Ezekielchapter 21

A.Sigh with a broken heart before their eyesvv. 1-7

1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel 3 and tell her that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am against you, and I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. 4 Because I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north. 5 Then all flesh will know that I, the LORD, have taken My sword from its sheath, not to return it again.’ 6 But you, son of man, groan! Groan before their eyes with a broken heart and bitter grief. 7 And when they ask, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you are to say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, and every hand will go limp. Every spirit will faint, and every knee will turn to water.’ Yes, it is coming and it will surely happen, declares the Lord GOD.”

B.The song of the sword, sharpened and polishedvv. 8-17

8 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 9 “Son of man, prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord says: ‘A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished— 10 it is sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we rejoice in the scepter of My son? The sword despises every such stick. 11 The sword is appointed to be polished, to be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened and polished, to be placed in the hand of the slayer. 12 Cry out and wail, O son of man, for the sword is wielded against My people; it is against all the princes of Israel! They are tossed to the sword with My people; therefore strike your thigh. 13 Surely testing will come! And what if even the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue?’ declares the Lord GOD. 14 ‘So then, son of man, prophesy and strike your hands together. Let the sword strike two times, even three. It is a sword that slays, a sword of great slaughter closing in on every side! 15 So that their hearts may melt and many may stumble, I have appointed at all their gates a sword for slaughter. Yes, it is ready to flash like lightning; it is drawn for slaughter. 16 Slash to the right; set your blade to the left—wherever your blade is directed. 17 I too will strike My hands together, and I will satisfy My wrath.’ I, the LORD, have spoken.”

C.Babylon's king casting lots at the fork in the roadvv. 18-27

18 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 19 “Now you, son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same land. And make a signpost where the road branches off to each city. 20 Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites, and another against Judah into fortified Jerusalem. 21 For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He shakes the arrows, he consults the idols, he examines the liver. 22 In his right hand appears the portent for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to call for the slaughter, to lift a battle cry, to direct the battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp, and to erect a siege wall. 23 It will seem like a false omen to the eyes of those who have sworn allegiance to him, but it will draw attention to their guilt and take them captive. 24 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your deeds—because you have come to remembrance—you shall be taken in hand. 25 And you, O profane and wicked prince of Israel, the day has come for your final punishment.’ 26 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are: Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted. 27 A ruin, a ruin, I will make it a ruin! And it will not be restored until the arrival of Him to whom it belongs, to whom I have assigned the right of judgment.’

D.A sword drawn against the Ammonites toovv. 28-32

28 Now prophesy, son of man, and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt: ‘A sword! A sword is drawn for slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning— 29 while they offer false visions for you and lying divinations about you—to be placed on the necks of the wicked who are slain, whose day has come, the time of their final punishment. 30 Return the sword to its sheath! In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you. 31 I will pour out My anger upon you; I will breathe the fire of My fury against you; I will hand you over to brutal men, skilled in destruction. 32 You will be fuel for the fire. Your blood will stain your own land. You will not be remembered, for I, the LORD, have spoken.’”

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Chapter summary

The song of the sword.

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The song of the sword. Jehovah draws his sword out of its sheath against the righteous and the wicked alike, from the south to the north, and the prophet is told to sigh with the breaking of his loins. The sword is sharpened and furbished, given into the hand of the slayer. Then a startling scene: the king of Babylon halts at the parting of the ways to divine (shaking arrows, consulting teraphim, looking at the liver) and the lot falls on Jerusalem. The crown is taken off: 'I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: this also shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him' (21:27). Then the sword against Ammon.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament.

Context

Prophecy · Ezekiel — Ezekiel overview

A. 1–7 Sigh with a broken heart before their eyes
B. 8–17 The song of the sword, sharpened and polished
C. 18–27 Babylon's king casting lots at the fork in the road
D. 28–32 A sword drawn against the Ammonites too

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

Ezekiel 2111 verses
- Ezekiel 21:3and tell her that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am against you, and I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.
- Ezekiel 21:6But you, son of man, groan! Groan before their eyes with a broken heart and bitter grief.
- Ezekiel 21:9“Son of man, prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord says: ‘A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished—
- Ezekiel 21:10it is sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we rejoice in the scepter of My son? The sword despises every such stick.
- Ezekiel 21:14‘So then, son of man, prophesy and strike your hands together. Let the sword strike two times, even three. It is a sword that slays, a sword of great slaughter closing in on every side!
- Ezekiel 21:19“Now you, son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same land. And make a signpost where the road branches off to each city.
- Read Ezekiel 21: 5 more there →
Ezekiel 43 verses
- Ezekiel 4:1“Now you, son of man, take a brick, place it before you, and draw on it the city of Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 4:2Then lay siege against it: Construct a siege wall, build a ramp to it, set up camps against it, and place battering rams around it on all sides.
- Ezekiel 4:7You must turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it.
- Read Ezekiel 4 →
Ezekiel 223 verses
- Ezekiel 22:13Now look, I strike My hands together against your unjust gain and against the blood you have shed in your midst.
- Ezekiel 22:24“Son of man, say to her, ‘In the day of indignation, you are a land that has not been cleansed, upon which no rain has fallen.’
- Ezekiel 22:28Her prophets whitewash these deeds by false visions and lying divinations, saying, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken.
- Read Ezekiel 22 →
Ezekiel 202 verses
- Ezekiel 20:46“Son of man, set your face toward the south, preach against it, and prophesy against the forest of the Negev.
- Ezekiel 20:47Say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: I am about to ignite in you a fire, and it will devour all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by it every face from south to north will be scorched.
- Read Ezekiel 20 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Ezekiel 252 verses
- Ezekiel 25:2“Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them.
- Ezekiel 25:10I will give it along with the Ammonites as a possession to the people of the East, so that the Ammonites will no longer be remembered among the nations.
- Read Ezekiel 25 →
Ezekiel 52 verses
- Ezekiel 5:8Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I Myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations.
- Ezekiel 5:13And when My anger is spent and I have vented My wrath against them, I will be appeased. And when I have spent My wrath on them, they will know that I, the LORD, in My zeal have spoken.
- Read Ezekiel 5 →
Ezekiel 72 verses
- Ezekiel 7:2“O son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says to the land of Israel: ‘The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.
- Ezekiel 7:17Every hand will go limp, and every knee will turn to water.
- Read Ezekiel 7 →
Nahum 12 verses
- Nahum 1:6Who can withstand His indignation? Who can endure His burning anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; even rocks are shattered before Him.
- Nahum 1:9Whatever you plot against the LORD, He will bring to an end. Affliction will not rise up a second time.
- Read Nahum 1 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.