21:2
Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, a
and drop [thy word] toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of
Israel,
(a) Speak sensibly, that all may understand.
21:3 And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the
LORD; Behold, I [am] against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of its
sheath, and will cut off from thee the b
righteous and the wicked.
(b) That is such which seem to have an outward
show of righteousness by observation of the ceremonies of the law.
21:4 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the
righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth from its sheath
against all flesh from the south to the c
north:
(c) Meaning, through all the land.
21:6 Sigh therefore, thou son
of man, with breaking d heart; and with
bitterness sigh before their eyes.
(d) As though you were in extreme anguish.
21:7 And it shall be, when they say to thee, Why
sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, e
For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands
shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak [as]
water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.
(e) Because of the great noise of the army of the
Chaldeans.
21:10
It is sharpened to make a grievous slaughter; it is polished that it may f
glitter: should we then make mirth? it despiseth the g
rod of my son, h [as] every tree.
(f) And so cause fear.
(g) Meaning, the sceptre showing that it will not
spare the king, who would be as the son of God, and in his place.
(h) That is, the rest of the people.
21:11 And he hath given it to be polished, that it
may be handled: the sword is sharpened, and it is polished, to give it into the
hand of the i slayer.
(i) That is, to the army of the Chaldeans.
21:12 Cry and wail, son of man: for it shall be
upon my people, it [shall be] upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason
of the sword shall be upon my people: k
smite therefore upon [thy] thigh.
21:13 Because [it is] a trial, l
and what if [the sword] despise even the rod? it shall be no [more], saith the
Lord GOD.
(l) Ezekiel moved with compassion thus complains
fearing the destruction of the kingdom which God had confirmed to David and
his posterity by promise, which promise God performed although here it seemed
to man's eye that it would utterly perish.
21:14 Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and
smite m [thy] hands together, and let
the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it [is] the sword
of the great [men that are] slain, which entereth into their private chambers.
(m) That is, encourage the sword.
21:16 Go thee n
one way or other, [either] on the right hand, [or] on the left, wherever thy
face [is] set.
(n) Provide for yourself: for you will see
God's plague of all parts on this country.
21:19
Also, thou son of man, mark o two ways,
that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both [ways] shall come forth
from one land: and choose thou a place, choose [it] at the head of the way to
the city.
(o) This was spoken because when Nebuchadnezzar
came against Judah his purpose was also to go against the Ammonites, but
doubting in the way which enterprise to undertake first he consulted with his
soothsayers and so went against Judah.
21:20 Mark a way, that the sword may come to
Rabbah of the Ammonites, and p to Judah
in Jerusalem the fortified.
(p) That is, to the tribe of Judah that kept
themselves in Jerusalem.
21:21 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting
of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made [his] arrows
bright, he consulted with images, he looked in r
the liver.
(r) He used conjuring and sorcery.
21:23 And it shall be to
them s as a false divination in their
sight, to them that have sworn oaths: t
but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.
(s) Because there was a league between the Jews
and the Babylonians, they of Jerusalem will think nothing less than that this
thing would come to pass.
(t) That is, Nebuchadnezzar will remember the
rebellion of Zedekiah, and so come on them.
21:25 And thou, profane
wicked u prince of Israel, whose day is
come, when iniquity [shall have] an end,
(u) Meaning, Zedekiah who practised with the
Egyptians to make himself high and able to resist the Babylonians.
21:26 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the x
diadem, and take off the crown: this [shall] not [be] the same: exalt [him that
is] low, and abase [him that is] high.
(x) Some refer this to the priest's attire: for
Jehozadak the priest went into captivity with the king.
21:27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and
it shall be no [more], until he y cometh
whose right it is; and I will give it [him].
(y) That is, to the coming of Messiah: for though
the Jews had some sign of government later under the Persians, Greeks and
Romans, yet this restitution was not till Christ's coming and at length
would be accomplished as was promised, (Genesis
49:10).
21:29 While they see z
vanity to thee, while they divine a lie to thee, to bring thee upon the necks of
[them that are] slain, of the wicked, whose day is come, when their iniquity
[shall have] an end.
