Ezekiel 29, A Crocodile Pulled From the Nile

After describing prophecies against kingdoms around Judah, Ezekiel now receives a message from YHWH regarding the old nemesis, Egypt. This prophecy will stretch across four chapters (29-32) and include seven distinct passages.

Ezekiel 29:1-7, Set your face against Egypt

In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day, the word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. Speak to him and say: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says:  

"`I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, 

you great monster lying among your streams. 

You say, "The Nile is mine; I made it for myself."

But I will put hooks in your jaws 

and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales. 

I will pull you out from among your streams, 

with all the fish sticking to your scales.

I will leave you in the desert,

 you and all the fish of your streams. 

You will fall on the open field and not be gathered or picked up. 

I will give you as food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the air.   

Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am the LORD. "`You have been a staff of reed for the house of Israel. When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched.

Pharaoh is described as the great "monster", tannin (translated "dragon" in the King James Version.) This is the Hebrew word for the "sea creatures" created in Day Five of Genesis 1:21 and often represented the chaos of the sea in the ANE culture. Although this creature could indeed be the chaos creature of old, its description here easily fits that of the crocodile. The kingdom of Egypt identified with Nile crocodiles and indeed had a crocodile god, Sobek. Crocodiles lay silently along the streams of the Nile but could be hunted with fish hooks. That imagery, pulled into the field by fish hooks, describes the downfall of Pharaoh.

The portrayal of Egypt as a splintered reed was an old one. A century before, according to Isaiah 36:6, Egypt was described, by the king of Assyria, as a mere reed which splintered when put under pressure.

Ezekiel 29:8-12, Egypt desolate

 "`Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

I will bring a sword against you and kill your men and their animals. Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know  that I am the LORD. 

 

"`Because you said, "The Nile is mine; I made it,"  therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush. No foot of man or animal will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years. I will make the land of Egypt desolate among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.   

Egypt will be destroyed and desolate for forty years, with her people, like the Israelites, scattered among the nations. Alexander says that Egypt eventually fell to Babylon about 586 BC; Josephus briefly mentions this in the Antiquities, Book X, chapter 9, paragraph 7.

Ezekiel 29:13-16, Don't look to Egypt

"`Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

At the end of  forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were scattered. I will bring them back from captivity and return them to Upper Egypt, the land of their ancestry. There they will be a lowly kingdom. It will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the other nations. I will make it so weak that it will never again rule over the nations. Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence for the people of Israel but will be a reminder of their sin in turning to her for help. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.'"   

The people of Israel often looked in the direction of Egypt for help. Egypt will eventually be so weak that this will no longer be a temptation.

This ends the first of seven Ezekiel statements against Egypt, given in the tenth year of Ezekiel's exile.

Ezekiel 29:17-18, Campaign against Tyre

In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month on the first day, the word of the LORD came to me:

"Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre; every head was rubbed bare and every shoulder made raw. Yet he and his army got no reward from the campaign he led against Tyre.   

The previous statement occurred in the tenth year of the reign of Hezekiah, the tenth year of Ezekiel's exile. This statement jumps far ahead, to the twenty-seventh year.  During this time Nebuchadnezzar had attacked Tyre. His siege of Tyre took thirteen years says Josephus (Antiquities, Book X, chapter 11, paragraph 1.)

Ezekiel 29:19-21, Egypt as a gift

Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he wil  carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder the land as pay for his army. I have given him Egypt as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign LORD. 

"On that day I will make a horn grow for the house of  Israel, and I will open your mouth among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD."  

Nebuchadnezzar, says God (through Ezekiel), will be rewarded for acting as a weapon of God and will be given Egypt as a conquest.

This ends the second of seven Ezekiel statements against Egypt. The statements that follow in the next three chapters probably predate this one.

Ezekiel 28, A Cherub In Tyre

Ezekiel has been relaying messages from YHWH regarding various nations around Judah. In the last two chapters, that message has focused on Tyre. That message continues, first with a message for Tyre and then an accompanying message for nearby Sidon. (Mackie covers this chapter in session 16 of his Bible Project class.)

Tyre and Sidon, were -- and still are -- major ports on the Mediterranean Sea, northwest of Judah. Today they are part of Lebanon.

Ezekiel 28:1-5, In the heart of the seas

The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

"`In the pride of your heart you say, "I am a god; 

I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas." 

But you are a man and not a god, 

though you think you are as wise as a god. 

Are you wiser than Daniel? 

Is no secret hidden from you?

By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself 

and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries.

By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, 

and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud.  

The ruler of Tyre, proud of its seagoing trade, acts like a god. That arrogance will be brought down.

