Ezekiel 21

Ezekiel 21 ISRAEL’ S Chapter 21 opens with an explanation of the Parable of the Forest Fire that was related in the closing verses of the preceding chapter. To his parable Ezekiel adds a song about a sword (Ezekiel 21:8-17). This song becomes the springboard for two oracles dealing with the words of the king of Babylon (Ezekiel 21:18-27), and the sword that will one day fall upon Ammon (Ezekiel 21:28-32). THE PARABLE APPLIEDEze_21:1-4 The Lord’s Directive (Ezekiel 21:1-3 a): The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (Ezekiel 21:2) Son of man, Set your face toward Jerusalem. Preach toward the sanctuaries. Prophesy unto the land of Israel. (Ezekiel 21:3) Say to the land of Israel, Thus says the LORD: After an interval of undetermined duration, God granted the unspoken request of his prophet (Ezekiel 21:1). Ezekiel was told to set your face toward Jerusalem. The formula is explained in the subsequent clauses by the verbs preach and prophesy. The sanctuaries (high places?) and the land of Israel, as well as Jerusalem, are to be the target of his discourse. The Lord’s Announcement (Ezekiel 21:3-4) Announcement of hostility (Ezekiel 21:3 b): Behold, I am against you! Ezekiel was to announce that God had assumed a posture of hostility toward the land of Israel. Yahweh hurls at the nation the same challenge formula that he used in Ezekiel 13:8.

Announcement of unsheathing the sword (Ezekiel 21:3-4): I will bring out my sword from its sheath. I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked. (Ezekiel 21:4) Because I will cut off from you righteous and wicked, therefore my sword will go out from its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north. The divine sword of judgment (the fire in the parable) was about to come out of its sheath. Both wicked and righteous will be cut off. Ezekiel already had taught that as regards to final judgment, the righteous will not be destroyed with the wicked (ch 18). Of necessity, however, in temporal judgments the entire population of an area will be affected. Other peoples besides Israel will feel the effect of the sword of the Lord that at this point was wielded by the Chaldeans (Ezekiel 21:4). The Lord’s Exaltation (Ezekiel 21:5): All flesh will know that I the LORD have brought out my sword from its sheath. It will not return any more. Even the foreign nations will realize that they had experienced a divine judgment. The sword of the Lord will not return unto its sheath until the destructive work assigned to it was complete. AN ACTION PARABLE Ezekiel 21:6-7 Ezekiel’s Actions (Ezekiel 21:6): As for you, son of man, sigh. With the breaking of loins, and with bitterness you will sigh before their eyes. Ezekiel was deeply moved by this revelation. He was told not to hide his emotion. As in other instances (Ezekiel 4:4; Ezekiel 5:1-4), he was to dramatize in his own person the coming calamity. He was to assume the role of a mourner whose sighs were so deep that they seem to break his loins, i.e., he is to bend double as though smitten with great pain in the abdomen. This agonizing sigh was to be done before their eyes so as to provoke questions. Ezekiel’s Explanation (Ezekiel 21:7): It will come to pass when they say unto you: Why are you sighing? Then you will say: Because of the tidings, for it comes. Every heart will melt. and all hands will droop. Every spirit will be faint. All knees will drip water. Behold, it comes!

It will be done (oracle of the Lord GOD). When asked about his bitter sighing, Ezekiel was to explain that this was but an example of what all the exiles will do when they got the message from Jerusalem that the temple had been destroyed. The prophet, because of his special relationship to God, already had heard those tidings through revelation. Five years later all the exiles will hear that same message from someone who barely had escaped the fallen city. With the loss of the temple, all hopes of return to Jerusalem will be smashed.

