Ezekiel 21:21 kjv
For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver.
Ezekiel 21:21 nkjv
For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use divination: he shakes the arrows, he consults the images, he looks at the liver.
Ezekiel 21:21 niv
For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver.
Ezekiel 21:21 esv
For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination. He shakes the arrows; he consults the teraphim; he looks at the liver.
Ezekiel 21:21 nlt
The king of Babylon now stands at the fork, uncertain whether to attack Jerusalem or Rabbah. He calls his magicians to look for omens. They cast lots by shaking arrows from the quiver. They inspect the livers of animal sacrifices.
Ezekiel 21 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 18:10-12 | "There shall not be found among you anyone who... practices divination or tells fortunes... For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord." | Condemnation of divination. |
| Lev 19:26 | "You shall not eat anything with the blood; you shall not practice divination or tell fortunes." | Prohibition of divination in God's law. |
| 1 Sam 15:23 | "For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry." | Linking divination with rebellion and idolatry. |
| 2 Kgs 17:17 | "And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger." | Israel's sin of practicing divination. |
| Isa 2:6 | "For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the East and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they clasp hands with foreigners." | Israel's turn to pagan practices. |
| Mic 3:7 | "The seers shall be put to shame, and the diviners confounded; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God." | Failure of human divination before God. |
| Zech 10:2 | "For the teraphim utter nonsense, and the diviners see false visions; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep." | Futility of teraphim and diviners. |
| Prov 21:1 | "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will." | God's sovereignty over kings' decisions. |
| Isa 10:5-7 | "Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hand is my fury! Against a godless nation I send him... But he does not so intend, and his heart does not so think." | God uses pagan nations as his instruments, though they intend their own plans. |
| Jer 25:9 | "behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land." | Nebuchadnezzar is identified as God's "servant" for judgment. |
| Jer 27:6 | "Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him." | God specifically states He gives power to Nebuchadnezzar. |
| Dan 2:21 | "He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding." | God's ultimate control over all rulers. |
| Dan 4:17 | "The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will." | Divine sovereignty over earthly kingdoms. |
| Acts 4:27-28 | "for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus... to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place." | Human evil acts still fall within God's predetermined plan. |
| Job 12:16 | "With him are strength and insight; he who errs and he who leads astray are his." | God's hand in even erring actions. |
| 1 Kgs 22:23 | "Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets." | God even directs deceptive spirits to achieve His will. |
| Num 22:20, 35 | "God came to Balaam and said to him... Only do what I tell you... 'Go with the men, but only speak what I tell you.'" | God directs even a non-Israelite prophet to speak His words. |
| Isa 47:13-14 | "Let them stand forth and save you... those who divide the heavens... stargazers, who make monthly predictions... behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them." | Ineffectiveness of Babylonian astrologers and diviners. |
| Hos 3:4 | "For the people of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or teraphim." | Mention of teraphim alongside Israelite practices, sometimes adopted. |
| Psa 115:4-8 | "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands... Those who make them become like them." | Describing the futility and powerlessness of idols. |
Ezekiel 21 verses
Ezekiel 21 21 Meaning
Ezekiel 21:21 describes King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon standing at a strategic crossroads, attempting to determine his military campaign's direction through various pagan divination methods. The verse vividly details his actions: shaking arrows (belomancy), consulting household idols (teraphim), and examining the liver of a sacrificed animal (hepatoscopy). This scene illustrates the human endeavor to ascertain future events through superstitious means, juxtaposed with the underlying divine orchestration of those very events already decreed by God.
Ezekiel 21 21 Context
Ezekiel chapter 21 is a prophetic message concerning the impending judgment on Jerusalem, depicted as a "sword of the Lord" coming forth to strike. This particular verse describes a dramatic moment when Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty King of Babylon, stands at a critical junction of roads. Two main paths diverge, one leading towards Rabbah of the Ammonites (mentioned in v. 20) and the other towards Jerusalem. Despite the vast military power at his command, Nebuchadnezzar employs an array of pagan divination rituals to ascertain which city he should attack first. The preceding verses confirm God's determined plan to use Nebuchadnezzar as an instrument of judgment against Judah and Jerusalem, thus setting up an ironic tension: Nebuchadnezzar is meticulously seeking guidance through false means, while God has already established the path and the outcome. This context underscores God's absolute sovereignty, which directs even the decisions of pagan rulers and their superstitious practices.
Ezekiel 21 21 Word analysis
- For the king of Babylon: Refers to Nebuchadnezzar II, a prominent historical figure of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (reigned 605-562 BCE). He was instrumental in the destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of Judah, acting, ironically, as an unwitting agent of God's judgment, as described in Jeremiah (Jer 25:9).
- stood at the parting of the way: Describes a strategic fork or junction in a road. This was a place where critical decisions about travel direction had to be made, thus metaphorically significant for military campaigns.