Back in chapter 14, we briefly discussed the identification of Daniel among the three righteous men mentioned in that chapter. (See Ezekiel 14:12-14.) That issue arises again here -- is this Daniel the Jewish prophet contemporary with Ezekiel? Or is he an ancient Near Eastern wise man, Danel? Commentators Alexander and Duguid lean towards the prophet of the book of Daniel but admit the identification is not certain.

Ezekiel 28:6-10, Foreigners against your beauty

 "`Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

"`Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god,

I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; 

they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom 

and pierce your shining splendor.

They will bring you down to the pit, 

and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas.

Will you then say, "I am a god," in the presence of those who kill you? 

You will be but a man, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you.

You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. 

I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.'"  

Foreigners (most likely Babylon) will conquer Tyre. In verse 2, the ruler of Tyre is proud of his throne in the "heart of the seas"; here he will be drag down into the "heart of the seas."

Ezekiel 28:11-16, A funeral dirge for Tyre

The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

"`You  were the model of perfection, 

full of wisdom and perfect in  beauty.

You were in Eden, the garden of God; 

every precious stone adorned you: 

ruby, topaz and emerald, 

chrysolite, onyx and jasper, 

sapphire, turquoise and beryl. 

Your settings and mountings were made of gold; 

on the day you were created they were prepared.

You were anointed as a guardian cherub, 

for so I ordained you. 

You were on the holy mount of God; 

you walked among the fiery stones.

You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created

till wickedness was found in you.

Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence,

and you sinned. 

So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, 

and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.   

Tyre had everything it could want, a version of Eden. Indeed, the king of Tyre is described as having resided, as a cherub, in Eden!  Commentators disagree on the meaning of this -- is the king of Tyre being identified as the serpent (nachash) of Eden? Or is that evil creature behind the king's violence, sin and eventual disgrace? 

A reminder: the Hebrew cherub has lost its fearsome meaning in modern English. The cherubim were frightening creatures that guarded the throne of YHWH or, in other ANE religions, guarded the throne of a god. It is possible (says Alexander, p. 883) that the king of Tyre regards himself as the god Melkart 

 or as a cherub guarding Melkart's throne.

The Greek Septuagint differs just a little from the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT) in this passage. The NIV follows the MT, which lists nine stones adorning this creature. Those nine stones correspond to rows 1, 4 and 2. respectively, of the high priest's breastplate in Exodus 28:17-20. But the Septuagint lists twelve, not nine, stones adorning this creature. The Septuagint's list of stones is

sardius, topaz, emerald,

carbuncle, sapphire, jasper. 

amber, agate, amethyst.

chrysolite, beryl, onyx, 

which corresponds exactly to the stones on the high priest's garment in Exodus. Mackie suggests a sort of anti-Eden occurring here, as a rebellious king echoes the rebellious serpent of Eden and even wears the mantle of the ancient high priest. Alexander views the Septuagint version as a later corruption.

Ezekiel 28:17-19, A funeral dirge for Tyre. continued

Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, 

and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. 

So I threw you to the earth; 

I made a spectacle of you before kings.   

By your many sins and dishonest trade 

you have desecrated your sanctuaries. 

So I made a fire come out from you, 

and it consumed you, 

and I reduced you to ashes on the ground

in the sight of all who were watching.

All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; 

you have come to a horrible end 

and will be no more.'"  

Tyre's pride leads to a visible defeat, so all the nations can watch.

Ezekiel 28:20-24, Sidon too

The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, set your face against Sidon; prophesy against her and say: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

"`I am  against you, O Sidon, 

and I will gain glory within you. 

They will know that I am the LORD, 

when I inflict punishment on her 

and show myself holy within her.

I will send a plague upon her 

and make blood flow in her streets. 

The slain will fall within her,

 with the sword against her on every side. 

Then they will know that I am the LORD.   

"`No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.   

Sidon, just a little north of Tyre on the Mediterranean coast, now gets God's attention and judgment.

Ezekiel 28:25-26, A later return

"`This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.'" 

But the people of Israel will later be returned from their dispersion among the nations. This short passage gives a brief interlude between the previous judgment of five nations (Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre/Sidon) and the coming judgment against the ancient enemy, Egypt.

Ezekiel 27, Tyre, Commercial Center of the Mediterranean

Ezekiel has recorded God's plans to wreck vengeance on the nations surrounding Judah, because they rejoiced in Judah's defeat. Of special focus is Tyre.

Ezekiel 27:1-9, A lament concerning Tyre

The word of the LORD came to me:

"Son of man, take up a lament concerning Tyre. Say to Tyre, situated at the gateway to the sea, merchant of peoples on many coasts, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says:

 

"`You say, O Tyre, "I am perfect in beauty." 

 Your domain was on the high seas; 

your builders brought your beauty to perfection. 

They made all your timbers of pine trees from Senir; 

they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. 

