About Ezekiel

Ezekiel proclaimed God's judgment from Babylon, using dramatic visions and symbolic acts, while promising future restoration.

Author: EzekielWritten: c. 593-571 BCReading time: ~2 minVerses: 17

Glory of GodJudgmentRestorationNew HeartSovereigntyTemple

Places in This Chapter

Ammon(Region)Baal-meon(Settlement)Beth-jeshimoth(Settlement)Dedan(Settlement)East(Region)Edom(Region)Kiriathaim 1(Settlement)Moab 1(Region)+4 more

King James Version

Ezekiel 25

17 verses with commentary

Prophecy Against Ammon

1

The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

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KJV Study Commentary

This formula introduces the 'oracles against the nations' section (chapters 25-32), demonstrating God's sovereignty over all peoples, not just Israel. These prophecies reveal that God judges all nations by His righteous standards and holds them accountable for their treatment of His people (Genesis 12:3). Divine justice extends beyond covenant community to all humanity.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**50. escaped ... sword--**namely, of the Medes. So great will be the slaughter that even some of God's people shall be involved in it, as they had deserved. **afar off--**though ye are banished far off from where ye used formerly to worship God. **let Jerusalem come into your mind--**While in exile remember your temple and city, so as to prefer them to all the rest of the world wherever ye ma...

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2

Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites , and prophesy against them;

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KJV Study Commentary

Ammon, descended from Lot's incestuous union (Genesis 19:38), maintained hostile relations with Israel throughout history. 'Set thy face against' signifies declarative judgment. Prophets didn't merely predict the future—their words participated in divine judgment's execution. The spoken word of God accomplishes His purposes (Isaiah 55:11).

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **Set thy face against the Ammonites.**—It has already been mentioned that the utterances against the four contiguous nations of Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia are all contained in one prophecy, and that this prophecy was evidently spoken after the fall of Jerusalem, and, consequently, after the date of Ezekiel 26:1. The Ammonites, descended from Lot’s incest with his younger daughter, had b...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

51. The prophet anticipates the Jews' reply; I know you will say in despair, "We are confounded," &c. "Wherefore (God saith to you) behold, I will," &c. (Jr 51:52) [Calvin]. I prefer taking Jr 51:51 as the prayer which the Jews are directed to offer in exile (Jr 51:50), "let Jerusalem come into your mind" (and say in prayer to God), "We are confounded." This view is confirmed by Psa 44:15,...

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3

And say unto the Ammonites , Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;

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KJV Study Commentary

Ammon's sin was malicious joy at Israel's suffering—saying 'Aha!' when the sanctuary was profaned, the land desolated, and Judah exiled. This reveals the spiritual principle that mocking God's people mocks God Himself (Zechariah 2:8). Their joy at judgment showed they misunderstood God's discipline as divine abandonment rather than covenant correction.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**52. Wherefore--**because of these sighs of the Jews directed to God (Jr 51:21). **I ... judgment upon ... images--**in opposition to the Babylonian taunt that Jehovah's religion was a thing of naught, since they had burned His temple (Jr 51:51): I will show that, though I have thus visited the Jews neglect of Me, yet those gods of Babylon cannot save themselves, much less their votaries, who s...

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4

Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk. men: Heb. children

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KJV Study Commentary

God's judgment fits the crime: Ammon rejoiced at Israel's exile, so they would experience foreign occupation by 'men of the east' (Arabian nomadic tribes). The ironic reversal shows divine justice—their territory would become pastureland for foreign flocks, just as they hoped to possess Israel's land. God's judgments are always righteous and proportionate.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **To the men of the east.**—Literally, *sons of the east, i.e., *the various nomadic tribes inhabiting the Eastern deserts, who occupy the country to this day. They are described as its possessors, not its conquerors; the conquest was effected by Nebuchadnezzar. In Ezekiel 21:20-23 he was represented as hesitating whether to attack first Judah or Ammon, and determined to the former by the Divi...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

53. We are not to measure God's power by what seems to our perceptions natural or probable. Compare Ob 4 as to Edom (Am 9:2).

