John Gill Commentary Ezekiel 30:15

"And I will pour my wrath upon Sin, the stronghold of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No." — Ezekiel 30:15 (ASV)

And I will pour out my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt, &c.] Either the city Sais, as the Septuagint and Arabic versions; or rather Pelusium, as the Vulgate Latin version, so called from "pelos" which signifies "clay" in the Greek language; and the same "Sin" signifies in the Chaldee, (Psalms 18:43), and as now called Tineh, from (Nyj), "clay".

It had a very fine haven, and may be called the strength of Egypt, it lying at the entrance of it; and having a strong fortified tower, it was difficult to enter into it; but could not stand before the wrath and fury of the Lord of hosts, when he sent the Chaldeans to it.

It is thought by some to be the same with Pithom, built by the first of the pastor kings of Egypt, and fortified by him, (Exodus 1:11). According to Manetho^F26, he put into it a garrison of two hundred and forty thousand men; and the same writer says it contained ten thousand acres of land. According to Adrichomius^F1, it was two and a half miles in compass, and near it was a vast hollow, which extended to Mount Cassius, and which made the way into Egypt on that side difficult; and is now, as he says, called "campus de Gallo"; in which he is mistaken, as well as Thevenot, and others, who take it to be the same with Damieta.

And I will cut off the multitude of No; the numerous inhabitants of it; hence called "populous No", (Nahum 3:8), or "Hamon No"; (See Gill on Ezekiel 30:14). Here, as before observed, the Septuagint version renders it Memphis; as does also the Arabic version. Some take it, as before, to be the Egyptian Thebes, where was a temple dedicated to Jupiter Hammon; and which city, Pausanias^F2 says, was reduced to nothing in his time.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F26: Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. l. 1. c. 14.
• F1: Theatrum Terrae Sanctae, p. 122, 123.
• F2: Arcadica, sive l. 8. p. 509. Vid. Juvenal. Satyr. 15. ver. 6.