CHAPTER 19
1. “But you, take up a dirge for the leaders of Israel,
After holding out the hope of mercy for individual Israelites and the nation as a whole, He turns to those most responsible for their downfall and thus held to the highest standard.
2. “and say, ‘What is your mother? A lioness! Between lions she stretched herself out; among strong young lions she multiplied her cubs.
3. “‘When she raised one of her cubs, he became a young lion of prowess and learned to tear the prey in pieces. He devoured a human being.
4. “‘When the Gentiles heard of him, he was captured in their pit, and they brought him with fetters into the land of Egypt.
There are many hints here that this is referring to Yosef, who, as an individual, was taken to Egypt as a slave, but also to his descendants, the House of Efrayim (which also represents the whole Northern Kingdom, since it was an Efrayimite king who started its downward trend), who, in our exile, have been enslaved to the figurative Egypt, which in some cases refers to the world system, and in some cases the Roman Church and all her daughters.
5. “‘When she realized that she had waited [and] her hope was lost, she took [another] one of her cubs and established him as a young lion of prowess.
Hope was lost: The Northern Kingdom had not returned from exile.
6. “‘As he would go about among the lions, he became a strong young lion prowess and learned to tear the prey in pieces. He devoured a human being.
7. “‘And he recognized his widows, and laid their cities waste, and the land and [all] that filled it were desolate from the sound of his roaring.
8. “‘Then the Gentiles dedicated [people] from the provinces all around and spread their net over him. He was captured in their pit.
This “cub” is the House of Yehudah, and in particular, David and Shlomo and their kingly line, which became strong first through war and then through diplomacy, through which the idolatry of the surrounding nations was taken in. The Northern Kingdom did this too, but King Menashe did worse. He was the “straw that broke the camel’s back”, spelling doom for the throne in Yerushalayim. Though on a small scale in several locations, descendants of David have ruled over some of the other tribes in exile, as the throne over Yehudah and all Israel simultaneously, it will be resumed only when Messiah returns.
9. “‘And they put him in a cage with fetters and brought him to the king of Bavel. They brought him with hunting nets so that his voice would no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.
Hunting nets: or high fortresses, strongholds, or places of munitions. Though King Menashe himself repented and died righteous like the hypothetical instances mentioned in chapter 18, his sons followed in his earlier ways, and the integrity of the dynasty was sufficiently lost for its last two kings to be taken into Bavel. So it is clear that the degree of permanent renewal promised in the last chapter is still yet to come. Only as both houses of Israel return to Torah will the scepter of the “Lion of the Tribe of Yehudah” (Rev. 5:5) be restored.
10. “‘Your mother is like a vine in your blood, transplanted by the waters. She became fruitful and densely-branched because of the abundance of water.
11. “‘And she had trunks strong enough [to] make rulers’ scepters, and her height was lofty among the thick foliage, and with her height she could be seen with the abundance of her branches.
12. “‘But in rage she was uprooted and hurled to the ground, and the east wind withered her fruit. Her trunk of strength was broken in pieces and dried up, and fire consumed it.
13. “‘So now she is transplanted in the wilderness—in a drought-ridden, thirsty land.
14. “‘Fire, too, has gone out from a rod of her separate pieces, and it has consumed her fruit, and there has not come to be a trunk strong enough to be a scepter for a ruler. [This] is a dirge, and will come to serve as a dirge.
CHAPTER 20
1. Now [what] took place in the seventh year, on the tenth of the fifth month [was that] men came from the elders of Israel to consult YHWH, and they sat down in front of me.
This would appear to be the day after the Temple was destroyed.
2. But the word of YHWH came to me to say,
3. “Son of Adam, Speak to the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘This is what the Master YHWH says: “Is it to consult Me that you have come? [As] I live”, declares the Master YHWH, “if I am consulted for you…!”’
4. “Will you judge them? Son of Adam, will you judge? Let them see the disgusting things their fathers [did]!
Son of Adam, will you judge: This forms the basis for Yochanan 5:27, in which the Father gives Y’shua the authority to judge because He is a son of Adam, and can thus identify more experientially with the mitigating factors in how humans decide to behave the way they do.
5. “And tell them, ‘This is what the Master YHWH says: “On the day that I chose Israel and lifted My hand [in oath] to the seed of the House of Yaaqov and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt –when I lifted My hand to them to say, ‘I am YHWH your Elohim’--
6. “‘“on that day I lifted up My hand for them to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a Land that I had searched out for them, a Land gushing with milk and honey; she is more splendid than any land.
7. “‘“Then I told them, ‘Each [of you] throw away the detestable things of their eyes and do not defile yourselves with the [rolling] idols of Egypt. I am YHWH your Elohim.’
Rolling idols: possibly amulets based on the scarab beetle that rolls a ball of dung in front of it—something the Egyptians associated with the movement of the sun through the sky. We could also see the sense of rolling in the need to move a tree trunk home in order to carve it into an idol, and the fact that through the centuries idols’ names change (e.g., Tammuz, Osiris, and Mithras are just different cultures’ names for what is really the same entity).
8. “‘“But they rebelled against Me and would not consent to obey Me. Not a man of them threw away the detestable things of his eyes, and they did not forsake the [rolling] idols of Egypt. So I said, ‘I will pour out My rage on them to bring to an end My anger against them within the land of Egypt.’
9. “‘“But I acted for the sake of My Name, to keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations whom they were among, in whose eyes I had made Myself known by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.
Compare 36:21-32; Yeshayahu/Isa. 48:11.
10. “‘“So I had them leave Egypt and brought them into the wilderness,
11. “‘“and gave them My prescribed customs and My legal procedures, by which a man will live if he carries them out.
12. “‘“I also gave them My Sabbaths to serve as a distinguishing sign between Me and them so [they would] know that I am YHWH, who sets them apart.
13. “‘“But the House of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My prescribed customs, and rejected My legal procedures, by which a man will live if he carries them out—and they strongly profaned My Sabbaths. So I said, ‘I will pour out My rage on them in the wilderness to finish them off.’
In the wilderness: an uninhabited land, where there should be no distractions, yet still they turned away from Him.
14. “‘“But I acted for the sake of My Name, to keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose eyes I brought them out.
15. “‘“And I also lifted up My hand to them in the wilderness [and swore] that I would not bring them into the Land that I had given them—a Land gushing with milk and honey; she is more prominent than any land--
This promise of the Land was first made to Avraham, but it was the Messenger of YHWH—that is, the “proto-Y’shua”—who was the “right hand” that carried the torch between the animal halves when YHWH cut the covenant. (Gen. 15) Avraham was put to sleep during this time, so that only YHWH made the oath, so it was His responsibility to carry it out no matter how Avraham’s descendants would later respond to it. This is why it cost Y’shua’s life to restore the promise to us, their still later descendants.
16. “‘“because they rejected My legal procedures and would not walk in My prescribed customs, and they profaned My Sabbaths because their heart went after their [rolling] idols.
17. “‘“But My eye took pity on them [and I spared] them from being destroyed, and I did not make a complete end of them in the wilderness.
18. “‘“And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the customs your parents prescribed, nor heed their court decisions, and do not defile yourselves with their idols.
How appropriate this is for us again today as we recognize that “our fathers have inherited lies, emptiness, and things by which we cannot ascend.” (Yirm. 16:19)
19. “‘“‘I am YHWH your Elohim. Walk in My prescribed customs and guard My legal procedures, and carry them out,
20. “‘“‘and keep My Sabbaths set apart, and they will be a distinguishing sign between Myself and yourselves, to recognize [and acknowledge] that I am YHWH your Elohim.’
21. “‘“But the children rebelled against Me. They did not walk in My prescribed customs or guard My legal procedures in order to carry them out, which, if the human being carries them out, by them he will live. They profaned My Sabbaths, so I said I would pour out My rage on them to exhaust My anger against them in the wilderness.
The children repeated the same error, partly because their parents, realizing that their own hope of entering the Land was lost, did not teach their children to love or obey YHWH.
22. “‘“But I held back My hand and acted for the sake of My Name, so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations out of whom I brought them out while they watched.
23. “‘“I also lifted up My hand [and swore] to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and sow them among the lands.
24. “‘“Because they had not carried out My legal procedures and had rejected My prescribed customs, in addition to profaning My Sabbaths, and their eyes were [following] after their parents’ idols,
25. “‘“I, too, appointed for them customs that were not beneficial and legal procedures they could not live by.
Some actually believe this refers to the Torah, His original instruction, though YHWH said it was our life! While it becomes a curse for us if we disobey it (Deut. 30:19), the clue to what He means is found in the next verse:.
26. “‘“I also defiled them with their own gifts by making them pass through [the fire] all that open the womb, so that I might stun them into recognizing that I am YHWH.”’
Stun them: by the horrifying practice of sacrificing their own children, which is the only possible logical conclusion of the course they have chosen. Instead of the Torah, the non-beneficial customs (v. 25) refer to what He consigned them to after they left the Torah behind! Psalm 81:11-12 says He gave them over to the stubbornness of their hearts. (Compare Rom. 1:24; Acts 7:42; 2 Thess. 2:11) He could not simply leave them to themselves, though; He had to give them an overseer of some kind. (Compare vv. 32-34.) Like all nations, if they would not have Him, they would have to be put under the jurisdiction of a lesser elohim who would not be as merciful or patient as He. (Compare Daniel 10:13, 20.) YHWH: His Name is a composite of all the tenses of “to be”: hayah, hoveh, yihyeh— the One who was, is, and will be.
27. “Therefore, O son of Adam, speak to the House of Israel, and tell them, ‘This is what the Master YHWH says: “In this your ancestors have brought Me further reproach—by treacherously crossing a line against Me.
28. “‘“When I brought them into the Land which I had lifted My hand [and sworn] to give to them, then they saw every high hill and every tree with dense foliage, and there they slaughtered their sacrifices, and there they offered their vexing drawing-near [offering]s, and there they set their soothing aroma and poured out their libations there.
There: at the shrines to His rivals, not at the place where He would set His Name.
29. “‘“Then I said to them, ‘What is the cultic platform to which you go?’ So its name is called ‘high place’ to this day.”’
30. “Therefore, say to the House of Israel, ‘This is what the Master YHWH says: “Are you being defiled in the way your fathers [were]? Or are you playing the prostitute after their detestable idols?
31. “‘“When you make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves for all your [rolling] idols up till today. So should I be consulted by you, O House of Israel? [As] I live,” declares the Master YHWH, “if I am consulted by you…!”
32. “‘And what comes up on your spirit will not take place at all—that which you are saying: “We will become like the Gentiles, like the families of the lands—to minister to wood and stone.”