5

And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couchingplace for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

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KJV Study Commentary

Rabbah was Ammon's capital city (modern Amman, Jordan). Its transformation into 'a stable for camels' and general pastureland represents complete desolation and loss of national identity. The covenant formula 'ye shall know that I am the LORD' appears throughout these oracles, revealing that even pagan nations will recognize Yahweh's sovereignty through fulfilled prophecy.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **Rabbah **was the only important town belonging to the Ammonites. It has become literally a stable for the camels of the wandering Bedouins. In the parallel clause the “Ammonites” are put for the land which they inhabit.

6

For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel; hands: Heb. hand feet: Heb. foot heart: Heb. soul

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KJV Study Commentary

Clapping hands and stamping feet express malicious joy and contempt (Lamentations 2:15). Ammon's 'despite' (contempt) showed 'soul-deep' hatred toward Israel. The Hebrew 'nephesh' (soul) indicates their whole being rejoiced in Israel's calamity. Such comprehensive hostility toward God's people brings comprehensive judgment, revealing God's protective jealousy for His own.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **Clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet.**—See Ezekiel 6:11 and Note there.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**55. great voice--**Where once was the great din of a mighty city, there shall be the silence of death [Vatablus]. Or, the "great voice" of the revellers (Jr 51:38, 39; Is 22:2). Or, the voice of mighty boasting [Calvin], (compare Jr 51:53). **her waves--**"when" her calamities shall cause her to give forth a widely different "voice," even such a one as the waves give that lash the shores (Jr 5...

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7

Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. a spoil: or, meat

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KJV Study Commentary

God's 'stretched out hand' symbolizes active judgment (Exodus 7:5, Isaiah 5:25). The complete destruction promised—'perish,' 'cut off,' 'destroy'—uses three different Hebrew terms emphasizing totality. Ammon would cease to exist as a distinct people. Historical extinction of peoples who opposed God's redemptive plan demonstrates that human kingdoms are temporary, but God's kingdom is eternal.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **For a spoil.**—This is the sense of the margin of the Hebrew; its text is represented by our margin, *meat *or *food. *The word in the text occurs only here, but a compound of it is found in Daniel 1:5, Dan_11:26. The figure seems to be the same as that which speaks of *devouring *the people. **Shalt know that I am the Lord.**—This frequent close of the denunciatory prophecies against Israel...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**56. taken--**when they were least expecting it, and in such a way that resistance was impossible.

Prophecy Against Moab

8

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen;

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KJV Study Commentary

Moab (descended from Lot, Genesis 19:37) added theological error to malicious joy: 'the house of Judah is like all the heathen.' They denied Israel's unique covenant status and election, essentially claiming God shows no distinction between His people and pagan nations. This denial of particular election provokes divine jealousy, as it denies God's sovereign choice.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **Moab and Seir.**—The two nations, here mentioned together, are afterwards treated separately—Moab, Ezekiel 25:8-11, and Edom, Ezekiel 25:12-14. Moab, springing from the same source with Ammon, was closely associated with it in its history and fortune, and is denounced in nearly the same prophecies. It was a more settled and stronger people, and also contributed its quota to the armies of Neb...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

57. (Jr 51:39; Da 5:1, &c.).

9

Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Bethjeshimoth, Baalmeon, and Kiriathaim, side: Heb. shoulder of Moab

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KJV Study Commentary

God promises to 'open the side' (expose the flank/border) of Moab by removing their fortified cities. The three cities mentioned—Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, Kiriathaim—were Moab's northern defensive line. Removing these strongholds would leave Moab vulnerable to invasion, demonstrating that human defenses fail when God determines judgment.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **Open the side of Moab**—*i.e.*, *lay it open to the enemy. *This is to be done “from the cities,” on which a special emphasis is placed. The cities named were all on the north of the Arnon, and before the time of Moses had been wrested from the Moabites by the Amorites, from whom in turn they were taken by the Israelites, and long formed a part of their territory. In the decay of the power o...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**58. broad walls--**eighty-seven feet broad [Rosenmuller]; fifty cubits [Grotius]. A chariot of four horses abreast could meet another on it without collision. The walls were two hundred cubits high, and four hundred and eighty-five stadia, or sixty miles in extent. **gates--**one hundred in number, of brass; twenty-five on each of the four sides, the city being square; between the gates were t...

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Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites , and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. with: or, against the children of Ammon

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KJV Study Commentary

Moab would share Ammon's fate—conquest by 'men of the east' and loss of national identity 'that Ammon be no more remembered.' Complete erasure from history represents ultimate judgment. This reveals that opposing God's redemptive purposes leads to futility and oblivion, while serving God's kingdom brings eternal significance.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **With the Ammonites.**—The division between the verses here seriously obscures the sense. The meaning is that God will throw open Moab, as well as Ammon, to the sons of the east, and will give both nations in possession to them, so that Ammon shall be no more remembered, and judgment shall be executed on Moab. They were to be conquered and desolated by Nebuchadnezzar, but possessed by the Be...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

59-64. A special copy of the prophecy prepared by Jeremiah was delivered to Seraiah, to console the Jews in their Babylonian exile. Though he was to throw it into the Euphrates, a symbol of Babylon's fate, no doubt he retained the substance in memory, so as to be able orally to communicate it to his countrymen. **went with Zedekiah--**rather, "in behalf of Zedekiah"; sent by Zedekiah to appease ...

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And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

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KJV Study Commentary

The execution of 'judgments' (Hebrew 'mishpatim'—righteous ordinances) reveals God's character. His judgments aren't arbitrary but reflect His justice and holiness. The covenant formula 'they shall know that I am the LORD' shows that even judgment serves a revelatory purpose—nations recognize God's sovereignty through the fulfillment of His word.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

59-64. A special copy of the prophecy prepared by Jeremiah was delivered to Seraiah, to console the Jews in their Babylonian exile. Though he was to throw it into the Euphrates, a symbol of Babylon's fate, no doubt he retained the substance in memory, so as to be able orally to communicate it to his countrymen. **went with Zedekiah--**rather, "in behalf of Zedekiah"; sent by Zedekiah to appease ...

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Prophecy Against Edom

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them; by: Heb. by revenging revengement

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KJV Study Commentary

Edom's sin involved 'taking vengeance' and 'greatly offending' in revenge against Judah. Descended from Esau (Genesis 36), Edom maintained brotherly hatred throughout history. They violated the kinship bond by exploiting Judah's vulnerability during Babylonian invasion (Obadiah 10-14). Taking revenge belongs to God alone (Romans 12:19); human vengeance compounds sin with sin.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) **Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah.**—The reason of Edom’s hostility to Israel is expressly said to be revenge. Descended from the elder son, they had never looked complacently on the spiritual superiority given to the descendants of the younger. They showed their hostility from the first in refusing, with a show of violence, a passage to the Israelites through their territory (Numb...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

59-64. A special copy of the prophecy prepared by Jeremiah was delivered to Seraiah, to console the Jews in their Babylonian exile. Though he was to throw it into the Euphrates, a symbol of Babylon's fate, no doubt he retained the substance in memory, so as to be able orally to communicate it to his countrymen. **went with Zedekiah--**rather, "in behalf of Zedekiah"; sent by Zedekiah to appease ...

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Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. they: or, they shall fall by the sword unto Dedan

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KJV Study Commentary

God's stretched-out hand of judgment would make Edom 'desolate from Teman' (in the south) to 'Dedan' (in the north), encompassing their entire territory. The phrase 'they shall fall by the sword' indicates violent conquest. Edom's judgment would be comprehensive—total destruction proportionate to their treacherous violence against their brother nation.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) F**rom Teman; and they of Dedan.**—Teman (a word meaning *south*) was a southern district of Edom (Jeremiah 49:20-21; Habakkuk 3:3), famed for its wisdom (Jeremiah 49:7; Obadiah 1:8-9). Dedan is frequently mentioned by the prophets, but in such a way that it has not been certainly identified. A better translation would be, *From Teman unto Dedan, *meaning from one end of the country to the ot...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

59-64. A special copy of the prophecy prepared by Jeremiah was delivered to Seraiah, to console the Jews in their Babylonian exile. Though he was to throw it into the Euphrates, a symbol of Babylon's fate, no doubt he retained the substance in memory, so as to be able orally to communicate it to his countrymen. **went with Zedekiah--**rather, "in behalf of Zedekiah"; sent by Zedekiah to appease ...

