Ezekiel 31:16

31:16 I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I threw it down to Sheol, along with those who descend to the pit. ¹  Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and the best of Lebanon, all that were well-watered, were comforted in the earth below.

Ezekiel 31:1

A Cedar in Lebanon

31:1 In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, ²  the word of the Lord came to me:

Ezekiel 21:1-32

The Sword of Judgment

21:1 (21:6) ³  The word of the Lord came to me: 21:2 “Son of man, turn toward ⁴  Jerusalem ⁵  and speak out against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel 21:3 and say to them, ⁶  ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, ⁷  I am against you. ⁸  I will draw my sword ⁹  from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. ¹⁰  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 ¹¹  from the south ¹²  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 ¹³  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 ¹⁴  will faint and every knee will be wet with urine.’ ¹⁵  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.

21:10 It is sharpened for slaughter,

it is polished to flash like lightning!

“‘Should we rejoice in the scepter of my son? No! The sword despises every tree! ¹⁶ 

21:11 “‘He gave it to be polished,

to be grasped in the hand –

the sword is sharpened, it is polished –

giving it into the hand of the executioner.

21:12 Cry out and moan, son of man,

for it is wielded against my people;

against all the princes of Israel.

They are delivered up to the sword, along with my people.

Therefore, strike your thigh. ¹⁷ 

21:13 “‘For testing will come, and what will happen when the scepter, which the sword despises, is no more? ¹⁸  declares the sovereign Lord.’

21:14 “And you, son of man, prophesy,

and clap your hands together.

Let the sword strike twice, even three times!

It is a sword for slaughter,

a sword for the great slaughter surrounding them.

21:15 So hearts melt with fear and many stumble.

At all their gates I have stationed the sword for slaughter.

Ah! It is made to flash, it is drawn for slaughter!

21:16 Cut sharply on the right!

Swing to ¹⁹  the left,

wherever your edge ²⁰  is appointed to strike.

21:17 I too will clap my hands together,

I will exhaust my rage;

I the Lord have spoken.”

21:18 The word of the Lord came to me: 21:19 “You, son of man, mark out two routes for the king of Babylon’s sword to take; both of them will originate in a single land. Make a signpost and put it at the beginning of the road leading to the city. 21:20 Mark out the routes for the sword to take: “Rabbah of the Ammonites” and “Judah with Jerusalem in it.” ²¹  21:21 For the king of Babylon stands at the fork ²²  in the road at the head of the two routes. He looks for omens: ²³  He shakes arrows, he consults idols, ²⁴  he examines ²⁵  animal livers. ²⁶  21:22 Into his right hand ²⁷  comes the portent for Jerusalem – to set up battering rams, to give the signal ²⁸  for slaughter, to shout out the battle cry, ²⁹  to set up battering rams against the gates, to erect a siege ramp, to build a siege wall. 21:23 But those in Jerusalem ³⁰  will view it as a false omen. They have sworn solemn oaths, ³¹  but the king of Babylon ³²  will accuse them of violations ³³  in order to seize them. ³⁴ 

21:24 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you have brought up ³⁵  your own guilt by uncovering your transgressions and revealing your sins through all your actions, for this reason you will be taken by force. ³⁶ 

21:25 “‘As for you, profane and wicked prince of Israel, ³⁷ 

whose day has come, the time of final punishment,

21:26 this is what the sovereign Lord says:

Tear off the turban, ³⁸ 

take off the crown!

Things must change! ³⁹ 

Exalt the lowly,

bring down the proud! ⁴⁰ 

21:27 A total ruin I will make it! ⁴¹ 

It will come to an end

when the one arrives to whom I have assigned judgment.’ ⁴² 

21:28 “As for you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says concerning the Ammonites and their coming humiliation; ⁴³  say:

“‘A sword, a sword drawn for slaughter,

polished to consume, ⁴⁴  to flash like lightning –

21:29 while seeing false visions for you

and reading lying omens for you ⁴⁵  –

to place that sword ⁴⁶  on the necks of the profane wicked, ⁴⁷ 

whose day has come,

the time of final punishment.

21:30 Return it to its sheath! ⁴⁸ 

In the place where you were created, ⁴⁹ 

in your native land, I will judge you.