Four expressions set forth the physical and psychological reaction to the news of Jerusalem’ s destruction: (1) every heart will melt; (2) all hands will be slack; (3) every spirit will be faint; and (4) all knees will drip with water, i.e., kidney functions could not be controlled. Nonetheless, that bad news was coming. When it came it will prove to be a true account of what had actually happened in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 21:7). SONG OF THE SWORD Ezekiel 21:8-17 What Ezekiel was to Say (Ezekiel 21:8-11) Beginning of the song (Ezekiel 21:8-10 a): The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (9) Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the LORD: Say: A sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished. (10) In order to make a great slaughter it is sharpened. In order that it might flash it is polished— or do we make mirth— The thought of the unsheathed sword in Ezekiel 21:3 gives rise to this present section. These lines may have been a common lament song sung in times of coming judgment. It is even possible that Ezekiel accompanied these words with some kind of sword-brandishing. The sword of the Lord is ready for action. Its dazzling brightness is added to its sharpness as a fresh element of terror. Interruption of the song (Ezekiel 21:10-11): the rod of my son, who rejects everything of wood. (Ezekiel 21:11) He gave it to be polished, to be seized by the hand. The sword, it is sharpened, and it is polished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. Ezekiel quickly broke off his sword song as he noticed the smiles on the faces of his auditors. Or do we make mirth?, he asked. Do you think I am joking about this whole matter? This sharpened and glittering sword is the rod of My son, i.e., the rod with which God’ s son Israel must now be disciplined. The nation had despised everything of wood, i.e., every former instrument of punishment (cf. Isaiah 10:5). God had given that sword to be polished, and then handed over to the executioner.What Ezekiel was to Do(Ezekiel 21:12-17) First gesture (Ezekiel 21:12-13): Cry out and wail, son of man; for it is against my people, it is against all the princes of Israel, those who are thrust down to the sword with my people. Therefore, smite upon the thigh. (13) For there is a trial! What if the despising scepter will be no more? (oracle of the Lord GOD). God called upon the prophet to take up a lament over the impending doom. He was to slap his thigh as a gesture of grief and despair. Even the princes of Judah will be thrust down, along with the common people, by the divine sword (Ezekiel 21:12). The trial of Judah had now come. During that trial, the scepter (Zedekiah), that despised the word and warning of God, will be no more. Judah will be left without a ruler (Ezekiel 21:13).

Second gesture (Ezekiel 21:14): As for you, son of man, prophesy. Smite your hands together. Let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of those to be slain, the sword of the great one who is to be slain that surrounds them. God directed Ezekiel to perform yet another gesture. He was to slap his hands together. This action indicated either lamentation, or the summons to the agent of destruction. Ezekiel was to brandish the sword with a double motion, backward and forward, three times. That sword of divine justice will slay many, even the great one, i.e., the king. From that sword there will be no escape, for it will surround them like a besieging army. Significance (Ezekiel 21:15): In order that their heart may melt, and their stumbling be multiplied, I have set the point of the sword. Ah! it is made to flash, it is sharpened for slaughter. The point of the sword of the Lord will be set at every gate of the city. It will cause consternation within and stumbling as the citizens attempt to escape that sword that glittered because of sharpening and furbishing. Address to the sword (Ezekiel 21:16-17): Unite yourself, go right, set yourself, go left! Where is your face set? (Ezekiel 21:17) I also will smite my hands together, and cause my wrath to rest; I the LORD have spoken it. God addresses the sword (king of Babylon) in Ezekiel 21:16. This agent of divine judgment is urged to make a decision as to which direction he will move, but to get on with the judgment (Ezekiel 21:16). It is, after all, Yahweh who had given that command with a gesture of supreme authority (clap my hands together). When the divine sentence had been executed against Judah, God’ s anger will be appeased. God had spoken. What he had said must come to pass. With these words the song of the sword ended. There followed another interval of silence (Ezekiel 21:17). SWORD OF THE KING OF BABYLON Ezekiel 21:18-27 Coming of the King of Babylon(Ezekiel 21:18-23): A diagram (Ezekiel 21:18-20): The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (19) Now as for you, son of man, make for yourself two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come. The two of them will come forth out of one land. Fashion it. (Ezekiel 21:20) You will make a way that the sword may come to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah in the fortress of Jerusalem. Ezekiel received a new revelation (Ezekiel 21:18) in which he was commanded to sketch a road that, at a certain point, branched in two directions. The road came forth out of one land, i.e., out of the land of Babylon. That was the road that God’ s divinely appointed sword— the king of Babylon— will travel.

At the crossroads the prophet was to draw, or perhaps cut out and place, a signpost (literally, a hand) pointing the way to the city, i.e., Jerusalem (v 19). The other branch in that road led to Rabbah Ammon (Ezekiel 21:20). A decision (21:21-22) Nebuchadnezzar’s divination (Ezekiel 21:21): For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to employ divination. He shakes the arrows, he inquires of the teraphim, he observes the liver. His props in place, Ezekiel was to depict the king of Babylon standing at that crossroads. He was attempting to discover, by means of pagan divination, which of those two routes to travel. Three forms of divination are mentioned. Shaking the arrows involved writing the names of the two objectives on arrows, shaking them up in the quiver, and drawing forth one of them.

