Ezekiel Chapter 21: A Bible Commentary By Charles R. Sabo

Ezekiel: A Bible Commentary

?

?????????????????????????????????????????? ???Chapter 21

Because this chapter is the response to Ezekiel’s cry to the Lord for an explanation of the last five verses of chapter 20, those five verses should have been included in chapter 21.

The time was running out for Jerusalem, as the Lord more urgently addressed them. The sword of the Lord was to be pulled out of the Babylonian’s sheath, as He was to use His godly servant King Nebuchadnezzar to rule over all nations (21:3-15). The oath that had been broken, which was mentioned in 17:13-19, was brought to attention here in this chapter (21:23-24). The oath can be read of within (Jer. 38:17-18, 2 Chron. 36:13). Ezekiel was commanded to appoint the way (path) which King Nebuchadnezzar would bring his conquest. Though many want to deny that King Nebuchadnezzar was a godly man, we will find that this king was converted by the Lord (Dan. 4), then schooled by the prophet Daniel. The Babylonian king brought his captains to be believers (Jer. 39:13-14), along with him. They served the Lord and did all that He had commanded.

While Ezekiel was to appoint a way, he was to come to a divide in the road and cause one path to travel to Jerusalem, while the other went to Rabbath, Ammon. Nebuchadnezzar was to assign his captains, send them down both paths at the same time, while he remained in Riblah (2 Kgs. 25:6). At the same time Jerusalem was being besieged and destroyed, the city of Rabbath was given the same fate (21:28-32).

Ezekiel 21:1 And the word of the?Lord?came unto me, saying, This chapter is the response to verse 20:49, when Ezekiel prayed to the Lord: “Ah Lord?God! They say of me, ‘Does He not speak parables?’” The English translators have mistranslated the Hebrew verb “hāya” as a Niphal perfect verb, when the manuscript is actually inflected as a Qal imperfect verb; the conjunction “and” was added to this. This should be an ongoing action, which would be a continuation of God’s word immediately after Ezekiel’s prayer to the Lord in 20:49. Proper translation of this verse should say: “the word of the?Lord?continued unto me, saying,”

Ezekiel 21:2 Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and drop your word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, The metaphor “set your face” was again being used here. In the past, God had spoken through other prophets using this expression. (Lev. 17:10; 20:3-6; 26:17, 1 Kings 2:15, 17, Ps. 41:12, Is. 50:7, Jer. 21:10; 44:11, 12) The expression typically means “to focus.” To avoid redundancy, the translators used the verb “drop” for the Hebrew verb “nā?ap?,” which means: “to drop, drip, distil, prophesy, preach, discourse.” I like the use of “preach your words,” or just “preach,” since the translators added “your word” to this.

Ezekiel was commanded to focus toward the city of Jerusalem, and preach toward the holy places, and to prophesy against the land of Israel. The noun expression “holy places” was not directed towards the Temple and sanctuary of God, but the sacred places of the pagans of Jerusalem. The Hebrew noun “miqdā?” also means “sacred places.” The context of this chapter was against the green trees and dry trees. (see commentary on 20:47) To prophesy against the land of Israel was not a curse against the literal land, but against the green trees and dry trees throughout the entire land of Israel.?

Ezekiel 21:3 And say to the land of Israel, “Thus says the?Lord; Behold, I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked.” This verse can be alarming at first, if you do not know the Lord God personally. He does not kill the righteous; the righteous may be innocent victims of certain evils, but never does God place wrath on the righteous. The translators should not have used the English verb “cut off,” for the Hebrew verb “kāra?,” but should have used “take away.” The Lord was going to have the Babylonian’s swords to destroy all wicked from the entire land of Israel, while taking away with them the righteous (or those who may have future righteous offspring) into captivity. By the Lord God implying that the sword was His (My sword), while the sheath (Babylonian’s sheath) being drawn out from was “his sheath,” implies that the Babylonians were doing the will of God. Therefore, the entire land was to be made vacant of the wicked and the righteous, during the Av 9, 587 B.C. siege and destruction of Jerusalem.

In Jeremiah 40:6-7, we can find that there was a remnant left behind by the Babylonians to tend to the land. This caused others that were scattered to come back to the land, and accumulate with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom King Nebuchadnezzar had appointed as governor. If you follow the story in Jeremiah, all left behind (still alive after the battle in Jer. 41) fled to Egypt out of fear of the Babylonians. Jeremiah warned them that if they went to Egypt, the Lord will not protect them from them dying horrific deaths (Jer. 44:27-30).?

