Albert Barnes Commentary


Albert Barnes Commentary
"The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword; and these [cities] shall go into captivity." — Ezekiel 30:17 (ASV)
Aven - The same as “On” (Genesis 41:45), or “Heliopolis.” The word “Aven” also means “transgression” . Some have thought that here too Ezekiel substituted the word “Aven” for “On” to mark the “sin” of idolatry then prevalent there.
Pi-beseth - The Bubastis of Herodotus. The hieroglyphic name is “Pe-bast,” the house of Bast (the Egyptian Artemis, the cat-headed goddess). Bubastis was situated on the easternmost, Pelusian, branch of the Delta. The road from Pelusium to Memphis lay through Bubastis and On. In the days of Herodotus, Bubastis was the seat of one of the chief annual festivals of the Egyptians. The Persians took the town and razed the walls. The ruins bear the modern name Tel-Basta.