He will not let Israel become successful at anything they are not meant to be. Recall how just prior to the Holocaust, the Jews in Germany seemed as German as anyone else, but the Gentiles themselves searched out their genealogies, knowing they were not “one of them”. Others might fall into the same sins and get away unscathed, but we belong to YHWH, and He will correct His chosen no matter how far they, like Yonah, try to go in the opposite direction:
33. “‘[As] I live,’ declares the Master YHWH, ‘If I won’t reign over you with a tight hand and with an outstretched arm, and with poured-out rage…!
Tight hand: a firm grip, a strong grasp.
34. “‘Then I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands among which you are scattered with a tight hand and with an outstretched arm, and with poured-out rage.
35. “‘Then I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples and enter into legal controversy there with you, face to face!
Joseph Good points out that the terminology here fits the season of Yom Kippur, at which time YHWH judges us for the sake of removing our sins from us:
36. “‘Just as I entered into legal controversy with your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, even so I will be judging you,’ declares the Master YHWH.
37. “‘And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.
Pass under the rod: Every tenth animal to pass under it is the one selected as the tithe of that flock. (Lev. 27:32) Bond: in the sense of being tied, harnessed, or even imprisoned. Y’shua, indeed, will rule with a rod of iron. (Psalm 2:9)
38. “‘And I will purge out from among you the rebels and those who revolt against Me. I will bring them out from the lands where they live as foreigners, but they will not arrive in the Land of Israel. Then you will know that I am YHWH.
I will purge out: a word-play, because it sounds very similar to the word for covenant which immediately precedes it. Then you will know: To remove so many from lands they had thought were their own will be such a huge undertaking and the outcome (their being separated into those who will go into the Land and those who will not) so unlikely that having this prophecy of it in advance will be enough evidence that it was really He alone that accomplished this. Y’shua will hand-pick His subjects, passing all through a purifying fire which will not consume those who are written in His book. (Dan. 12:1)
39. “‘And [as for] you, O House of Israel, this is what the Master YHWH says: “Every man, go and serve his [rolling] idols, if you are not listening to me. But you may no longer profane My Name with your offerings or your idols,
His Name could not be attached to us during that time of chastening. This may explain why, despite the mercy He had on us “while we were yet sinners” (Rom. 5:8), His true Name was obscured until we reached a certain stage of repentance.
40. “‘“because on My set-apart mountain—the [most] elevated mountain of Israel,” declares YHWH, “the whole House of Israel, all of them [who are] there in the Land, will serve Me. There I will be pleased to accept them. I will seek out your contributions and the first of what you lift up, among all your holy things.
Most elevated: major topographic changes will again take place as the Kingdom dawns. (Mikha 4:1) Now this is the “high place” of high places. (Compare v. 29.)
41. “‘“I will accept you as a soothing aroma when I bring you out from among the peoples and collect you from the lands where you have been dispersed [into many fragments].
Soothing aroma: Numbers 29:1-2 specifies that the “ascending” or “staircase” we make on Yom T’ruah (9 days before Yom Kippur, see v. 35, and a time long associated with the trumpet that resurrects the righteous dead) is to be such a means of causing YHWH to relax. Here we are told that we ourselves are to be this aroma, and indeed it appears that we will ascend in some way (1 Thess. 4:16-17) when He collects us.
42. “‘“Then you will know that I am YHWH, when I bring you onto the ground of Israel—to the Land [about] which I raised My hand [in oath] to give it to your ancestors.
The literal, physical Land is our inheritance, and we are not fully “saved” until we are back there as a unified nation. Thus we cannot be satisfied to focus on merely personal salvation.
43. “‘“Then you will remember your ways and all your practices by which you were defiled, and you will loathe your faces for all your injuries that you have perpetrated.
44. “‘“Then you will know that I am YHWH, when I have dealt with you for the sake of My Name, not according to your corrupt ways nor according to your corrupt practices, O House of Israel,” declares the Master YHWH.”’”
The first part of this was repeated three previous times in this chapter (vv. 9, 14, 22), but here He explains that none of His mercy has anything to do with what we deserved.
45. [21:1 in Hebrew] Then the Word of YHWH came to me, saying,
46. “Son of Adam, set your face in the direction of the south, and drip [words] to the Negev, and prophesy against the Forest of the Field of the Negev.
There are no natural forests in the Negev (the southern desert in Israel), and only recently have fields again become possible by the sheer force of necessity. This shows just how much the climate of Israel has changed since then.
47. “And tell the Forest of the Negev, ‘Listen to the word of YHWH! This is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Look! I am kindling a fire in you, and it will devour every moist tree and every dry tree. The flashing of the flame will not be put out, and all the faces from the Negev to the north will be scorched.
Moist tree: suggests the self-righteous who look they are bearing fruit, but are not; also, probably an allusion to the trees in v. 28 with dense foliage. How could we also forget the blasphemous evergreen (Christmas) trees as well? Dry tree: those ready to carve into a different type of idol.
48. “‘And all flesh will see that I, YHWH, have set it; it will not be put out.’”
49. Then I said, “Alas, Master YHWH! They are saying to me, ‘Doesn’t He speak in parables?’”
The ultimate Son of Man would indeed speak in parables. (Mat. 13:3, 35; Luke 8:10)
CHAPTER 21
1. [6 in Heb.] And the Word of YHWH came to me to say,
2. “Son of Adam, set your face toward Yerushalayim and drip [a word] to the holy places, and prophesy toward the soil of Israel,
3. “and tell the ground of Israel, ‘This is what YHWH says: “Look! I am [coming] toward you, and have drawn My sword from its sheath, and have cut off from you [both] righteous and wicked.
Cut off: that is, from the Land, not necessarily killed. Both righteous and wicked: The righteous sometimes must suffer due to the deeds of the wicked. Dani’El and Y’hezq’El had both already been taken captive, but were sheltered by YHWH while in exile. In fact, Yirmeyahu said those who voluntarily submitted to Bavel at this time would be spared harm. (27:11-13)
4. “‘“Since I have cut off from you [both] righteous and wicked, My sword will go forth out of its sheath toward all flesh, from the Negev and northward.
From the Negev northward: This includes the whole Land of Israel. Usually judgment is said to begin in the north, so there is a reason it starts in the south. (See note on 20:46.) “Negev” means “parched”, for the drought and famine of hearing the words of YHWH (Amos 8:11) that begins the downward spiral toward the need for such judgment.
5. “‘“Then all flesh will know that I, YHWH, have drawn My sword out from its sheath; it will not return [there] again.”’
I.e., this time He would not relent, but would bring the judgment in fact. He has taken all that He can take.
6. “And you, son of Adam, gasp with the breaking of your hips, and gasp with bitterness in their sight,
Breaking of your hips: or, crushing of your loins—which would indeed make one gasp.
7. “And when they say to you, ‘What are you gasping about?’, what you should say [is], ‘On [account of] the report that is coming, and every heart will melt, every pair of hands will go slack, every spirit will be faint, and all knees will move [like] water. Indeed, it is coming, and it will be brought about,’ declares the Master YHWH.”
8. Then the Word of YHWH came to me to say,
9. “Son of Adam, prophesy and say, ‘This is what YHWH says: “Say, ‘A sword! A sword has been sharpened, and also polished up!
10. “‘“‘It has been sharpened to slaughter ruthlessly; it is being polished so that it may come to flash like lightning! Or should we rejoice? It despises the rod of My son, every stick!
My son: a title for the king of Israel. (Psalm 2:7) Even his authority would not be respected by the fierce Babylonians.
11. “‘“‘He has appointed it to be polished to wield with the palm [of one’s hand]. The sword, she has been sharpened; she is being polished to put into the slayer’s hand!
12. “‘“‘Cry out and wail, O son of Adam, because it is coming upon My people; it is among the leaders of Israel, [who are] cast to the sword along with My people. So slap on your thigh,
Slap on your thigh: not a sign of laughter, but of extreme shame. (Yirm. 31:19)
13. “‘“‘because it is an examination, and what if it even despises the rod? It will no longer exist!’ declares the Master YHWH.”’
YHWH’s people have not taken the correction of the rod, Jewish nation will cease to exist as such.
14. “So you, son of Adam, prophesy and hit palm against palm, and let the sword be folded over the third time—a sword of those mortally wounded. It is a sword of one mortally wounded [by] the great one that surrounds them.
Folded over: or doubled, while being beaten out by the blacksmith, in order to make it even stronger. Mortally wounded: It was one of the spoils taken from another kingdom conquered earlier because it would not surrender.
15. “In order that their courage may melt away and to greatly increase the stumblingblocks, I have set a turning sword point over all of their gates. Alas! It is fashioned like lightning! It is compressed for butchering slaughter!
Turning: or threatening. This is to remind us of the gates of Eden, where the kh’ruvim guard the gates with fiery swords. Compressed: by the repeated folding over as seen in v. 14.
16. “Sharpen yourself; go to the right [side], stay in place, [or] go to the left--wherever your face is appointed to be stationed!
17. “Then I, too, will strike My palm against My palm, then let My indignation quiet down [and depart]. I, YHWH, have spoken.”
18. Then the Word of YHWH came to me to say,
19. “As for you, son of Adam, lay out for yourself two ways for the sword of the king of Bavel to come in. Both of them must come out of one land. Then cut out a hand at the head of the road. Fashion a city.
Hand: i.e., a directional signal at a fork in the road, clearing marking the path to take, so there would be no mistaking which was the way to Yerushalayim and the Babylonians would not be slowed down.
20. “Lay out a way that the sword may enter Rabbat of the sons of Ammon or into Yehudah at Yerushalayim, [the city that is] made ‘inaccessible’!
Rabbat Ammon is where the city of Amman, Jordan, is today. Ammon was the source of Molekh-worship, which Yehudah had adopted, so YHWH could have the source of that idol struck down as well. His alternative would be to attack a city that the inhabitants thought was impossible to capture:
21. “Because the king of Bavel has taken his stand at the point where the road begins—at the head of the two ways to practice divination. He has shaken his arrows, asked his healing idols, and inspected the liver.
Point: literally, mother—i.e., source of departure. He used three means of divination that were common in those days. The liver: of a dead animal, from the shape of which people would supposedly derive an idea of what was most auspicious.
22. “At his right hand will be the divination of Yerushalayim, to set battering-rams in place to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice in a battle-alarm, to set battering-rams against the gates, to pour out an embankment and build a siege-wall.
23. “But they will have a worthless divination in the eyes of those who have sworn oaths to them, but he will cause crookedness to be brought back to mind so that they may be captured.
Those who have sworn oaths: that is, Yehudah. King Tzidqiyahu had “crookedly” backed out of his promise of fealty to Nevukhadnetzar. (2 Kings 24:20) Though the omen they sought seemed somewhat inconclusive, this was the factor that made him finally decide to attack. Worthless divination: the opinion on Yehudah’s part that since such a siege had been weathered before and they were, after all, YHWH’s chosen people, such an attack could not be successful. Besides, who can take seriously reading an animal’s liver as a means of decision-making? But neither House of Israel is invincible (v. 20) if YHWH needs to chastise us back into shape.
