Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy against Jerusalem and Israel, declaring that the LORD's sharpened sword is drawn against both righteous and wicked, bringing widespread destruction and despair. The king of Babylon will be divinely guided to attack Jerusalem, leading to the overthrow of its wicked prince. The chapter also foretells judgment against the Ammonites for their iniquity.
And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.
Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:
And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.
It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree.
Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh.
Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy chambers.
I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! it is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter.
Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city.
For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver.
At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort.
And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.
¶ And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the glittering:
Whiles they see vanity unto thee, whiles they divine a lie unto thee, to bring thee upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked, whose day is come, when their iniquity shall have an end.
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.
Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the LORD have spoken it.
Study Notes for Ezekiel 21
Verse 2
Setting the face toward Jerusalem and dropping the word/prophecy toward the holy places emphasizes that the center of Israel's false security (the Temple) will be the focus of the impending divine wrath.
Verse 3
The image of God drawing the sword from its sheath signifies the commencement of irreversible, decisive action. This judgment is national, not strictly individual, indicating that the entire political and religious structure will fall.
Verse 4
The controversial phrase 'cut off... the righteous and the wicked' (cf. Gen 18:23) indicates that in the context of national covenant collapse, no one is exempt from the physical suffering of the invasion, though individual spiritual fate remains distinct.
Verse 6
Ezekiel is commanded to perform another sign-act—a public, bitter sighing that physically expresses the overwhelming anguish and certainty of the approaching disaster.
Verse 10
The sword 'contemneth the rod of my son' likely refers to Judah's royal scepter or the ruling line (the 'rod' of David), mocking its authority and demonstrating its impotence against God's judgment.
Verse 13
This difficult verse confirms that because the Davidic line (the rod) has failed the test (trial), it will be completely removed, ensuring the end of the current dynasty.
Verse 19
Ezekiel is instructed to draw a map or visualize the King of Babylon approaching the fork in the road, illustrating the geopolitical reality of Nebuchadnezzar’s strategic decision-making.
Verse 20
Rabbath was the capital of Ammon. This shows that the Babylonian threat was real for all Transjordan states, forcing Nebuchadnezzar to choose his primary target first.
Verse 21
Nebuchadnezzar is depicted using three common forms of Mesopotamian divination: shaking arrows (belomancy), consulting idols (teraphim), and inspecting animal livers (hepatoscopy) to determine his path.
Verse 23
The leaders in Jerusalem view Nebuchadnezzar's divination as unreliable, relying instead on treaties (sworn oaths) with Egypt. Yet, God confirms the divination will correctly lead Babylon to Jerusalem as divine judgment.
Verse 25
This addresses King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, who is called 'profane wicked prince.' His reign marks the absolute end ('the day is come') of the Davidic monarchy until the Messiah.
Verse 27
The threefold repetition 'overturn, overturn, overturn' emphasizes the completeness of the destruction of the monarchy. The crown will remain vacant until the rightful heir (the Messiah) comes to claim the eternal Davidic throne.
Verse 28
The focus shifts to the Ammonites, who rejoiced over Jerusalem's fall and relied on their own false divination (v. 29), sealing their own fate for judgment.
Verse 30
God rejects the Ammonite expectation that the sword will return to its sheath after destroying Judah. Instead, judgment will fall upon Ammon in their own land, emphasizing God’s sovereignty over all nations.
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