Ezekiel 21:1-9

The Sword of Judgment

21:1 (21:6) ¹  The word of the Lord came to me: 21:2 “Son of man, turn toward ²  Jerusalem ³  and speak out against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel 21:3 and say to them, ⁴  ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, ⁵  I am against you. ⁶  I will draw my sword ⁷  from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. ⁸  21:4 Because I will cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will go out from its sheath against everyone ⁹  from the south ¹⁰  to the north. 21:5 Then everyone will know that I am the Lord, who drew my sword from its sheath – it will not be sheathed again!’

21:6 “And you, son of man, groan with an aching heart ¹¹  and bitterness; groan before their eyes. 21:7 When they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you will reply, ‘Because of the report that has come. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand will be limp; everyone ¹²  will faint and every knee will be wet with urine.’ ¹³  Pay attention – it is coming and it will happen, declares the sovereign Lord.”

21:8 The word of the Lord came to me: 21:9 “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘A sword, a sword is sharpened,

and also polished.

[21:1]  ¹ sn Ezek 21:1 in the English Bible is 21:6 in the Hebrew text (BHS). See the note at 20:45.

[21:2]  ² tn Heb “set your face toward.”

[21:2]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “the land of Israel.”

[21:3]  ⁵ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) draws attention to something and has been translated here as a verb.

[21:3]  ⁶ tn Or “I challenge you.” The phrase “I am against you” may be a formula for challenging someone to combat or a duel. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:201-2, and P. Humbert, “Die Herausforderungsformel ‘h!nn#n' ?l?K>,’” ZAW 45 (1933): 101-8.

[21:3]  ⁷ sn This is the sword of judgment, see Isa 31:8; 34:6; 66:16.

[21:3]  ⁸ sn Ezekiel elsewhere pictures the Lord’s judgment as discriminating between the righteous and the wicked (9:4-6; 18:1-20; see as well Pss 1 and 11) and speaks of the preservation of a remnant (3:21; 6:8; 12:16). Perhaps here he exaggerates for rhetorical effect in an effort to subdue any false optimism. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:25-26; D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:669-70; and W. Zimmerli, Ezekiel (Hermeneia), 1:424-25.

[21:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “all flesh” (also in the following verse).

[21:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Negev.” The Negev is the south country.

[21:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “breaking loins.”

[21:7]  ¹² tn Heb “every spirit will be dim.”

[21:7]  ¹³ sn This expression depicts in a very vivid way how they will be overcome with fear. See the note on the same phrase in 7:17.