Bible Commentaries
Ezekiel 21

Verse 2

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.

Verse 3

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.

Verse 4

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.

Verse 6

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.

Verse 7

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.

Verse 10

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.

Verse 11

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.

Verse 12

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 .

Verse 13

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.

Verse 14

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.

Verse 16

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.

Verse 19

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.

Verse 20

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.

Verse 21

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.

Verse 23

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.

Verse 25

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.

Verse 26

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.

Verse 27

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 .

Verse 29

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.