Egypt
Also in Русский · Українська
Also known as Pharaoh · antitypical Egypt · Egypt in Ezekiel
Egypt as a prophetic type: the world and the empire of sin under Russell, Satan's organization and then Big Business on land under Rutherford, then his whole visible organization, and again this world from the 1940s.
- Ex. 12
- Isa. 31:1
- Ezek. 29-32
Key moments
- 1891 Introduced Egypt is the world of mankind and the empire of sin, the dominion of death. To go down to Egypt is to look to the world for help.
- 1924–1925 Refined Egypt is still the world, now said to carry on without God. Its firstborn are the ruling class: the religious, commercial, and political powers.
- 1929–1932 Refined The government of Egypt pictures Satan's organization, and Pharaoh pictures Satan. God's people were sent into Egypt, that is, into the world.
- 1932 Narrowed In the Ezekiel commentary Egypt is narrowed to Satan's commercial organization on land: Big Business, set over against Tyre on the sea.
- 1933–1935 Broadened The land-commerce reading is widened again: Egypt pictures Satan's whole visible organization, commercial, political and religious, and in the exodus picture Egypt is simply the world.
- 1942–1960 Broadened Antitypical Egypt is again this present evil world, the modern world, from which God's people are said to have been called out.
Russell
Charles Taze Russell · 1877–1916
-
Egypt is the world of mankind and the empire of sin, the dominion of death. To go down to Egypt is to look to the world for help.
2 quotes
Egypt is recognized as a symbol or type of the world of mankind, full of vain philosophies, which only darken their understandings, but ignorant of the true light. As Israel typified the world which shall be delivered from the bondage of Sin by the great antitype of Moses, and whose sin-offering has been given by the antitype of Aaron, so Egypt represents the empire of Sin, the dominion of death, which for so long has held in chains of slavery many who will be glad to go forth to serve the Lord under the leadership of one like unto but greater than Moses.
Thy Kingdom Come, 1891 Woe unto them that go down to Egypt [to the world] for help [for worldly ideas and plans, and for counsel as to how they should act in the crisis of this great day].
Thy Kingdom Come, 1891
Rutherford
Joseph F. Rutherford · 1917–1942
-
Egypt is still the world, now said to carry on without God. Its firstborn are the ruling class: the religious, commercial, and political powers.
3 quotes
The deliverance of Israel, God's chosen people, from Egypt represents also the deliverance of God's human sons from the bondage of all the powers of evil.
The Watchtower, January 1, 1924 Egypt represents the world carrying on without God. It has sheltered God’s people as well as oppressed them ; for Abraham went there in time of famine, and so did Jacob and Israel. Indeed, the nation of Israel may be said to have been born in Egypt (Exodus 1: 7), and it is to their deliverance that Hosea makes reference.
The Watchtower, June 1, 1924 The first-born of Egypt represented the ruling class. The first-born expected to carry into futurity their fathers' institutions. Since Satan is the god of this world and rulers are his representatives, it follows then that the first-born of Egypt pictured "the shepherds and the principal of their flock", made up of the three elements which constitute the ruling powers of this world.
The Watchtower, March 15, 1925 -
The government of Egypt pictures Satan's organization, and Pharaoh pictures Satan. God's people were sent into Egypt, that is, into the world.
2 quotes
Long centuries before that memorable fourteenth day of the first month, God’s chosen people Israel were residing in Egypt. They were being greatly oppressed by the ruler of Egypt. The government of Egypt pictured Satan’s organization, while the ruler of Egypt represented Satan himself. Hearing the cries of his people because of the oppression, God sent his servant Moses to Egypt to be the deliverer of the Israelites. Moses was accompanied by Aaron.
The Watchtower, March 1, 1929 The Devil built Egypt, and Pharaoh represented the Devil. God sent his chosen people to Egypt, that is to say, into the world or the Devil's organization.
The Watchtower, June 1, 1932 -
In the Ezekiel commentary Egypt is narrowed to Satan's commercial organization on land: Big Business, set over against Tyre on the sea.
