malbim explains that the center of their idolatry was in Noph, which is Memphis, and concerning it Hashem says that He will eliminate the idols from it. Gillulim is a derogatory term for idols, so called because they are as repulsive as dung (gelalim). "And there shall no longer be a prince from the land of Egypt" - the prince of Egypt served as the patron and head of the idols, and he will be no more. "And I will put fear in the land of Egypt" - dread and awe of Hashem's hand will fall upon their hearts. Until now, they feared their false deities; but once they see those idols utterly eradicated, their fear will be directed toward Hashem alone.
The Sequence of Destruction Across Egypt's Cities
וַהֲשִׁמֹּתִי אֶת־פַּתְרוֹס וְנָתַתִּי אֵשׁ בְּצֹעַן וְעָשִׁיתִי שְׁפָטִים בְּנֹא׃ - And I will make Pathros desolate, set a fire in Zoan, and execute judgments in No.
Here the prophet describes the order of destruction. First, He will devastate Pathros, which was in Upper Egypt; then He will set fire to Zoan, which is another city; and afterward He will execute judgments in No, which is Alexandria in Lower Egypt, as we saw in the phrase "Amon of No."
וְשָׁפַכְתִּי חֲמָתִי עַל־סִין מָעוֹז מִצְרָיִם וְהִכְרַתִּי אֶת־הֲמוֹן נֹא׃ - And I will pour out My wrath upon Sin, the stronghold of Egypt, and I will cut off the multitude of No.
"Sin" here is not the country of China, but a place in Egypt. The multitude of No and the populace will flee to take refuge in the nearby fortress of Sin, seeking protection from the disaster coming upon them. Regarding this, Hashem says: I will pour out My wrath upon Sin, and in the very place where they sought refuge and salvation - "and I will cut off the multitude of No," they too will be cut down there.
וְנָתַתִּי אֵשׁ בְּמִצְרַיִם תָּחוּל סִין וְנֹא תִּהְיֶה לְהִבָּקֵעַ וְנֹף צָרֵי יוֹמָם׃ - And I will set fire in Egypt; Sin shall writhe in anguish, No shall be breached, and Noph shall face distress by day.
The Malbim explains: After all this, they will still stiffen their neck, relying on the fortress of Sin and on No, which was also a fortified place surrounded by water, as it is written: "Are you better than No-Amon, that was situated among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?" That is to say, going to No was considered a form of fortification and shelter. Hashem says: I will set fire to Egypt until "Sin shall writhe in anguish" like a woman giving birth - gripped by labor pains and trembling. And when she sits upon the birthstool to bring forth the child, the amniotic sac containing the fetus bursts, and the child emerges. This is an allegory for breaching the siege: "and No shall be breached" - through this agony, the womb of the birthing woman will rupture. "And Noph shall face distress by day" - they will become haters of the daylight, from the word tzarav (adversaries/enemies), and will prefer the night. Why? Because specifically at night could they flee, hide, and find a secret refuge, whereas by day they are constantly exposed.
בַּחוּרֵי אָוֶן וּפִי־בֶסֶת בַּחֶרֶב יִפֹּלוּ וְהֵנָּה בַּשְּׁבִי תֵלַכְנָה׃ - The young men of Aven and Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword, and these [cities] shall go into captivity.
Aven and Pi-beseth are place names. One may ask: Why does the pasuk say, "and hennah (they, feminine) shall go into captivity," rather than the masculine form vehem bashevi yelechu? There are two explanations for this. Rashi explains that hennah refers to the cities or districts themselves: the verse speaks of the young men of Aven and Pi-beseth falling by the sword, while these cities - meaning the remaining inhabitants living in them - will go into captivity. The Malbim, however, as well as the Radak in the name of his father, explains that it refers to the women: the pasuk first speaks of the young men who will fall by the sword, whereas the women of that place will go into captivity and will not be slain by the sword.