2?Thus says the?Lord?of hosts, the God of Israel; You have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwells therein, (Jer. 44:2)?

Ezekiel 21:4 Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: The translators should not have used the English verb “cut off,” for the Hebrew verb “kāra?,” but should have used “take away.” Please remember that Ezekiel was prophesying against the land of Israel (21:2). King Nebuchadnezzar had taken away a remnant back to those along the Chebar River (Ezek. 14:22-23). He took them away from the land of Israel, meanwhile the sword of the Lord (my sword) was the same sword pulled out of every Babylonian sheath (his sheath); He slayed all flesh from the north to the south. This reflects back to what was implied in 20:46-47. The fact that there was a remnant left behind is mute, when Jeremiah confirmed that they had all fled the land in fear, in order to live under the Pharaoh of Egypt (Jer. 43:5-6); the Lord finished this judgment as he had promised, when they died by the sword in Egypt. “And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and you shall know that I am the?Lord, when I set my face against them.” (Ezek. 15:7) The remnant, that had been left behind in Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar, were taken unwillingly to Egypt (including Jeremiah and Baruch [Jer. 43:5-6]), where they were allowed to remain living in Egypt by the Lord.

Ezekiel 21:5 That all flesh may know that I the?Lord?have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more. We know, from hindsight, that the Lord drew His sword again from the sheath of the Romans in A.D. 70; the disclosure here it specific to the Lord’s sword being pulled out of the Babylonian’s sheath; this is prophetic to the point that God did not bring King Nebuchadnezzar back to Jerusalem anymore; this was after he had been there several times (4 times [2 Kings 24:1, 2, 11-13; 25:1]) in twenty years (606-587 B.C.). The sword of the Babylonians was not sent back to Jerusalem (it shall not return anymore), because Jerusalem laid desolate, until King Cyrus of Persia made his declaration and sent the Jews back to rebuild the city and Temple (2 Chron. 36:22-23).

Ezekiel 21:6 Sigh therefore, son of man, with the breaking of your loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes. Because of the sadness and sighing within Ezekiel’s heart, the Lord commanded him to sigh before the eyes of the captives. His sigh was to be that of pains used in the figurative sense (breaking of your loins) and with the bitterness felt within his heart. This begins a role-play act, which the captives would then ask him why he was sighing.

Ezekiel 21:7 And it shall be, when they say unto you, “Wherefore you sigh?” That you shall answer, “For the tidings; because it comes: 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 comes, and shall be brought to pass, says the Lord?God.” After being told to sigh in front of the captives along the Chebar River, Ezekiel was instructed what to answer, if asked: “Wherefore you sigh?” The response back from Ezekiel was quite long, while he was to use imagery of the coming siege and destruction of Jerusalem. The imagery was focused on how each person would feel, when they would witness the Babylonians killing and destroying. ?

1)???and every heart shall melt---The inflected Hebrew verb “māsas” was inflected as a Niphal participle, which is defined as: “wasted, worthless.” Melt is good imagery used, but the literal meaning is wasted and worthless. (see Josh. 2:11, Is. 19:1, Nah. 2:10)

2)??all hands shall be feeble---English translators used the adverb/adjective “feeble,” when Ezekiel used a Qal perfect verb “rāp?a,” which is defined as: “to sink down, to drop, to relax.” The verb expression “shall be feeble” is a very adequate translation. (see Is. 13:7, Jer. 47:3, Ezek. 7:17)

3)??every spirit shall faint---The Hebrew Piel perfect verb “kāha” means: “to faint, grow weak, grow faint.” Every human has body, soul, and spirit. The spirit will live eternally, either with God, or condemned to the Lake of Fire eternally. The faint spirit is weakened from hopelessness and despair. (see Ps. 142:3)

4)??all knees shall be weak as water--- When faced with inferiority towards a ruling force, men will find their hands tremble and hang down to their side, thus being feeble. The same can be described of that same person’s knees that lose their strength to support their body. In the translation of this phrase: “knees weak as water,” it has been implied that the expression indicates that the person is so scared, that they urinate water to their feet. (see Ezek. 7:17)

Yes, this was and is a scare tactic of God; He would rather scare a person before the promised event were to happen, so that repentance is what they would choose. These tidings of bad news were painful for Ezekiel to hear about, so God took advantage of Ezekiel sighs and used them for the presentation of fear (behold, it comes, and shall be brought to pass, says the Lord?God).

