Ezekiel 21:20

Ezekiel 21:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced.
• New International Version (NIV)Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Mark a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Judah, into Jerusalem the fortified.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Appoint a road for the sword to go to Rabbah of the Ammonites, and to Judah, into fortified Jerusalem.

Context of Ezekiel 21:20

18The word of the Lord came to me: 19“You, son of man, mark out two routes for the king of Babylon’s sword to take; both of them will originate in a single land. Make a signpost and put it at the beginning of the road leading to the city. Mark out the routes for the sword to take: “Rabbah of the Ammonites” and “Judah with Jerusalem in it.” 21For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road at the head of the two routes. He looks for omens: He shakes arrows, he consults idols, he examines animal livers. 22Into his right hand comes the portent for Jerusalem – to set up battering rams, to give the signal for slaughter, to shout out the battle cry, to set up battering rams against the gates, to erect a siege ramp, to build a siege wall.

Ezekiel 21:20 word by word

דֶּ֣רֶךְ תָּשִׂ֔ים לָב֣וֹא חֶ֔רֶב אֵ֖ת רַבַּ֣ת בְּנֵֽי־עַמּ֑וֹן וְאֶת־יְהוּדָ֥ה בִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם בְּצוּרָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Appointשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
• a wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: roadH1870
• that the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• may comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• to Rabbathרַבָּהrabbâh · RabbahH7237
• of the Ammonitesעַמּוֹן‛ammôn · AmmonH5983
• of the Ammonitesבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• and to Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
• in Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
• the defencedבָּצַרbâtsar · to gather/restrain/fortifyH1219

Cross-references for Ezekiel 21:20

• Ezekiel 25:5I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
• Deuteronomy 3:11Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaites. (It is noteworthy that his sarcophagus was made of iron. Does it not, indeed, still remain in Rabbath of the Ammonites? It is thirteen and a half feet long and six feet wide according to standard measure.)
• 2 Samuel 12:26So Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal city.
• Jeremiah 49:2Because you did that, I, the Lord, affirm that a time is coming when I will make Rabbah, the capital city of Ammon, hear the sound of the battle cry. It will become a mound covered with ruins. Its villages will be burned to the ground. Then Israel will take back its land from those who took their land from them. I, the Lord, affirm it!
• Amos 1:14So I will set fire to Rabbah’s city wall; fire will consume her fortresses. War cries will be heard on the day of battle; a strong gale will blow on the day of the windstorm.
• 2 Samuel 5:9So David lived in the fortress and called it the City of David. David built all around it, from the terrace inwards.
• 2 Chronicles 26:9Uzziah built and fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, Valley Gate, and at the Angle.
• 2 Chronicles 32:5Hezekiah energetically rebuilt every broken wall. He erected towers and an outer wall, and fortified the terrace of the City of David. He made many weapons and shields.
• 2 Chronicles 33:14After this Manasseh built up the outer wall of the City of David on the west side of the Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate and all around the terrace; he made it much higher. He placed army officers in all the fortified cities in Judah.
• Psalms 48:12Walk around Zion! Encircle it! Count its towers!
• Psalms 125:1Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion; it cannot be upended and will endure forever.
• Isaiah 22:10You counted the houses in Jerusalem, and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall.
• Lamentations 4:12Neither the kings of the earth nor the people of the lands ever thought that enemy or foe would enter the gates of Jerusalem. מ (Mem)

Commentaries on Ezekiel 21:20

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18-32Verses 18-32 The third word of judgment. The king of Babylon‘s march upon Judaea and upon the Ammonites. Destruction is to go forth not on Judah only, but also on such neighboring tribes as the Ammonites (compare Jeremiah 27:2-3). Ezekiel 21:19 Appoint thee - Set before thee. Choose thou a place, choose it - Rather, “mark a spot, mark it,” as upon a map, at the head of the two roads, one leading to Jerusalem, the other to Ammon. These were the two roads…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-27Verses 18-27 By the Spirit of prophecy Ezekiel foresaw Nebuchadnezzar's march from Babylon, which he would determine by divination. The Lord would overturn the government of Judah, till the coming of Him whose right it is. This seems to foretell the overturnings of the Jewish nation to the present day, and the troubles of states and kingdoms, which shall make way for establishing the Messiah's kingdom throughout the earth. The Lord secretly leads all to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-20The sword of the Lord was not just a symbol. It would become the sword of the king of Babylon. That king was Nebuchadnezzar. His army would carry out God’s judgment. Ezekiel showed this in a visual way. He drew a map to show the king’s two possible targets. One was Rabbah, the capital of Ammon. The other was Jerusalem, the capital of Judah.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. Rabbath of the Ammonites--distinct from Rabbah in Judah (2Sa 12:26). Rabbath is put first, as it was from her that Jerusalem, that doomed city, had borrowed many of her idols. to Judah in Jerusalem--instead of simply putting "Jerusalem," to imply the sword was to come not merely to Judah, but to its people within Jerusalem, defended though it was; its defenses on which the Jews relied so much would not keep the foe out.Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 21:20

• Ammonites
• Rabbah

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• Judah
• Judah, kingdom of Judah
• Judea, Judah
• Magic
• Parting
• Privy
• Groan
• Rabbah
• Zedekiah (2)

Commentaries on Ezekiel 21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings