· Translation: KJV

Ezekiel 29:20I have given him the land of Egypt as his recompense for which he served, because they worked for me, says the Lord Yahweh.

The setting

Babylon, ~571 BC. Ezekiel receives God's oracle about Nebuchadnezzar's 13-year siege of Tyre ending. Modern-day Iraq.

The emotion here: awe at recording God's sovereign payment system

The original word

pe'ullah (פְּעֻלָּה) — wages or reward for labor, like a day laborer's pay

Why it matters

Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre for 13 years but gained little wealth from the rubble

Read with care

What most readers miss in Ezekiel 29:20

God is literally paying Nebuchadnezzar wages for doing God's work of judgment

Common misconceptionPeople think this is about eternal rewards, but it's about God literally compensating a pagan king for military service on God's behalf.

Bible Genome reading

Ezekiel 29:20 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerGod
EraExile
Primary emotionworship
Literary typeprophecy
MarkPromise of God
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power50%
Quotability70%
Memorability80%
Crisis relevance50%
Standalone60%
Themes:divine justicerewardservice

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Ezekiel 29

Ezekiel 29:20 comes from the book of Ezekiel, written during the Exile period. These words are attributed to God. The dominant emotion in this verse is worship, with a comfort power of 50% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine justice, reward, service. Notable phrases: given him as his recompense; they worked for me. This verse contains a promise of God. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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