24. “Therefore, this is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Because you have caused your crookedness to be brought back to mind in the uncovering of your trespassings, so that your sins are seen in all your practices. Since you have been brought back to mind, you will be captured with the palm [of the hand].
25. “And [as for] you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come in the time of crookedness of [the] end,
Wicked prince of Israel: in the immediate context, Tzidqiyahu; in the long-range prophetic sense, the counterfeit Messiah of the end times.
26. “this is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Take away the turban and lift off the crown! The one will not be the other. Raise up the lowly one and lay low the proud one.
Turban: the head-dress of the high priest. (Ex. 28:4) Crown: the head-dress of the king. The one will not be the other: The same man should not be in both roles, as king Uzziyahu tried to be. (2 Chron. 26:18) Was the current king trying to usurp the priestly role as well?
27. “I will consider it distortion, distortion, distortion! This, too, shall not come to be until the one whose right it is arrives, and I will assign to [to Him].
Whose right: The true Messiah that we need to wait for instead of his counterfeit, who comes first to delude many. (Gen. 49:17-18; compare 49:10; 2 Thes. 2:11) Though all authority in heaven and earth has been given to him (Mat. 28:18) and he is a high priest after Melkhitzedeq’s order (as the firstborn son, since Melkhitzedeq is traditionally identified as Noakh’s eldest son, Shem), and will, as king, lead the nation in bringing some offerings (45:19-22), and like his ancestor David, will have authority over some aspects of the priestly duties (e.g., 1 Chron. 23:6), He will not usurp the promises YHWH has made of an eternal priesthood for Aharon through his descendant Pin’khas. They will have complementary roles. (46:2; Ex. 40:15; Num. 25:13)
28. “Now [as for] you, O son of Adam, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Master YHWH says to the sons of Ammon and to their taunt.’ Then say, ‘A sword, a sword is let loose; for ruthless slaughter it is polished, to be spent for the sake of flashing like lightning.
Their taunt: because Bavel had chosen the fork in the road that led to Yerushalayim instead of to them. So now he would catch them as well on the return trip.
29. “‘When they behold prophetic visions for you, worthlessness! When they practice divination for you, a lie, to set you on the backs of the necks of those profaned of the wicked, whose day has come in the time of crookedness of [the] end!
Profaned: or mortally wounded, but probably referring back to v. 25.
30. “‘Will it return to its sheath? In the place where you were created, in the land where you were forged, I will judge you,
The sword of Bavel, too, would be destroyed after it did its work. (See note on v. 13 above.) The land where you were forged: compare Z’kharyah 5:7-11.
31. “‘And I will pour out My indignation on you with the fire of My overflowing rage, and give you over into the hand of barbarous men skilled [in] destruction!
32. “‘You will be fuel for the fire [to consume]. Your blood will be in the midst of the Land. You will not be remembered, because I, YHWH, have spoken!’”
A rabbinic teaching says that if YHWH removes someone’s name from the Book of Life, it is as if he had never existed, since YHWH has forgotten him. (Compare Yeshayahu/Isaiah 14:22; 21:9; Mat. 7:23.) This is how “He will wipe away tears from every eye” (Rev. 21:4) The things that caused them will no longer exist. He uses them now for His purposes, but ultimately the things that come against us are only illusions, and we need to believe not in what they appear to be, but trust in the eternal sameness of YHWH which is more real than they. (Prov. 10:25)
CHAPTER 22
1. Then the Word of YHWH came to me to say,
2. “As for you, son of Adam, will you judge? Will you judge the city of blood and let her see all the disgusting things [that are in] her?
City of blood: Here, Yerushalayim, YHWH’s special friend. But its inhabitants had done everything they could to ruin the friendship. They no longer care what is important to the One they once loved.
3. “Then say, ‘This is what the Master YHWH says: “A city sheds blood in her midst so that her time may come, and makes [rolling] idols upon herself to defile herself.
4. “‘“By your blood that you have shed, you have become guilty, and by your idols which you have made, you have become defiled, and you have been causing your days to draw near and have reached your years. Therefore I have made you an object of scorn for the Gentiles and a laughingstock to all the nations.
Reached your years: come all the way up to the limit of YHWH’s patience. Yeshua says we are to forgive seventy times seven (Mat. 18:22), which totals 490. This is the exact number of years YHWH tolerated Yehudah’s failure to observe the Sabbatical year for the Land’s fields (2 Chron. 36:21), since 70 years is the length of the sentence. (Yirmeyahu 25:11) Since Yerushalayim is YHWH’s bride, this also suggests that she has purposefully entered into her “time” of “blood” (v. 3) early so she can be off-limits to her husband, to Whom she does not really want to draw near, and for so long that she has now reached the stage of no longer being able to bear fruit for Him.
5. “‘“[Both] those who are near and those who are far from you will make fun of you, you whose reputation is soiled and abounding in confusion!
6. “‘“Look at [the] leaders of Israel! Each has been in you for his own arm for the sake of shedding blood!
They set up the laws of the land in such a way that they would receive kickbacks from services people could not do without. The Church has done the same thing—creating “needs” that only it can “meet”. Notice how many times in this chapter crimes other than murder are called bloodshed. This is because “the life (soul) of the flesh is in the blood”, and when we do things that destroy respect for one another, we make a unified society impossible.
7. “‘“They have made light of father and mother in you; they have dealt oppressively with the foreigner in your midst. They have mistreated fatherless and widow within you!
They have not taken seriously the order of authority which YHWH had set in place for the household to revolve around.
8. “‘“You have regarded My sacred things with contempt, and treated My Sabbaths like ordinary days!
9. “‘“In you are slanderous informers out to shed blood, and in you they have eaten on the mountains. They carry out heinous plots in your midst.
Eaten on the mountains: an idiom for pagan worship. Heinous: this term often denotes idolatry, lewdness, or even incest.
10. “‘“In you they have uncovered [their] fathers’ private parts; in you they have humiliated the impurity of the [woman who is] off limits.
The first sin mentioned here is the one Kanaan committed against his grandfather Noakh, earning his and YHWH’s special enmity. (Gen. 9) This is just one example of the illicit sexual unions listed in Lev. 18, of which more are cited below:
11. “‘“Not only has a man done disgusting things to his neighbor’s wife; in you a man has both lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law and humiliated his sister—his own father’s daughter!
Lewdly defiled: or, with mischievous purpose declared [ceremonially] unclean, i.e., to make his son’s marriage void. (Deut. 24:1)
12. “‘“In you they have taken bribes for the sake of bloodshed, and you have received interest and unjust bonuses, as well as extorting gain violently [from] your neighbor. You have also forgotten Me,” declares the Master YHWH.
If we remembered YHWH, we would not dare do any of these things. But, in short, we have become undependable. We have not given Him a worthwhile return on His investment. What took YHWH over the edge was the way we treated one another, as sources of commerce rather than neighbors who needed help. There is no way to test our commitment to Someone we cannot see—One hidden in “the heavens”—except by how we treat each other. It has to start from the bottom up, not the top down. If we want a relationship with YHWH, we have to prove loyal to one another, and committed to those who are right in front of us.
13. “‘“So look! I have struck the palm of My hand against the unjust acquisitions that you have made and over your blood that has been in your midst.
14. “‘“Can your heart stand while your hands have a strong grip, for the days that I am preparing [for] you? I, YHWH, have spoken, and I will act!
15. “‘“When I have scattered you among the Gentiles and sown you in the lands, I will completely exhaust the impurity from out of you.
This is the purpose of His sending us into exile and why it has taken so long.
16. “‘“And you will profane yourself in the eyes of the Gentiles. Then you will know that I am YHWH.”’”
Profane yourself: but there is a second possible meaning. It could also be read, “Then you will make a new start for yourself”. In the context of v. 15, this time it could have both meanings. One key to our return is being honest enough to confess that we are profaned and impure. We are meant to be set apart for a particular purpose, and yet we gave up that privilege; we have taken ourselves out of that context, so YHWH let us become just like everyone else. He wants us to turn back and survive. But this time He does not promise to make a new heart for us. He will not help, but if we take it upon ourselves to adopt a new attitude, and give our authorities the proper honor before it is too late, He may reconsider. But He does not give us a long time to make the decision:
17. Then the Word of YHWH came to me to say:
18. “Son of Adam, the House of Israel has come to be dross for Me; all of them are brass or tin alloy or iron or lead in the middle of the smelting furnace; pieces of silver dross they are!
These are all the metals that can “pass through the fire” to be purified. (Num. 31:22) Lead looks like silver when it is being heated, but proves to be duller once it cools. Dross, the impurity found in silver or gold, is put there deliberately to make these soft metals strong enough to retain their shape. If holy things are to be co-opted for another use, they indeed have to be made more secure to stand up against the pressures of the outside world. But that is not what they were made for, so all these “reinforcers” do is make us less pure.
19. “Therefore, this is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Since you have all turned out to be dross, indeed, I will gather you to the inside of Yerushalayim--
The silver and gold that was left—people like Dani’el--also had to go into Babylon, and would not necessarily get to come back to Yerushalayim in the same generation. Their grandchildren might get to reap the fruit of their repentance. But again in our day He is indeed bringing Yerushalayim back to center stage for the House of Israel so that we will remember who we really are. The altar of judgment is there, and in those who respond to it, whatever does stand in the way of relationship with YHWH and our fellows will melt away.
20. “‘a gathering of silver, brass, iron, lead, and tin alloy in the middle of a smelting-furnace to blow fire over it to make it molten. That is how I will gather you in My anger and My rage, then leave you [there] and let you melt!
Silver: the righteous suffer when the balance of power is tilted toward all this wickedness and no one is strong enough to stand up for what is right.
21. “‘That is, I will collect you together [in a heap]. When I have blown upon you with the fire of My overflowing fury, then you will be melted in her midst.
As the Babylonians approached, many people would gather in the strongly-fortified capital for better defense, but YHWH would use this occasion to let them all be captured at once. At this point, it seems to be nothing but judgment, but it harbingers hope of a purification to come. YHWH’s motivation is not our total destruction, but He must go to this extent to restore the purity. He melts down the impure vessels so something better can be made from them. (Prov. 25:4) The way to tell that all the dross is out of silver, gold, or bronze is when you can see a perfect reflection of your face in it. When the fire of YHWH’s correction melts us down into a seeming death, the result is life in others and a reflection of His face that was first exemplified in Y’shua. (2 Cor. 3:18-4:12)
22. “‘Like a melted [lump] of silver in the middle of a smelting-furnace, that is how you will be melted in her midst. Then you will know that I, YHWH, have poured out My rage on you!’”
