Thus saith the Lord God, I will make the multitude of Egypt to cease,.... The vast numbers of people that inhabited Egypt; some of its cities were very populous, especially the city No, after mentioned; but now the numbers should be greatly lessened, and the whole land sadly depopulated: or the "noise" , "tumult", and hurry of it; which is very great where there are large numbers of people, and which ceases when they are cut off.
The Syriac version renders it, the riches of Egypt. Now the instrument God would make use of to do all this is mentioned by name, as follows,by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; the then greatest monarch in the world.