The precise manner by which the small household gods called fraphim were used to receive oracular direction is unknown. Examining the color and markings of a liver from a sacrificial animal, however, is a well- known form of divination among the Babylonians, although this is the only place the custom is mentioned in the Scriptures. Results of the divination (Ezekiel 21:22): In his right hand is the divination of Jerusalem to set battering rams, to open the mouth for the slaughter, to lift the voice in a battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to construct mounds, to build siege forts. Ezekiel pictures Nebuchadnezzar drawing two arrows from the quiver. The one in the right hand had the name Jerusalem written on it. His pagan divination informed him that he was to employ every siege weapon to assault the city— battering rams to assault the walls and gates; mounds of earth and mobile forts from which to hurl missiles over the walls. As he attacked Jerusalem, his men will open the mouth for the slaughter, i.e., lift up their voices in blood­curdling battle cries designed to terrify the inhabitants of the city. Reaction in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 21:23): It will be unto them as false divination in their sight, who have sworn oaths unto them. But he brings iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken. To the men of Jerusalem, what Nebuchadnezzar had done was but vain divination. Still they lulled themselves into a false sense of security. They had escaped the king’ s wrath in the past by swearing oaths of allegiance to him. They were fully prepared to take such oaths again. This time, however, Nebuchadnezzar will come to settle the account with the rebels—he will bring iniquity to remembrance. This time they will be taken, i.e., seized by the invader. They will be either slain or be made prisoners (Ezekiel 21:23). Humiliation of the King of Judah (Ezekiel 21:24-27) Judah’s sin remembered (Ezekiel 21:24): Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have caused your iniquity to be remembered in that your transgressions have been uncovered, so that your sins appear in all your deeds; because you are remembered, you will be seized with the hand. The iniquity of Judah had forced, not only the king of Babylon, but the Lord himself to remember their iniquity. Their more recent transgressions had caused their former iniquities to be remembered before God. Because of their consistent record of willful disobedience, they will fall into the hand of the God of judgment. Judah’s king removed (Ezekiel 21:25-26 a): You, O profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, in the iniquity of the end; (Ezekiel 21:26) thus says the Lord GOD: The turban will be removed. The crown will be taken off. Things will be thrown into confusion. The lowly will be exalted. The high will be brought low. Zedekiah is addressed in v 25 as a profane and wicked prince.

This weak-kneed monarch had shown himself to be unfaithful both to his overlord Nebuchadnezzar, and to the God in whose name he had taken his vassal oath. Now his day had come. He had committed the iniquity that brought down punishment (Ezekiel 21:25). Zedekiah will lose the insignia of his rank. Things will be thrown into confusion. The rulers of Judah will be brought down and abased.

The humble citizens who heeded God’ s word will be exalted (Ezekiel 21:26). The honors offered Jeremiah after the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem might be an example of the exaltation of the humble (cf. Jeremiah 40:5 f.).

Judah’s monarchy ruined (Ezekiel 21:27): A ruin, a ruin, a ruin I have made it. This also will not be until he come whose right it is. I will give it to him. Following the removal of Zedekiah, Judah’s monarchy will be in utter ruin (emphasized by the threefold repetition of the noun). The monarchy will exist no more until he come whose right it is. There can be little doubt that this is a messianic prediction and a clear reference to Genesis 49:10. The kingly line will be overthrown and God’ s people will remain without a king until that one arose who had been anticipated throughout Old Testament history. When Messiah finally comes, the royal insignia is given to him. He will be “ the culmination of everything to which the Davidic house and the messianic kingship in Israel always have pointed." SWORD AGAINST AMMONEze_21:28-32 A Symbolic Action (Ezekiel 21:28-30 a): As for you, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the children of Ammon and their taunt, and say: O sword, keen-edged, furbished to the uttermost for slaughter that it may flash. (Ezekiel 21:29) While they see falsehood about you, while they divine lies regarding you, to lay you upon the necks of the wicked who will be slain, whose day has come, in the time of the iniquity of the end. (Ezekiel 21:30) Cause it to return to its sheath! Apparently Ezekiel again takes up his sword. He turns it against the Ammonites. They might have thought that they would escape the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar when Judah was invaded. However, the ones who had mocked when Judah had experienced earlier invasions by Nebuchadnezzar should not imagine that they will escape a similar fate. The sword of divine judgment was sharpened and polished to the uttermost, i.e., as much as it could receive, so as to be a terrifying and effective instrument of punishment (Ezekiel 21:28).