21:31 I will pour out my anger on you;

the fire of my fury I will blow on you.

I will hand you over to brutal men,

who are skilled in destruction.

21:32 You will become fuel for the fire –

your blood will stain the middle of the land; ⁵⁰ 

you will no longer be remembered,

for I, the Lord, have spoken.’”

Ezekiel 27:1-36

A Lament for Tyre

27:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 27:2 “You, son of man, sing a lament for Tyre. ⁵¹  27:3 Say to Tyre, who sits at the entrance ⁵²  of the sea, ⁵³  merchant to the peoples on many coasts, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“‘O Tyre, you have said, “I am perfectly beautiful.”

27:4 ⁵⁴ Your borders are in the heart of the seas;

your builders have perfected your beauty.

27:5 They crafted ⁵⁵  all your planks out of fir trees from Senir; ⁵⁶ 

they took a cedar from Lebanon to make your mast.

27:6 They made your oars from oaks of Bashan;

they made your deck ⁵⁷  with cypresses ⁵⁸  from the Kittean isles. ⁵⁹ 

27:7 Fine linen from Egypt, woven with patterns, was used for your sail

to serve as your banner;

blue and purple from the coastlands of Elishah ⁶⁰  was used for your deck’s awning.

27:8 The leaders ⁶¹  of Sidon ⁶²  and Arvad ⁶³  were your rowers;

your skilled ⁶⁴  men, O Tyre, were your captains.

27:9 The elders of Gebal ⁶⁵  and her skilled men were within you, mending cracks; ⁶⁶ 

all the ships of the sea and their mariners were within you to trade for your merchandise. ⁶⁷ 

27:10 Men of Persia, Lud, ⁶⁸  and Put were in your army, men of war.

They hung shield and helmet on you; they gave you your splendor.

27:11 The Arvadites ⁶⁹  joined your army on your walls all around,

and the Gammadites ⁷⁰  were in your towers.

They hung their quivers ⁷¹  on your walls all around;

they perfected your beauty.

27:12 “‘Tarshish ⁷²  was your trade partner because of your abundant wealth; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products. 27:13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your clients; they exchanged slaves and bronze items for your merchandise. 27:14 Beth Togarmah exchanged horses, chargers, ⁷³  and mules for your products. 27:15 The Dedanites ⁷⁴  were your clients. Many coastlands were your customers; they paid ⁷⁵  you with ivory tusks and ebony. 27:16 Edom ⁷⁶  was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your products. 27:17 Judah and the land of Israel were your clients; they traded wheat from Minnith, ⁷⁷  millet, honey, olive oil, and balm for your merchandise. 27:18 Damascus was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods and of all your wealth: wine from Helbon, white wool from Zahar, 27:19 and casks of wine ⁷⁸  from Izal ⁷⁹  they exchanged for your products. Wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were among your merchandise. 27:20 Dedan was your client in saddlecloths for riding. 27:21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your trade partners; for lambs, rams, and goats they traded with you. 27:22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah engaged in trade with you; they traded the best kinds of spices along with precious stones and gold for your products. 27:23 Haran, Kanneh, Eden, merchants from Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad were your clients. 27:24 They traded with you choice garments, purple clothes and embroidered work, and multicolored carpets, bound and reinforced with cords; these were among your merchandise. 27:25 The ships of Tarshish ⁸⁰  were the transports for your merchandise.

“‘So you were filled and weighed down in the heart of the seas.

27:26 Your rowers have brought you into surging waters.

The east wind has wrecked you in the heart of the seas.

27:27 Your wealth, products, and merchandise, your sailors and captains,

your ship’s carpenters, ⁸¹  your merchants,

and all your fighting men within you,

along with all your crew who are in you,

will fall into the heart of the seas on the day of your downfall.

27:28 At the sound of your captains’ cry the waves will surge; ⁸² 

27:29 They will descend from their ships – all who handle the oar,

the sailors and all the sea captains – they will stand on the land.

27:30 They will lament loudly ⁸³  over you and cry bitterly.

