King James Version

What Does Ezekiel 32:25 Mean?

Ezekiel 32:25 in the King James Version says “They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them un...” — study this verse from Ezekiel chapter 32 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.

“They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword: though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put in the midst of them that be slain.”

Ezekiel 32:25 · KJV

Context

23

Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living. terror: or, dismaying

24

There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.

25

They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword: though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put in the midst of them that be slain.

26

There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.

27

And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living. with their: Heb. with weapons of their war

Read Ezekiel 32 full chapter

Commentary

KJV Study Commentary
They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude pictures Elam's place among the dead. Her graves are round about him describes burial. All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword repeats their fate. Though their terror was caused in the land of the living notes past power. Yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit reiterates poetic justice. He is put in the midst of them that be slain places Elam among all the defeated. The repetition hammers home the message: all earthly terror ends in graves; all human power terminates in death; all pride descends to dust.

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Historical & Cultural Context

Elam never regained independence or power after Assyrian conquest. The nation that once terrorized neighbors became a minor province under successive empires (Persian, Greek, Parthian). The pattern fulfilled Ezekiel's prophecy: once-terrifying Elam permanently humbled, her terror revealed as temporary, her shame eternal.

Reflection Questions

  1. How does the grave prove all human terror temporary?
  2. What distinguishes eternal shame from temporary humiliation?
  3. Why does death unite all earthly powers in common defeat?

Original Language Analysis

Hebrew · 26 words
בְּת֥וֹךְ1 of 26

“in the midst”

H8432

a bisection, i.e., (by implication) the center

חֲלָלִ֖ים2 of 26

“of the slain”

H2491