Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
God vows to set fire to the Edomite lands and to bring his sword upon the Israelites and Ammonites.
II. Photo
God will punish the south: “I am going to kindle a fire in you, which shall devour every tree of yours, both green and withered. Its leaping flame shall not go out, and every face from south to north shall be scorched by it!” (v. 3b)
III. Important Verses
3-4: Say to the brushland of the Negeb: Hear the word of the LORD. Thus said the Lord GOD: I am going to kindle a fire in you, which shall devour every tree of yours, both green and withered. Its leaping flame shall not go out, and every face from south to north shall be scorched by it. Then all flesh shall recognize that I the LORD have kindled it; it shall not go out.
8-10: Say to the land of Israel: Thus said the LORD: I am going to deal with you! I will draw My sword from its sheath, and I will wipe out from you both the righteous and the wicked. In order to wipe out from you both the righteous and the wicked, My sword shall assuredly be unsheathed against all flesh from south to north; and all flesh shall know that I the LORD have drawn My sword from its sheath, not to be sheathed again.
11-12: And you, O mortal, sigh; with tottering limbs and bitter grief, sigh before their eyes. And when they ask you, “Why do you sigh?” answer, “Because of the tidings that have come.” Every heart shall sink and all hands hang nerveless; every spirit shall grow faint and all knees turn to water because of the tidings that have come. It is approaching, it shall come to pass — declares the Lord GOD.
24-26: And you, O mortal, choose two roads on which the sword of the king of Babylon may advance, both issuing from the same country; and select a spot, select it where roads branch off to [two] cities. Choose a way for the sword to advance on Rabbah of the Ammonites or on fortified Jerusalem in Judah. For the king of Babylon has stood at the fork of the road, where two roads branch off, to perform divination: He has shaken arrows, consulted teraphim, and inspected the liver.
IV. Outline
1-5. God’s message to the south
1-3a. God sends Ezekiel to speak to the peoples of the south
3b-4. God will burn the south
5. Ezekiel’s rejoinder
6-12. God’s message to Israel
6-8a. God sends Ezekiel to speak to the Israelites
8b-10. God will kill the righteous along with the wicked
11-12. God tells Ezekiel to sigh in front of the people
13-22. A prophesy of doom
13-14a. Introduction
14b-22. A sword is coming to punish the people
23-37. The sword of Babylon
23. Introduction
24-27. The king of Babylon chooses to attack Jerusalem
28-32. Jerusalem will be punished
33-37. God will punish the Ammonites
V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.
VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Allen, Leslie C. “Ezekiel 1-19” Word Biblical Commentary vol. 28 (Waco, Texas: Wordbook, 1994).
Collins, John J. “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible,” (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004).
Hals, Ronald M. “Ezekiel” The forms of the Old Testament Literature vol. 19 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1989)
Photo taken from http://www.betterphoto.com/uploads/processed/0023/0506160350351montezuma_016_upload.jpg
