Ezekiel 25

Ezekiel 25 is the first chapter of the collection of oracles of judgment against the foreign nations (chapters 25–32). In the preceding chapter, Ezekiel 24, the siege of Jerusalem begins and Ezekiel's wife dies. News of Jerusalem's fall does not arrive until Ezekiel 33, and this collection is placed between those two scenes.

Outline

• Verses 1–7: Oracle against Ammon. When the sanctuary was profaned, the land of Israel was made desolate, and Judah went into captivity, Ammon said, "Aha," clapping its hands and stamping its feet in rejoicing. Therefore Ammon will be given to the "men of the east" for a possession, and Rabbah will become "a stable for camels."
• Verses 8–11: Oracle against Moab and Seir. They said, "Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen." Therefore the frontier cities of Moab—Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim—will be laid open and handed over, together with Ammon, to the men of the east.
• Verses 12–14: Oracle against Edom. Edom took vengeance on the house of Judah and "greatly offended." As a result, from Teman to Dedan its people will fall by the sword, and God will take His vengeance on Edom by the hand of Israel.
• Verses 15–17: Oracle against Philistia. The Philistines sought to destroy Judah out of an "old hatred." Therefore the Cherethites and "the remnant of the sea coast" will be cut off.

Key Verses

• Ezekiel 25:7: "Thou shalt know that I am the LORD." Repeated in each of the four oracles, this statement expresses a theme that runs throughout the book of Ezekiel. It reveals that the purpose of judgment is that God may be known.
• Ezekiel 25:8: "The house of Judah is like unto all the heathen." The claim that God's people are no different from the other nations is condemned as sin.
• Ezekiel 25:14: God declares, "I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel." This shows that God Himself is the one who executes vengeance.

People and Places

• Ammon: A people east of the Jordan River. Rabbah was its capital and is generally identified with the site of present-day Amman, Jordan.
• Moab: A people east of the Dead Sea. Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim were cities on its frontier.
• Seir: The hill country of Edom, also used as a name for Edom itself.
• Edom: A people descended from Esau. Teman was a region of Edom, and Dedan is understood to have been a region to its southeast, toward Arabia.
• Philistia: A people of the Mediterranean coast. The Cherethites (KJV "Cherethims") were a group living on the coast alongside the Philistines; some scholars associate them with the island of Crete.
• Men of the east: Generally understood to refer to the nomads of the desert east of the Jordan.

Points for Reflection

• Oracles of judgment against foreign nations also appear in Isaiah 13–23, Jeremiah 46–51, and Amos 1–2. Judgment on Edom is also found in Obadiah and Psalm 137.
• Scholars often connect the fulfillment of these prophecies with Babylonian military campaigns or the movements of Arab nomads. Some traditions also read Edom and the other nations more broadly as symbols of the enemies of God's people.
• The view that vengeance belongs to God continues in the New Testament. In Romans 12:17–21, Paul quotes the words "Vengeance is mine" and urges believers not to avenge themselves.