Ammonite soothsayers were envisioning peace and security for their kingdom. Such divination was false and unreliable. Ultimately Ammon will share the same fate as Jerusalem. Her slain will fall in heaps upon the necks of the wicked that are to be slain, i.e., upon the bodies of the Jews previously slain by Nebuchadnezzar. For them divine punishment has been decreed, and that punishment must certainly come (Ezekiel 21:29). At this point Ezekiel is commanded to return his symbolic sword to its sheath.

God’s Anger on Ammon (Ezekiel 21:30-32): In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you. (Ezekiel 21:31) I will pour out my wrath upon you. I will blow you with the fire of my wrath. I will give you into the hand of ruthless men, skillful destroyers. (Ezekiel 21:32) You will become fuel for the fire. Your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will not be remembered; for I the LORD have spoken it. The symbolic action performed by Ezekiel came to an end.

The execution of the judgment thereby predicted shortly will follow. God will judge Ammon on its own soil—the place where you were created (Ezekiel 21:30). God’ s anger against Ammon will grow ever more intense as does a flame blown by bellows. Ammonites could expect no mercy from the ruthless Babylonians into whose hands they were about to fall (Ezekiel 21:31). Judah will be carried into exile; but Ammon will be destroyed in the midst of their land. For Ammon there was no hope of restoration like that which Ezekiel portrays as Israel’ s future.

Ammon will pass into oblivion. Such was the final decree of the sovereign ruler of all nations (Ezekiel 21:32). Ezekiel Chapter Twenty-OneVerse 1 THE SONG OF THE SWORDThis chapter is called by many “The Song of the Sword.” Why? The word “sword” occurs no less than thirteen times in 32 verses, being repeated over and over again, doubled and thrice doubled in its significance. It is God’s explanation of the parable of the great forest fire just presented inEzekiel 20, which the stubborn sinners who heard it pretended not to understand. They certainly could not have missed the point of this explanation. It was the sword, the sword, the sword, the sword, etc. the sword sharpened, the sword polished, the sword swift as lightning, the sword of the Lord, but particularly the sword of Babylon the agent of God in his punishment of Israel. Ezekiel 21:1-7“And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel; and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith Jehovah; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north. And all flesh shall know that I, Jehovah, have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath; it shall not return any more. Sigh therefore, thou son of man; with the breaking of thy loins and with bitterness shalt thou sigh before their eyes. And it shall be when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt say, Because of the tidings, for it cometh; and every heart shalt melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and it shall be done, saith the Lord Jehovah.“The parable of the great fire is fully explained here. The South is Jerusalem; the field of the South is Palestine; the forest of the field of the South is the people; every green tree and every dry tree are references to the wicked and the righteous, both of whom are marked for destruction. The great fire stands for war, symbolized here as “the sword.” “Sigh, therefore, thou son of man …” (Ezekiel 21:6). We have frequently noted the behavior of God’s prophets who actually confirmed the predictive nature of their prophecies by their bizarre behavior at the time of giving the prophecy. Isaiah went barefoot for two years; Jeremiah wore an ox yoke to the king’s court; Micah screamed like a jackal and wallowed in the dirt; here Ezekiel sighed and manifested great grief as a man with a broken heart, provoking an inquiry from the people, as to what it all meant. This behavior is the complete and irrevocable refutation of nonsense that Ezekiel “might not have written this chapter."[1] No man would possibly have behaved in the manner indicated here concerning an event that had already happened. “With the breaking of thy loins …” (Ezekiel 21:5). The KJV and the Revised Standard Version are better here, reading “breaking of thy heart.” In ancient times the loins (kidneys) were thought to be the seat of the emotions, now said to be “in the heart,” not the physical heart, of course, but the brain, which is the seat of intelligence and the emotions. Verse 8 “And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah: Say, A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished; it is sharpened that it may make a slaughter; it is furbished that it may be as lightning: shall we then make mirth? the rod of my son, it contemneth every tree. And it is given to be furbished, that it may be handled: the sword, it is sharpened, yea, it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. Cry and wail, son of man; for it is upon my people, it is upon all the princes of Israel: they are delivered over to the sword with my people; smite therefore upon thy thigh. For there is a trial; and what if even the rod that contemneth shall be no more? saith the Lord Jehovah.“Bunn referred to this chapter as, “One of the most shocking and awesome passages”[2] in the Bible. “The rod of my son, it contemneth every tree …” (Ezekiel 21:10). “‘The rod of my son,.’ here, is the scepter of the House of David."[3] These words were spoken by the people who claimed not to fear the sword of punishment coming upon them, because the scepter of the House of David, whom God recognizes as his son, contemneth (despises) all other scepters as mere pieces of wood. “Cry and wail, son of man …” (Ezekiel 21:12). This behavior supplements that of Eze 21:6, such bizarre actions being for the purpose of getting attention, and also for the purpose of emphasizing the predictive nature of these prophecies. “Smite therefore upon thy thigh …” (Ezekiel 21:12). “This was done as an expression of grief."[4] Efforts have been made to view this as a demonstration of glee or delight on Ezekiel’s part; but that could not possibly fit into the context here. Both this gesture and the clapping of hands, mentioned later, were bona fide expressions of extreme grief, especially when accompanied by the crying and walling of the prophet. “What if the rod that contemneth shall be no more …” (Ezekiel 21:13)? This stops a little short of prophesying the end of the earthly house of David; but, in context, that is certainly the meaning of it. Verse 14 “Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thy hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the deadly wounded: it is the sword of the great one that is deadly wounded, which entereth into their chambers. I have set the threatening sword against all of their gates, that their hearts may melt, and their stumblings be multiplied: ah! it is made as lightning, it is pointed for slaughter. Gather thee together, go to the right, set thyself in array, go to the left, whithersoever thy face is set. I will also smite my hands together, and I will cause my wrath to rest; I, Jehovah, have spoken it.““Let the sword be doubled the third time …” (Ezekiel 21:14) “This shows the tremendous size and power of the sword coming against Jerusalem. All hope of escape was gone."[5]“It is the sword of the great one that is deadly wounded …” (Ezekiel 21:14) This is a reference to Zedekiah, the king of Judah. “The sword shall smite the king as well as all the people."[6]“Which entereth into their chambers …” (Ezekiel 21:14). This meant that the King of Babylon would enter the city of Jerusalem and have access to everything in it, even the house of the king. “I will also smite my hands together …” (Ezekiel 21:17). It is impossible for this to refer to any sadistic glee on God’s part over the destruction of his wicked people. Repeatedly, all of the prophets have assured us that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. This is another instance of where a misinterpretation can lead to serious error. Bunn, for example, toyed with the idea that “the clapping of hands” here was a sign of elation, approval, or delight. If he had properly understood the meaning of it in this context, he could never have said: These words almost depict Jehovah as a scheming, venal deity, who with deadly passion and sullen cruelty prepares for the total ravaging of his enemies."[7]This is a slander of the paragraph above where God is depicted as clapping his hands in deep grief over the fate of his Once Chosen People. Barlow properly understood the meaning of the clapping of the hands. “Smiting the hands together is an indication of violent grief."[8] The Biblical proof of this viewpoint is found inEzekiel 21:12 where the clapping of the hands is accompanied by the loud crying and wailing of the prophet. Verse 18 “The word of Jehovah came to me again, saying, Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; they twain shall come forth out of one land: and mark out a place, mark it out at the head of the way to the city. Thou shalt appoint a way to come to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah in Jerusalem the fortified. For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shook the arrows to and fro, he consulted the teraphim, he looked in the liver. In his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to cast up the mounds to build forts. And it shall be unto them a false divination in their sight, who have sworn oaths unto them; but he bringeth iniquity in remembrance, that they may be taken.““Appoint thee two ways …” (Ezekiel 21:18). These lines seem to be God’s explanation to Ezekiel of the meaning of that divination sought by Nebuchadnezzar, at the head of the two ways. “Damascus was the point at which the ancient trade routes separated."[9]“Mark out a place at the head of the way to the city …” (Ezekiel 21:19).

