יחזקאל, פרק ל׳, פסוק י״ח

The fall of the Egyptian empire reaches a dramatic climax as war strikes the very heart of the kingdom, extinguishing its power and pride. The collapse centers on Tahpanhes, a major Egyptian city and the seat of Pharaoh's palace [מלבי״ם, אברבנאל]. As the city falls, a profound darkness descends upon the day. Commentators largely understand this darkness as a metaphor for the sheer intensity of the suffering and distress [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אברבנאל], creating a feeling that daylight itself has been entirely withheld and removed [מצודת ציון, רד״ק, מנחת שי, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Others view it as a literal darkness brought upon the daytime hours [רד״ק, מנחת שי]. This fading light reflects a gradual process of imperial decline that began with the onset of the war and culminates in absolute darkness with the capture of Tahpanhes [מלבי״ם].

The root of this darkness lies in the breaking of Egypt's power. The primary approach among commentators is that this broken strength represents the oppressive yoke of rule that Egypt forced upon other nations, which God now shatters [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, רד״ק, מלבי״ם]. Another perspective suggests that the broken staffs symbolize the collapse of Egypt's own internal pillars of support and foundational strength [ביאור שטיינזלץ, רד״ק]. With this collapse, the powerful Egyptian government is dismantled, and the magnificent pride of Pharaoh is completely destroyed [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם]. Offering a unique geographical interpretation, [אברבנאל] suggests that rather than a general loss of strength, the destruction of pride refers specifically to the nearby city of Gaza, which will also see its arrogance brought to an end.

The ruin of the city is further portrayed as being covered by a heavy cloud of distress [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This cloud serves as a metaphor for the enemy king and his massive military camp, sweeping in to blanket the entire land until absolute destruction is achieved [רד״ק, מלבי״ם]. In the aftermath of this invasion, the city's daughters are led into captivity. While some take this literally to mean that the women of the city will be taken as captives [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל], others explain that these daughters represent the unwalled villages and rural towns surrounding the central district of Tahpanhes. Lacking defensive walls and the military strength to repel the enemy army, the residents of these vulnerable outskirts are the ones who will be carried away into exile [רש״י, רד״ק].