Ezekiel · chapter 21 of 48
Updated on
Ezekiel 21 announces that the Lord has drawn his sword against Jerusalem and the whole land, and Ezekiel must groan with a breaking heart before the people. A song of the sharpened, polished sword follows, then the king of Babylon casting lots at a crossroads to decide whether to attack Jerusalem or Rabbah, a word to the wicked prince of Israel and a sentence against the Ammonites.
In chapters 21 to 24 Ezekiel's prophecy approaches the moment when Babylon will besiege Jerusalem. Chapter 21 uses the image of a sword, which runs through the whole chapter. Although Babylon is the instrument, the text insists that it is the Lord's sword, because the judgment comes from him.
The Lord tells Ezekiel to set his face toward Jerusalem and prophesy against the land of Israel: he is against it and will draw his sword from its sheath to cut off the righteous and the wicked. Ezekiel must groan with breaking loins and bitter grief, and when they ask why, he will say it is because of the news that is coming: every heart will melt and every knee turn to water.
A song follows: a sword sharpened and polished for slaughter, so that it flashes like lightning. It has been given to be polished, to be grasped in the hand. Ezekiel must cry and wail, for the sword is against his people and the princes of Israel. He must clap his hands, and the sword will be doubled a third time; it is the sword for the great slaughter.
The Lord marks two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon, coming from one land; at the fork, where they lead to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Jerusalem in Judah, the king stops to practice divination: he shakes the arrows, consults the household gods, looks at the liver. The lot falls on Jerusalem. To the Jews who swore loyalty it seems a false divination, but their guilt will be recalled and they will be captured.
To the profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, the Lord says to remove the turban and take off the crown: the low will be exalted and the exalted brought low. A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it, and it shall be no more, until he comes to whom the judgment belongs, and I will give it to him. The chapter ends with the sword against the Ammonites, which will also be drawn and will not return to its sheath.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord declares that he is against Jerusalem and will draw his sword from its sheath. Babylon's sword is really God's sword, and the judgment reaches the righteous and the wicked in the city.
Ezekiel must answer those who ask why he groans: because of the news that is coming. The prophet embodies the grief the people should feel but do not yet feel.
The king of Babylon stops at the crossroads and consults divination before choosing his attack. Even pagan divination serves God's purpose, because the lot falls on Jerusalem.
The Lord declares ruin upon ruin until the one comes to whom the right belongs. Many Christians see here a reference to the Messiah, the rightful king from the house of David.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: His sword, to cut off the righteous and the wicked. — Ezekiel 21:3
Answer: Groan with breaking loins and bitter grief. — Ezekiel 21:6
Answer: Rabbah of the Ammonites and Jerusalem in Judah. — Ezekiel 21:20
Answer: He shakes the arrows, consults the household gods and looks at the liver. — Ezekiel 21:21
Answer: To remove the turban and take off the crown. — Ezekiel 21:26
Answer: Until he comes to whom the right belongs, and the Lord will give it to him. — Ezekiel 21:27
This chapter is hard to read because it shows the seriousness of God's judgment. But it also shows that history is not in the hands of kings or armies: even Babylon's sword serves a greater purpose. Whoever trusts God can look at world events without losing hope.
The promise of the one to whom the right belongs invites us to look to Christ, the rightful king. In a small group, talk about how to live in times of instability trusting that a king is coming who will reign in justice, and how, meanwhile, to be people sensitive to the pain around us.
Ezekiel 21 presents the Lord's sword and the promise of a rightful king. In chapter 22 the prophet lists the sins of the bloody city and its leaders and describes God looking for someone to stand in the breach.
The text does not name him. Jewish and Christian tradition has generally understood him as the Messiah, the descendant of David, and the language recalls Genesis 49:10. Others see it as a general promise that God will hand the kingdom to the one who rightly holds it.
Household gods, or teraphim, were figures used to consult the gods. Examining an animal's liver was a common divination method in Mesopotamia. The text mentions them to show how the king of Babylon decided, without God endorsing these practices.