יחזקאל, פרק ל״ב, פסוק ל״א

Deep in the underworld, the mighty ruler of Egypt encounters the fallen warriors of other nations. As the deposed king surveys the ruin of his own massive forces, the sight of these defeated foreign armies offers him a grim sense of comfort.

The primary approach among commentators is that this reaction is deeply psychological. It is human nature to find a measure of relief in shared tragedy. When Pharaoh sees these other nations cast down in disgrace and killed by the sword, he realizes they have met the exact same fate as him and his army. This shared doom brings him comfort over the loss of his own masses [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A different perspective suggests that this comfort stems from historical pride and prestige rather than shared misery. Because Pharaoh initiated the military campaign, the fallen enemy soldiers are viewed as having been struck down by his own weapons. Consequently, the entire war and its ultimate victory are attributed to his name. Earning this lasting historical legacy is what consoles him for the heavy casualties within his own camp [מלבי״ם].

Taking a completely different path, another interpretation shifts the focus away from a standard description of punishment in the afterlife, placing the entire prophecy in the End of Days. In this view, the nations Pharaoh observes in the underworld symbolize the Christian empires. Pharaoh is comforted by their downfall because he witnesses God enacting revenge upon them. This prophecy is part of a much larger vision of future apocalyptic wars that will take place between Christian and Ishmaelite forces, fought across both land and sea. These global conflicts will ultimately culminate in the destruction of the city of Rome and the arrival of the Messiah from the line of Joseph, followed by the Messiah from the line of David [אברבנאל].