They will throw dust on their heads and roll in the ashes; ⁸⁴ 

27:31 they will tear out their hair because of you and put on sackcloth,

and they will weep bitterly over you with intense mourning. ⁸⁵ 

27:32 As they wail they will lament over you, chanting:

“Who was like Tyre, like a tower ⁸⁶  in the midst of the sea?”

27:33 When your products went out from the seas,

you satisfied many peoples;

with the abundance of your wealth and merchandise

you enriched the kings of the earth.

27:34 Now you are wrecked by the seas, in the depths of the waters;

your merchandise and all your company have sunk ⁸⁷  along with you. ⁸⁸ 

27:35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands are shocked at you,

and their kings are horribly afraid – their faces are troubled.

27:36 The traders among the peoples hiss at you;

you have become a horror, and will be no more.’”

[31:16]  ¹ sn For the expression “going down to the pit,” see Ezek 26:20; 32:18, 24, 29.

[31:1]  ² sn June 21, 587 b.c.

[21:1]  ³ sn Ezek 21:1 in the English Bible is 21:6 in the Hebrew text (BHS). See the note at 20:45.

[21:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “set your face toward.”

[21:2]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “the land of Israel.”

[21:3]  ⁷ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) draws attention to something and has been translated here as a verb.

[21:3]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ sn This is the sword of judgment, see Isa 31:8; 34:6; 66:16.

[21:3]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Heb “all flesh” (also in the following verse).

[21:4]  ¹² tn Heb “Negev.” The Negev is the south country.

[21:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “breaking loins.”

[21:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “every spirit will be dim.”

[21:7]  ¹⁵ 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.

[21:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Or shall we rejoice, scepter of my son, it despises every tree.” The translation understands the subject of the verb “despises,” which is a feminine form in the Hebrew text, to be the sword (which is a feminine noun) mentioned just before this. Alternatively, the line may be understood as “let us not rejoice, O tribe of my son; it despises every tree.” The same word in Hebrew may be either “rod,” “scepter,” or “tribe.” The word sometimes translated as “or” or taken as an interrogative particle may be a negative particle. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:672, n. 79.

[21:12]  ¹⁷ sn This physical action was part of an expression of grief. Cp. Jer. 31:19.

[21:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “For testing (will come) and what if also a scepter, it despises, will not be?” The translation understands the subject of the verb “despises,” which is a feminine form in the Hebrew text, to be the sword (which is a feminine noun) mentioned in the previous verses. The text is very difficult and any rendering is uncertain.

[21:16]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Put to.”

[21:16]  ²⁰ tn Heb “face.”

[21:20]  ²¹ tc The MT reads “Judah in fortified Jerusalem,” a geographic impossibility. The translation follows the LXX, which assumes בְּתוֹכָהּ (bÿtokhah, “in it”) for בְּצוּרָה (bÿtsurah, “fortified”).

[21:21]  ²² tn Heb “mother.”

[21:21]  ²³ sn Mesopotamian kings believed that the gods revealed the future through omens. They employed various divination techniques, some of which are included in the list that follows. A particularly popular technique was the examination and interpretation of the livers of animals. See R. R. Wilson, Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel, 90-110.

[21:21]  ²⁴ tn This word refers to personal idols that were apparently used for divination purposes (Gen 31:19; 1 Sam 19:13, 16).

[21:21]  ²⁵ tn Heb “sees.”

[21:21]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the liver.”

[21:22]  ²⁷ tn Or “on the right side,” i.e., the omen mark on the right side of the liver.

[21:22]  ²⁸ tn Heb “to open the mouth” for slaughter.

[21:22]  ²⁹ tn Heb “to raise up a voice in a battle cry.”

[21:23]  ³⁰ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people in Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:23]  ³¹ sn When the people of Judah realized the Babylonians’ intentions, they would object on grounds that they had made a treaty with the Babylonian king (see 17:13).

[21:23]  ³² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king of Babylon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:23]  ³³ tn Or “iniquity.”

[21:23]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and he will remind of guilt for the purpose of being captured.” The king would counter their objections by pointing out that they had violated their treaty with him (see 17:18).

[21:24]  ³⁵ tn Heb “caused to be remembered.”

[21:24]  ³⁶ tn Heb “Because you have brought to remembrance your guilt when your transgressions are uncovered so that your sins are revealed in all your deeds – because you are remembered, by the hand you will be seized.”