Tahpanhes - And the Day Was Darkened
וּבִתְחַפְנְחֵס חָשַׂךְ הַיּוֹם בְּשִׁבְרִי־שָׁם אֶת־מֹטוֹת מִצְרַיִם וְנִשְׁבַּת־בָּהּ גְּאוֹן עֻזָּהּ הִיא עָנָן יְכַסֶּנָּה וּבְנוֹתֶיהָ בַּשְּׁבִי תֵלַכְנָה׃ - And at Tehaphnehes the day shall be darkened when I break the yokes of Egypt there, and the pride of her strength shall cease in her; as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.
The Malbim notes that the war would advance all the way to Tahpanhes, where Pharaoh's palace was located, and where Yirmiyahu buried stones in the mortar in the brickwork at the entrance of Pharaoh's house, as recorded in Yirmiyahu 43. Therefore it says, "there the day was darkened": from the start of the war, it was as if evening began to fall, like a sunset, and by the time it reached Tahpanhes, daylight was completely extinguished. For this entire reality was darkness for Egypt, as we saw in "and Noph shall face distress by day," that the daylight brought them anguish. The onset of darkness began at the start of the war, and the culmination of darkness - the complete setting of the sun and utter nightfall - arrived when it reached Tahpanhes.
There is also an important grammatical nuance: chasach is written with a left-dotted sin (שׂ), from the root of withholding or sparing, as in "you have not withheld (lo chasachta) your son," which means to withhold something. Thus, "the day was withheld (chasach hayom)" means that daylight was withheld and ceased entirely. Why was it not written as chashach with a right-dotted shin (שׁ)? Because darkness (choshech) is something that will eventually give way to light again, as another day always follows night, which would imply that the light of success might shine upon them once more. Therefore, the text uses the expression chasach - something that was cut off completely and withheld from them.
The Malbim adds another reason for this phrasing: at that time, He smashed the monuments of Beth-shemesh. They had monuments dedicated to sun worship, and the very reality that "the day was darkened" served as a slap in the face to their gods, demonstrating that their idol - the sun - could neither help nor save them.
"When I break the yokes of Egypt there" - Egypt used to place yokes upon the surrounding nations. Every powerful king would levy taxes from the neighboring vassal states, and anyone who refused, he would wage war against them, take captives, and harm them; this is the yoke and hardship he imposed on his neighbors, as in the phrase, "and I broke the bars of your yoke." "And her arrogant might shall cease therein" - the pride of her power, which is the arrogance of Pharaoh: "Mine is my river, and I have made myself," "I do not know Hashem, nor will I let Israel go." Their way was marked by great pride, and that pride and strength will cease, in the sense of being put to an end. "As for her, a cloud shall cover her" - as we said, it will be a day of darkness for them.
"And her daughters shall go into captivity" - simply understood, this means they will take the daughters of the king, the daughters of Techaphneches, into captivity. But the Radak, as well as Rashi based on Targum Yonatan, explain that this refers to the inhabitants of the adjacent towns and villages, as in the Targum's rendering, "its villages" (kaphreneha). This is a common idiom in Tanach, as in "let the daughters of Judah rejoice," which does not mean the literal daughters of Judah, but the towns surrounding Judah. Here too, not only will Techaphneches fall, but also the dependent villages around it, which will certainly lack the strength to fight the enemies, and the enemies will easily take them and lead them into captivity.
וְעָשִׂיתִי שְׁפָטִים בְּמִצְרָיִם וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה׃ - "Thus I will execute judgments upon Egypt, and they shall know that I am Hashem."
Until now the prophecy spoke specifically about certain places, and now it states what will occur throughout all of Egypt. Through this, "and they shall know that I am Hashem" - they will recognize that Hashem spoke, and it came to be.
The Breaking of Pharaoh's Arm - and a Medical Lesson
וַיְהִי בְּאַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה בָּרִאשׁוֹן בְּשִׁבְעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ הָיָה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃ - "And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, that the word of Hashem came to me, saying:"
Metzudat David explains that the eleventh year is reckoned from the exile of Yehoyachin and the reign of Tzidkiyahu, and this is the year of the Destruction of the Temple. "In the first" - in the first month (Nissan).
