Ezekiel 21:28-32

Appendix. 28 32. Threatening prophecy against Ammon

The passage is obscure, but several things seem evident. 1. In spite of the similarities between the language of Ezekiel 21:28 and that in Ezekiel 21:9, the sword here is that of Ammon. This is certain from the words Ezekiel 21:30 "return it to its sheath." 2. It is against Israel, not against the Chaldeans, that the Ammonites furbish and draw their sword. This appears from the words "concerning Ammon, and concerning their reproach" Ezekiel 21:28. Deceived by false prophecies they cherish purposes of conquest outside their own borders, which shall be far from being realized; on the contrary they shall be assailed in their own home and there annihilated (Ezekiel 21:25, cf. Ezekiel 25:4). History does not enable us to follow the progress of events. It is possible that simultaneously with Judah all the neighbouring peoples threw off the yoke of Babylon, so that it might be doubtful which of them Nebuchadnezzar would attack first (Ezekiel 21:20), but that in the course of events Ammon, true to its instincts, assumed an attitude hostile to Judah (cf. 2 Kings 24:2). The date of the present passage is no doubt later than that of the rest of the chapter, and may owe some of its colour to events subsequent to the fall of Jerusalem. Cf. Ezekiel 25:1-7.