[21:25]  ³⁷ tn This probably refers to King Zedekiah.

[21:26]  ³⁸ tn Elsewhere in the Bible the turban is worn by priests (Exod 28:4, 37, 39; 29:6; 39:28, 31; Lev 8:9; 16:4), but here a royal crown is in view.

[21:26]  ³⁹ tn Heb “This not this.”

[21:26]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “the high one.”

[21:27]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “A ruin, a ruin, a ruin I will make it.” The threefold repetition of the noun “ruin” is for emphasis and draws attention to the degree of ruin that would take place. See IBHS 233 §12.5a and GKC 431-32 §133.k. The pronominal suffix (translated “it”) on the verb “make” is feminine in Hebrew. The probable antecedent is the “turban/crown” (both nouns are feminine in form) mentioned in verse 26. The point is that the king’s royal splendor would be completely devastated as judgment overtook his realm and brought his reign to a violent end.

[21:27]  ⁴² tn Heb “Also this, he was not, until the coming of the one to whom the judgment belongs and I have given it.” The Hebrew text, as it stands, is grammatically difficult. The pronoun “this” is feminine, while the following negated verb (“was not”) is masculine. Some emend the verb to a feminine form (see BHS). In this case the statement refers to the destiny of the king’s turban/crown (symbolizing his reign). See the previous note. The preposition translated “when” normally means “until,” but here it seems to refer to the period during which the preceding situation is realized, rather than its termination point. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:19, 21. The second part of the statement, though awkward, probably refers to the arrival of the Babylonian king, to whom the Lord had assigned the task of judgment (see 23:24). Or the verse may read “A total ruin I will make, even this. It will not be until the one comes to whom is (the task of) judgment and I have assigned it.”

[21:28]  ⁴³ tn Heb “their reproach.”

[21:28]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “to contain, endure.” Since the Hebrew text as it stands makes little, if any, sense, most emend the text to read either “to consume” or “for destruction.” For discussion of options see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:693.

[21:29]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “in the seeing concerning you falsehood, in divining concerning you a lie.” This probably refers to the attempts of the Ammonites to ward off judgment through prophetic visions and divination.

[21:29]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “you”; the referent (the sword mentioned in v. 28) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:29]  ⁴⁷ sn The second half of the verse appears to state that the sword of judgment would fall upon the wicked, despite their efforts to prevent it.

[21:30]  ⁴⁸ sn Once the Babylonian king’s sword (vv. 19-20) has carried out its assigned task, the Lord commands it to halt and announces that Babylon itself will also experience his judgment. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:28.

[21:30]  ⁴⁹ tn In the Hebrew text of vv. 30-32 the second person verbal and pronominal forms are feminine singular. This may indicate that the personified Babylonian sword is being addressed. The Hebrew word for “sword” (see v. 28) is feminine. However, it may refer to the Ammonites.

[21:32]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “your blood will be in the middle of the land.”

[27:2]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “lift up over Tyre a lament.”

[27:3]  ⁵² tn Heb “entrances.” The plural noun may reflect the fact that Tyre had two main harbors.

[27:3]  ⁵³ sn Rome, another economic power, is described in a similar way in Rev 17:1.

[27:4]  ⁵⁴ tn The city of Tyre is described in the following account as a merchant ship.

[27:5]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “built.”

[27:5]  ⁵⁶ tn Perhaps the hull or deck. The term is dual, so perhaps it refers to a double-decked ship.

[27:6]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “hull.”

[27:6]  ⁵⁸ tc The Hebrew reads “Your deck they made ivory, daughter of Assyria.” The syntactically difficult “ivory” is understood here as dittography and omitted, though some construe this to refer to ivory inlays. “Daughter of Assyria” is understood here as improper word division and the vowels repointed as “cypresses.”

[27:6]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “from the coastlands (or islands) of Kittim,” generally understood to be a reference to the island of Cyprus, where the Phoenicians had a trading colony on the southeast coast. Many modern English versions have “Cyprus” (CEV, TEV), “the coastlands of Cyprus” (NASB), “the coasts of Cyprus” (NIV, NRSV), or “the southern coasts of Cyprus” (NLT).