Since nothing is said of Ezekiel’s going all the way to Damascus, it could be that some crucial place on the road from Damascus to Jerusalem would be the place that Ezekiel was commanded to mark. In any case, the Jews did not believe it. The three types of divination which Nebuchadnezzar consulted were: (1) he placed two arrows in a quiver, one marked Ammon, the other Jerusalem. He shook them and poured them out; the Jerusalem arrow came out first. We do not know how (2) the teraphim and (3) the liver were consulted. This is the first passage in which the terrible sword of the Lord is also identified as the sword of the king of Babylon. “In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem …” (Ezekiel 21:22). This indicates that Nebuchadnezzar had reached into the bag with the arrows and pulled out the one marked Jerusalem, or that, after that arrow fell out, he picked it up with his right hand. In any case, it meant that Jerusalem would be attacked first. The whole verse, with its mention of battering rams, forts, the slaughter, the shouting, etc. “It shall be unto them as a false divination …” (Ezekiel 21:23). The remarkable thing in this verse is that the Jews themselves had depended upon such divinations, but now they refused to believe it. We believe that Ezekiel told the people of Nebuchadnezzar’s divination and the results of it, the information having come to the prophet by the direct revelation of God. “He will call to remembrance …” (Ezekiel 21:23). “This refers to Nebuchadnezzar, and the iniquity he will call to remembrance is the perjury and treason of the king of Israel, Zedekiah."[10]Verse 24 “Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the land. And then, O deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose day is come, in the time of the iniquity of the end, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Remove the mitre, and take off the crown; this shall be no more the same; exalt that which is low; and abase that which is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: this also shall be no more. UNTIL HE COME WHOSE RIGHT IT IS; and I will give it to him.“This is one of the key passages in the Bible. Here is announced the end of the earthly House of David. Zedekiah’s “day is come.” It is not merely the death of the king, but the end of the kingdom which is at hand. The mitre, standing for the high priest and the whole religious system, and the crown standing for the king and the nobility receive the sentence: “Remove them!” Take them off! “This (the kingdom) shall be no more.” “I will overturn, overturn, overturn.” (Ezekiel 21:26-27). UNTIL HE COME WHOSE RIGHT IT ISWe have no patience at all with alleged scholars who cannot find any reference here to the Messiah. Such scholars remind one of the “elders” in these two chapters who could not understand the parable of the Great Fire!. First, we call the reader’s attention to our discussion of the text in Genesis 49:10 (Vol. 1 of the Pentateuchal Series, pp. 566-569), to which there is a direct reference in Ezekiel 21:27, here. The old, outdated and discredited fulminations against this text by the radical critics, are gradually being replaced in this last quarter of the 20th century by the dependable words of many scholars. A few of these, we enclose here: “The only hope left to Judah in this passage was that the ultimate scepter of Judah,' the Messiah would yet come. When Judah was purified, the scepter, the Messiah’, would rule over his people (Ezekiel 21:27.)[11] … Ezekiel 21:27 indicates the overthrow of Zedekiah’s throne, the end of the Davidic kingdom until the coming of the Messiah.[12] … The one to whom this right belongs, and to whom God will give it, is the Messiah, of whom the prophets from the times of David and onward have prophesied as the founder and restorer of perfect right on earth.[13] … These verses prophesy the end of the monarchic succession and of the state, which are to be brought into ruin until the Messiah comes.[14] This echoes Genesis 49:10. “Until he comes, to whom it belongs” (Revised Standard Version) … The Jewish rabbis paraphrase this in a Messianic sense.[15] …

The promised king in Ezekiel 21:27 is the Son of David, the Messiah; thus the promise of Judah’s destruction here ends in a promised restoration, as in ch, 20:40.[16] … Here we have a cryptic reference back to Genesis 49:10, where is given the expectation of one to whom the right of kingship really belonged; he will be that one to whom everything in the House of David and the Messianic kingship have always pointed.[17] … These verses (26,27) express Ezekiel’s hope of a personal Messiah; there is an allusion here to Genesis 49:10.[18] … The Lord Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, was the true King of Judah.[19]Verse 28 “And thou, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach, and say thou, A sword, a sword is drawn, for the slaughter it is furbished, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning; while they see for thee false visions, while they divine lies unto thee, to lay thee upon the necks of the deadly wounded, whose day is come in the time of the iniquity of the end. Cause it to return unto its sheath. In the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy birth will I judge thee; I will blow upon thee with the fire of my wrath; and I will deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, skillful to destroy. Thou shalt be as fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I, Jehovah have spoken it.“This prophecy against Ammon has no promise of restoration. We have no certain word on just why Ammon was singled out here for this special oracle; but it might have pertained to the share they had in the murder of Gedaliah, by the hand of Ishmael.

