21:2 Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, a and drop
[thy word] toward the holy places, and prophesy against the
land of Israel,
(a) Speak sensibly, that all may understand.
21:3 And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold,
I [am] against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of
its sheath, and will cut off from thee the b righteous
and the wicked.
(b) That is such which seem to have an outward show of
righteousness by observation of the ceremonies of the
law.
21:4 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and
the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth from its
sheath against all flesh from the south to the c north:
(c) Meaning, through all the land.
21:6 Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with breaking d heart;
and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.
(d) As though you were in extreme anguish.
21:7 And it shall be, when they say to thee, Why sighest thou?
that thou shalt answer, e 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.
(e) Because of the great noise of the army of the
Chaldeans.
21:10 It is sharpened to make a grievous slaughter; it is
polished that it may f glitter: should we then make
mirth? it despiseth the g rod of my son, h [as] every
tree.
(f) And so cause fear.
(g) Meaning, the sceptre showing that it will not spare
the king, who would be as the son of God, and in his
place.
(h) That is, the rest of the people.
21:11 And he hath given it to be polished, that it may be
handled: the sword is sharpened, and it is polished, to
give it into the hand of the i slayer.
(i) That is, to the army of the Chaldeans.
21:12 Cry and wail, 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: k smite
therefore upon [thy] thigh.
21:13 Because [it is] a trial, l and what if [the sword]
despise even the rod? it shall be no [more], saith the
Lord GOD.
(l) Ezekiel moved with compassion thus complains fearing
the destruction of the kingdom which God had confirmed
to David and his posterity by promise, which promise
God performed although here it seemed to man's eye
that it would utterly perish.
21:14 Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite m [thy]
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
private chambers.
(m) That is, encourage the sword.
21:16 Go thee n one way or other, [either] on the right hand,
[or] on the left, wherever thy face [is] set.
(n) Provide for yourself: for you will see God's plague
of all parts on this country.
21:19 Also, thou son of man, mark o two ways, that the sword
of the king of Babylon may come: both [ways] shall come
forth from one land: and choose thou a place, choose [it]
at the head of the way to the city.
(o) This was spoken because when Nebuchadnezzar came
against Judah his purpose was also to go against the
Ammonites, but doubting in the way which enterprise to
undertake first he consulted with his soothsayers and
so went against Judah.
21:20 Mark a way, that the sword may come to Rabbah of the
Ammonites, and p to Judah in Jerusalem the fortified.
(p) That is, to the tribe of Judah that kept themselves in
Jerusalem.
21:21 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 r the liver.
(r) He used conjuring and sorcery.
21:23 And it shall be to them s as a false divination in their
sight, to them that have sworn oaths: t but he will call
to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.
(s) Because there was a league between the Jews and the
Babylonians, they of Jerusalem will think nothing less
than that this thing would come to pass.
(t) That is, Nebuchadnezzar will remember the rebellion of
Zedekiah, and so come on them.
21:25 And thou, profane wicked u prince of Israel, whose day
is come, when iniquity [shall have] an end,
(u) Meaning, Zedekiah who practised with the Egyptians to
make himself high and able to resist the Babylonians.
21:26 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the x diadem, and take
off the crown: this [shall] not [be] the same: exalt [him
that is] low, and abase [him that is] high.
(x) Some refer this to the priest's attire: for Jehozadak
the priest went into captivity with the king.
21:27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be
no [more], until he y cometh whose right it is; and I
will give it [him].
(y) That is, to the coming of Messiah: for though the Jews
had some sign of government later under the Persians,
Greeks and Romans, yet this restitution was not till
Christ's coming and at length would be accomplished as
was promised, (Ge 49:10).
21:29 While they see z vanity to thee, while they divine a lie
to 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.
(z) Though the Jews and Ammonites would not believe that
you, that is the sword, would come upon them, and said
that the prophets who threatened spoke lies, yet you
will as surely come as though you were already on
their necks.