?Ezekiel 21:8 Again the word of the?Lord?came unto me, saying, The English translators have mistranslated the Hebrew verb “hāya” as a Niphal perfect verb, when the manuscript is actually inflected as a Qal imperfect verb; the conjunction “Again” was added to this incorrectly. This should be an ongoing action, which would be a continuation of God’s word immediately after Ezekiel’s statement in verse 21:7. Proper translation of this verse should say: “The word of the?Lord?continued unto me, saying,”

Ezekiel 21:9 Son of man, prophesy, and say, “Thus says the?Lord; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:” Though the Hebrew manuscript redundantly has the Hebrew verb “'āmar” (say) listed before the statement, it was already said before, when God commanded “and say.” Ezekiel was not supposed to recite the command “say” to his audience. I blame the presence of this, within the Hebrew manuscript, as a scribal error of insertion. Ezekiel was supposed to say: “A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished,”

The Hebrew verb “māra?” is translated as “furbished,” but in the modern English “māra?” actually means: “to scour, polish.” Modern English would be: “A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also polished.” The Lord had implied that He was ready to bring in the Babylonians; when the battle was to be prepared for, the Babylonians definitely sharpened and polished their swords for battle. The reason for polishing the sword, was to bring a glimmer to them, which would be used by the Lord to bring His light upon them. ?

Ezekiel 21:10 It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemns the rod of my son, as every tree.

????????????????????????māra?=?furbished=polished

???????????????????????????= mirth=rejoice

????????????????????????mā'as= contemns=to reject

?????????????????????????ē?e?= rod=scepter

It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is polished that it may glitter: Should we then rejoice? It rejects the scepter of my son, as every tree (20:47).

The question being asked here, is rhetorical and points to the self-righteousness of the people of Judah. The Lord God asked the captives and inhabitants of Judah if they should be joyful, if the sword of the Babylonians will not show favoritism towards the scepter of Judah (Gen. 49:10). God refers to Israel as His first-born son in Exodus 4:22, as well as Hosea 11:1. The swords will not show favoritism, when they would slay every green tree and every dry tree (20:47) in the entire land of Israel.

Ezekiel 21:11 And he has given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. This verse quite simply implied that the Babylonian’s swords were given to them by the Lord, and they were sharpened and polished ready for the hand of the slayer.

Ezekiel 21:12 Cry and howl, 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: smite therefore upon your thigh. Ezekiel was commanded to cry and howl for his people, because he is not only showing his own remorse, but God’s as well. The pronoun “it” refers to the sword of the previous verses. The sword shall be upon God’s people and upon all of the princes of Judah. God implied that terrors would be upon His people (21:7), by reason of the sharpened and polished swords of the Babylonians.

Smiting the thigh was one method by which the Jews expressed deep sorrow in a time of mourning. “Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.” (Jer. 31:19)

Ezekiel 21:13 Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? It shall be no more, says the Lord?God. The Lord asked a question, which may have been asked concerning this judgment against Judah. Because it is a trial, what if the sword rejects even the scepter of Judah? The Lord asked the question concerning the scepter of Judah, because Jerusalem had been accustomed to the princes and kings coming from the bloodline of Judah (Gen. 49:10). The Lord answered with a shocking answer: “It shall be no more.” And so it happened, King Zedekiah was the last king of Israel to come from the bloodline of Judah. The return of the Judeans from Israel, was never crowned a king of the bloodline of David ever since. The Messiah was to still be coming, because God already had David’s bloodline in the captivity in Babylon (2 Sam. 7:12-17, Zech. 4:6-9, Lk. 3:27).

Ezekiel 21:14 You therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite your 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 enters into their privy chambers. Ezekiel (son of man) was commanded to smite his hands together, which was to be an imitation of the Lord smiting His own hands together within 21:17. The translators used the English verb in the past tense, as if it was a finished action. The inflected Hebrew verb “kāp?al” is written in the manuscript as Niphal imperfect, which is an ongoing action. In the Niphal form, the verb means: “double over.” Because it is ongoing, it should be referred to as “be doubling over.” The expression then can be read as: “and let the sword be doubling over the third time.” The sword would be doubling over on the third time that it (the sword) marches into Jerusalem.?