23. Then the Word of YHWH came to me to say,
24. “Son of Adam, tell her, ‘You are a land that is neither being pronounced ceremonially pure nor rained on in the day of indignation.
Indignation: or disgust. Water is not provided either for the ritual cleansing ceremony nor in driving force, because there are too many impurities for either to be effective. Fire is the only thing that will work this time. (v. 31)
25. “‘A conspiracy of prophets is within her like a roaring lion that is tearing prey! They have devoured souls! They have taken treasure and costly prizes; they have multiplied widows in her midst.
26. “‘Her priests have done violence to My Torah and profaned My sacred things; they have not made a distinction between holy and ordinary nor have they made known [the difference] between [ritually] impure and pure. They have also concealed their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am being desecrated among them.
Made known the difference: This was the express responsibility of the priests. (Lev. 10:10ff) Concealed their eyes: When our faces are unveiled, we will again recognize YHWH’s authority. (2 Cor. 3:16-18)
27. “‘Her rulers in her innermost part are like wolves that tear [their] prey—to shed blood, to make souls go astray for the sake of [getting] unjust gain [through violence].
Make go astray: or, exterminate, blot out, do away with. The basic meaning is to cause to be lost.
28. “‘Her prophets have also coated themselves with slime, seeing empty visions and divining falsehood for them, saying, “This is what the Master YHWH says”, when YHWH has not spoken.
They are trying to back up the preferences of those in leadership, not express YHWH’s word objectively. Slime: something to smear, possibly untempered mortar or something insipid, but related to the word for “fall”.
29. “‘The people of the land have exploited with extortion and seized plunder, mistreated the poor and needy, and defrauded the foreigner without due legal recourse.
Since the princes, priests, and prophets have been so sinful, the filter-down effect is sin among the commoners.
30. “‘I have been searching for a man among them [who was] closing up a hedge around the land or standing in the breach before Me to keep Me from ruining it, but I did not find [any].
He brought them all together to see if anyone was there who could fit the bill. The most common thing built with a hedge was a sheepfold, and indeed the shepherd would stand in the opening and be the “door” that kept predators out.
31. “‘So I have poured out My indignation on them; I have wasted them with the fire of My overflowing fury. I have employed their habits on their own head,’ declares the Master YHWH.”
Yet he has already told us there will be enough of a remnant left to make the city feel it was worth all the pain. (14:22), so there is a glimmer of hope. Parallel passages say that when He can find no one to intercede, His own arm would bring deliverance. (Yeshayahu 59:16-21; 63:5) These passages all speak of the retribution that must come, but the for this “deliverance” takes is the destruction of His enemies, but redemption for those who turn from transgression, and renewal of covenant. Once the Man who is called YHWH’s arm (Yesh. 53:5) did show up to rebuild the sheepfold and be its door (Yochanan 10:7), new life could be poured back into all this scrap metal. Since there is now someone to stand in the gap, judgment is not the end of the story. As we now have an opening to return, we can embrace the judgment that is again necessary to purify away the dross that is still there (1 Kefa/Peter 4:12-13), so that this time it can actually be effective.
CHAPTER 23
1. Then the Word of YHWH came to me to say,
2. “Son of Adam, there were two women, daughters of one mother,
One mother: possibly an allusion back to Sarah or Rivqah, the common mothers of all Israel. They spent time in the tents of other men to save their husbands’ lives. YHWH spared them from being violated, but this may have opened the door for their “daughters” to develop a taste for the exotic instead of the familiar:
3. “but they began to play the prostitute in Egypt. There they whored around in their youth; their breasts were intensely handled and their virgin nipples squeezed.
4. “Now their names were Ohalah (the elder) and Ohalivah (her sister), and they belonged to Me and bore sons and daughters. And [as for] their names, Shomron is [represented by] Ohalah and Yerushalayim is [represented by] Ohalivah.
Ohalah means “her own tent” (the attitude of the Northern Kingdom, which wanted its own worship sites), and Ohalivah means “My tent is in her” (for YHWH had set His Name in Yerushalayim). Shomron: the capital of the Northern Kingdom, called the elder because Yaaqov called Yosef’s son Efrayim his firstborn. Belonged to Me: the simple explanation for His jealousy over them.
5. “And Ohalah was [already] playing the prostitute [while she was] under Me; she showed undue affection for her lovers—toward the nearby Assyrians,
6. “clothed in blue, governors and subordinate rulers, all of them desirable young men—distinguished men mounted upon horses.
7. “And she bestowed her harlotries upon them, all of them the choicest sons of Ashur, and with all those after whom she lusted, she defiled herself with their idols.
8. “Nor did she forsake her harlotries from Egypt, because they lay with her in her youth, and they squeezed her youthful nipples and spilled their fornications upon her.
One’s impressionable youth sets the stage for her outlook and preferences all her life. Israel did voluntarily submit to Egypt before she was enslaved there, choosing to be public servants—still a tendency of both houses of Israel and still a temptation since whatever culture we are working to benefit can draw us into itself and demand too much of the time and energy that should be put into Israel.
9. “Therefore I have handed her over to her lovers—into the hand of the sons of Ashur, over whom she had inordinate affection.
10. “They themselves exposed her vulnerability. They took her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. And she became notorious among women, when they carried out judgments on her.
11. “When her sister Ohalivah saw, she was more corrupt in her lust than she, and her harlotries wre greater than her sister’s prostitution.
Compare Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 3:6-10.
12. “She lusted for the sons of Ashur nearby-- governors and subordinate rulers—perfectly dressed, distinguished men mounted upon horses --all of them desirable young men.
Since we are built to desire the Kingdom, Israel tends to be awed by whatever empire comes closest to it in both power and pomp. Yet this is not the real thing. The seeds of both kingdoms get mixed together, but YHWH does not like these mixtures of two religions.
13. “Then I began to see that she was defiled—that they both had the same habit.
14. “But she added to her harlotries when she saw men carved into the wall—resembling the Khasdim, portrayed with vermilion.
Vermilion: a deep red-orange color. She fell in love with Ashur’s picture! Yet s the reality was “not like the brochure”. The church does no differently in promising its potential followers that the believer is going to be joyful all the time.
15. “Belted with waistbands on their hips, luxuriant with turbans on their heads, all of them looking like princes in the fashion of the sons of Bavel of the Khasdim, the land of their birth.
16. “She even lusted over them at first sight, and sent messengers to them in Khaldea.
No one seduced her or deceived her into this; she initiated it herself.
17. “Then the sons of Bavel came to her for a bed of love, and they defiled her with their fornications. When she was being defiled by them, her soul was alienated from them.
They quickly lost their luster. Efrayim will be disgusted with himself when he recognizes how much energy he put into such foolishness. (Yirmeyahu/Jer. 31:19) We have inherited lies! (Yirm. 16:16) We must be merciful to those who are recognizing this, but show no mercy on the things they have been carrying, which they were driven to obey.
18. “So she disclosed her harlotries and revealed her nakedness. Then My soul began to be alienated from her just as My soul had become alienated from her sister.
It is a stretch to say that if He divorced Efrayim, he did not divorce Yehudah too. But if she never committed to another husband in covenant (but only whored around), He can take her back. (Deut. 24:3-4)
19. “Then she greatly increased her harlotries to remember the days of her youth when she had played the prostitute in Egypt.
20. “She even lusted over their paramours, whose flesh is the flesh of donkeys, and whose seminal discharge is [like that] of stallions.
21. “So you revisited the lewdness of your youth when from Egypt your nipples were squeezed since your breasts were [so] youthful.
22. “Therefore, Ohalivah, this is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Watch Me stir up your lovers against you—those from whom your soul is alienated, and I will bring them against you from all around:
23. “‘the sons of Bavel and all the Khasdim—Peqod [punishment], Shoa [noble], and Qoa [he-camel]; all the sons of Ashur with them—desirable young men, all of them governors and subordinate rulers, tertiary captains and men of renown, all of them mounted upon horses.
24. “‘And they will come upon you [with] weapons, chariots and rolling [carts], with a company of peoples. They will set up buckler, shield, and helmet against you all around, and I will set a court decision in front of them, and they will judge you according to their legal procedures.
25. “‘And I will employ My [ardent] zeal against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will take away your nose and your ears, and your back end will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and the last part of you will be devoured by fire.
Take away your nose and ears: An Afghan woman recently suffered this at the hands of her husband because he suspected her of adultery.
26. “‘They will also strip you of your cloaks and take away your implements of finery.
Implements: the same word used for the vessels of the Temple. Indeed, the same term for nakedness seen in v. 18 is used in Gen. 42:9 to mean the vulnerability of a nation. King Hizqiyahu unwittingly revealed the vulnerability of Yehudah when he showed Babylonian envoys all his wealth, including the gold of the Temple, and these vessels were later taken as war booty. (2 Kings 20)
27. “‘Thus I will remove your mischievousness from you and your fornication from the land of Egypt, and you will never again lift your eyes to them or remember Egypt.
I will remove: His intent was not destruction, but this worthwhile outcome of return (Yirmeyahu 3:12-15). Remember: This had not been an isolated incident, but a characteristic pattern.
28. “‘Because this is what the Master YHWH says: “Watch Me hand you over to those you hate, into the hand of those from whom your soul was alienated!
29. “‘“And they will deal with you in hatred and take away all that you worked hard for, and leave you naked and exposed, and the shame of your fornications will be revealed along with your mischievous purpose and your harlotries.
30. “‘“These things will be done to you whenever you go like a prostitute after the nations over whose idols you have profaned yourself.
31. “‘“You have walked in the way of your sister, so I will hand her cup to you.’
Her cup: The cup of the adulterous woman is detailed in Numbers 5.
32. “‘This is what the Master YHWH says: ‘You will drink your sister’s cup—the deep and wide one. You will be laughed at and mocked; it holds a lot!
33. “‘“You will be filled with drunkenness and grief—a cup of horror and devastation, the cup of your sister Shomron.
34. “‘“You will both drink it and drain it, then save its broken shards and separate off your own breasts, because I have spoken,” declares the Master YHWH.
35. “‘Therefore, this is what the Master YHWH says: “Because you have forgotten Me and thrown Me behind your back, you must also bear your mischievous purpose and your harlotries.”’”
36. Then YHWH said to Me, “Son of Adam, will you judge Ohalah and Ohalivah? That is, tell them how disgusting the things they [have done are].
37. “Because they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; they have even committed adultery with their [rolling] idols. What’s more, for them they have made their children, to whom they gave birth for Me, pass through [the fire] to be devoured.
For Me: Children of Israelites belong to YHWH; we have no right to offer them to anyone but Him. We can offer them in subtle ways such as teaching them to put all their energies into seeking security rather than seeking Him.
