In Ezekiel 29, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Ezekiel, foretelling the judgment of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord declared that He was against Pharaoh and would bring a devastating judgment upon Egypt. Egypt had been a proud nation, boasting of its power and claiming that the Nile River belonged to them, but the Lord would humble them.
The judgment against Egypt was twofold: first, the land would be laid waste and desolate for forty years. The Lord would scatter the Egyptians among the nations, causing them to be a despised people. Second, the Lord would give Egypt as a spoil to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and his army. They would plunder Egypt and its wealth, rewarding their soldiers for their labor.
This judgment served as a lesson for Egypt and the nations around them, that they might know the Lord is God. The Lord promised to restore the fortunes of Egypt after the forty years of desolation. In that restoration, Egypt would no longer be a powerful nation, but a lowly kingdom, never again exalting itself above the other nations.