Of oaks from Bashan they made your oars; 

of cypress wood from the coasts of Cyprus they made your deck, 

inlaid with ivory. 

Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail

 and served as your banner; 

your awnings were of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah. 

Men of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen; your skilled men,  

O Tyre, were aboard as your seamen. 

Veteran craftsmen of Gebal were on board as shipwrights to caulk your seams. 

All the ships of the sea and their sailors came alongside to trade for your wares.   

Tyre was famous for its merchants and is experience with sea travel. It was a center of commerce. The funeral dirge begun in the last chapter continues. The dirge mentions many luxuries and riches of Tyre.

Some of the names (such as Cyprus) are conjectured from the Hebrew. Elishah is unknown, appearing only in Genesis 10:4. Conjectures for the coasts of Elishah include Italy, Sicily and Carthage (Alexander, p. 875.)

Ezekiel 27:10-11, Powerful men

"`Men of Persia, Lydia and Put served as soldiers in your army. 

They hung their shields and helmets on your walls,

bringing you splendor.

Men of Arvad and Helech manned your walls on every side;

 men of Gammad were in your towers. 

They hung their shields  around your walls;

 they brought your beauty to perfection. 

Powerful men from other countries came to Tyre.

Ezekiel 27:12-24, All the commerce of the world

• "`Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin and lead  for your merchandise.   
• "`Greece, Tubal and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged slaves and articles of bronze for your wares.   
• "`Men of Beth Togarmah exchanged work horses, war horses and mules for your merchandise.   
• "`The men of Rhodes traded with you, and many coastlands were your customers; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.   
• "`Aram did business with you because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple fabric,  embroidered work, fine linen, coral and rubies for your merchandise.  
•  "`Judah and Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat from Minnith and confections, honey, oil and balm for your wares.   
• "`Damascus, because of your many products and great wealth of goods, did business with you in wine from Helbon and wool from Zahar.   
• "`Danites and Greeks from Uzal bought your merchandise; they exchanged wrought iron, cassia and calamus for your wares.   
• "`Dedan traded in saddle blankets with you.   
• "`Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your customers; they did business with you in lambs, rams and goats.   
• "`The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; for your merchandise they exchanged the finest of all kinds of spices and precious stones, and gold.   
• "`Haran, Canneh and Eden and merchants of Sheba, Asshur and Kilmad traded with you. In your marketplace they traded with you beautiful garments, blue fabric, embroidered work and multicolored rugs with cords twisted and tightly knotted.   

The lament for Tyre describes the immense network of traders who benefited from Tyre's commerce. This is a phenomenal description of ancient Near East economics and commerce. 

Some of these city names are unknown. For example, Canneh may be a slight mispelling of Calneh, which appears in Amos 6:2. The consonants of that word appear in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10:10 and also Isaiah 10:9.

Ezekiel 27:25-27, Ships of Tarshish

"`The ships of Tarshish serve as carriers for your wares. 

You are filled with heavy cargo in the heart of the sea.  

Your oarsmen take you out to the high seas. 

But the east wind will break you to pieces 

in the heart of the sea. 

Your wealth, merchandise and wares, 

your mariners, seamen and shipwrights, 

your merchants and all your soldiers, 

and everyone else on board 

will sink into the heart of the sea 

on the day of your shipwreck. 

A future shipwreck is coming for the ships of Tyre. It comes on an "east wind", a reference to Babylonia. Tarshish, as described throughout the Old Testament, represented an unknown port famous for making ships.

Ezekiel 27:28-32, Seamen weep

The shorelands will quake when your seamen cry out. 

All who handle the oars will abandon their ships; 

the mariners and all the seamen will stand on the shore. 

They will raise their voice and cry bitterly over you; 

they will sprinkle dust on their heads and roll in ashes. 

They will shave their heads because of you 

and will put on sackcloth. 

They will weep over you with anguish of soul 

and with bitter mourning.

As they wail and mourn over you, 

they will take up a lament  concerning you: 

"Who was ever silenced like Tyre, 

surrounded by the sea?"

When Tyre is destroyed the sailors and mariners will weep and cry, devastated by the destruction of one port so powerful and rich.

Ezekiel 27:33-36, Enrich the kings

When your merchandise went out on the seas, 

you satisfied many nations; 

with your great wealth and your wares 

you enriched the kings of the earth.

Now you are shattered by the sea 

in the depths of the waters; 

your wares and all your company have gone down with  you. 

All who live in the coastlands are appalled at you; 

their kings shudder with horror 

and their faces are distorted with fear.

The merchants among the nations hiss at you; 

you have come to a horrible end 

and will be no more.'" 

Tyre was the commercial center of the ancient Near East, enriching rulers from many nations. All the rulers and wealthy merchants are horrified to see Tyre go down.