Ezekiel 21:1

Ezekiel 21:1-2. The words set thy face toward Jerusalem wilt be understood by remembering that Ezekiel was in Babylon all the time he was writing, having been taken there at the time of Jehoiachtn’ s captivity. But the 3rd and final stage of the 70-year captivity had not taken place, hence Jerusalem was still standing and the last of its kings, Zedekiah, was yet on the throne as a subject king under the Babylonians. Because of all this, much of Ezekiel’ s writings was prophecy though its fulfillment was about due and the remaining Jews were being warned to be prepared.

Ezekiel 21:3

Ezekiel 21:3, This verse was directed against the land of Israel in general, though its principal application was to the city of Jerusalem which was the capital and which was yet standing as per the preceding paragraph. The righteous and wicked were to be cut oft in that all classes regardless of personal character had to share in the national downfall. It is a proper time again to read the note offered in connection with 2 Kings 22:17, volume 2 of this Commentary.

Ezekiel 21:4

Ezekiel 21:4. All flesh is to be understood in the light of righteous and wicked as explained in the preceding verse. My sword refers literally to the sword of the Babylonians, but is so designated because God was using that nation as his instrument for chastising his people.

Ezekiel 21:5

Ezekiel 21:5. All flesh and my sword are explained In the preceding verse.

Ezekiel 21:6

Ezekiel 21:6. Breaking of thy loins is figurative and means his entire being was to feel the bitterness of the conditions for which he was sighing.

Ezekiel 21:7

Ezekiel 21:7. The sighing described in the preceding verse was a form of “acting” which has been spoken of a number of limes, and it was for the purpose of making an impression upon the people. When they inquired the reason for the demonstration the prophet was to tell them it was because of the tidings. Of course that referred to the news of what was to come yet upon the city and the people remaining in it,

Ezekiel 21:8-9

Ezekiel 21:8-9. The same subject is indicated in this paragraph and it pertains to the sword of the Babylonians. To furbish means to polish the body of the blade and to sharpen would affect the edge. The idea is that. God would use the sword of the Babylonians and that it would have been put. in tbe best condition for use.

Ezekiel 21:10

Ezekiel 21:10. By furbishing the sword it would be caused to glitter, thus making an Impressive appearance in the sight of the victims, One use of a rod was as a scepter in ruling, but the scepter in the hands of my son (meaning Zedekiah still on the throne) was to be of no avail when the sword of the Babylonians came against it.

Ezekiel 21:11

Ezekiel 21:11. He hath given it to be furbished means that God had decreed that the sword of the Babylonians was to be effective in its work against Judah.

Ezekiel 21:12

Ezekiel 21:12. Cry and howl was for the same reason as “ sigh” in verse 6. The impending calamity about to come on Jerusalem will be great and bitter and the prophet was instructed to indicate it by his physical expressions. In ancient times many actions were done to indicate the feelings of a person. such as to smite upon the thigh.

Ezekiel 21:13

Ezekiel 21:13. Sword contemn (belittle) the rod means the sword of Babylon would overcome the authority of Zedekiah. See the comments on verse 10.

Ezekiel 21:14

Ezekiel 21:14. Sword be doubled is an emphatic way of describing the success of the sword of Babylon. It was destined to slay many of the great men in Jerusalem. Entereth private chambers indicates the thoroughness of the work of the Babylonian army.

Ezekiel 21:15

Ezekiel 21:15. I have set the point of the sword against all their gates denotes that God had given (he sword of the Babylonians the mission of attacking Jerusalem and her walls. There was to be no escaping from the attack since God was back of it.

Ezekiel 21:16

Ezekiel 21:16. The I/ord is still addressing himself to the prophet, and In some figurative way is going to describe his actions toward the people. One way or other is a figure and the meaning is that there will be no way of turning that will not see the dealing to be meted out under the decree of the Lord.

Ezekiel 21:17

Ezekiel 21:17. Smite mine hands has the same significance as “smite upon the thigh” in verse 12. God was very determined to carry out his fury on those who provoked it.

Ezekiel 21:18-19

Ezekiel 21:18-19, Two ways represents the king of Babylon in his march out of Babylon and coming to a point where two directions appeared before him. He is undecided as to which course to take but the prophet is told to choose it for him. We have learned that God takes a hand in the affairs of the nation (Daniel 2:21; Daniel 4:17), thus He will decide the present question for the king of Babylon. That decision will be that the Babylonian forces will be directed to follow up both ways since the numerous forces of Nebuchadnezzar would enable him thus to act.