38. “Again they have done this to Me: they have made My sanctuary impure in that day, and profaned My sabbaths.
Again: the Greeks and Romans were also invited into alliance with Israel, and later grew strong and overpowered them, requiring great compromise. Every time, we asked for it. The Torah tells us not to make a treaty with anyone who could become a snare to us. (Ex. 34:12-14) In that day: often an idiom for the time of the Messianic Kingdom. (Zkh. 14:9) Profaned: treated like a common day.
39. “Also, while killing their children for their idols, on that [same] day they came into My sanctuary to profane it! Just look what they have done right inside My house!
40. “And they have even sent for men to come from afar off, to whom a messenger was sent, and indeed they came, for which you bathed and adorned your eyes with paint, and advanced yourself with ornaments.
41. “Then you sat on an honored bed with a table arranged in front of it, and you set My incense and My oil on it.
The king of Bavel actually furnished a banquet using the vessels of the sanctuary from YHWH’s Temple, at which time YHWH judged them. (Daniel 5)
42. “And the sound of a great crowd at ease is in you, and with the mortals of the multitude of humanity were brought drunkards, and they put bracelets on their hands and splendid crowns on their heads.
43. “Then I said to the [woman] used up by adulteries, ‘Now will they commit fornication with her—or will she?’
I.e., who would want her in this unattractive condition?
44. “Yet they came into her as they come into a woman of prostitution; that is how they came into Ohalah and Ohalivah, the lewd women.
Lewd: or mischievous, licentious, idolatrous.
45. “But let righteous men therefore with the court procedures for adulteresses and the procedures for women who shed blood, because adulteresses they are, and there is blood on their hands.
One ruling the Apostles made in Acts 15:15-21 was based on the authority of Lev. 18:6.
46. “Because this is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Bring up a company upon them, and give them over to horror and plunder.
47. “Then the congregation will stone them with stones and cut them down with their swords. Then they will murder their sons and daughters, and burn their houses with fire.
Them: both the man and woman are to be killed in such instances. (Lev. 20:10-12; 19:29; Deut. 22:22) The faithful remnant at the end of this age will “kill off” both paganism and those who compromised with it.
48. “So I will put as stop to lewdness [and get it] out of the Land, so all the women may be instructed not to act according to their mischievousness.
Compare Hadassah/Esther 1:17-18.
49. “Then they will employ your own mischief on you, and you will bear the sins of your idols. Then you will recognize that I am the Master YHWH.
CHAPTER 24
1. Now the Word of YHWH came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, saying,
2. “Son of Adam, write for yourself the name of the day--this very day. The king of Bavel leaned against Yerushalayim on this selfsame day.
Leaned against: rested against or leaned toward—probably an idiom for laying siege to it.
3. “Make a comparison with a parable to the rebellious house, and tell them, ‘Set a pot on [the fire]! Set it on and pour water into it too.
4. “‘Gather its pieces [of meat] into it—each of the best cuts. Fill it up with the thigh and the shoulder, the choicest bones!
5. “‘Take the best of the flock, and pile up the bones under it. Bring it to a rapid boil; let them seethe its bones within it as well.’
6. “Therefore this is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Woe to the city of blood, the pot that has [blood] residue in it and whose [blood] residue has not gone away from it! Bring it out piece by piece; don’t let a lot be cast on it,
Residue: rust-colored scum that proves the animal was not slaughtered in a kosher manner. (See v. 7.) The Hebrew term comes from a root meaning “weakness”. Bones: within which there is marrow, from which additional blood residue can come. A lot: the way the scapegoat is chosen at Yom Kippur, a context also suggested by the cliff in v. 7, since in second Temple times, the goat was not just released into the wilderness, but actually thrown off a cliff to ensure its demise.
7. “‘because her blood is within it. She has put it on the glaring face of a cliff; she did not spill it out on the ground to spread dust over it [and conceal it].
Within it: that is, in the pot. Since the blood was not removed at the time of slaughter, it cannot all be gotten out later. And in this case, it appears that a large quantity of this animal’s blood still remained while it was being cooked. Spill it out: This is commanded when animals are slaughtered for consumption outside Yerushalayim. (Lev. 17:13) Blood is where the life (or soul, or appetite) is. Burying it is symbolic of suppressing our selfishness. Yet here it is being not only reserved but put in a place of prominence. Dust: symbolic of Avraham’s—and Israel’s--seed. (Gen. 13:16; 28:14) Spread dust over it: We are to put our own interests lower than those of the people of Israel as a whole. Throughout history, most notably when under Christianity, the Northern Kingdom’s leaders have focused their teaching toward individuals—salvation is for “my” sake rather than “ours”. Thus the church, though it purports to be YHWH’s new temple, is built on the wrong foundation, and YHWH simply calls us out of it; it cannot be cleaned up. (Rev. 18:4)
8. “‘To stir up rage to [come] take vengeance, I have allowed her blood to be on the conspicuous surface of a cliff, to keep it from being covered up.’
9. “Therefore, this is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Woe to the city of blood! I will make the pile grow, too!
10. “‘Heap on sticks! Kindle the fire to finish off the flesh, and mix in the spices well so the bones can be scorched dry.
11. “‘Then stand it up, empty, on its coals so that its bronze may become hot and be charred and its impurity may be melted within it [and] its [blood] residue finished off.
12. “‘She has exhausted [herself] with wearisome labor and the accumulation of [blood] residue did not depart from her; her [blood] residue is in the fire.
There is so much of our own life in us that even if we boil it until the pot itself melts, it is still not gone. It keeps rising to the top. This shows that though we confess sins and say we want to repent, we are still purposefully trying to hold on to what YHWH wants removed:
13. “‘[There is] mischievous purpose in your defilement, because I have cleaned you up, yet you are not clean. You will not be purified from your defilement again until I have made My rage settle on you.
14. “‘I, YHWH, have spoken. It will come and I will bring it to accomplishment. I will not slacken, nor will I spare, nor will I be moved to pity. According to your habits and your practices they will judge you,’ declares the Master YHWH.”
They: men, not YHWH. David knew that this was a more fearful prospect than being judge by YHWH Himself, who has mercy on the contrite. (2 Shmuel 24:14)
15. Then the Word of YHWH came to me to say,
16. “Son of Adam, watch as I take away the delight of your eyes with a [single] stroke. Yet you may neither lament nor bewail [her], nor may your tears come.
17. “Silence your groaning; do no mourning for the dead. Bind the turban upon yourself! Put your shoes on your feet! Do not cover your mustache, and do not eat the bread of men.”
Cover your mustache: a mourning ritual, as is taking off one’s shoes. Turban: an ornamental head-dress; the term comes from a verb meaning to glorify oneself (thus an embellishment that these “choicest” of Yerushalayim’s citizens, as per vv. 4-5, would wear). This would normally have been taken off when mourning.
18. Now I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening, my wife died. So in the morning I did as I was commanded.
19. Then the people said to me, “Won’t you tell us what these things that you are doing are for us?”
20. So I told them, “The Word of YHWH came to me to say,
21. “‘Say to the House of Israel, “This is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Watch Me profane My sanctuary, the majesty of your strength, the delight of your eyes, and that which your soul deeply loves. Your sons and your daughters, whom you have left behind, will fall by the sword.’”
Profane: the same thing Y’hezq’el had done to his wife’s time of mourning—treated it the same as any other day. (v. 17) YHWH has lost His wife, too, to other lovers, but how can He stop ruling the universe to mourn? So they, too, would lose what was dearest to them. Left behind: back in Yerushalayim, when Y’hezq’els’ hearers were taken first to Bavel.
22. “And you must do as I have done: do not cover your mustache, and do not eat the bread of men.
23. “Your turbans shall also be on your heads, and your shoes on your feet. You must neither lament or bewail, but you must pine away for your perversities, and groan, each man to his brother.
Instead of crying over their loss, they needed to first recognize that this was what they deserved because they didn’t really lose it; they gave—no, threw—away the treasure He had entrusted to them. They need to instead mourn over who they have become and concentrate on becoming a people who would again be worthy of receiving it back. They needed to have a truly broken heart, not just sadness or anger over what was taken from them.
24. “So Y’hezq’El serves as a sign for you. You will do all the same things that he has done; when it comes, then you will know that I am the Master YHWH.
25. “And [as for] you, son of Adam, will it not be [so] on the day I take from them their refuge, the joy of their splendor, the delight of their eyes, and what uplifts their soul—their sons and daughters?
26. “On that day the fugitive will come to you to cause you to hear a report with your ears.
It seems strange that an escapee from Bavel’s capture of Yerushalayim would come to none other than Bavel to report this to Y’hezq’el, but it was where the House of Israel had been told by Yirmeyahu to go in order to remain under YHWH’s covering during their exile, so he would not have been mistreated once he showed up there.
27. “On that day your mouth will be opened with the fugitive, and you will speak and no longer be bound to silence. Then you will serve as a sign for them, and they will know that I am YHWH.”
CHAPTER 25
1. Now the Word of YHWH came to me to say,
2. “Son of Adam, set your face against the sons of Ammon, and prophesy against them,
3. “and tell the sons of Ammon, ‘Listen to the word of the Master YHWH! This is what YHWH says: “Because you have said, ‘Ahhh, look!’ [in regard] to My sanctuary because it was profaned and to the Land of Israel because it was devastated and to the House of Yehudah because they went into exile,
Being relatives of Avraham, they should recognize YHWH.
4. “‘“therefore watch Me give you over to the sons of the east as a possession! Then they will set their tent-rows among you and make their dwellings among you. They’ll eat your fruit and drink your milk.
5. “‘“Then I will appoint Rabbah to be a pasture for camels, and the sons of Ammon a place for flocks to lie down. Then you will know that I am YHWH.
6. “‘“Because this is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Because you have slapped with your hand and stamped with the foot and rejoiced with only contempt in your soul toward the Land of Israel,
7. “‘“‘therefore, watch Me stretch out My hand over you and give you to the nations as spoils, and I will cut you off from the peoples and cause you to vanish from the lands. I will annihilate you; then you will know that I am YHWH.’
The peoples: the surrounding nations that were related to the Ammonites: Moav, Edom, Israel, and Yehudah.
8. “‘“This is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Because Moav and Seir say, “Look! The House of Yehudah is like all the nations”
This is exactly what Yehudah and Israel are not to be, but they are “proven” to be no more immune to judgment..
9. “‘“Therefore, watch Me open the slope of Moav from the cities—from his cities—from its extremities, the decoration of the land—Beth-y’shimoth, Baal-Meon, and Qiryathayim--
Two of these cities were conquered by Reuvenites while Moshe was still alive (Num. 32:37-38), but Moav regained power numerous times throughout Israel’s history. (e.g., 2 Kings 1:1; 3:5; 1 Chron. 18:2; 2 Chron. 20:1, etc.)
