21 In that day will I cause a horn to bud forth to the house of Israel, and I will give you the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am Yahweh.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
Egypt being the antagonist of the people of God, her overthrow inaugurated the triumph of good over evil.
The horn - Or, "an horn to bud forth to the house of Israel."
I will give thee the opening of the mouth - When these things should begin to come to pass the prophet's mouth should be opened to declare their meaning, and to make known the end to which all was tending.
Will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud - This may refer generally to the restoration; but particularly to Zerubbabel, who became one of the leaders of the people from Babylon. Or it may respect Daniel, or Mordecai, or Jeconiah, who, about this time, was brought out of prison by Evil-merodach, and afterwards kindly treated.
In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth,.... Not at the time of Egypt's destruction, unless it can be thought that this refers to the advancement of Daniel in the court of Babylon; or to the taking of Jehoiachin out of prison, and setting his throne above the rest of the kings; which events came to pass a little after this: but rather this respects the time of Egypt's restoration forty years after, when Cyrus came to the throne, and proclaimed liberty to the Jews to return to their own land, and build their city and temple, under the government of Zerubbabel their prince: besides, it may not be limited to either of these times, but may regard the famous day, when the kingdom of Israel, in a spiritual sense, should flourish under the Messiah, the Horn of salvation, and Branch of David, often promised to bud forth, and was fulfilled in Jesus, Psalm 132:17. The Targum is,
"in that day will I bring redemption to the house of Israel.''
And I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; in prophecy among them, as the Targum; who after this, might deliver other prophecies, though we have no account of them; or he should have boldness and courage when he and they should see his prophecies fulfilled, by which it would appear that he was a true prophet of the Lord:
and they shall know that I am the Lord; who sent the prophet, and from whom he had these prophecies, and by whom they were fulfilled.
In the evil only, not in the good, was Egypt to be parallel to Israel. The very downfall of Egypt will be the signal for the rise of Israel, because of God's covenant with the latter.
I cause the horn of . . . Israel to bud-- (Psalm 132:17). I will cause its ancient glory to revive: an earnest of Israel's full glory under Messiah, the son of David (Luke 1:69). Even in Babylon an earnest was given of this in Daniel (Daniel 6:2) and Jeconiah (Jeremiah 52:31).
I will give thee . . . opening of . . . mouth--When thy predictions shall have come to pass, thy words henceforth shall be more heeded (compare Ezekiel 24:27).
Two distinct messages: (1) At Ezekiel 30:1-9, a repetition of Ezekiel. 29:1-16, with fuller details of lifelike distinctness. The date is probably not long after that mentioned in Ezekiel 29:17, on the eve of Nebuchadnezzar's march against Egypt after subjugating Tyre. (2) A vision relating directly to Pharaoh and the overthrow of his kingdom; communicated at an earlier date, the seventh of the first month of the eleventh year. Not a year after the date in Ezekiel 29:1, and three months before the taking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.
The horn - Jehoiakim, who was then advanced by Evil - Merodach. The opening of the mouth - Thou shalt have liberty, to open thy mouth in comforting the good among them, and to give praise to God.
*More commentary available at chapter level.