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And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.

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KJV Study Commentary

God would execute vengeance 'by the hand of my people Israel,' fulfilled when Jewish Maccabees conquered Idumea (Edom) circa 125 BC, forcibly converting Edomites to Judaism. Ironically, Herod the Great was an Idumean, creating complex dynamics in Jesus' time. This reveals God's sovereignty in using even His disciplined people as instruments of justice.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) **By the hand of my people Israel.**—This points distinctly to the fact that the Divine vengeance on Edom should be accomplished by the hand of the Israelites, a prophecy which was fulfilled when they were conquered by John Hyrcanus, and compelled to submit to circumcision as a mark of absorption into the Jewish people. Subsequently Herod (who was himself of Idumean origin), as king of the Je...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

59-64. A special copy of the prophecy prepared by Jeremiah was delivered to Seraiah, to console the Jews in their Babylonian exile. Though he was to throw it into the Euphrates, a symbol of Babylon's fate, no doubt he retained the substance in memory, so as to be able orally to communicate it to his countrymen. **went with Zedekiah--**rather, "in behalf of Zedekiah"; sent by Zedekiah to appease ...

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Prophecy Against Philistia

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred; for the: or, with perpetual hatred

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KJV Study Commentary

Philistia's sin involved 'vengeance with a despiteful heart' to 'destroy for the old hatred.' Their malice wasn't circumstantial but rooted in ancient, persistent hostility. The phrase 'old hatred' reveals that unresolved bitterness compounds over generations. Their 'despite' (contempt) showed soul-deep malice, bringing proportionate judgment.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(15) **The Philistines.**—The historical books of the Old Testament are almost a continuous record of the hostility of the Philistines. At times they held the greater part of the land of Israel in subjection, and at times were subdued in their turn. Although belonging to another branch of the Hamitic family, their land was included with that of the Canaanites in the territory to be given to the Is...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

59-64. A special copy of the prophecy prepared by Jeremiah was delivered to Seraiah, to console the Jews in their Babylonian exile. Though he was to throw it into the Euphrates, a symbol of Babylon's fate, no doubt he retained the substance in memory, so as to be able orally to communicate it to his countrymen. **went with Zedekiah--**rather, "in behalf of Zedekiah"; sent by Zedekiah to appease ...

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Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast. sea coast: or, haven of the sea

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KJV Study Commentary

God would 'cut off the Cherethims' (likely Cretans, possibly Philistines' origin per Amos 9:7) and 'destroy the remnant of the sea coast.' The Philistines would cease to exist as a distinct people. Their name would survive ironically—'Palestine' derives from 'Philistia'—but no ethnic Philistines remain. This demonstrates that those who persistently oppose God's purposes face oblivion.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16) **Cherethims.**—The Cherethim were a portion of the Philistines living on their southern coast (1Samuel 30:14; Zephaniah 2:5), and are sometimes put for the whole nation. The name is supposed by many to be equivalent to *Cretans, *and to indicate the origin of the Philistines from the island of Crete; but the etymology is doubtful. The reason for the introduction of their name here was probab...

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And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them. great vengeance: Heb. great vengeances

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KJV Study Commentary

God's 'great vengeance' and 'furious rebukes' express divine jealousy for His people and holiness. The covenant formula 'they shall know that I am the LORD' concludes this section, emphasizing that all judgments serve to reveal God's character. Even pagan nations that reject Him will ultimately acknowledge His sovereignty through fulfilled prophecy and executed judgment.

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