Ezekiel 21:31

And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. I WILL BLOW AGAINST THEE IN THE FIRE OF MY WRATH - rather, 'I will blow upon thee with the fire,' etc. Image from smelting metals (Ezekiel 22:20). I WILL ... DELIVER THEE INTO THE HAND OF BRUTISH MEN - ferocious men. AND SKILLFUL TO DESTROY - literally, artificers of destruction: alluding to ....

28-32 The diviners of the Ammonites made false prophecies of victory. They would never recover their power, but in time would be wholly forgotten. Let us be thankful to be employed as instruments of mercy; let us use our understandings in doing good; and let us stand aloof from men who are only skilful to destroy....

The third word of judgment. The king of Babylon’s march upon Judaea and upon the Ammonites. Destruction is to go forth not on Judah only, but also on such neighboring tribes as the Ammonites (compare Jeremiah 27:2). Ezekiel 21:19 APPOINT THEE - Set before thee. CHOOSE THOU A PLACE, CHOOSE IT - Rather, “mark a spot, mark it,” as upon a map, at the head of the two roads, one leading to Jerusalem, the other to Ammon. These were the two roads by one or other of which an invading army must march from Babylon to Egypt. Ezekiel 21:21 The Chaldaean king is depicted

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 21:2, EZEKIEL 21:3 The opening words, reproducing those of Ezekiel 20:46, indicate that the interpretation of that parable is coming. So the three variants of "south" are shown to mean respectively Jerusalem, the holy places, and the land of Israel. So, in Ezekiel 20:3, the RIGHTEOUS and the WICKED take the place of the "green" and the "dry" tree, and the fire is explained as meaning the sword of the invader. The teaching of Ezekiel

AND I WILL POUR OUT MINE INDIGNATION UPON THEE,.... Like a mighty flood, which should sweep them away for their sins and transgressions; and particularly for their reproaches of God and his people, which caused his indignation to rise, and him to pour it out upon them in such a manner: I WILL BLOW AGAINST THEE IN THE FIRE OF MY WRATH; as men put metal into a furnace, and then blow upon it, in order to melt it, and consume the dross; and which fire, so blown, is exceeding fierce and very consuming; who can stand against such a blast as that of the wrath of God, not only kindled, but blown with his breath like a stream of brimstone? AND DELIVER THEE INTO THE HAND OF BRUTISH MEN; or "burners" x; that burn with fierce anger, barbarous and inhuman, that would show no mercy nor compassion, such were the Chaldeans, Habakkuk 1:6: and skilful to d

Ezekiel 21:1. A solemn message is given to the prophet: “Behold I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.” It was to be a widespread judgment, against all flesh. Ezekiel was commanded to sigh with bitterness before their eyes and was to tell them the cause of his grief (Ezekiel 21:1). The sharpening of the sword of judgment is given in Ezekiel 21:8. It was hanging over their heads, ready to strike at any moment. The question is asked, “Should we then make mirth?” is this the time of mirth, worldly pleasures and enjoyment? Not for the faithful in Israel. Nor is the present solemn time a time of mirth for those who know the signs of the times and

EZEKIEL 20:45 TO EZEKIEL 21:32. THE TERRIBLE SWORD OF NEBUCHADREZZAR. Here again, as shortly before (chs. 18f.), a piece of theological oratory is followed by a poem this time a wild irregular dithyramb (esp. Ezekiel 21:8), the text of which is, unhappily, corrupt in places to the point of desperation. But perhaps its very perplexities reflect the tumult of the prophet's soul. The nearer the doom approaches, the more vividly does he conceive it. EZEKIEL 20:5. He begins by announcing a supernatural conflagration in the south, which is to scorch the land bare. On Ezekiel's audience objecting to his allegorical descript

MEN. Hebrew, plural _of 'enosh._ App-14....

Ezekiel 20:45 to Ezekiel 21:32. The avenging sword of the Lord The passage Ezekiel 20:45-49 belongs to ch. 21 (as in Heb.). The time to which the chapter is to be assigned is the early period of Nebuchadnezzar's movements westwards. The prophet foresees the coming desolation of Israel by the conqueror, which he expresses under the figure of a devouring fire, consuming all indiscriminately. The passage has two divisions, ch. Ezekiel 20:45 to Ezekiel 21:27, and...

THE HAND OF BRUTISH MEN— _The hand of men skilful to kindle a flame, and to bring destruction._ Houbigant. Instead of _brutish men,_ the LXX read _barbarians;_ meaning the Medes and Persians, the successors of Nebuchadrezzar. REFLECTIONS.—1st, That the people might be left without excuse, we have here a clear exposition of the foregoing parable. 1. Against Jerusalem is the prophetic word directed, the forest, where the fire of wrath is about to kindle, and _the holy places,_ the temple and its courts, the profanations of which God will especially avenge. He is against them, and nothing then can protect them from ruin; he threatens to draw the sword of judgment, and _cut off the righteous and the wicked,_ who share often together in national calamities, though God will abundantly make up to his saints in inward consolations, whatever outwardly they suffer in common with others. _From the...