Ezekiel 26, Tyre Too!

Kingdoms around Judah have rejoiced at Judah's defeat by Nebuchadnezzar. Four of those nations were Ammon, Moab, Edom and Philistia. Now God's attention falls on Tyre (for the next three chapters) and then Egypt (for four more.)

Mackie sees seven messages to Tyre, beginning at 26:1, 26:7, 26:15, 27:1, 28:1, 28:11 and 28:20.

Ezekiel 26:1-6, The destruction will come to Tyre

In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:

"Son of man, because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, `Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open  tome; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,' therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like  the sea casting up its waves. They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers; I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock. Out in the sea she will become a place to spread fishnets, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD. She will become plunder for the nations, and her settlements on the mainland will be ravaged by the sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD.   

This is probably the eleventh year of King Zedekiah, 586 BC, the end of his reign. Strangely missing is the month of the year -- we have day and year but not month as part of this date. To confuse matters more, the Septuagint (says Alexander) replaces "eleventh year" with "twelfth year."

Tyre was a significant trading hub in this time, with ships plying the Mediterranean ports and trade routes extending down through the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. As Judah sat on some of those routes, the rulers of Tyre see financial gain in Judah's defeat.

The statements of God ("YHWH Adonai") regarding the fall of Tyre carry images of the sea and its chaotic power. Tyre will be overrun with "waves" that "scrape away her rubble."

The Hebrew word, bath,(literally "daughters"), is translated "settlements on the mainland" by the NIV. That word was a common Hebrew phrase for nearby villages.

Ezekiel 26:7-14, From the north comes Nebuchadnezzar

"For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with horsemen and a great army. He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against you, build a ramp up to your walls and raise his shields against you. He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and demolish your towers with his weapons. His horses will be so many that they will cover you with dust. Your walls will tremble at the noise of the war horses, wagons and chariots when he enters your gates as men enter a city whose walls have been broken through. The hoofs of his horses will trample all your streets; he will kill your people with the sword, and your strong  pillars will fall to the ground. They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea.   

I will put an end to your noisy songs, and the music of your harps will be heard no more. I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.   

Tyre, despite part of it as an island, will be besieged and destroyed. The statement that Tyre will never be rebuilt has caused some discussion and controversy. Tyre would not recover its worldwide prominence as a Mediterranean seaport and one of its two ancient harbors has disappeared, but  after Nebuchadnezzars conquest, it would be rebuilt as a town, to be conquered again by Alexander the Great. Modern Tyre is currently is the fifth largest city in Lebanon.

Ezekiel 26:15-18, Terror along the coastland

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Tyre: Will not the coastlands tremble at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan and the slaughter takes place in you? Then all the princes of the coast will step down from their thrones and lay aside their robes and take off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled at you.  

Then they will take up a lament concerning you and say to you: 

"`How you are destroyed, O city of renown, 

peopled by men of the sea! 

You were a power on the seas, you and your citizens; 

you put your terror on all who lived there. 

Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall; 

the islands in the sea are terrified at your collapse.'   

The assault on Tyre will frighten the rulers of the regions along the coast of the Mediterranean, who traded with her. These leaders will step down from their thrones and go into mourning, taking up a funeral dirge in her memory.

Ezekiel 26:19-21, Waters over Tyre

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depths over you and its vast waters cover you, then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place in the land of the living. I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more. You will be sought, but you will never again be found, declares the Sovereign LORD." 

The devastation of Tyre will be total. Indeed, the image describes ocean waters washing over Tyre. The culture of the ANE viewed Sheol, the realm of the dead, as the deep parts of the chaotic ocean; here seagoing Tyre is portrayed as going down to that pit.

Ezekiel 25, Four Nations Rejoice at Judah's Defeat

For seven years (and 24 chapters) Ezekiel has been prophesying about the coming destruction of Jerusalem. Now that it has occurred, and the elders living in Babylon have heard the news, the ministry of Ezekiel takes a turn. As the nations around Judah rejoice in the destruction of that country, Ezekiel has a message for them.

Ezekiel 25:1-5, Ammon too

The word of the LORD came to me:

"Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them. Say to them, `Hear the word of the Sovereign LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you said "Aha!" over my sanctuary when it was desecrated and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile, therefore I am going to give you to the people of the East as a possession. They will set up their camps and pitch their tents among you; they will eat your fruit and drink your milk.

I will turn Rabbah into a pasture for camels and Ammon into a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the  LORD.   

Ammon will also be judged and destroyed. The capital, Rabbah, will become pastureland. The Ammonites should not have rejoiced over the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

Rabbah was probably at the site of modern Amman, Jordan.

Ezekiel 25:6-7, Because you cheered...

For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet, rejoicing with all the malice of your heart against the land of Israel, therefore I will stretch out my hand against you and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the nations and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroy you, and you will know that I am the LORD.'"   

The people of Ammon are portrayed as celebrating by clapping their hands and stomping their feet. Delight in the destruction of others (especially with powerful Babylonia off to the east) is not a good idea.

Ezekiel 25:8-11, Moab

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

`Because Moab and Seir said, "Look, the house of Judah has become like all the other nations," therefore I will expose the flank of Moab, beginning at its  frontier towns--Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon and Kiriathaim--the glory of that land. I will give Moab along with the Ammonites to the people of the East as a possession, so that the Ammonites will not be remembered among the nations; and I will inflict punishment on Moab. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'"   

Moab, home of Mount Seir, will be judged just like Ammon. 

According to Genesis 19:30-38, the Moabites and Ammonites descended from the incestuous relationship of Lot and his two daughters. Both tribes were longtime enemies of the descendants of Jacob/Israel.

Ezekiel 25:12-14, Edom

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

`Because Edom took revenge on the house of Judah and became very guilty by doing so, therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom and kill its men and their animals. I will lay it waste, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword. I will take vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom in accordance with my anger and my wrath; they will know my vengeance, declares  the Sovereign LORD.'"   

Edom, which took advantage of Judah's defeat, will also feel God's wrath. If one were to look down on a map of the ANE and beginning with Ammon,  go in a clockwise circle, name nations bordering Judah, they would name Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre. (This online article at the Biblical Archaeology Society, describes the ancient kingdoms of Ammon, Moab and Edom.) The Edomites were descendants of Esau, brother of Jacob. These tribes all had close connections to the Israelites.

Ezekiel 25:15-17, Philistia

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

`Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah, therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Kerethites and destroy those remaining along the  coast. I will carry out great vengeance on them and punish them in my wrath. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I take vengeance on them.'"

As Edom took advantage of Judah's defeat, so too did Philistia. Because of this, YHWH will show his power and wreck vengeance on Philistia. 

The term Kerethites is probably a synecdoche, for Philistia. Replacing "Philistia" with "Kerethites" is wordplay, as the Hebrew word translated "cut off" is karath; God will "karath" the Kerethites. 

Faraway in Jerusalem, at about the same time, Jeremiah has a number of prophecies about the destruction of Egypt, Judah, Ammon, Moab and Edom. (See Jeremiah 9:25-26, 25:1-26, 27:1-11 and 48:1-49:22.) According to the ancient Antiquities of Josephus, Book 10, chapter 9, paragraph 7, in the fifth year after the fall of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Ammon and Moab and then Egypt.

Ezekiel 24, Jerusalem Falls

Ezekiel, in Babylon, receives another prophecy. This vision is in the ninth year of the exile of Jehoiachin, about 588 BC, about two-and-a-half years after Ezekiel's last message. It is a turning point in the book for finally Nebuchadnezzar has attacked Jerusalem. Mackie covers this chapter in session 15 of his video class.

Ezekiel 24:1-2, Siege of Jerusalem

In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the LORD came to me:

"Son of man, record this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.

The beginning of Nebuchadnezzar's siege is announced. The king of Babylon is described as "laying siege" but the Hebrew word, samach, is literally "laying hands on". Duguid sees echoes of Leviticus 1:4 and 3:2, in which priests laid hands on a sacrificial animal. Here Jerusalem is the sacrificial animal.

Ezekiel 24:3-5, Meat in a pot

Tell this rebellious house a parable and say to them: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

"`Put on the cooking pot; 

put it on and pour water into it. 

Put into it the pieces of meat, 

all the choice pieces--

the leg and the shoulder. 

Fill it with the best of these bones;

 take the pick of the flock. 

Pile wood beneath it for the bones; 

bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.

 

The sign-act Ezekiel is to do here requires that he begin to cook choice pieces of meat, in a pot, over a fire. Jerusalem, as a pot of meat, was an earlier metaphor (Ezekiel 11:2-3) used by the leaders of Jerusalem to justify their claims to security.

Ezekiel 24:6-8, Dump out the pot

"`For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

"`Woe to the city of bloodshed, 

to the pot now encrusted, 

whose deposit will not go away! 

Empty it piece by piece without casting lots for them.  

"`For the blood she shed is in her midst: 

She poured it on the bare rock; 

she did not pour it on the ground, 

where the dust would cover it. 

To stir up wrath and take revenge 

I put her blood on the bare rock, 

so that it would not be covered.  

The cooking pot of Jerusalem, with all the best meats, will be poured out.

The disposal of blood is an important part of the Mosaic Covenant. Killed animals were to have their blood drained into the ground and then covered with dust. (See Leviticus 17:12-14.) Here Jerusalem is accused of shedding blood and then not even disposing of the blood correctly. And so Jerusalem's blood will also be laid bare on a rock, uncovered.

