Ethiopia, Lybia, and Lydia
Or, "Cush, Phut, and Lud". Cush and Phut were both sons of Ham, from whom Egypt is sometimes called the land of Ham; and Lud or Ludim was the son of Mizraim, the son of Ham, the common name of Egypt in Scripture, ( Genesis 10:6 Genesis 10:13 ) . Cush is by us rendered Ethiopia; and is thought by some to be a part of Arabia, which lay near to Egypt. Phut and Lud are properly enough rendered Lybia and Lydia; and both these, with Ethiopia, are represented as the allies and confederates of Egypt, ( Jeremiah 46:9 ) . And all the mingled people;
the Syriac version renders it, "all Arabia": and so Symmachus, according to Jerom; though others think they are the Carians, Ionians, and other Greeks, which Pharaohapries got together to fight with Amasis F7: and "Chub"; or "Cub"; the inhabitants of this piece are thought to be the Cobii of Ptolemy F8, who dwelt in Mareotis, a country of Egypt; though some, by a change of a letter, would have them to be the Nubians, a people in Africa; and so the Arabic version here reads it. Of these Strabo F9 says, on the left of the stream of the Nile dwell the Nubians, a large nation in Lybia; and which he afterwards mentions along with the Troglodytes, Blemmyes, Megabarians, and Ethiopians, that dwell above Syene: and so Ptolemy F11 speaks of them along with the Megabarians, and as inhabiting to the west of the Avalites: and Pliny F12 calls them Nubian Ethiopians, whom he places near the Nile: and a late traveller F13 in those parts informs us that the confines of Egypt and Nubia are about eight miles above the first cataract (of the Nile); Nubia begins at the villages of Ellkalabsche, and of Teffa; the first is to the east of the Nile, and the second to the west. And the men of the land that is in league shall fall with them by the
sword;
all the nations above mentioned, with whomsoever should be found that were confederates with Egypt, should share the same fate with them. The Septuagint render it, "and those of the children of my covenant"; as if the Jews were meant that were in Egypt, who are sometimes called "the children of the covenant", and of "the promise", ( Acts 3:25 ) ( Romans 9:8 ) , and so some interpret the place; but it takes in all the allies of Egypt, and does not design the Jews, at least not them only.