The Prophets · Old Testament

Ezekiel 25

Ezekiel 25: oracles against Ammon, Moab, Edom and the Philistines

General context

The word of the Lord comes to the prophet with four oracles against neighbouring peoples. He is told to set his face against the Ammonites. Because they said "Aha" against the sanctuary when it was profaned, against the land of Israel when it was desolate and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity, the Lord God will give them to the men of the east, who will eat their fruit and drink their milk; Rabbah will become a stable for camels. A second word against Ammon names clapping, stamping and rejoicing over Israel, and answers with spoil, cutting off and destruction. Moab and Seir have said that the house of Judah is like all the heathen, so the Lord will open Moab's frontier cities to the men of the east together with the Ammonites. Edom has taken vengeance on the house of Judah; man and beast will be cut off, Teman made desolate, Dedan fall by the sword, and the Lord's vengeance will come by the hand of his people Israel. The Philistines have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart for the old hatred; the Cherethims will be cut off and the remnant of the sea coast destroyed. Each oracle ends with those judged coming to know that he is the Lord, or, in Edom's case, knowing his vengeance.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 25:1, Ezekiel 25:2, Ezekiel 25:3, Ezekiel 25:4, Ezekiel 25:5, Ezekiel 25:6, Ezekiel 25:7, Ezekiel 25:8, Ezekiel 25:9, Ezekiel 25:10, Ezekiel 25:12, Ezekiel 25:13, Ezekiel 25:14, Ezekiel 25:15, Ezekiel 25:16, Ezekiel 25:17

Ezekiel 25 (KJV)

¹The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

²Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;

³And 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;

⁴Behold, 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.

⁵And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couchingplace for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

⁶For 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;

⁷Behold, 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.

⁸Thus saith the Lord God; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen;

⁹Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim,

¹⁰Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations.

¹¹And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

¹²Thus 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;

¹³Therefore 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.

¹⁴And 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.

¹⁵Thus 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;

¹⁶Therefore 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.

¹⁷And 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.

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Historical context

The speaker throughout is the Lord God, relayed by the prophet, who is addressed as "Son of man" and narrates in the first person. The chapter carries no date heading; it opens "The word of the Lord came again unto me". The oracle against Ammon presupposes events the text names only in passing: the sanctuary "profaned", the land "desolate" and Judah gone "into captivity". Ammon's and Moab's offences are things said, and Ammon's also gestures; Edom's and the Philistines' offences are acts of vengeance. The agents of judgment differ. Ammon and Moab go to "the men of the east", who are not identified further; Edom's punishment comes "by the hand of my people Israel"; no human agent is named for the Philistines, and "the Cherethims" are named among them without explanation. Seir is paired with Moab, Teman and Dedan with Edom, and three frontier cities of Moab are listed. The text gives no timing for any of these judgments and does not describe their fulfilment.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 25:1, Ezekiel 25:2, Ezekiel 25:3, Ezekiel 25:4, Ezekiel 25:6, Ezekiel 25:8, Ezekiel 25:13, Ezekiel 25:14, Ezekiel 25:16

Literary context

The chapter is built from four units of the same shape: "Thus saith the Lord God; Because" states the offence, "therefore" introduces the sentence, and the unit closes with a form of "they shall know that I am the Lord". Ammon receives two such rounds, the second sharper than the first. The offences are graded from speech ("Aha", "the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen") to gesture (clapping, stamping) to action ("taking vengeance"). The word vengeance is turned back on those who took it: Edom and the Philistines "dealt by revenge", and the Lord answers "I will lay my vengeance" and "I will execute great vengeance". The images of judgment are pastoral reversals: a capital city as "a stable for camels", a people as "a couchingplace for flocks". The chapter's mention of the profaned sanctuary and Judah's captivity ties these foreign oracles to Jerusalem's fall, and its refrain continues into the longer oracles against Tyrus and Egypt that follow.

Cited passages: Ezekiel 25:3, Ezekiel 25:4, Ezekiel 25:5, Ezekiel 25:6, Ezekiel 25:8, Ezekiel 25:12, Ezekiel 25:14, Ezekiel 25:15, Ezekiel 25:17

Key moments

Ammon's Aha over the sanctuary (Ezekiel 25:3). The Lord charges the Ammonites with saying Aha over the profaned sanctuary, the desolate land and Judah's captivity.
Rabbah a stable for camels (Ezekiel 25:5). The Lord says Rabbah will become a stable for camels and Ammon a resting place for flocks.
Moab's saying about Judah (Ezekiel 25:8). Moab and Seir are charged with saying the house of Judah is like all the heathen.
Vengeance on Edom by Israel (Ezekiel 25:14). The Lord says his vengeance on Edom will come by the hand of his people Israel.
The Philistines cut off (Ezekiel 25:16). The Lord will cut off the Cherethims and destroy the remnant of the sea coast.

For reflection

Ammon's offence is described as a word, "Aha", and as clapping and stamping over another people's ruin. Why might the text treat gloating at a neighbour's disaster as seriously as it treats Edom's acts of revenge?