Ezekiel 21 Study Notes

21:1-2 Every time God tells Ezekiel to face a city or a direction, it is in a judgment context. In Lk 9:51 the Son of Man, Jesus, “determined (lit “turned his face”) to journey to Jerusalem” against which he soon announced judgment (Lk 19:41; 21:20-24).

21:3 God’s opposition to his people is expressed by the image of the drawn sword, the common way of referring to warfare in the OT. History would prove that God’s drawn sword was King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his armies. The sword refers to divine judgment in Is 31:8; 34:6; 66:16.

21:4 No one will survive the coming invasion, not even the righteous. The Bible advocates corporate responsibility. The principle is illustrated in the case of Achan (Jos 7:1-26; see Ezk 18:1-4). For Judah as a nation, it was too late to repent; destruction was decreed. Individuals could repent and have assurance of eternal life, but many righteous people were going to be swept up in the coming destruction. Even today, Christians should not assume that God will preserve the righteous from general disasters or judgments against nations.

21:5 Ezekiel’s prophecies against foreign nations declared repeatedly that they would be annihilated that “they will know that I am the Lord” (25:7,11,17; 26:6; 39:6). The same paradox occurs in the exodus story. For example, in Ex 14:4 God declared that he would destroy Pharaoh and his army so that the Egyptians would know that he was the Lord. God will not bring upon his people a partial defeat and exile this time, as was the case in 598 BC when Ezekiel was exiled. This time, God will finish the job through his agent, the Babylonians.

21:6-9 The coming sword is the reason for groaning.

21:10 The scepter symbolized the Lord’s covenant promise to David that his house would have eternal title to the throne of Jerusalem (2Sm 7). This promise was rooted in the blessing spoken by Jacob, which said that the scepter would never pass from Judah (Gn 49:10). This interpretation is reinforced by the Hebrew expression beni (my son), an echo of Gn 49:9 and 2Sm 7:14. Judah’s hope in the midst of judgment was that the ultimate “scepter of Judah,” the Messiah, would never be extinguished.

21:11-13 The practice of striking one’s thigh in grief is also found in Jr 31:19 and may have its origin in Gn 32:32.

21:14 In v. 17 the act of clapping the hands together is associated with God’s wrath. It should also be viewed here as an expression of anger (6:11). The mention of three strikes of the sword may refer to the three attacks and deportations that the Babylonians launched against Jerusalem in 605, 597, and 588-586 BC.

21:15-17 Hand clapping, as in v. 14 and 22:13, is a sign of vexation, “being fed up and about to take action” (Moshe Greenberg).

21:18-20 Rabbah was the capital of Ammon (Jr 49:2). It is the location of modern Amman, the capital of Jordan. The combined conspiracy of Judah and Ammon against Babylonia in 589 BC undoubtedly precipitated this coming of the Babylonian army (Jr 27:3).

21:21-22 The practice of shaking marked arrows in a quiver, letting them fall to the ground or shooting them into the distance and then interpreting the pattern, was known as belomancy (2Kg 13:15-19). It was a form of casting lots. The idols (Hb teraphim) appear to have been miniature household gods that were consulted even by Israelites (Gn 31:30; Hs 3:4; Zch 10:2). The examination of the liver of a sacrificial animal—called hepatoscopy and the best known of these practices in Mesopotamian literature—is mentioned only here in the OT. Though God did not condone divination in any form, as sovereign over the earth he controls all things; thus, in some sense even pagan practices could, by God’s choice, reveal his will (Jnh 1:7).

21:23 Divination is expressly prohibited in Dt 18:10 and 2Kg 17:17. The phrase sworn an oath to the Babylonians probably refers to the treaty oaths made by Babylonia and Judah.

21:24-25 Wicked prince of Israel refers to King Zedekiah.

21:26 The turban was worn by priests, but it also served as a setting for the crown (Ex 28:36-37; 29:6; 39:31; Lv 8:9). The removal of these signs of dignity signifies degradation, as in Jb 19:9 and Lm 5:16. The removal of the priesthood and the kingship from Judah is symbolized by the removal of the high priest’s turban (Ex 28:4,37,39; 29:6) and the king’s crown.

21:27 The turban and the crown would not be worn again until he comes—a clear reference to Gn 49:10 and the king-priest Messiah (cp. Heb 5-7). Ezekiel used this reference with its messianic overtones to emphasize that the kingship (and priesthood) would be removed in judgment but returned ultimately in the Messiah’s coming in accord with Gn 49:10 (Ps 2:6; Jr 23:5-6; Ezk 37:24; Zch 6:12-15).

21:28-30 The Ammonites, who participated in the judgment of Jerusalem, would themselves be objects of wrath.

21:31-32 The fire of the Lord’s fury reflects the covenant curses. Fire was a symbol of divine judgment (Dt 28:24; 32:22).