- at the head of the two ways: Emphasizes the crossroads. The two ways here specifically refer to the road leading to Jerusalem (south) and the road leading to Rabbah, the capital of Ammon (east, mentioned in Ezek 21:20).
- to use divination: The Hebrew word is `qesem` (קֶסֶם), a general term for all kinds of illicit (from a biblical perspective) magical practices or seeking omens to predict the future. This practice was explicitly forbidden in Israel (Deut 18:10).
- he made his arrows bright / he shakes the arrows: The Hebrew verb here, `qala` (קָלַע), can mean 'to shake' or 'to mix'. This describes belomancy (or rhabdomancy), a method of divination where arrows (possibly marked or unmarked) would be placed in a quiver, shaken, and one drawn out, with its position or marking revealing the desired path. This was a common practice in the ancient Near East for making decisions.
- he consulted with images / he consults the teraphim: `teraphim` (תְּרָפִים) were household idols or cult objects, often anthropomorphic, used in various ways, sometimes for divination. They are mentioned in biblical texts as being associated with idolatry (Gen 31:19; Judg 17:5; 1 Sam 19:13; Zech 10:2). Their use by Nebuchadnezzar underscores the polytheistic nature of Babylonian religion.
- he looked in the liver / he examines the liver: The Hebrew word for 'liver' is `kabed` (כָּבֵד). This refers to hepatoscopy (also haruspicy), the examination of animal livers (and sometimes other entrails) for omens, particularly the shape, markings, and condition of the liver from a freshly sacrificed animal. This was a highly elaborate and sophisticated form of divination widely practiced in Mesopotamia and among the Hittites and Etruscans, believing the liver to be the seat of life and prophetic knowledge.
- "King of Babylon ... to use divination": This entire phrase highlights the fundamental tension of the passage. A powerful king, God's instrument for judgment, is portrayed as relying on a complex system of pagan omens, believing they guide his strategic choices, whereas divine purpose has already preordained his destination and victory. It underlines the sovereignty of God over human methods of seeking fate.
- "made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver": This collection of practices explicitly details the specific and varied forms of divination known and condemned by Israelite tradition. Ezekiel provides graphic realism, detailing foreign religious practices, making the description impactful for his audience who might have been tempted by similar customs. The combined usage of these distinct methods indicates Nebuchadnezzar's thoroughness in seeking an answer from his gods.
Ezekiel 21 21 Bonus section
This verse is particularly significant for several reasons:
- Archaeological Corroboration: The specific divination methods mentioned (belomancy, teraphim, hepatoscopy) are well-attested in archaeological findings and historical texts from Mesopotamia, validating the accuracy of Ezekiel's description of Babylonian practices. Clay models of livers with divination markings have been unearthed, demonstrating the precision of this particular practice.
- Polemics against Paganism: While not an overt rebuke, the context implicitly polemicizes against the power and validity of pagan divination. The detailed description, combined with God's clear preceding declaration of Nebuchadnezzar's mission (e.g., in v. 19-20), suggests that these omens hold no true predictive power independently. They merely reflect the will of Yahweh, demonstrating that even false religious practices can unknowingly serve the purposes of the true God.
- Dramatic Irony: The scene is charged with dramatic irony. Nebuchadnezzar is presented as painstakingly trying to discern the future through these elaborate rites, utterly unaware that the true God of Israel has already charted his course, determining his objective as Jerusalem (as prophesied by Ezekiel and Jeremiah).
- Literary Device: The prophet Ezekiel uses this vivid depiction to convey to his Israelite audience the certainty of the Babylonian invasion, highlighting that no effort by foreign powers (even if divinely sanctioned in means) could divert from God's judgment against His people, even as Judah's leadership hoped for such a diversion.
Ezekiel 21 21 Commentary
Ezekiel 21:21 provides a detailed, almost forensic, look into the decision-making process of a pagan monarch, Nebuchadnezzar. He stood at a pivotal crossroads, not merely choosing a path by strategic analysis, but by resorting to well-documented ancient Near Eastern divination rituals: belomancy (shaking arrows), consulting teraphim (household idols), and hepatoscopy (examining animal livers). This verse serves a dual purpose: it vividly illustrates the elaborate, yet ultimately false, methods of seeking guidance from pagan gods, and more profoundly, it underscores God's supreme sovereignty. The irony lies in the fact that while Nebuchadnezzar painstakingly seeks an "answer" from his omens, God has already declared his destination and purpose in the preceding verses. The King's "choice" through divination merely confirms what God has already decreed, showcasing that even the most determined human or pagan efforts operate within the unshakeable boundaries of divine will. It is a powerful affirmation that the Lord's plans cannot be thwarted by human free will or superstitious practices, rather, He integrates them into His overarching plan.