If we refer to 21:19-20, we can be clued in on what is meant by “doubling over.” Ezekiel was commanded to appoint a way through Rabbath of the Ammonites, and into Jerusalem. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was going to be going through the city of Rabbah, in addition to Jerusalem. The sword of the slain is the sword of the great men of war.

The translators chose “privy chambers,” which makes this quite ambiguous. They added an additional “?ā?ar” before the pronoun “their,” which is not in the original manuscript. The original manuscript only has: ????????????????, which is “?ā?ar lahém.”?The preposition “lahém” (??????) is defined as: “to them.” (see Ex. 6:3). The Hebrew verb “?ā?ar” is inflected as verb Qal participle and is defined as: “to encompass, surround, enclose.” The last clause should be a modifier of the pronoun “it” which refers back to “the sword.” It is the sword that surrounds them (great men). The last sentence should be read as: “it is the sword of the great men that are slain, that surrounds them.” God had implied that it was their swords that surrounds them, when they were slain, or their own men used swords against one another, which kept them restrained.

Ezekiel 21:15?I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! it is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter. Once again, we are focused on the sword, as we were in the previous verse. The translators used the English noun “point” for the Hebrew noun “'i??a,” which actually means: “slaughter.” “I have set the slaughter of the sword against all their gates,”

The English translators have inserted the noun “ruins” for the Hebrew noun “mi???l,” which actually means: “stumbling.” “that their heart may faint, and their stumbling be multiplied.” The wicked stumble over temptations to sin, therefore have been victims of a stumbling block (Ezek. 3:20, Zeph. 1:3, 1 Cor. 1:23). With the sword surrounding them, especially while fighting each other, they sinned (stumbling) further against the Lord.??

While still referring to the sword, it was made bright (bārāq = like lightening) and wrapped up (mā?ō? = thinned as the edge that is sharp) for the slaughter. Notice we come back to that mistranslated noun “slaughter” from the first sentence, which definitely fits the context. ?

I have set the slaughter of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their stumbling be multiplied: ah! it is made bright, it is sharpened for the slaughter.

Ezekiel 21:16 You go one way or other, either on the right hand, or on the left, whithersoever your face is set. Since all gates were surrounded with the bright, sharpened sword, the Lord insisted that they (great men from 21:14) choose a gate, wherever they desired to go (whithersoever your face is set).

Ezekiel 21:17 I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest: I the?Lord?have said it. In verse 21:14, the Lord commanded Ezekiel to smite his hands, while he prophesied of this coming slaughter. He imitated the Lord, while He was to cause His fury to “n?a?,” or set down. The Lord’s fury would not rest until it was complete, but here, He will cause His fury to set down upon the city.

Ezekiel 21:18 The word of the?Lord?came unto me again, saying, The English translators have mistranslated the Hebrew verb “hāya” as a Niphal perfect verb, when the manuscript is actually inflected as a Qal imperfect verb; the conjunction “again” was added to this incorrectly. This should be an ongoing action, which would be a continuation of God’s word immediately after Ezekiel’s statement in verse 21:17. Proper translation of this verse should say: “The word of the?Lord?continued unto me, saying,”

Ezekiel 21:19 Also, son of man, appoint two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and choose a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city. The next two verses explain what verse 21:14 had meant by: “and let the sword be doubling over the third time.” The translators added the conjunction “also,” which I agree with. Since Ezekiel (son of man) is being addressed, the pronouns “you” are not necessary, since they are understood in modern English.

Notice that there are “two ways,” while only one place has the head of the way leading to the city. The following verse provides us with more details. The one land that the two ways comes out of is Babylon. The place that Ezekiel was to choose was to be the way that King Nebuchadnezzar was going to bring his army to the two target cities. The term “head of the way” was also used in 16:31, which helps us realize that this is the beginning of a street (or road) going to the city.

