# Ezekiel 21 đ: The Sword of the Lord
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#đ§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#âď¸ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#đ Key Principles / đ Life Application]]
> [[#đŹ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#âď¸ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đ Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#đ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đ Internal Notes]]
## đ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### The Sword of Judgment
[[#Verse 01.]] (21:6) The Lordâs message came to me:Â
[[#Verse 02.]] âSon of man, turn toward Jerusalem and speak out against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of IsraelÂ
[[#Verse 03.]] and say to them, âThis is what the Lord says: Look, I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.
[[#Verse 04.]] Because I will cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will go out from its sheath against everyone from the south to the north.Â
[[#Verse 05.]] Then everyone will know that I am the Lord, who drew my sword from its sheathâit will not be sheathed again!â
[[#Verse 06.]] âAnd you, son of man, groan with an aching heart and bitterness; groan before their eyes.Â
[[#Verse 07.]] When they ask you, âWhy are you groaning?â you will reply, âBecause of the report that has come. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand will be limp; everyone will faint, and every knee will be wet with urine.â Pay attentionâit is coming and it will happen, declares the Sovereign Lord.â
[[#Verse 08.]] The Lordâs message came to me:Â
[[#Verse 09.]]Â âSon of man, prophesy and say: âThis is what the Lord says: ââA sword, a sword is sharpened, and also polished.
[[#Verse 10.]]Â It is sharpened for slaughter, it is polished to flash like lightning! ââShould we rejoice in the scepter of my son? No! The sword despises every tree!
[[#Verse 11.]]Â ââHe gave it to be polished, to be grasped in the handâ the sword is sharpened, it is polishedâ giving it into the hand of the executioner.
[[#Verse 12.]]Â 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.
[[#Verse 13.]] ââFor testing will come, and what will happen when the scepter, which the sword despises, is no more? declares the Sovereign Lord.â
[[#Verse 14.]]Â âAnd 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.
[[#Verse 15.]]Â 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!
[[#Verse 16.]]Â Cut sharply on the right!
Swing to the left,
wherever your edge is appointed to strike.
[[#Verse 17.]]Â I too will clap my hands together,
I will exhaust my rage;
I the Lord have spoken.â
[[#Verse 18.]] The Lordâs message came to me:Â
[[#Verse 19.]]Â âYou, son of man, mark out two routes for the king of Babylonâs 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.Â
[[#Verse 20.]] Mark out the routes for the sword to take: âRabbah of the Ammonitesâ and âJudah with Jerusalem in it.âÂ
[[#Verse 21.]] For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road at the head of the two routes. He looks for omens: He shakes arrows, he consults idols, he examines animal livers.Â
[[#Verse 22.]] Into his right hand comes the portent for Jerusalemâto set up battering rams, to give the signal for slaughter, to shout out the battle cry, to set up battering rams against the gates, to erect a siege ramp, to build a siege wall.
[[#Verse 23.]] But those in Jerusalem will view it as a false omen. They have sworn solemn oaths, but the king of Babylon will accuse them of violations in order to seize them.
[[#Verse 24.]] âTherefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: âBecause you have brought up your own guilt by uncovering your transgressions and revealing your sins through all your actions, for this reason you will be taken by force.
[[#Verse 25.]]Â ââAs for you, profane and wicked prince of Israel,
whose day has come, the time of final punishment,
[[#Verse 26.]] this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Tear off the turban; take off the crown! Things must change. Exalt the lowly; bring low the exalted!
[[#Verse 27.]] A total ruin I will make it! Indeed, this will not be until he comes to whom is the right, and I will give it to him.â
[[#Verse 28.]] âAs for you, son of man, prophesy and say, âThis is what the Sovereign Lord says concerning the Ammonites and their coming humiliation:
ââA sword, a sword drawn for slaughter,
polished to consume, to flash like lightningâ
[[#Verse 29.]]Â while seeing false visions about you
and reading lying omens about youâ
to place you on the necks of the profane wicked,
whose day has come,
the time of final punishment.
[[#Verse 30.]]Â Return it to its sheath!
In the place where you were created,
in your native land, I will judge you.
[[#Verse 31.]]Â 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.
[[#Verse 32.]]Â You will become fuel for the fireâ
your blood will stain the middle of the land;
you will no longer be remembered,
for I, the Lord, have spoken.ââ
## đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
###### Verse 24.
###### Verse 25.
###### Verse 26.
###### Verse 27.
###### Verse 28.
###### Verse 29.
###### Verse 30.
###### Verse 31.
###### Verse 32.
## đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. In Hebrew Bibles, this chapter begins five verses earlier, so English 21:1 is Hebrew 21:6.
2. Verses 9-17 are often called "the Song of the Sword."
3. Ezekiel groaned with a broken heart as a sign to the people (21:6-7).
4. Nebuchadnezzar stood at a fork in the road, deciding between Jerusalem and Rabbah of the Ammonites (21:19-20).
5. He used three methods of divination: shaking arrows, consulting household idols, and examining a liver (21:21).
6. Archaeologists have found clay models of sheep livers from Mesopotamia that were used to train diviners.
7. The omen in his right hand pointed to Jerusalem (21:22).
8. The "wicked prince of Israel" (21:25) refers to King Zedekiah.
9. God commands the removal of the turban and the crown (21:26), symbols of priesthood and kingship.
10. Many see 21:27 as an echo of Genesis 49:10, where the scepter belongs to the one who will come from Judah.
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the One to whom the crown rightfully belongs. God said the crown would be taken away until the one comes to whom it rightfully belongs (21:26-27), and Jesus is the Son of David who will reign forever (Luke 1:32-33).
## đ Key Principles / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. God told Ezekiel to groan with a broken heart in front of the people (21:6-7). How does genuine grief over sin help others take it seriously?
2. The king of Babylon used pagan methods to choose his path, yet God directed the outcome (21:21-22). What does that show about God's control over history?
3. God promised the crown would wait for the one to whom it rightfully belongs (21:27). How does that give hope in a chapter full of judgment?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verses 9-10: A sword is sharpened and polished for slaughter.
- đ verse 21: The king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road to seek an omen.
- đ verse 27: The ruin continues until the one comes to whom it rightfully belongs.
## đ Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đ [[Genesis 49#Verse 10.|Genesis 49:10]] - The scepter will not depart from Judah.
- đ [[Luke 01#Verse 31.|Luke 1:31-33]] - He will reign over the house of Jacob forever.
- đ [[Revelation 19#Verse 11.|Revelation 19:11-16]] - The King of kings with a sharp sword.
- đ [[Proverbs 16#Verse 33.|Proverbs 16:33]] - The lot is cast, but every decision is from the Lord.
- đ [[Jeremiah 49#Verse 01.|Jeremiah 49:1-2]] - Judgment on Rabbah of the Ammonites.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Ezekiel 21 - SOAP|God Gives Time for Repentance and Judgment]]
## đ Internal Notes