Online Resource Library
Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Ezekiel 21:1 - 21:17
(Show All Books | Show All Chapters)
This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
The Sword of the Lord.
v. 1. And the word of the Lord came unto me, evidently in answer to his complaint, saying,
v. 2. Son of man, set thy face, in firm determination, toward Jerusalem, the capital of this same south country of which the Lord had just spoken in figurative language, and drop thy word, in a stream of denunciation and threatening, toward the holy places, the various parts of the Temple, and prophesy against the land of Israel,
v. 3. and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I am against thee, in stern opposition, and will draw forth My sword out of his sheath, in sending war with bloodshed and devastation, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, all of them being included alike in the outward form of the punishment.
v. 4. Seeing, then, that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, the Lord having the external aspect of His visitation upon Judah in mind, therefore, in fulfillment of this object, shall My sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the South to the North, against all the inhabitants of the country,
v. 5. that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn forth My sword out of his sheath, to accomplish this sweeping overthrow, this fearful catastrophe; It shall not return any more, it must perform its mission of carnage and distress.
v. 6. Sigh, therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins, as though the very seat of strength would burst; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes, in bitter sorrow and pain over the coming calamity.
v. 7. And it shall be when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tiding, because it cometh, because the message contained in the evil tidings would be fulfilled; and every heart shall melt, in utter discouragement and despair, and all hands shall be feeble, hanging down in a disheartened manner, and every spirit shall faint, be dull with apprehension and fear, and all knees shall be weak as water, in utter weakness; behold, it cometh and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord God, for He was fully determined to carry out His punishment upon His rebellious children. This thought is now set forth in greater detail.
v. 8. Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
v. 9. Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord, Say, A sword, a sword, is sharpened, the repetition increasing the emphasis upon the deadliness of the weapon, and also furbished, ready for immediate use, for terrifying bloodshed;
v. 10. it is sharpened to make a sore slaughter, literally, "that, killing, it may kill"; it is furbished that it may glitter, the flash of its wielding striking terror to the hearts of all beholders. Should we, then, make mirth? It contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree, literally, "Shall we rejoice over the staff of my son, despising every tree?" or, "Shall we rejoice, saying, The scepter of my son despises every tree?" that is, the kingly power and authority of Judah could afford to despise every other power as inferior, on account of the Messianic promise to Judah.
v. 11. And he hath given it to be furbished that it may be handled, Judah himself causing the preparations for the slaughter of his own people; this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer, so that the judgment upon Judah might take its course.
v. 12. Cry and howl, son of man, namely, from fear and grief; 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, the sword of slaughter being sure to accomplish its purpose. Smite therefore upon thy thigh, as a mark of extreme terror and pain.
v. 13. Because it is a trial, literally, "for a testing-out it is," and what if the sword contemn even the rod? What if the despising scepter shall not be? the power of Judah coming to an end before the advance of the Chaldean host; It shall be no more, saith the Lord God.
v. 14. Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy and smite thine hands together, in extreme agitation, and let the sword be doubled, the third time, the sword of the slain, so that its sharpness and strength will be increased in their terrible effects. It is the sword of the great men that are slain, for rank and standing shielded no man against the Chaldean attack and slaughter, which entereth into their privy chambers, literally, "which encircles them, which circulates about them," giving them no chance to escape.
v. 15. I have set the point of the sword against all their gates that their heart may faint and their ruins, literally, "their stumbling-blocks," that is, the occasions for them to fall by the sword, be multiplied. Ah! it, the sword, is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter, sharpened and drawn for the fray, for the bloodshed. With this in mind, the sword is directly addressed.
v. 18. Go thee one way or other, literally, "gather thy strength," either on the right hand or on the left, striking wherever an opportunity offers, whithersoever thy face is set, the activity and rapidity of the sword-strokes thus being pictured.
v. 17. I will also smite Mine hands together, so Jehovah states, and I will cause My fury to rest, to find satisfaction in carrying out His vengeance. I, the Lord, have said it. Jehovah excels in long-suffering, but when His hour for punishing comes, He gives vent to His fury in a manner which is not readily forgotten. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.