The big picture
Ezekiel 25 opens in verse 1 with “The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,”, reaches its middle movement near verse 9 with “Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which…”, and closes in verse 17 with “And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, vengeance, Ammonites, know, Edom. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Ezekiel · King James Version · 17Ezekiel 25:1-6
1–6: The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
Ezekiel 25:1–6 opens with “The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,” and reaches “For thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 25 develops its own movement around LORD, vengeance, Ammonites, know, Edom, with particular weight carried by LORD, Ammonites, Israel.
Context that brings the passage to life
“The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,” The line’s distinctive content terms include LORD, word. Its relationship to verses 2 shows what work it does in this passage.
“Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;” Naming Ammonites and Son keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD ; Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because thou saidst, Aha…” Naming Aha keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Ezekiel 25:1-6
King James Version1The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
2Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;
3And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD ; Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;
4Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk.
5And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couchingplace for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the LORD .
6For thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel;
Ezekiel 25:7-12
7–12: Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will…
Ezekiel 25:7–12 opens with “Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to…” and reaches “Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 25 develops its own movement around LORD, vengeance, Ammonites, know, Edom, with particular weight carried by LORD, Moab, Ammonites.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will…” The line’s distinctive content terms include cause, countries, deliver. Its relationship to verses 8 shows what work it does in this passage.
“Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen;” Naming Because and Judah keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Ezekiel 25:7-12
King James Version7Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD .
8Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen;
9Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim,
10Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations.
11And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD .
12Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;
Ezekiel 25:13-17
13–17: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; I will also stretch out mine hand…
Ezekiel 25:13–17 opens with “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut…” and reaches “And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 25 develops its own movement around LORD, vengeance, Ammonites, know, Edom, with particular weight carried by LORD, vengeance, Edom.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
“And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Ezekiel 25:13-17
King James Version13Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.
14And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD .
15Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred;
16Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast.
17And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD , when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Ezekiel 25:1 begins with “The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,”
Where the chapter turns
Ezekiel 25:9 forms a natural hinge: “Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth…”
The final note
Ezekiel 25:17 leaves the reader with “And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD , when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, vengeance, Ammonites, know, Edom, hand help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What fulfills the earlier promise concerning Ishmael?
The named twelve princes and the account of his descendants.
What family pattern increases the twins' conflict?
Isaac favors Esau and Rebekah favors Jacob.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.