יחזקאל, פרק כ״ט, פסוק י״ג

Following severe prophecies of destruction, a surprising message of restoration emerges for Egypt. Unlike other nations whose downfalls were absolute and permanent, Egypt faces a punishment with a strict time limit [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. God promises to gather the scattered Egyptians and bring them back to their land. However, this return is not a gradual process. The gathering will occur only after a full and complete forty years of exile have passed, without any early return during that period [מצודת דוד].

The timeline for this forty-year exile begins in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, which marks the exact year of Egypt's destruction. Nebuchadnezzar continued to rule for another eighteen years, followed by Evil-Merodach, who reigned for twenty-two years. Together, the reigns of these two kings span exactly forty years. Right after this period, during the first year of Belshazzar, the Persian empire began to rise. It was at this historical turning point that the Egyptian exiles finally started to gather and return [מלבי״ם].

As God gathers them from the various nations where they were scattered, the Egyptians will be brought back to their original homeland, the land of Pathros. Yet, this restoration comes with a permanent change in their status. Upon returning, they will be re-established not as a mighty empire, but as a low and humble kingdom [צאינה וראינה].