Ezekiel 21:20

Ezekiel 21:20. This verse designates the two ways mentioned in the preceding paragraph, and shows they were to lead against the Ammonites and Judah For a detailed explanation of the part the Ammonites played in the plans of the Lord, see the comments on Jeremiah 49:1,

Ezekiel 21:21

Ezekiel 21:21. This verse deals with the state of uncertainty in the mind of the king of Babylon which was discussed at verse 19, Vse divination refers to the way the king was using to bring him to a decision as to which way to choose, when the Lord intervened and made the decision for him. Looking in the liver refers to an ancient superstition of consulting the interna] organs of various creatures in arriving at decisions. Myers’ Ancient History (page 344) says the following on this subject:

“From Etruria was introduced the art of the haruspiccs, or soothsayers, which consisted in discovering the will of the gods by the appearance of the entrails of victims slain for the sacrifices.”

Ezekiel 21:22

Ezekiel 21:22. On one hand the king of Babylon saw the indication that he should go against Jerusalem. He was to advance against the capital city of Judah with strong military equipment that could lay and execute a siege.

Ezekiel 21:23

Ezekiel 21:23. Be unto them, a false divination means the people of Jerusalem will at least pretend not to take the matter seriously. They will console themselves with the idea that the king of Babylon has been misled by false divination. But the Lord will remind them of their evil conduct and thus assure them that the so-called false divination will prove to be true, and that they (people of Jerusalem) may be taken, the Lord will carry out the results indicated by the signs.

Ezekiel 21:24

Ezekiel 21:24, The false security the people of Jerusalem had imagined for themselves was to be exposed. Their iniquity was not forgotten by the Lord and for that cause they were to be taken with the hand, meaning the hand of the Lord was in the work of the Babylonians in this final stage of the captivity.

Ezekiel 21:25

Ezekiel 21:25. This wicked prince was Zedekiah who was Still on the throne in Jerusalem, ruling under the authority of Babylon but that rule was soon to have an end.

Ezekiel 21:26

Ezekiel 21:26. A diadem is a band worn on the forehead of a ruler, and a crown is the article worn on the top of the head to signify his authority. Zedekiah was still wearing this crown at the present writing although his reign was about to close. Take off the crown was a prediction and an order. The prediction was that Zedekiah was soon to lose bis crown and that it would be by the decree of the Lord. Not be the same means the crown will not continue in the same line it has been enjoying as to its temporal scope. Ex alt and abase indicates a reversal of conditions regarding the government of God’ s people.

Ezekiel 21:27

Ezekiel 21:27. To overturn means to overthrow and the threefold use of the word indicates emphasis. The antecedent of it is “crown” in the preceding verse and it is the thing God was about to overthrow. With the downfall of Zedekiah and Jerusalem the final stage of the 70-year captivity will be accomplished and Nebuchadnezzar will not leave any other man on the throne of Judah. Such is the significance of the words shall be no more. However, while the throne of Judah as a temporal kingdom was never again to be, yet something else was to take its place which Is introduced by the word until.

Following up with the subject thus Introduced by tbe word until the Lord declared a person would come whose right it is, meaning it would be his right to have the throne, and when that person comes God will give it him. That great person is Christ and he Is the same person predicted in Genesis 49:10. This last passage together with our present verse makes the important prediction that Zedekiah was to be the last king ever to reign over Judah until Christ (the Shiloh of Gen 49:10) came, and then He would reign as a spiritual king.

Ezekiel 21:28

Ezekiel 21:28. The place of the Ammonites of the transactions of the Lord has been described, and the reader may see it in fuller detail at Jeremiah 49:1.

Ezekiel 21:29

Ezekiel 21:29. The gist of this verse is that there were false prophets among the Ammonites as well as in Judah, They gave their people false assurances of peace, and their predictions seemed plausible because Nebuchadnezzar was seen to direct his course toward Judah and that would seem to remove any threat to other places.

Ezekiel 21:30

Ezekiel 21:30. The question is asked of Ammon if he thought that God would withhold the sword just because the diviners had predicted It so. The question was then answered in the negative and the Ammonites were warned of judgment in their own land.

Ezekiel 21:31

Ezekiel 21:31. The threatening continues and the Ammonites are notified that their judgment will be like a fire. The judgment will be executed by the services of other heathen armies whom the lord designates as brutish men.

Ezekiel 21:32

Ezekiel 21:32. The Are threatened is largely figurative and refers to the heat of God’ s wrath. That heat was to be poured out against the Ammonites in the form of destruction in battle, conducted by the forces acting as an agency of God.