10. “‘“to the sons of the east over the sons of Ammon, and I will turn it over as a possession in order that the sons of Ammon may not be remembered among the nations!
Among the nations: At Sukkoth 70 bulls are offered for the sake of the ingathering of the nations, for in Genesis 10, 70 nations are listed, which may indeed be the way national boundaries are restored when Y’shua brings His Kingdom over them all. But Ammon, Moav, and Edom (which is also called Seir) are not among those 70, for they were divided off from the “nation” of Ever later, all being descendants of Avraham or his nephew Lot. However, this has not yet taken place, for though there is no longer a nation called the Ammonites, their name is preserved in the modern name of Rabbah (mentioned in v. 5): Amman, Jordan.
11. “‘“Then I will execute judgments on Moav. Then they will know that I am YHWH.”
12. “‘This is what the Master YHWH says: “Because Edom has acted with vengeance toward the House of Yehudah and has trespassed, crossing a line, by avenging himself on them,
13. “‘therefore this is what the Master YHWH says: “When I stretch out My hand over Edom, I will cause [both] man and beast to be cut off from it, and I will appoint it to be a wasteland from Theyman, and in D’dan they will fall by the sword.
Edom is still a wasteland. It is in southwestern Jordan today. Theyman and D’dan are in modern-day Saudi Arabia, which is also mostly desert with no vegetation.
14. “‘“Moreover, I will employ My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to My anger and My rage, and they will become intimately acquainted with My vengeance,” declares the Master YHWH.
Edom: In Jewish tradition, the torch was passed from Edom to Rome, and Edom figuratively refers to the Church. My people: an allusion in particular to the Northern Kingdom (Hoshea 1:9-10). Many of them are still in the church today, but will be brought out as they recognize that they are really Israel. Those that are left will be avenged according to what they did to the least of Y’shua’s brethren (Mat. 25:40), and this will be carried out by Israel herself. Ironically, the church has always declared herself immune to YHWH’s vengeance, though they have failed to keep most of His commandments. It has been long delayed (Mat. 24:48), so they assume it has been cancelled, meaning the awakening will be all the more rude.
15. “‘This is what the Master YHWH says: “Because the Filistines have acted with vengeance and have taken revenge with a soul [full] of contempt to destroy [because of] ancient enmity,
16. “‘“therefore this is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Watch Me stretch out My hand over the Filistines and cut off the Krethites and cause what is left of the sea coast to vanish,
The Palestinians have again assumed the name Filistines, and actually inhabit some of the same territory (the Gaza strip). Yeshayahu/Isa. 11:11-14 adds that again it will both houses of Israel that carry out this vengeance for YHWH.
17. “‘“‘and I will execute great vengeance on them with furious chastisements. Then they will know that I am YHWH, when I employ My vengeance on them.’”’”
CHAPTER 26
1. Now it came about [that] in the eleventh year on the first of the month, the Word of YHWH came to me to say,
2. “Son of Adam, since Tzur has said about Yerushalayim, ‘Aha! She is crippled! She has turned over to me the doors to the peoples! I will be filled; she has been dried up!’
Doors: in the sense of access. By this time, Tzur, which was in alliance with Yerushalayim since David’s reign, had been in league only with the Northern Kingdom and Egypt after the kingdom of Israel split. Its power would have increased somewhat when the Northern Kingdom was taken to exile, having a larger share of the Phoenician holdings that had previously been divided with Israel. Now she thought she had no rival at all in the immediate region. But YHWH answers this directly:
3. “Therefore, this is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Look! I am over you, O Tzur, and I will raise up an abundance of nations against you as the sea causes its waves to rise up!
Tzur (often called Tyre) would be very familiar with this imagery, as part of it was on an island in the sea divided from the mainland in such a way as to usually render it inaccessible to besieging armies, having a 150-foot-high wall and multi-storied buildings due to the small land area of the island, much like today’s Hong Kong or Manhattan. The city’s name means “rock”, a name used for YHWH. As we will see below, it is indeed acting the impostor.
4. “‘And they will make the walls of Tzur into ruins and tear down her towers. I will also scour away her debris from her and make her like the glaring surface of a cliff.
5. “‘It will become a place to stretch out nets in the midst of the sea, because I have spoken,’ declares the Master YHWH, ‘and she will become booty for the nations.
Arthur Custance (Doorway Papers, Vol VII, Part III, Chapter 3) documents how this took place in exactly the way it is foretold here. Since Tzur resisted Nevukhadnetzar’s yoke, so the latter began a siege of the city a year after the fall of Yerushalayim, which then lasted 13 years. Its aqueduct was destroyed, contributing to its isolation. Little by little its riches were transferred across to the island by their large fleet of ships. The part of the city that was on the mainland apparently capitulated, but Jerome reports that Nevukhadnetzar found nothing worthy of his efforts, and it slowly fell into ruin. But the island remained prosperous and was not subdued for another 240 years until, in 332 B.C.E., Alexander the Great built a causeway using the ruined houses. This took seven months, and so much material was needed to bridge the deep inlet that they indeed scraped the rubble of the city from the shore into the sea! (v. 12) The book of 2 Maccabees tells some of the story of how it was plundered. Tzur revived in Roman times before slowly falling into decline. The Muslims stopped the commerce. By modern times, the causeway trapped silt, forming a wide land bridge, and the ruins of the city barely rise above the sea, and today fishermen have been photographed stretching their nets to dry on the fallen columns of the city that juts out into the “midst of the sea”!
6. “‘And her daughters who are in the field will be killed by the sword. Then they will recognize that I am YHWH,
7. “‘because this is what the Master YHWH says: “Watch me bring Nevukhadnetzar, king of Bavel, to Tzur from the north—a king of kings—with horse and chariot and horsemen and a company of many people[s].
8. “‘“He will kill your daughters in the field with a sword, and he will set a siege-mound against you and pour out a bank upon you, and cause a siege-shield to be raised against you.
9. “‘“And he will employ the blows of his battering-ram on your walls, and with his weapons he will break down your towers.
10. “‘“Due to the abundance of their horses, their [flying] dust will conceal you. Your walls will shake from the sound of horseman, wheel, and chariot when he enters your gates, as when [men] enter a breached city.
11. “‘“With the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets; he will kill your people with the sword, and your strong pillars will come down to the ground.
On the ground is precisely where Tzur’s pillars were found by modern archaeologists.
12. “‘“And they will plunder your wealth and turn your merchandise into spoils. Then they will break down your walls and tear down your pleasant houses, then put your stones, your timbers, and your rubble in the middle of the water.
13. “‘“And I will make the noise of your songs to cease, and the sound of your harps will be heard no more.
Your songs: that for which Tzur’s prince was renowned (28:13).
14. “‘“And I will turn you into a glistening cliff, a place for nets to be spread. You will never again be rebuilt, because I, YHWH, have spoken,” declares the Master YHWH.
Glistening: i.e., one “polished” by being wiped clean until it shines.
15. “‘This is what the Master YHWH says to Tzur: “Won’t the coastlands tremble at the sound of your overthrow, at the groaning of the mortally wounded when the slaughter is killed within you?
Coastlands: the Phoenician (or Punic) colonies as far away as Britain and North America that depended on the imperial city for their trade.
16. “‘“Then all the rulers of the sea will come down off their thrones and set aside their robes and take off their embroidered garments. They will be clothed with anxiety; they will sit on the ground and tremble for moments and be stunned on your account.
17. “‘“Then they will take up a dirge about you and say to you, ‘How have you perished—you who were inhabited from the seas, the praiseworthy city that was firm on the sea—she and her inhabitants, who put their terror on all who live on it?
From the seas: i.e., by seafarers from all over the world, and who drew her wealth from their nautical prowess, which far outshined all others of her time. But similar things are said about spiritual Babylon (Bavel) in Revelation 18:9-20. This gives us a clue that, though the rebellion of Bavel against YHWH began at the Tower of Bavel, its scepter passed to some others before it returned to Bavel under Nevukhadnetzar. This succession of the counterfeit of the restored Adam is depicted vividly in Nevukhadnetzar’s dream. (Dan. 2) Tzur apparently carried the torch just prior to that. This is confirmed by the fact that, though David had already been recognized as king by all twelve tribes of Israel (after having been king over only Yehudah for seven and a half years), he did not feel certain that YHWH had established his throne over all Israel until Hiram, king of Tzur, recognized him! (2 Shmuel 5:5-12) In other words, the Northern Kingdom was already in some sort of subservient relationship to Tzur, or at the very least Tzur held tremendous influence over the other tribes.
18. “‘“‘Now the coastlands will tremble on the day of your overthrow, and all the islands that are in the sea will be made nervous by your departure!’
19. “‘“‘Because this is what the Master YHWH says: ‘When I make you a dried-up city like the cities that are without inhabitants, when I bring the deep up over you and abundant waters have concealed you,
20. “‘“‘then I will bring you down with those who descend into a pit to the eternal people and make you sit on the land below, in places laid waste since ancient times, with those who descend into a pit in order that you will have no [place to] live, and I have bestowed your honor on the land of the living.
21. “‘“‘I will appoint you to calamity, and you will not be there. Though you are intensely searched for, you will never again be found—forever!’, declares the Master YHWH.
CHAPTER 27
1. Then the Word of YHWH came to me to say,
2. “Now you, son of Adam, take up a dirge for Tzur,
3. “and say to Tzur, ‘You who are situated at the entrance of the sea, a trader for the peoples to many coastlands, this is what the Master YHWH says: “O Tzur, you have said, ‘I am the perfection of beauty!’
4. “‘“Your borders are in the heart of the seas! Your builders have perfected your beauty.
Your borders: Her sphere of influence is wherever the sea is passable. Your builders: YHWH is cutting down Tzur’s pride by saying that all the beauty she bragged about (v. 3) was brought in from outside. The places listed below were known for having the finest skill and workmanship in the areas Tzur hired them for. If it were not for trade and commerce, she would be much like any other city.
5. “‘“For you they have built all your planks of Senir cypress; they have taken a cedar from Levanon to make a mast upon you.
6. “‘“From the oaks of Bashan they have made your oars; your deck they have made of ivory, daughter of a [small] straight evergreen, from the coasts of Kittim.
7. “‘“Fine linen of embroidered work [of various colors] is what you spread out to be your sail; your covering [was dyed] blue and purple from the islands of Elishah.
Sail: or ensign, banner, rallying pole. Note the comparison of Tzur to a ship throughout this chapter. Elishah: one of the Greek regions (populated from a son of Yavan), possibly Aeolia.
8. “‘“The residents of Tzidon and Arwad became rowers for you. Your skillful ones, O Tzur, were in you; they [were] the ones who handled your ropes.