Ezekiel 21:20?Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced. This answers the 21:14 “be doubling over” mystery. The two ways from Babylon (21:19) was to be appointed by Ezekiel that would determine what way to bring King Nebuchadnezzar out of Babylon to each of these two cities. Though no captives would be necessary for Rabbath of Ammon, the two cities shared the same fate. Both were going to be destroyed because of their evil abominations. Ezekiel laid out the prophecy against the Ammonites in chapter 25, while it seems that Rabbath was to be the next victim city of the Ammonites. It was not only because of the joy that they felt when their cousins (Gen. 11:31; 19:36-38) were being punished by the Lord, but they were hypocritical in their celebration. “And I will make Rabbath a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couching place for flocks: and you shall know that I am the?Lord.” (Ezek. 25:5)

?

???????? ?

And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord?God; Thus says the Lord?God; Because you said, “Aha,” against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity; (Ezek. 25:3)

Ezekiel 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 the liver. This is prophecy of the journey by King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian military using imagery; the parting of the way is the splitting of the way from Babylon to two different destinations; one way led to Jerusalem, while the other way led to Rabbath, Ammon. The head of the two ways is this fork in the road, which the Lord was going to give further instructions to the king of Babylon from this point. The Lord had commanded Ezekiel to appoint the ways to both cities (Jerusalem and Rabbath [21:19-20]). ?

Many commentaries (as well as the translators) want to paganize this verse, because they do not understand that King Nebuchadnezzar was a believer in the Lord God at this time, along with his captains. The Lord (with the help of Daniel) had converted the king some time before this (see Dan. 4).

King Nebuchadnezzar was to get off of his horse, and stand (stood) at the fork in the way (head of the two ways) so that he could pray to the Lord for further instructions. The translators used the noun “divination” for the Hebrew noun “qesem,” which has a faithful definition: “being in a good sense (king's lips as oracles).” We should understand that the Lord had been assigning the king of his coming journey and led him eventually to his destinations with prayers. We know in great detail how the Lord God spoke to Moses in the Exodus journey, but we only have this here to let us know that the Lord was communicating to this king. By doing this, the Lord built up Nebuchadnezzar’s faith, as He did Moses, by leading him the whole way through his upcoming endeavor. ?

And now have I given all these lands into the hand of?Nebuchadnezzar?the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. (Jer. 27:6, see also 25:9)?

King Nebuchadnezzar was no longer worshipping idols, but was totally faithful to the Lord God. The Lord most likely used a way of communication familiar to the king from former beliefs. He was not held to the standards of Israel within the Laws of Moses. The Lord used a traditional way of casting lots (Acts 1:26), which Nebuchadnezzar was familiar with. Through the ages, cultures have used many ways to cast lots to make hard decisions. In a sense, as a believer, it is believed that the lots land upon the Lord’s will every time.

We do not know how the Lord had been communicating with Nebuchadnezzar, but he may have depended on the prophet Daniel for the word of the Lord (similar to King Hezekiah and Isaiah). Because Daniel had not gone on this endeavor, there may have been a ritual, which Nebuchadnezzar was to follow in order to be assured that it was God’s will without the words from Daniel.

?The use of the Hebrew noun “qesem” was interpreted as “divination,” but in reality it was a spiritual instructional method, which the Lord had beforehand set up with the king. The translators inserted the English noun “bright” for the Hebrew direct object proper noun “Qālal;” this proper noun represents the way the arrow (lot) was to be outstanding among the others. The Lord used a traditional method among the ancients of history within Mesopotamia. They traditionally inserted several arrows into their quiver and drew one out and looked for the markings to determine the will of their gods; in every case, it was actually the will of the Almighty Lord God that arranged those arrows to do His will. In this case, the Lord may have instructed that His will was to be a manifestation of light within the arrows, which would reveal His will. According to this verse, each arrow was given “Qālal” and communicated something different as assigned to each arrow.

Because King Nebuchadnezzar had been schooled by the prophet Daniel, he had already known that the images (t?rāp??m) had nothing to do with any other gods, and that the One God was the only (see Dan. 4). ?

37?Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase. (Dan. 4:37)

Because idolatry was no longer a concern for Nebuchadnezzar, God may have used imagery, to reveal among the Babylonian military, that He was the only One. Yahweh was the One, and this formality may have revealed to those still unbelieving, that He was the only One. Because we do not know what type of evangelism the Lord used within Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, we can only presume that the Lord used various teaching methods among the still pagan Babylonians. The divination of looking into the liver, was a pagan formality, in which historical cultures sought out divine providence.