[27:7]  ⁶⁰ sn This is probably a reference to Cyprus.

[27:8]  ⁶¹ tc The MT reads “the residents of”; the LXX reads “your rulers who dwell in.” With no apparent reason for the LXX to add “the rulers” many suppose something has dropped out of the Hebrew text. While more than one may be possible, Allen’s proposal, positing a word meaning “elders,” is the most likely to explain the omission in the MT from a graphic standpoint and also provides a parallel to the beginning of v. 9. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:81.a parallel to v. 9.

[27:8]  ⁶² map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[27:8]  ⁶³ sn Sidon and Arvad, like Tyre, were Phoenician coastal cities.

[27:8]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “wise.”

[27:9]  ⁶⁵ sn Another Phoenician coastal city located between Sidon and Arvad.

[27:9]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “strengthening damages.” Here “to strengthen” means to repair. The word for “damages” occurs several times in 1 Kgs 12 about some type of damage to the temple, which may have referred to or included cracks. Since the context describes Tyre in its glory, we do not expect this reference to damages to be of significant scale, even if there are repairmen. This may refer to using pitch to seal the seams of the ship, which had to be done periodically and could be considered routine maintenance rather than repair of damage.

[27:9]  ⁶⁷ sn The reference to “all the ships of the sea…within you” suggests that the metaphor is changing; previously Tyre had been described as a magnificent ship, but now the description shifts back to an actual city. The “ships of the sea” were within Tyre’s harbor. Verse 11 refers to “walls” and “towers” of the city.

[27:10]  ⁶⁸ sn See Gen 10:22.

[27:11]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “sons of Arvad.”

[27:11]  ⁷⁰ sn The identity of the Gammadites is uncertain.

[27:11]  ⁷¹ tn See note on “quivers” in Jer 51:11 on the meaning of Hebrew שֶׁלֶט (shelet) and also M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:553.

[27:12]  ⁷² sn Tarshish refers to a distant seaport sometimes believed to be located in southern Spain (others identified it as Carthage in North Africa). In any event it represents here a distant, rich, and exotic port which was a trading partner of Tyre.

[27:14]  ⁷³ tn The way in which these horses may have been distinguished from other horses is unknown. Cf. ASV “war-horses” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, CEV all similar); NLT “chariot horses.”

[27:15]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “sons of Dedan.”

[27:15]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “they returned as your gift.”

[27:16]  ⁷⁶ tc Many Hebrew mss, Aquila’s Greek translation, and the Syriac version read “Edom.” The LXX reads “man,” a translation which assumes the same consonants as Edom. This reading is supported from the context as the text deals with Damascus, the capital of Syria (Aram), later (in v. 18).

[27:17]  ⁷⁷ sn The location is mentioned in Judg 11:33.

[27:19]  ⁷⁸ tc The MT leaves v. 18 as an incomplete sentence and begins v. 19 with “and Dan and Javan (Ionia) from Uzal.” The LXX mentions “wine.” The translation follows an emendation assuming some confusions of vav and yod. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:82.

[27:19]  ⁷⁹ sn According to L. C. Allen (Ezekiel [WBC], 2:82), Izal was located between Haran and the Tigris and was famous for its wine.

[27:25]  ⁸⁰ tn Or perhaps “Large merchant ships.” The expression “ships of Tarshish” may describe a class of vessel, that is, large oceangoing merchant ships.

[27:27]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “your repairers of damage.” See v. 9.

[27:28]  ⁸² tn Compare this phrase to Isa 57:20 and Amos 8:8. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:561.

[27:30]  ⁸³ tn Heb “make heard over you with their voice.”

[27:30]  ⁸⁴ tn Note a similar expression to “roll in the ashes” in Mic 1:10.

[27:31]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “and they will weep concerning you with bitterness of soul, (with) bitter mourning.”

[27:32]  ⁸⁶ tn As it stands, the meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. The translation follows the suggestion of M. Dahood, “Accadian-Ugaritic dmt in Ezekiel 27:32,” Bib 45 (1964): 83-84. Several other explanations and emendations have been offered. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:83, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:85-86, for a list of options.

[27:34]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “fallen.”

[27:34]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “in the midst of you.”