Ezekiel 24:9-12, Impurities melted in the pot

"`Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

"`Woe to the city of bloodshed! 

I, too, will pile the wood high. 

So heap on the wood and kindle the fire. 

Cook the meat well, mixing in the spices; 

and let the bones be charred. 

Then set the empty pot on the coals

 till it becomes hot and its copper glows

 so its impurities may be melted 

and its deposit burned away. 

It has frustrated all efforts; 

its heavy deposit has not been removed, 

not even by fire.   

The pot is to be set on the hot fire long enough that the impurities begin to melt out of it. Eventually the pot contains a charred mess that cannot be removed.

Ezekiel 24:13-14, Impurity could not be cleansed

"`Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you but you would not be cleansed from your impurity, you will not be clean again until my wrath against you has subsided. 

"`I the LORD have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign LORD.'"

Jerusalem itself is impure; its impurity is "lewdness."

Ezekiel 24:15-17, A personal blow

The word of the LORD came to me:   

"Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food [of  mourners]."   

Ezekiel is about to suffer grief, but he is to hide his grieving. The grief will come as a "blow", a sudden strike (Hebrew maggephah) that will take away the "delight" of Ezekiel's eyes. Both Alexander and Mackie says that the Hebrew word translated "blow" was typically used to describe a sudden military defeat or a sudden plague. 

The identification of the upcoming grief is unclear. Certainly one delight for Ezekiel is the temple in Jerusalem, where he was trained to fulfill his calling as a priest. But there is another delight that will also be taken away.

Ezekiel 24:18-24, My wife

So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded. Then the people asked me, "Won't you tell us what these things have to do with us?"  

So I said to them, "The word of the LORD came to me:   

Say to the house of Israel, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary--the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. And you will do as I have done. You will not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food [of mourners]. You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of your sins and groan among yourselves. 

 

Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.'  

This is horrible! Ezekiel's wife dies, apparently as part of one more sign-message. This death represents the desecration, by enemy soldiers, of the sanctuary in Jerusalem. Just as Ezekiel's wife, the delight of his eyes, is taken away, so too the temple, the delight of Ezekiel and all Jews, with be taken away. In that process, the exiles currently in Babylon will lose sons and daughters.

In Leviticus 10:1-7 two of Aaron's sons are struck down for some type of disobedience and Aaron and his other sons are required to stay silent in mourning. In Leviticus 21:1-4, 10-12, a priest cannot touch a dead body but must keep himself clean during funeral rites. An exception is given if the dead person is a family member, but that exception is not granted to the high priest. Ezekiel is being required to act as a (silently grieving) high priest.

Ezekiel 24:25-27, A fugitive coming

"And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart's desire, and their sons and daughters as well--on that day a fugitive will come to tell you the news. At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent.

 

So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD."  

The tragedy coming upon the remnant in Babylon will be the shocking news of the destruction of Jerusalem. When that news arrives, Ezekiel will be able to speak again. And then people will be reassured that Ezekiel's actions have reflected the genuine actions of YHWH.

Alexander argues that this episode ends the silence forced on Ezekiel in 3:24-27, in which he was mute except when required to speak prophetically. For seven years Ezekiel has said that Jerusalem will fall; now he has been proved right. The next chapter begins a new term in Ezekiel's ministry.

Ezekiel 23, Decadent Sisters

Over a period of several years, Ezekiel, living in Babylon, has had a series of visions and prophecies about the impending destruction of Judah far to the southwest. He has acted out those prophecies as vivid pictures. Now he brings a story of two sisters....

Ezekiel 23:1-8, Oholah and Oholibah

The word of the LORD came to me:

"Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother. They became prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth. In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed. The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters.

 

Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

 

"Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians--warriors clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen. She gave herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians and defiled herself with all the idols of everyone she lusted after. She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust upon her.   

Returning to a metaphor from chapter 16, we have the two nations, Israel and Judah, portrayed as shameless prostitutes.

Scholars translate Oholah as "her tent" and Oholi-bah as "my tent is in her." Alexander, p. 851, suggests that the tent in this context is a temple or tabernacle of worship and so the two names represent Samaria/Israel's decision to build their own tabernacle in the north while Judah kept the original tabernacle in Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 23:9-13, Oholah, then Oholibah

"Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians, for whom she lusted. They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, and punishment was inflicted on her.   

 

"Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister. She too lusted after the Assyrians--governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men. I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.   

The kings of Samaria/Israel and Judah have routinely looked to nearby nations for protection or power. (One example preserved from the ninth century BC is the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III which shows King Jehu or King Jehoram of Israel kneeling to Shalmaneser III.)