As we all know, the Lord is the One in control of all events, even if the demonic realm is the answering party. They may have sacrificed an animal at this point, and looked at the traditional markings for guidance from the Lord (as per the Lord’s instruction); in this case, the Babylonians were familiar with this method, so the Lord used it for His instructions to King Nebuchadnezzar as a witness to the non-believers. Because not every member of the military was a believer in Yahweh, they were definitely on a single mission and unified by these demonstrations.

?Ezekiel 21:22 At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort. If King Nebuchadnezzar had left with captains, then why would he need to assign captains and plan for this siege in that way? He was an experienced general under his father; He did not need to plan out an attack with his captains, unless it came to a split of his army to Jerusalem, and another to Rabbath, Ammon. We know that King Nebuchadnezzar was not present in Jerusalem, but his Captain Nebuzaradan was in charge (Jer. 40:1), while Nebuchadnezzar waited in Riblah (2 Kings 25:6).

?13?So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushasban, Rabsaris, and Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, and all the kings of Babylon's princes;

14?Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people. (Jer. 39:3, 13-14)?

Though it is not known of the exact date, on which Rabbath of the Ammonites was destroyed, it is possible that King Nebuchadnezzar sent other captains to the left-hand road to Rabbath at this point; meanwhile Captain Nebuzaradan along with Nebushasban, Rabsaris, and Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, and all the kings of Babylon's princes, went on the right-hand way to Jerusalem. If he was appointing captains for a military hit, he did not need to plan that here; he may have divided his army and captains to go forth after both cities.

With King Nebuchadnezzar as the motivator, while “he open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting,” his final military decisions were with Captain Nebuzaradan to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort. Nebuchadnezzar remained in Riblah as the Lord had commanded him, while the Lord foretold of King Zedekiah fleeing, caught, and taken to Babylon (Ezek. 12:12-14, 2 Kings 25:5-7). It seems that the king waited from Riblah, which may have been in the location mentioned where the two ways split off of the one way from Babylon. The two separate armies knew that Nebuchadnezzar was waiting in Riblah for their return.

Ezekiel 21:23 And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken. First of all, let’s determine who the pronouns: “them, their, they” refer to. The last clause, along with the next verse, indicates that they are not being killed, but taken captive. The oaths that they had sworn were sworn unto Nebuchadnezzar and Yahweh, when he assigned Zedekiah as king under His rule. The captives taken in the three sieges were still able to come to repentance. Those in Jerusalem would have eventually read verses 21:21-22 and would have been so sure that the king of Babylon was acting out false divinations, because they thought he was a pagan Gentile. Though they may have read of the Lord calling him His servant (Jer. 25:9; 27:6), and may have heard how the Lord had converted him (Dan. 4), but they still refused to believe that the Lord was working through this king.

?The pronoun “he” refers to the king of Babylon of verse 21:21; he sent his captains to besiege (Tevet 10, 588 B.C.[24:1-2]) and destroy the city (Av 9, 587 B.C.), and stayed in waiting while in Riplah; (21:22) Captain Nebuzaradan along with Nebushasban, Rabsaris, and Nergalsharezer, Rabmag would have been in Jerusalem and communicating (but he will call to remembrance the iniquity) to the inhabitant’s their fate as a result of their betrayal of the oath to King Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 38:17-18, 2 Chron. 36:13). Jerusalem was to be a sparkling gem, within a godly nation of Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 38:17, 20; 42:9-12), but they betrayed their oath (17:14-19). Jeremiah wrote of Captain Nebuzaradan’s understanding of why they were there killing and destroying the city of Jerusalem. This event was the people of Israel being addressed by Yahweh, through the mouth of a faith-filled Gentile; Jeremiah just wrote it down for all to read. ??

2?And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, “The?Lord?your God had pronounced this evil upon this place.

3?Now the?Lord?has brought it, and done according as he had said: because you have sinned against the?Lord, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you.” (Jer. 40:2-3)

Ezekiel 21:24 Therefore, thus says the Lord?God: “Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that you are come to remembrance, you shall be taken with the hand.” ?God never forgets, therefore he needs not to remember, but He can recall things to the top of His thoughts. We know somewhat how the brain works, when we watch a video, the top thing on our mind dropped to the no. 2 thing on our mind, until we recall it to the top of our mind. We cannot discover some things, until they are uncovered so that they appear. A person could say that God was referring to the remembrance by the ones who sinned, when the Babylonian captains and princes spoke to those being taken. Though this is the case, we must realize that God is saying this statement, so it pertains to Him as well. He never forgets, but recalls things to the top of His thoughts.

remembered = zā?ar = recalled

discovered = gāla = uncovered

remembrance = zā?ar = recollection ?