בֶּן־אָדָם אֶת־זְרוֹעַ פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם שָׁבָרְתִּי וְהִנֵּה לֹא־חֻבְּשָׁה לָתֵת רְפֻאוֹת לָשׂוּם חִתּוּל לְחׇבְשָׁהּ לְחׇזְקָהּ לִתְפֹּשׂ בֶּחָרֶב׃ - "Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and behold, it has not been bound up to apply healing medicines, to put on a bandage to bind it up, to strengthen it to hold the sword."
The Malbim explains: In the days of Yehoyachin and Yehoyakim, I broke the arm of Pharaoh. Notice that it does not say "his arms," but rather "the arm" - only one arm was broken then, for already in the days of Yehoyachin, Hashem took from him up to the Euphrates River, which is one arm of his country, and conquered part of his land from him. And even though Pharaoh wanted to bind the fracture - meaning to repair the damage, reclaim what was taken from him, and regain his footing there - he did not succeed: "and behold, it has not been bound up" - it was not properly bandaged.
Here the Malbim gives us a brief lesson in medicine: To properly set and bandage a broken arm, one must first apply medications to the site of the fracture to draw out the clotted and coagulated blood; then place a soft wrapping, like cotton wool, to swaddle and wrap the area; and then bandage and bind tightly over the padding. For if you bind it tightly without padding, you could damage the arm and obstruct the blood circulation; and if you do not place a firm support to hold the fracture in place and immobilize it, the break will heal improperly or not at all, since the arm is in constant motion. And the Malbim notes: if one bandages a fracture without medication and without proper wrapping, even if the arm eventually heals, it will never again be fit for battle.
This is what is meant by the verse: "and behold, it has not been bound up to apply healing medicines, to put on a bandage" - it was not bandaged in the manner required for complete healing, where one must first apply medications and then a wrapping, "to bind it up, to strengthen it" - so that it would possess great strength, "to hold the sword" - so that the arm could once again wield the sword and function properly. In plain terms: although Pharaoh sought to reinforce his position by the Euphrates and reclaim what was taken from him, the bandaging did not succeed. His hand remained weak, and he could not grasp the sword or wage battle to recapture what had been seized from him.
Breaking Both Arms and the Scattering of Egypt
לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה הִנְנִי אֶל־פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם וְשָׁבַרְתִּי אֶת־זְרֹעֹתָיו אֶת־הַחֲזָקָה וְאֶת־הַנִּשְׁבָּרֶת וְהִפַּלְתִּי אֶת־הַחֶרֶב מִיָּדוֹ׃ - Therefore thus said the Lord Hashem: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and I will break his arms, the strong one and the broken one, and I will cause the sword to fall from his hand.
When I turn My attention to him, not only one arm will be broken, but both of his arms. "The broken one" - the arm that was already broken will be broken a second time. This occurred in the days of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, when Pharaoh ventured out of his land and fought by the Euphrates River, and in the very same place where his arm had already been broken, it was broken once again, fracture upon fracture. "And the strong one" - this refers to the land of Egypt itself, which was still the dominant arm that had suffered no break and retained its full strength and might. "And I will cause the sword to fall from his hand" - I will knock the sword out of the second hand as well.
וַהֲפִצוֹתִי אֶת־מִצְרַיִם בַּגּוֹיִם וְזֵרִיתִם בָּאֲרָצוֹת׃ - And I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and disperse them throughout the lands.
What is the difference between hafatzah (scattering) and zeriyah (dispersing)? Here Malbim merely provides a cross-reference, directing us back to chapter 12, verse 15. There he explained, based on the precision of Lashon HaKodesh, that there are no true synonyms in the Holy Tongue. Zeriyah always refers to something that is not joined together, as in "winnowed (zoreh) with shovel and fork," or "they were not pressed (zoru), nor bound up" - for when treating a wound, medicinal powders were sprinkled over it. From this, healing is called mazor, because remedies were sprinkled over the wound (just as iodine is applied today, or some put coffee on gushing blood - though that may not be the best medical advice). By contrast, hafatzah denotes shattering (niputz) of something unified, as in "like a potter's vessel you shall shatter them (tenaptzem)." The progression is always that first they are exiled to the surrounding nations, to nearby peoples, and afterwards Hashem scatters them to more distant lands. Therefore, the text states first, "And I will scatter (vahafitzoti) Egypt among the nations" - those immediately around it, for Egypt is still a single cohesive unit and a whole vessel that must be shattered; and afterwards, once they are already broken apart and separated, all that remains is to disperse them (zeritam) across distant lands, like chaff winnowed before the wind.
