“No human foot
Shall pass through Egypt.
No animal foot
Shall pass through it.
It shall be uninhabited
Forty years.
I will make
The land of Egypt
A desolation
Among desolated countries.
Her cities shall be
A desolation
Forty years
Among cities
That are laid waste.
I will scatter
The Egyptians
Among the nations.
I will disperse them
Among the countries.”
Yahweh, via Ezekiel, said that no humans or animals would set foot in Egypt, because it was going to be uninhabited for 40 years. Thus the 40 years was similar to the 40 years in the wilderness for the Israelites. Egypt was going to be a land of desolation among desolated countries since her cities would be laid waste for 40 years. The Egyptians would also be scattered and dispersed among the various nations and countries. Actually the Persians took over Egypt in 525 BCE.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 