Therefore, thus says the Lord?God: “Because you have made your iniquity to be recalled, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that you have come to recollection, you shall be taken with the hand.”?

The previous verse implies that King Nebuchadnezzar (he) would “call” the oath that was broken to remembrance, or recollection (Jer. 40:2-3). Because Nebuchadnezzar was not there, we know that it was his captains and princes of Babylon, who called the broken oath to their remembrance, because the people of Jerusalem had voluntarily forgotten.

Ezekiel 21:25 And you, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, The prince being referred to here is the same prince of 12:10-14, who was appointed as governor Zedekiah. If King Zedekiah was to serve King Nebuchadnezzar, then he was nothing more than a “prince.” We have to remember that this oath between the two of them was specific to Zedekiah being assigned to be more of a governor of Judah, while he served the king of Babylon (Jer. 38:17-18, 2 Chron. 36:13). He was called king, because he was of the bloodline of David, but was not the king, if he served another king. In fact, the true king of Judah (King Jehoiachin) was still alive in captivity (Ezek. 1:1). We have found that this oath between King Nebuchadnezzar and Zedekiah was actually an oath between God and Zedekiah (17:19).

19?Therefore thus saith the Lord?God; “As I live, surely my oath that he has despised, and my covenant that he has broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.” (Ezek. 17:19) ?

The oathbreaker's day had come, when the iniquity in Judah would be stopped (it was desolated). Prince Zedekiah would flee, be caught, and brought to the king in Riblah (Jer. 39:5-7, Ezek. 12:12-13). We can tell, by the way this chapter is written, that the conquest of Jerusalem’s destruction was about to begin.

Ezekiel 21:26 Thus says the Lord?God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. The next two verses are a messianic prophecy. The old ways of the crown (diadem) of Israel was to be discontinued, while the so called king of Israel (Zedekiah) shall be removed and brought low (abase him that is high). This last sentence is a comment that the next King of Israel (Jesus the Messiah) had said during His first visitation. We can read of this theology lesson throughout the Bible. (Prov. 3:34,?Luke 1:52, James 4:6,?1 Pet. 5:5)??

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. (Matt. 23:12)?

Ezekiel 21:12 had first implied this “It shall be no more,” when addressing the Jews concern towards the scepter (rod) of Judah. The expression: “this shall not be the same” = “It shall be no more.” ?The days of the kings of Israel was over (Remove the diadem, and take off the crown).

Ezekiel 21:27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it to Him. The LORD said that He will overturn the ongoing chain of descending kings of Israel, until the Messiah comes (until He come whose right it is). ?Funny how the Triune Godhead is present once again in the scriptures, yet Israel does not see it. If Jesus the Messiah is God the Son, then this statement is by God the Father. Isaiah called the Messiah: “Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” right after indicating that this was to be a child born (Is. 9:6). God the Father will give Jesus the Messiah the crown over Israel, and the world, for one thousand years (Rev. 20:4-6).?

12?And when your days be fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, which shall proceed out of your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

13?He shall build a house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of His kingdom forever.

14?I will be His Father, and He shall be my Son. If He commit iniquity, I will chasten Him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

15?But my mercy shall not depart away from Him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you.

16?And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you: your throne shall be established forever. (2 Sam. 7:12-16)?

The kingdom of Israel will be given to Him (by His Father), and He will wear the Davidic crown for eternity (2 Sam. 7:13, 16). Please refer to my commentary concerning Zechariah 12-14 for explicit details of the Second Coming of the Messiah.[1]

Ezekiel 21:28 And you, son of man, prophesy and say, “Thus says the Lord?God?concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say you, ‘The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the brightness:’” From what was discussed in my commentary in 21:14-22, King Nebuchadnezzar waited at the two way divide in the road out of Babylon (Riblah [2 Kings 25:6]) and sent two military offenses out at the same time. He assigned captains to take troops to the right side path to Jerusalem, while he sent troops on the left side path to Rabbath, Ammon. It was not done separately by the same troops. The captives taken out of Jerusalem did not wait in Riblah with King Nebuchadnezzar, while the same troops went down to Rabbath, Ammon. This is why verse 21:14 had indicated that the sword was being doubled over. The wrath of the refurbished (polished) and sharpened swords were doubled over two events at the same time. The separate armies met back at Riblah, and then they proceeded back from there to Babylon.