וְחִזַּקְתִּי אֶת־זְרֹעוֹת מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־חַרְבִּי בְּיָדוֹ וְשָׁבַרְתִּי אֶת־זְרֹעוֹת פַּרְעֹה וְנָאַק נַאֲקוֹת חָלָל לְפָנָיו׃ - And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword into his hand, and I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he will groan with the groans of a mortally wounded man before him.
This will take place in two wars that the king of Babylon will wage against him in his land, as noted at the beginning of the chapter regarding the phrase "a day is near, and near is a day for Hashem": "a day is near" refers to the immediate campaign, whereas "a day for Hashem is near" refers to the later one in Nebuchadnezzar's twenty-seventh year, which was near only in Hashem's sight. In the first campaign, Hashem strengthens the arms of the king of Babylon and he breaks Pharaoh's arms. "And he will groan with the groans of a mortally wounded man" - many casualties will fall from among his people. As Radak explained, the groan of a mortally wounded man (ne'akat chalal) is the sound a dying person makes when drawing his final breath, a wheezing sound emerging from the windpipe.
וְהַחֲזַקְתִּי אֶת־זְרֹעוֹת מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וּזְרֹעוֹת פַּרְעֹה תִּפֹּלְנָה וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה בְּתִתִּי חַרְבִּי בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וְנָטָה אוֹתָהּ אֶל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃ - And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and Pharaoh's arms shall fall; and they will know that I am Hashem when I place My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt.
וַהֲפִצוֹתִי אֶת־מִצְרַיִם בַּגּוֹיִם וְזֵרִיתִי אוֹתָם בָּאֲרָצוֹת וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה׃ - And I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands, and they will know that I am Hashem.
Here the prophet reiterates the final destruction of Egypt. One must understand why he repeats what was already stated in verse 23. Simply put, what was said earlier was the plan of action, whereas what is stated here is its actual execution. "And they will know that I am Hashem" - I am Hashem, faithful to render recompense. Egypt will receive its retribution for what it did to Israel: both historically, and for serving as a broken reed of a staff throughout the generations. They accepted tribute in exchange for coming to aid, protect, and deliver, but ultimately they failed to do so. Moreover, Egypt's mere existence offered the Jewish people an illusory source of trust and support. Thus, Egypt's continued presence served as a stumbling block for Israel, for instead of placing their trust in Hashem, they leaned on a power that purported to help them. A key reason for Egypt's downfall was precisely this.
In summary:
Chapter 30 reiterates and completes the prophecy of the tenth year concerning Egypt, declaring that a prophecy repeated will surely come to pass. The prophet depicts two days: the imminent day of destruction and the ultimate day of destruction that is "near for Hashem." One by one, Egypt's four pillars of security collapse: the nations supporting it fall, its dense populace is carried off, the Nile canals run dry, and the idols along with the prince at their head are cut off - until, in place of idol worship, the fear of Hashem fills their land. The destruction spreads progressively from Pathros, Zoan, and No, through Sin and Pi-beseth, to Tehaphnehes, where the day grows completely dark. Finally, both of Pharaoh's arms are broken - the "broken one" and the "strong one" - the sword falls from his hand and is placed into the hand of the king of Babylon, and Egypt is shattered and dispersed among the nations. The purpose of it all is one: "And they will know that I am Hashem" - that it be known that the word of Hashem endures forever, and that He is faithful to render recompense to a nation that was a staff of broken reed to Israel, leading them astray from trusting in Hashem alone.