2 quotes
He uses Egypt to picture the commerce or Big Business that exploits the people and controls the trade of the world by land.
Vindication, Book Two, 1932 The princes and supporters in this prophecy picture the chief ones in Satan’s visible organization. Tyre represents the commercial factor of Satan’s organization that dominates the sea. Egypt represents Satan’s commercial organization that dominates the land. Satan’s organization commercial, from the viewpoint of the sea and land, constitutes Big Business that controls the world. The seventh world power, as the indisputable facts show, dominates the seas.
Vindication, Book Two, 1932 -
The land-commerce reading is widened again: Egypt pictures Satan's whole visible organization, commercial, political and religious, and in the exodus picture Egypt is simply the world.
2 quotes
The prophecy, therefore, must refer to the antitypes of these countries, because those countries suffered defeat prior to the time of Zechariah’s prophecy. In the prophecy Edom or Idumea pictures the “wicked servant” class, the “man of sin”, “the son of perdition”; Egypt pictures Satan’s visible organization, made up of the commercial, political and religious elements; and Ethiopia represents the hireling military strong-arm squad. All of these shall fall at Armageddon, and Jehovah’s forces are moving into position for the attack.
The Watchtower, September 1, 1933 The Philistines had been brought out of Egypt and into the land of Palestine; thus they pictured a people who outwardly appeared to have come out of the world, as Egypt pictured the world.
The Watchtower, November 1, 1935
Knorr
Nathan H. Knorr · 1942–1977
-
Antitypical Egypt is again this present evil world, the modern world, from which God's people are said to have been called out.
4 quotes
Those who come into relationship with God by devoting themselves to him through Christ to do God's will have been oppressed by this present evil world, symbolized by Egypt.
The Watchtower, August 15, 1942 In that noteworthy year, 1929, and after seven plagues of stinging truth had been poured out upon "Christendom" by Jehovah's remnant during the seven years of 1922-1928, he revealed to them how great deliverance he had wrought for them from antitypical Egypt, this world.
The Watchtower, March 15, 1945 In these last days the Great Shepherd, by the hand of the Right Shepherd, Christ Jesus, and operating through his "faithful and discreet slave" class, has led his spiritual flock out of antitypical Egypt, the modern world.
The Watchtower, March 15, 1958 Jehovah's original congregation, Israel, was called out of Egypt in the year 1513 B.C. His Christian congregation began to be called out of antitypical Egypt, the "world," A.D. 33.
The Watchtower, September 15, 1960 -
In the Cold War application of Daniel 11:42–43, Egypt was read symbolically as the world over which the Communist king of the north sought dominance, including neutral and Western-aligned nations. This records that dated prophetic application, distinct from literal modern Egypt.
1 quote
Since Jesus Christ the Lord was actually put to death at Jerusalem in Judea, he could have been impaled in “Egypt” only in the spiritual sense that Egypt symbolized this world of which Jesus said that he and his faithful followers were no part. (Luke 13:33, 34; John 15:18, 19; 17:14-16) It is this world in which the Communist king is bent on winning the dominant position.
“Your Will Be Done on Earth” (1958), discussion of Daniel 11:42–43, par. 65
Franz
Frederick W. Franz · 1977–1992
No statement filed for this period.
Governing Body
1992–
-
The symbolic Egypt of Revelation 11:8 and Isaiah 19 was again identified with Satan’s world. The altar and pillar were related to the anointed Christians’ sacrifices and witness within that world, retaining the standing world-system interpretation.
1 quote
As at Revelation 11:8, "Egypt" is symbol of Satan's world. The "altar to Jehovah" reminds us of the acceptable sacrifices made by anointed Christians while they are temporary residents in this world. (Romans 12:1; Hebrews 13:15, 16) The pillar "beside [Egypt's] boundary" points to the congregation of anointed Christians, which is "a pillar and support of the truth" and which stands as a witness in "Egypt," the world that they are about to leave.
The Watchtower, January 1, 2000, pp. 6–11, Serving With the Watchman, par. 17
Thank you!
Your suggestion has been sent. New topics are added as they are researched.