21 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face towards Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel 3 and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am against you and will draw my sword from its sheath and will cut off from you both righteous and wicked. 4 Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north. 5 And all flesh shall know that I am the Lord. I have drawn my sword from its sheath; it shall not be sheathed again.
6 “As for you, son of man, groan; with breaking heart and bitter grief, groan before their eyes. 7 And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that it is coming. Every heart will melt, and all hands will be feeble; every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming, and it will be fulfilled,’” declares the Lord God.
8 And the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord, say:
“A sword, a sword is sharpened
and also polished,
10 sharpened for slaughter,
polished to flash like lightning!
(Or shall we rejoice? You have despised the rod, my son, with everything of wood.) 11 So the sword is given to be polished, that it may be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened and polished to be given into the hand of the slayer.12 Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with my people. Strike therefore upon your thigh. 13 For it will not be a testing—what could it do if you despise the rod?” declares the Lord God.
14 “As for you, son of man, prophesy. Clap your hands and let the sword come down twice, yes, three times, the sword for those to be slain. It is the sword for the great slaughter, which surrounds them, 15 that their hearts may melt, and many stumble. At all their gates I have given the glittering sword. Ah, it is made like lightning; it is taken up for slaughter. 16 Cut sharply to the right; set yourself to the left, wherever your face is directed. 17 I also will clap my hands, and I will satisfy my fury; I the Lord have spoken.”
This chapter is given in the analysis (see Note on page 6) the title 'The Sword of the Lord' and, as we shall see, it is a very apt one. In the Hebrew Bible, chapter 21 begins at 20:45ff which, as we have seen, contained the prophecy of the final destruction of Jerusalem. In 49, we saw the people's refusal or inability to grasp the meaning of Ezekiel's words. Now in 21:1-7, the 'parabolic' nature of these words is explained in clear, simple terms. The 'south' in 20:46 becomes, first Jerusalem, then the sanctuaries (holy places), then the land of Israel (2); while the 'fire' becomes a 'sword' which will devour righteous and wicked alike (3). The burden on Ezekiel's spirit (6, 7) is unmistakable, and underlines his identification with the people in the woe that is to come upon them, as well as his identification with the suffering of God over His erring people. The AV rendering of 9-11 is difficult to follow, and the RSV is probably more accurate in its translation, especially 10b, 11, 'Or do we make mirth? You have despised the rod, my son, with everything of wood. So the sword is given to be polished, that it may be handled; it is sharpened and polished to be given into the hand of the slayer'. It is as if God were saying, 'Do you think I am joking, when I speak about a sword?' This, in fact, is what the people to whom Ezekiel spoke did think, and they were simply not prepared to accept what he was saying about the destruction of Jerusalem. And God says, 'You have despised the rod, along with everything of wood that I have used against you (i.e. the rod of correction). You will now have the taste of steel.' The sword, then, was for judgment, not discipline; the time for discipline and correction was past.