Ezekiel 23:14-21, Oholibah's decadence

"But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall, figures of Chaldeans portrayed in red, with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea. As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. 

Afte she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust. When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister. Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled.

Judah, here named Oholibah, is now portrayed as aggressively lusting after leaders of Chaldea and Babylonia. (The term Chaldean may be a more general term for the people north of the Persian Gulf.) The desires of this prostitute are emphasized with fairly explicit language, echoing the images of chapter 16.

The ancient art of Assyria included a variety of dramatic images. (See, for example, this exhibit at the British Museum.) The two sisters are accused of looking at these elegant images and lusting after the powerful men portrayed there.

Ezekiel 23:22-27, Your lovers are coming

"Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign LORD says:  

I will stir up your lovers against you, those you turned away from in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side--the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, chariot officers and men of high rank, all mounted on horses. They will come against you with weapons, chariots and wagons and with a throng of people; they will take up positions against you on every side with large and small shields and with helmets.

 

I will turn you over to them for punishment, and they will punish you according to their standards. I will direct my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and daughters, and those of you who are left will be consumed by fire. They will also strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry. So I will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you began in Egypt. You will not look on these things with longing or remember Egypt anymore.   

The lovers of Oholibah will come as an army, to besiege and punish her. The prostitute metaphor describes disfigurement, with noses and both ears cutoff. (This would be a horrible ANE punishment for a prostitute.)  All sorts of horrible disasters and tortures will come upon the people of Judah.

The tribes of Pekod, Shoa and Koa were probably tribal groups to the east of Israel, vassals of Assyria (Alexander, p. 856.) The Hebrew word Pekod has a root meaning "appoint" or "punish." The Hebrew word Shoa has a root which might mean "cry out." Koa, in Hebrew, means "to vomit." Duguid, p. 304, suggests that the Hebrew listener would have heard a "sinister wordplay", with the names of tribes saying "punish, cry out, vomit," a reasonable reaction to the coming judgment.

Ezekiel 23:28-31, Turned away in disgust

"For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

I am about to hand you over to those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust. They will deal with you in hatred and take away everything you have worked for. They will leave you naked and bare, and the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your lewdness and promiscuity have brought this upon you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. You have gone the way of your sister; so I will put her cup into your hand.  

Judah will be handed over to her enemies and just like her sister, she will be destroyed.

Ezekiel 23:32-34, Your sister's cup

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

"You will drink your sister's cup, 

a cup large and deep; 

it will bring scorn and derision, 

for it holds so much.

You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, 

the cup of ruin and desolation, 

the cup of your sister Samaria.

You will drink it and drain it dry; 

you will dash it to pieces and tear your breasts. 

I have spoken, declares the  Sovereign LORD.  

The cup here is the cup of God's judgment. Judah, like Samaria, will drink of this cup. The breasts of the women, fondled at the beginning in verse 3, are torn as the women are destroyed.

Ezekiel 23:35, Turning one's back

 "Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

Since you have forgotten me and thrust me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution."   

Punishment follows the sin; Judah turned her back on YHWH and now He turns his back on her.

Ezekiel 23:36-45, Summary of judgment

The LORD said to me: 

"Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their detestable  practices, for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them. They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my Sabbaths. On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house.   

"They even sent messengers for men who came from far away, and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, painted your eyes and put on your jewelry. You sat on an elegant couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed the incense and oil that belonged to  me.   

"The noise of a carefree crowd was around her; Sabeans were brought from the desert along with men from the rabble, and they put bracelets on the arms of the woman and her sister and beautiful crowns on their heads. Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, `Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is.'  And they slept with her. As men sleep with a prostitute, so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah. But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment of  women who commit adultery and shed blood, because they are adulterous and blood is on their hands.   

The idolatry of the two kingdoms apparently included child sacrifice. And those who did that were content to casually enter the temple sanctuary.

The two kingdoms are described as dressing up especially for their suitors. This includes bathing and putting on special makeup and jewelry. 

The Sabeans were apparently from Sheba, in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula. It is possible that the Hebrew word, savaim,  translated Sabeans" by the NIV, should be translated "drunkards."

Ezekiel 23:46-49a, Terror and plunder

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 

Bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder. The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses.  

"So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you. You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry.

The adultery metaphor ends with a statement that the judgment of these two kingdoms will be a warning to other nations.

Ezekiel 23:49b, Holiness

Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD." 

The chapter ends with this explanation. A just God has endured enough, and His actions come out of His righteousness, His distinct holiness. Duguid calls this a "recognition formula", a basic statement about the character of God.