9. “‘“The elders of G’val and her wise men were within you to contain your leakages. All the ships of the sea with their salty [seamen] were within you to make exchanges [for] your merchandise.
Contain your leakages: or, reinforce your repaired or caulked seams or fissures. The name of G’val (later known in Greek as Byblos, since it imported papyrus from Egypt and was known for its scribes and books) means “to bind as with a chain or a rope”. It shares the same root word with the Hebrew term for borders or boundaries, in the sense of an area cordoned off. We see in Num. 34 this theme of the threefold cord of the two houses of Israel being strengthened by the third strand, the Torah. (Compare Eccles. 4:12; Mat. 5:17-19) Both the terms “exchanges” and “merchandise” here are from a root word meaning to mix or mingle. Indeed, it is this “melting-pot” approach that has allowed the system that passed the torch from Tzur to Babylon to braid its own three-stranded cord—a counterfeit of YHWH’s. Its centerpiece is not the Torah, but trade and thereby, wealth. Yet Y’shua compared entering the kingdom with passing such a cable through a needle’s eye. (Mat. 19:24) For a wealthy man to enter, he must unravel that cord and pass the individual threads through the eye. One of the ways we unravel this system’s influence over us is to pull out of spending on the Sabbath, which is the biggest day for merchandising in the world. Removing ourselves from the pagan celebration of Christmas also takes a lot of wind out of its sail. (v. 7)
10. “‘“Persia and Lud and Put were in your forces [as] your men of war. They hung shield and helmet within you; they constituted your splendor.
11. “‘“Sons of Arwad and your force were on your walls, all around, and graspers were in your towers; they hung master-shields on your walls, all around. They have perfected your beauty!
12. “‘“Tarshish was your trafficker due to the abundance of your wealth: with silver, iron, tin, and lead they set out your wares.
13. “‘“Yavan, Tuval, and Meshekh—they were your traders; they proffered the souls of mankind and vessels of bronze as your merchandise.
Yavan: Greece. It is the Greek system of logic and culture that Rome adopted, and it sustains the torch that passed from Bavel to Rome down to the global trade network centered in the nation that recently captured literal Babylon. Tuval and Meshekh are under the same spiritual power. (38:2) Meshekh means to prolong, drag on, or draw out—similar to Moshe, whose name meant to be drawn out. Souls of mankind: Compare the reference to Bavel in Rev. 18:13. The system that Bavel and Tzur engendered does indeed make human beings subordinate to their agendas. We can detect the same attitude in companies that no longer speak of “personnel” but only of “human resources”—people made in Elohim’s image being counted as just one more of many tools to get the job done. It is being enslaved to the system of trade through debt that helps prolong our “sojourn in Meshekh” (Ps. 120:5) and keeps us from being “drawn out” of it by the Torah (written by Moshe), just as was the case for Israel in Egypt, for according to the Book of Yasher our forebears became slaves through entanglements with the Egyptian society to which they obligated themselves voluntarily. In Greek, Y’shua’s community is named “the called-out ones”. We must apply this to the “matrix” that holds us captive today.
14. “‘“From the House of Thogarmah, they traded horses, war-horses, and mules with your wares.
15. “‘“Sons of D’dan were your traders; many islands were the merchandise of your hand. They brought back tusks of ivory and ebony as your payment.
Islands: or coastlands. Since the Phoenicians barred their enemies from sailing beyond the Straits of Gibraltar, they had a monopoly on trade in the lands beyond them, and their commerce even in North America is becoming increasingly evidenced through archaeology. Their sailors undoubtedly discovered many uninhabited places and gained some of their wealth through the sale of these “new” lands.
16. “‘“Aram was your trafficker since your workmanship was so plentiful; they exchanged for your wares in precious stones, purple, embroidery, fine linen, [various types of] coral, and rubies.
17. “‘“Yehudah and the Land of Israel were your traders; they traded in wheats from Minith and pastries, honey, oil, and balsam salve for your merchandise.
Minith: in the Ammonite territory east of the Yarden.
18. “‘“Damaseq was your trafficker since your workmanship was so plentiful; due to the abundance of all [your] wealth, wine of Khelbon, and dazzling [reddish-brown] wool.
Khelbon means “fertile”, from a word meaning fatness or the best.
19. “‘“Dan and Yavan also, gadding about, provided your wares; smooth iron, cassia spice, and aromatic reed became your articles for exchange.
Note that Dan was so well-established in its own right as a tribe that it is listed separately from the rest. It was a seafaring tribe, which would endear it to Tzur and Tzidon. But it is missing from the list of Israelite tribes in the book that describes Babylon’s undoing. (Rev. 7:5-8)
20. “‘“D’dan was your trader in loose-fitting clothes for riding.
21. “‘“Arabia and all the leaders of Qedar—they were traders [for] your hand. They provided for your merchandise in lambs and rams and he-goats.
22. “‘“The merchants of Sheva’ and Raamah—they were your merchants; with the best of all sweet spices and with every precious stone and gold they traded for your merchandise.
23. “‘“Haran, Kanneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheva’, Ashur, and Kilmad [were] your merchants.
24. “‘“They were the ones who trafficked in [the] perfectly-made [things] in your marketplaces—fabrics dyed blue, embroidery, cedar chests of multi-colored apparel bound up with ropes!
25. “‘“Ships of Tharshish were the conveyances for what you sent in exchange, and you were being filled and made very important in the heart of the seas.
26. “‘“Those who rowed you have brought you into abundant waters, and the east wind has wrecked you in the heart of the seas.
East wind: can also mean “spirit of antiquity”, and indeed it is the resurgence of the ancient ways that will sink the ship of Tzur and Bavel. The seas: the very thing that made Tzur wealthy proves to be her undoing.
27. “‘“Your wealth and your wares, your articles sent for trading, your salty [seamen] and those [sailors] who have handled your ropes and reinforced your caulked seams, those who exchange pledges of your merchandise, and all the men of war who are within you and all of your own who are assembled in your midst, will fall into the heart of the seas on the day of your overthrow.
28. “‘“At the sound of your sailors’ outcry, the outposts will shake.
29. “‘“All who wield the oar—the salty [seamen], and [sailors] who handle the ropes at sea—will disembark and keep to the land,
30. “‘“and make their voice heard over you and cry bitterly and lift dust up onto their heads; they will roll themselves in the ashes.
These are all expressions of deep mourning, as are the following:
31. “‘“They will make themselves smooth with baldness for you and put on [garments of] burlap and weep toward you with bitterness of soul—a bitter lamentation.
32. “‘“And in their wailing, they will take up a dirge toward you, and lament over you: ‘Who is like Tzur, like the one silenced in the midst of the sea?’
33. “‘“When your wares went out by way of the seas, you filled many peoples to the point of satisfaction. With the abundance of your riches and exports, you made the kings of the earth rich.
34. “‘“[At the] time of your shattering by the seas, your exports are in the depths of the waters; all those assembled in your midst have fallen.
35. “‘“All the residents of the coastlands are horrified over you, and their kings will bristle with terror; their faces are troubled.
Are troubled: literally, thunder [with rage]. This is echoed nearly word-for-word in regard to Bavel in Rev. 18:9, so we know the two are speaking of the same system, initiated by Nimrod at the Tower of Bavel and thus bearing its name, but still alive today in the ten loosely-connected toes (Dan. 2:42) of the last vestiges of the Roman Empire that rulers throughout history have tried in many ways to revive. They are weak because the unity of that system is based on selfishness, and a kingdom divided against itself cannot withstand the great stone of the Kingdom that will topple it—a Kingdom built on laying down our lives for one another. Soon the lines will be more clearly drawn between Israel and the empire that encompasses everything else. “Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins…and…her plagues.” (Rev. 18:4)
36. “‘“The traders among the peoples whistle about you; you have become calamities, and into eternity you will not exist.”’”
You will not exist: literally, “there will be no you”. In contrast, Y’shua offers eternal life even to those who die for one another in order to uphold His standards. We cannot withstand the pressures of the other system as individuals, but together we can, for we will support one another and thus not need the securities by which it lures and captures so many.
CHAPTER 28
1. Then the Word of YHWH came to me to say,
2. “Son of Adam, say to the ruler of Tzur, “This is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Because your heart is arrogant, and you have said, “I am a mighty one seated [among the] elohim in the heart of the seas, though you are a man and not an el, though you designate your heart as a heart of an elohim.
Ruler: the term is one also used of the Messiah, and denotes a deputy or secondary ruler—one out in front but who is not actually in charge. But because Y’shua was content to do his Father’s bidding, he was given the privilege that this ruler—and the one who led the shadow government behind him—could only pretend to. And he will give it to those who, like him, overcome the temptation to exalt self and focus instead on serving one another. (Rev. 3:24)
3. “‘“Are you indeed wiser than Daniel? Can no secret be kept dark [from] you?
Daniel: their contemporary, who apparently, even before the incident of the handwriting on the wall and the lions’ den, had a reputation for wisdom, possibly due to his interpretation of Nevukhadnetzar’s dream. But his name means “Elohim is my Judge”. This ruler had judged his own heart to be wise, but it would have been wiser to allow YHWH to judge his heart.
4. “‘“With your skill and your intelligence you have made wealth for yourself and have been dealing gold and silver into your treasuries.
5. “‘“By the abundance of your wisdom, through your trafficking you have made your wealth increase, and your heart has become arrogant in your efficiency.
6. “‘“Therefore, this is what the Master YHWH says: ‘Because you have designated your heart as the heart of an elohim,
7. “‘“‘therefore watch as I bring foreigners upon you that strike terror [on the] nations, and they will draw their swords over the beauty of your skillfulness and will perforate your splendor.
What could be a better description of the terrorist attacks being perpetrated against the greatest trading nations of today? But we could also apply it to the one who tried to rebuild Babylon.
8. “‘“‘They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die the deaths of those who are mortally wounded in the heart of the seas.
Pit: or, place of humiliation. Compare Z’kharyah 9:3,4.
9. “‘“‘Will you still be saying, “I am an elohim” in the face of the one who kills you? Indeed, you are a human being, not an el, in the hand of the one who pierces you.
10. “‘“‘You will die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of those who have become estranged, because I have spoken,’ declares the Master YHWH.”’”
11. Then the Word of YHWH came to me to say,
12. “Son of Adam, lift up a dirge over the king of Tzur, and tell him, ‘This is what the Master YHWH says: “You seal up the pattern—full of skill and complete in beauty!