(z) Though the Jews and Ammonites would not
believe that you, that is the sword, would come upon them, and said that the
prophets who threatened spoke lies, yet you will as surely come as though you
were already on their necks.
Ezekiel 21 Bible Commentary
The Geneva Study Bible
(a) Speak sensibly, that all may understand.
21:3 And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I [am] against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from thee the b righteous and the wicked.
(b) That is such which seem to have an outward show of righteousness by observation of the ceremonies of the law.
21:4 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth from its sheath against all flesh from the south to the c north:
(c) Meaning, through all the land.
21:6 Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with breaking d heart; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.
(d) As though you were in extreme anguish.
21:7 And it shall be, when they say to thee, Why sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, e For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak [as] water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.
(e) Because of the great noise of the army of the Chaldeans.
21:10 It is sharpened to make a grievous slaughter; it is polished that it may f glitter: should we then make mirth? it despiseth the g rod of my son, h [as] every tree.
(f) And so cause fear.
(g) Meaning, the sceptre showing that it will not spare the king, who would be as the son of God, and in his place.
(h) That is, the rest of the people.
21:11 And he hath given it to be polished, that it may be handled: the sword is sharpened, and it is polished, to give it into the hand of the i slayer.
(i) That is, to the army of the Chaldeans.
21:12 Cry and wail, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it [shall be] upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: k smite therefore upon [thy] thigh.
(k) Read (Ezekiel 6:11).
21:13 Because [it is] a trial, l and what if [the sword] despise even the rod? it shall be no [more], saith the Lord GOD.
(l) Ezekiel moved with compassion thus complains fearing the destruction of the kingdom which God had confirmed to David and his posterity by promise, which promise God performed although here it seemed to man's eye that it would utterly perish.
21:14 Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite m [thy] hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it [is] the sword of the great [men that are] slain, which entereth into their private chambers.
(m) That is, encourage the sword.
21:16 Go thee n one way or other, [either] on the right hand, [or] on the left, wherever thy face [is] set.
(n) Provide for yourself: for you will see God's plague of all parts on this country.
21:19 Also, thou son of man, mark o two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both [ways] shall come forth from one land: and choose thou a place, choose [it] at the head of the way to the city.
(o) This was spoken because when Nebuchadnezzar came against Judah his purpose was also to go against the Ammonites, but doubting in the way which enterprise to undertake first he consulted with his soothsayers and so went against Judah.
21:20 Mark a way, that the sword may come to Rabbah of the Ammonites, and p to Judah in Jerusalem the fortified.
(p) That is, to the tribe of Judah that kept themselves in Jerusalem.
21:21 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made [his] arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in r the liver.
(r) He used conjuring and sorcery.
21:23 And it shall be to them s as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: t but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.
(s) Because there was a league between the Jews and the Babylonians, they of Jerusalem will think nothing less than that this thing would come to pass.
(t) That is, Nebuchadnezzar will remember the rebellion of Zedekiah, and so come on them.
21:25 And thou, profane wicked u prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity [shall have] an end,
(u) Meaning, Zedekiah who practised with the Egyptians to make himself high and able to resist the Babylonians.
21:26 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the x diadem, and take off the crown: this [shall] not [be] the same: exalt [him that is] low, and abase [him that is] high.
(x) Some refer this to the priest's attire: for Jehozadak the priest went into captivity with the king.
21:27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no [more], until he y cometh whose right it is; and I will give it [him].
(y) That is, to the coming of Messiah: for though the Jews had some sign of government later under the Persians, Greeks and Romans, yet this restitution was not till Christ's coming and at length would be accomplished as was promised, (Genesis 49:10).
21:29 While they see z vanity to thee, while they divine a lie to thee, to bring thee upon the necks of [them that are] slain, of the wicked, whose day is come, when their iniquity [shall have] an end.
(z) Though the Jews and Ammonites would not believe that you, that is the sword, would come upon them, and said that the prophets who threatened spoke lies, yet you will as surely come as though you were already on their necks.