Some Random Thoughts

To read the Old Testament is to swim in the culture of ancient Near East (ANE), in which the productivity of wives, children, flocks and crops was of utmost importance for survival. As we read through this ancient culture, we need to be careful not to force the authors of these documents to address our culture. At the end of chapter 23, the story of the two decadent sisters ends with a mob stoning them to death, an "honor" killing. This is the culture of the ANE; there is no attempt to defend or promote that culture; the writer simply assumes it. We misinterpret the Old Testament scripture if we read this as an endorsement of these ancient methods of punishment. That is not the point of the parable.

Ezekiel 22, Bloodshed and Idolatry -- the Many Injustices of Jerusalem

Ezekiel has been describing the coming disaster for Judah, at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. Here YHWH details the many sins of Judah and Israel.

Ezekiel 22:1-5, Blood and idols

The word of the LORD came to me:

"Son of man, will you judge her? Will you judge this city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her detestable practices and say: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst and defiles herself by making idols, you have become guilty because of the blood you have shed and have become defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations and a laughingstock to all the countries. Those who are near and those who are far away will mock you, O infamous city, full of turmoil.   

At a basic level, the sins of Jerusalem fall into two categories, "shedding blood", that is, killing and oppressing people and "making idols", that false worship. We will get hints that the second sin leads to the first....

Jerusalem, a city of idols and bloodshed, will become an object of scorn. 

Ezekiel 22:6-12, Shedding blood

"`See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. 

• In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; 
• in you they have oppressed the alien and mistreated the fatherless and the widow. 
• You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths.
• In you are slanderous men bent on shedding blood;
• in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts.
• In you are those who dishonor their fathers' bed;
• in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean.
• In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor's wife, another shamefully defiles his  daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own  father's daughter.
• In you men accept bribes to shed blood;
• you take usury and  excessive interest and make unjust gain from your  neighbors by extortion.

And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign LORD.   

Here is a long list of the injustices committed by the princes of Israel. They expound on the sins of "sheding blood." None of these explicitly mention idolatry, but these sins display what happens when the princes forget YHWH Adonai ("Sovereign LORD".)

Of the list of "bloody" sins, most would be viewed as despicable acts today. But a few are strange to modern eyes. In Mosaic covenant, blood was always special, sacred, possibly unclean. Israelites were to drain the blood of a killed animal before eating it, so as to not be contaminated by the blood. (See Leviticus 17:10-14 for example.) Similarly a woman's menstrual blood made her unclean and having sex with a wife who was menstruating made the husband unclean. (See Leviticus 15:20-24, for example.)

Ezekiel 22:13-16, Dispersed among the nations

"`I will surely strike my hands together at the unjust gain you have made and at the blood you have shed in your midst. Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you?

 

I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it. I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you through the countries; and I will put an end to your uncleanness. When you have been defiled in the eyes of the nations, you will know that I am the LORD.'"   

Hands struck together, a loud clap, form a dramatic noise to get attention. (See 21:14 for an earlier example.) The people of Judah, who have stubbornly insisting on perverting justice, will be dispersed in the coming exile.

Ezekiel 22:17-22, Dross

Then the word of the LORD came to me:

"Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver.  

Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: `Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem. As men gather silver, copper, iron, lead and tin into a furnace to melt it with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you. I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her. As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the LORD have poured out my wrath upon you.'"   

This chapter has two rounds of accusations against Israel. The second round begins here. Dross is the name for the impurities left behind in metalworking. The house of Israel, says YHWH, has become dross, only to be gathered together and melted. (Duguid points out that the first set of accusations against Israel lead to "scattering" of the people among the nations; here their sins lead to a certain "gathering" for judgment. In these images, neither scattering nor gathering is a good thing....)

Ezekiel 22:23-29, The effects of idolatry

Again the word of the LORD came to me:

"Son of man, say to the land, `You are a land that has had no rain or showers in the day of wrath.' There is a conspiracy of her princes within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey;

• they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within  her.
• Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things;
• they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean;
• and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
• Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain.
• Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, `This is what the Sovereign  LORD says'--when the LORD has not spoken.
• The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery;
• they oppress the poor and needy
• and mistreat the alien, denying them justice.

In this second round of accusations against Jerusalem, another list is given, a list of evil actions of the princes who conspire to oppress the people and to ignore God. These wicked princes would have included kings like Manasseh (son of Hezekiah), Jehoiakim and eventually Zedekiah. This round of sins tends to focus on the "cultic" sins of idolatry. But clearly this list, the effect of idolatry, bleeds over into the first list that we read earlier.

The point of the entire chapter is that the coming judgment is well-deserved and should not be a surprise.

Ezekiel 22:30-31, Standing in the gap

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my  fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD." 

God looked for righteous men to protect the land but found none. In context this would have been a righteous ruler who, like King Josiah some decades back, had led the country into reformation.