?

The sword was drawn already, therefore the Babylonians were not going back to Babylon without destroying Rabbath, Ammon, as well as Jerusalem, Judah. They would not go all the way back to Riblah to deliver Zedekiah to King Nebuchadnezzar, then back down to Rabbath, Ammon. The Babylonian military ruled the world; they definitely could siege and destroy two badly-weakened cities at the same time, especially with the Lord God of the universe fighting for them. The slaughter of the sword was polished to consume because of its brightness (like lightening of God). ?

Furbished = “māra?” = polished

Brightness = “bārāq” = lightening??? ?

Ezekiel 21:29 While they see vanity unto you, while they divine a lie unto you, to bring you upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked, whose day is come, when their iniquity shall have an end. Interestingly, there is no previous noun that the pronoun “they” refers back to. The vanity (falsehood) that was seen were the lies of the false prophets, who lied through their own false divinations (Jer. 27:1-10; 28:10-17). If the Ammonites were lied to by the false prophets, who denied that all nations should serve King Nebuchadnezzar, then they too did not listen to Jeremiah.

The translators horribly mistranslated the Hebrew preposition “'ēl” as “upon,” which actually should be the English preposition “among.” Because the Ammonites were lied to, and they did not believe what Jeremiah had warned them of, they were destined to be “among” the necks of them that were slain. The translators want to include these Ammonites as the ones who fought among the Babylonians in the sieges (upon the necks). We will find that there were Ammonites within the Babylonian army in the first siege of Jerusalem in 606 B.C. (2 Kings 24:2), but this has nothing to do with that fact. ?

The ones slain are the wicked, whether of Israel or Ammon; their day of destruction had come, when their iniquity would end upon their deaths.

Ezekiel 21:30 Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge you in the place where you were created, in the land of your nativity. The question being asked was a rhetorical question, with an obvious answer. The Lord answered it with His statements that followed (I will judge you). The land of the Ammonites nativity is not the cave where they were conceived (Gen. 19:30-38), but the place where Ammon chose to settle, which was in present-day Jordan; since this was the place that they currently were when this was being addressed, it seems to imply that they would not be able to relocate in order to flee.

Ezekiel 21:31 And I will pour out my indignation upon you, I will blow against you in the fire of my wrath, and deliver you into the hand of brutish men, and skillful to destroy. We can go back to the fire of 20:47, which was imagery of the wrath of God, who was to burn every green tree (idolaters) and dry tree (without faith in God). Obviously, we know that it was to be the sword of the Lord, which was to be pulled out of the sheath (his sheath) of the Babylonians (21:5). The previous verse asked if God was to return His sword to the sheath (Babylonian’s sheath). The brutish men and skillful to destroy were the experienced war machine of the Babylonians.

Ezekiel 21:32 You shall be for fuel to the fire; your blood shall be in the midst of the land; you shall be no more remembered: for I the?Lord?have spoken it. The fire is the wrath of God, therefore the Ammonites of Rabbath will be fuel for God’s fiery wrath. If God’s sword is pulled out of the Babylonian sheath, then there would be bloodshed in the midst of the land. This seems like it is the end of the existence of all Ammonites, but we can find traces of them even today.?The ancient capital city of Ammon was Rabbath; the modern-day city in this location is called Amman, Jordan. We can even find the Ammonites in future Bible prophecy. Daniel was given an end times prophecy, which revealed that the chief of the children of Ammon will escape the king of the north. The king of the north will overthrow many middle-east nations in this world’s future, but the chief of the children of Ammon (Dan. 11:41) shall escape him. If you are the actual chief of the children of Ammon, then you might want to know that the king of the north is the same Gog of Magog in Ezekiel 38-39.

[1] Charles R. Sabo, Joel, Zephaniah, Zechariah: Three Bible Commentaries, (Tucson, Charles R. Sabo School of Theology, 2020).?