King: as contrasted with the “ruler” or mere “prince” of v. 2, who was, on the human level, probably actually a king as well. But he was the “son” of the spirit that was behind him. Compare the Princes of Persia and Greece that an archangel had to fight. (Dan. 10:13, 20) In other words, each earthly regime has spiritual “princes” behind it. This one is a king, because he is the mastermind behind them all. This spirit of the one who exalted himself passed also to Tzur’s conqueror, Bavel (Dan. 4:30), though its human king did ultimately repent. Seal up: i.e., you close the book on the subject; nothing more can be added to it. Pattern: in the sense of something that can be measured, and thus imitated or held up as a paradigm. (43:10) I.e., the mold was broken because this specimen was so perfect:
13. “‘“You have been in Eden, the Garden of Elohim; every rare [and costly] stone was your covering—sardius, topaz, and jasper, chrysolite, onyx, and beryl, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle, as well as gold. The craftsmanship of your percussion instruments and your socket-cavities was [right] within yourself; on the day you were created they were securely fastened [and made ready].
In Eden: This tips us off to the fact that we are dealing with something much more ancient than literal Tzur alone—a spirit that inhabited and motivated it, but which existed long beforehand. Socket-cavities: i.e., receptacles in which to mount the precious stones or musical instruments, but the same term is used as the root for the word “female” in Hebrew. This gives us a clue about the role the antitype of this king played, especially as relates to the Phoenicians, from which Izevel (Jezebel) came. Izevel insisted that her husband Ahav, could do anything he pleased since he was the king, but she was the real mastermind behind his actions. The spirit of Izevel, in which the woman dominates and usurps the role of the man, is resurging at full force in our day. Why? When we compare the other lists of these same jewels throughout Scripture, we see them as bedecking YHWH’s Bride (Rev. 21:19-20). So this is the clothing of YHWH’s bride. Yet who, other than Adam and Chavvah, was in Eden? None other than the serpent. You were created: a phrase designed to put in his place the one who wanted to be “like Elohim”. (Yeshayahu 14:12-14)
14. “‘“You [were] the anointed kh’ruv that overshadows, and I permitted you to come to the restricted mountain of Elohim; you walked about [freely] right among the stones of fire.
Overshadows: protects and screens by shutting off access to the throne, but the term also means to weave together or intertwine, just as the two kh’ruvim atop the Ark of the Covenant, symbolically overshadowing the place where YHWH sat, were actually from one piece of gold. This again suggests the role of a bride and groom. Y’shua may have been represented by the other kh’ruv, since the allegorical level of Ruth 3:12; 4:6 indicates that they both have the right of atonement. Stones of fire: probably referring to the brazen altar and the altar of incense—i.e., a priestly role. It would appear, then, that the unfallen haSatan was also the first high priest before YHWH!
15. “‘“You were completely sound in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.
Unrighteousness: choosing to be rich rather than continuing to be the pattern (v. 12) that revealed YHWH to the rest of the created order. Therefore another pattern needed to be made. The “broken mold” had to be recast so that this role could be filled again. Adam was created in YHWH’s image, and, under the influence of this same “king”, also failed in that role. YHWH raised up Avraham and from him, Israel, to restore what Adam broke, and through Israel came the Temple, which chapter 43 calls a pattern—the only other time this same Hebrew term is used in Scripture. So what the Temple represents on earth is what haSatan used to be. Y’shua identified His body with the Temple (Yochanan 2:21), and this is the Scriptural authority by which He could do so. Of course, His body does not mean only His physical body, but those of whom He is the spiritual Head. (Eph. 5:30)
16. “‘“Through the abundance of your trade they filled you with violence within, and you missed the target. So I will [expel] you from the mountain of Elohim [as] something violated, and make you vanish from among the stones of fire, O kh’ruv that overshadows!
Here He reverts briefly to speaking about the city itself. But indeed YHWH’s bejeweled bride is also described as a city in Rev. 21. HaSatan continued to have a “seat” in a series of cities such as Bavel, Athens, Rome, etc. (Rev. 2:13) So Tzur is the civic embodiment of a bride deposed because she thought it was beneath her dignity to obey:
17. “‘“Your heart became arrogant because of your beauty; you spoiled your skill over glory! I had you flung to the ground; I have set you in front of kings, so that they can inspect you.
“She” made an excellent wife until she started using her gifts for her own gain instead of for her Husband’s sake. Compare the story of Queen Washti (Esther 1:9-18). So we surmise that haSatan is YHWH’s adversary because “she” was in the position of YHWH’s first bride, but she coveted His position. She was meant to be under authority. When tempting human beings, the serpent approached Chavvah first, for when out from under her husband’s covering, she was more vulnerable. This disrupted the structure of human society from the start. After this YHWH clearly consigned her to being under her husband’s rule so that some semblance of order could be restored. (Gen. 3:16) Since Y’shua uses “heaven” as a shortened form of “the Kingdom of heaven”, haSatan’s being cast down (Rev. 12:10) would correlate with his/her being bound for 1,000 years during the Kingdom. (Rev. 20:3)
18. “‘“Because of how very crooked you were, you made your sacred places common, so I brought a fire out from your midst. It will devour you, and I will turn you to ashes on the land in the sight of all who are watching you.
19. “‘“All who are familiar with you among the peoples will be horrified over you; you will come to calamities, and you will never [again] exist forever.”’”
Compare Yeshayahu/Isa. 14:4-17, where the same judgment comes on Bavel, to which Tzur’s scepter was passed.
20. Then the Word of YHWH came to me to say,
21. “Son of Adam, fix your face in the direction of Tzidon and prophesy about her,
Tzidon was Tzur’s sister city, from which Izevel came, and where she was princess. (1 Kings 16:31) Its name means “the greatest hunter”—undoubtedly named in honor of Nimrod (Gen. 10:8-9), who began the rebellion against YHWH after the Deluge in the original Bavel. (Gen. 11)
22. “and say, ‘This is what the Master YHWH says: “Here I am above you, O Tzidon, and I will gain honor for Myself within you. Then they will know that I am YHWH, when I have carried out acts of judgment in her, and in her I will be treated as in a category of My own.
23. “‘“Then I will send a plague on her and blood into her open plazas and within her will fall those mortally wounded by a sword [that comes] upon her from all around. Then they will know that I am YHWH.
But as Washti had to be replaced by another queen (Hadassah), there was a vacancy in the position of YHWH’s bride. Who was chosen to fill it? Our clue, again, is the stones listed in v. 13. Notice that they are grouped in threes, just as on the High Priest’s breastplate, where they represent each of the tribes of Israel. (Ex. 28:17-20) Tzur is missing some jewels in v. 13 from those on the High Priest’s breastplate (the entire third row, representing Gad, Asher, and Yissachar), showing that indeed haSatan comes up short of the perfection found more fully in Israel, as Hadassah’s beauty outshone Washti’s. Two of these three are children of Leah’s handmaid and the son Leah bore when she hired Yaaqov with her son’s mandrakes. (Gen. 30) This correlates with the nearer kinsman not wanting responsibility for Ruth as well as Naomi because it would reduce the inheritance his own children received. (Ruth 4:6) Y’shua, on the other hand, was willing to redeem all twelve tribes of Israel. (Yeshayahu/Isa. 49:6) One of these three that haSatan lacked, Asher, is the tribe within whose land Tzur was situated (Y’hoshua 19:24, 29), and because this tribe did not dispossess them as they were told, they became a thorn in their sides. (Num. 33:55) The spirit of Izevel was allowed into Israel, and the result was the killing of the prophets—the vengeance of an ex-wife scorned. This motif explains why haSatan hates YHWH’s chosen people so vehemently. We walk in the spirit of Eliyahu (the restoration of all things, Mal. 4:5; Mat. 17:11), and what will oppose us is the spirit of Tzur (Jezebel). But her days are numbered (compare Rev. 12:12)…
24. “‘“But for the House of Israel there will no longer be an irritating brier or a painful thorn from anyone around them who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Master YHWH.
Thorns are the direct result of the curse YHWH put on mankind after we sinned and did not take responsibility for it. (Gen. 3:18) So this scenario bespeaks the partial rescinding of the curse during the Kingdom (compare Yeshayahu 11:9), paralleling YHWH’s shielding Goshen from the worst of the plagues of Egypt. (Ex. 9:26; 10:23) The Messiah is called Israel in one sense (Yeshayahu 49:1-6). He was brought forth by Israel (Rev. 12:13), and those He gathers form the substance of Israel. We, His people, are to complete the Body of which He is the Head. Compare His attitude to that of haSatan’s here—as well as Chavvah’s and Adam’s. (Gen. 3:1-6; Phil 2:5ff) He came to undo and make reparation for this strong temptation. Compare the context here with Yeshayahu 49:6:
25. “‘“This is what the Master YHWH says: ‘When I gather away the House of Israel from the peoples among whom they are dispersed, and have been treated as set apart by them in the eyes of the Gentiles, then they will settle [permanently] on their ground that I have given to My servant Yaaqov.
Those YHWH has called out and those who choose to join them will be separated out from among other peoples and somehow recognized as in a separate category even before they are able to finally settle in the Land of Israel. Y’shua said the first way those he calls out will be recognized is by our love for one another. (Yoch. 13:35) At some point this may mean a clean separation so we can judge the nations (Rev. 20:4) without being judged along with them. It appears that, possibly while still outside the Land, we will form a “city of refuge” hedged off from other nations that might threaten, being under YHWH’s cloud or at least protected as in Goshen, while the rest of the world, and even our Land, is purified by this plague. (v. 23)
26. “‘“‘And they will dwell securely on it when they have built houses and planted vineyards. Then they will dwell securely when I carry out acts of judgment in those who treat them with contempt from every side. Then they will know that I am YHWH their Elohim.’”’”
This land will include Tzur’s former territory!
INTRODUCTION: Y’hezq’el’s name means “Elohim strengthens”. His activities began five years after Yehoyakhin, the second last king of Yehudah, was carried into exile in Bavel (Babylon) in the eighth year of his reign (597 B.C.E.) by Nevukhadnetzar and replaced by a puppet ruler (2 Kings 24), Tzidqiyahu, who ruled for eleven years until, because of his rebellion, Nevukahdnetzar besieged and took Yerushalayim and destroyed the Temple (586 B.C.E.)—six years after this account begins and two years after he began the siege (the same day Y’hezq’el’s wife died, 24:1). Thus he prophesied while the Temple still stood, though its days were numbered. However, his target audience was the Northern Kingdom (2:3), which had been exiled 130 years earlier (722 B.C.E.). Y’hezq’el was from a priestly family, exiled along with the choicest people of the land (2 Kings 24:14-16), and thus apparently from an important priestly family. Based on 44:15-16, he is thought to have been Tzadoqite, and may have been named for the Y’hezq’el who was among the heads of the priestly orders as chosen by David. (1 Chron. 24:16) The book was included in the Hebrew “canon” as listed by Ben Sira in the second century B.C.E. (Ecclesiasticus 49:8) It speaks of YHWH’s plans to restore His people despite their horrendous rebellion.
THE WRITINGS OF THE PROPHET
Y'hezq'El (Ezekiel)
