Bible Commentaries
Ezekiel 25

Verse 1

General remarks. The writing against the people of Judah is now interrupted and for several chapters the prophet will give God’s judgments against some heathen nations. The next time he writes concerning Judah it will be chiefly of a reassuring tone. But before taking up that line it will be appropriate to publish the Lord's denunciations against these foreign peoples because they had been so hostile against His people. It will be well, therefore, to regard these chapters as an interval in the general book of Ezekiel, and the comments will he made an if the several chapters were an independent document. It will also be seen that the chapters in this interval are not always chronological as to dates. We will now study the chapters as they come. Eze 25:1-2. Set thy face is a figurative way of telling Ezekiel to prophesy against the Ammonites. These people were distantly related to Judah but had been hostile against them and were considered their enemies.

Verse 3

Eze 25:3. God has always been jealous of his own people and would tolerate no rejoicing when they met with any misfortune. This verse explains why Ezekiel was told to set his face against the Ammonites. They had said aha when the land of Israel was made desolate and when the temple was defiled by strangers. That is an expression of derision and Indicates a feeling of rejoicing over the misfortunes of God’s people.

Verse 4

Eze 25:4. East is defined in Smith’s Bible Dictionary as referring to the lands lying immediately eastward of Palestine namely, Arabia, Mesopotamia and Babylonia. The men of the east, therefore, means the people of those territories who -were to come against the Ammonites, destroy their buildings and consume their products.

Verse 5

Eze 25:5. Kabbah was the chief city of the Ammonites, and it would he a reproach to have it reduced to a stabling place for the beasts of service. The people in general were destined to become a couch ingplace or place for resting for the flocks.

Verse 6

Eze 25:6. The bodily acts described were condemned because they were done in a tone of rejoicing over Judah’s experiences. With all thy despite means they had a feeling of contempt for God’s people.

Verse 7

Eze 25:7. I will stretch out mine hand indicates that God would be the cause of the defeat coming upon the Ammonites. That people was a heathen nation, itself, but tlie word is used in the general sense and the prediction meant that another nation was to be used as an instrument of the Lord for the purpose of chastisement

Verse 8

Eze 25:8. Moab and Seir were two countries bordering against each other and joined In their belittling of Judah, which was bound to bring down the wrath of God upon them.

Verse 9

Eze 25:9. Open the side means the Lord decreed a general attack upon these people, beginning with the frontier cities named in this verse.

Verse 10

Eze 25:10. Verse 4 threatened the Ammonites with invasion by the men of the east and the lands of Moab and Seir are here destined to meet the same fate.

Verse 11

Eze 25:11. The primary motive of all these instances of chastisement is stated, which was that people would know that I am the Lord.

Verse 12

Eze 25:12. The Edomites were indirectly referred to in verse 8 where Seir (“Edom was called Mount Seir and Idumea,"-Smith's Bible Dictionary) and Moab are included in the same prediction. In the present verse they are considered as a separate people.

Verse 13

Eze 25:13. When God decrees that one nation shall come against another, that is regarded as the work of His hand. Teman and Dedan were districts in the Edomite country located in opposite directions from each other. The last clause of the verse means that the slaying of their men would take place from one of these sections to the other.

Verse 14

Eze 25:14. Sometimes the Lord chastises one heathen nation by the services of another, but in the case of the Edomites it was to be accomplished by the hand of my people Israel. In performing this service they would he manifesting the vengeance of God. (See Rom 12:19; 2Co 7:11.)

Verse 15

Eze 25:15. The Philistines were a People who lived near the Mediterranean Sea, With a despiteful heart means to do something “for spite,” and these people were charged with that in their dealings with God’s People. Old hatred. According to the lexicon the first word may be defined either by “old" or "perpetual,” The history shows that either definition may apply, Tor the hatred of the Philistines against the Israelites was con-tinually manifested from the beginning of their residence in Palestine and that would make it old, -

Verse 16

Eze 25:16. The Cherethtms were lifeguards according to Smith’s Bible Dictionary and the lexicon of Strong agrees with it. Doubtless they were employed by the Philistines to serve and support them against the people of God. The present prediction threatened to take this support from them as a punishment for their hateful conduct.

Verse 17

Eze 25:17. Again the chief purpose of God in his chastisements of evil nations is stated, and it is that they shall know that I am the Lord.