The big picture
Neighbouring peoples now hear God's word against them through his prophet Ezekiel. They have watched the ruin of Judah, the kingdom whose people are going into exile. Some rejoice at the defiled sanctuary and devastated land. Others treat the defeat as proof that God's people are no different, or use it to pursue old revenge. God answers each response with a warning of loss. Their neighbour's pain gives them no cause for joy. Nor does it give them a right to act on old hate.
In this chapter
- The Ammonites Will Lose Their Own Land Ezekiel 25:1-7
The Ammonites, a people east of the homeland, are the first to hear the warning.
- Moab’s Frontier Is Opened to Outsiders Ezekiel 25:8-11
Moab, a neighbouring kingdom east of the Dead Sea, a large salt lake, and Seir, the hill country of Edom, another neighbour, dismiss Judah as no different from other nations.
- Edom’s Revenge Receives God’s Answer Ezekiel 25:12-14
Edom, south-east of Judah, has taken revenge against its neighbour and become deeply guilty.
- The Coast’s Old Hatred Is Judged Ezekiel 25:15-17
The Philistines, a coastal people west of Judah, also acted in revenge.
Central truth
God judges neighbours who celebrate his people's ruin or exploit it for revenge, declaring that their own lands will face loss.
Scripture beside the summary
Ezekiel · King James Version · 17Ezekiel 25:1-7
The Ammonites Will Lose Their Own Land
The Ammonites, a people east of the homeland, are the first to hear the warning. They rejoiced when his sanctuary was defiled, Israel's land laid waste, and Judah's people taken away. Israel is the people bound to God. He will give the mockers' land to people from the east, who will settle there and consume its produce. Rabbah, their chief city, will house camels and flocks. Clapping, stamping, and heartfelt contempt receive a direct answer: their own nation will be plundered and destroyed. They too will come to know the Lord.
In everyday life
The relief warehouse manager stops a volunteer from treating another district's losses as a reason to celebrate extra supplies. Empty homes and displaced neighbours are not a lucky opening for the depot. She redirects the delivery to those in need. God announces the mockers' national destruction, not a manager correcting a volunteer's response.
Notice
Ezekiel 25:6 Clapping hands and stamping feet make the hostile joy visible. God also names the contempt within the heart, so the charge reaches both display and motive.
Ezekiel 25:1-7
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;
7Behold, 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.
Ezekiel 25:8-11
Moab’s Frontier Is Opened to Outsiders
Moab, a neighbouring kingdom east of the Dead Sea, a large salt lake, and Seir, the hill country of Edom, another neighbour, dismiss Judah as no different from other nations. God will open the frontier towns to attack. These are the places Moab takes pride in. Eastern peoples will gain possession alongside the takeover of Ammonite territory. The warning joins the neighbours in loss without treating their earlier comments as harmless observations. God will carry out judgement in Moab, and its people will recognise him. Judah's defeat has not made the Lord absent or unable to answer contempt.
In everyday life
An allotment holder mocks the gardener next door after a storm strips his plot. He points to the empty beds as proof that his neighbour knows nothing. Then the inspector reaches his own fence and finds the rotten posts he has hidden. God sentences Moab to conquest, while an inspector only exposes neglected repairs.
Notice
Ezekiel 25:9 The frontier cities are called the country's glory before their defences are opened. The threatened loss reaches what the nation prizes, not only an outlying piece of ground.
Ezekiel 25:8-11
King James Version8Thus 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.
Ezekiel 25:12-14
Edom’s Revenge Receives God’s Answer
Edom, south-east of Judah, has taken revenge against its neighbour and become deeply guilty. God will stretch out his hand against it and cut off people and animals. Desolation will reach Teman, a region of Edom, while people of Dedan, a nearby trading people, fall by the sword. God says his vengeance will come through his own people. They will act according to his anger, and Edom will know his vengeance. God will answer their revenge as a sin. An old grievance does not give them a right to act in this way.
In everyday life
A reconciliation worker listens to an account of a border community using another's weakness to settle old injuries. She records the harm without letting the language of repayment erase victims. The claim of a past grievance does not end the inquiry. Ezekiel announces God's vengeance through his people, not a human mediation process.
Notice
Ezekiel 25:12 The charge says Edom has greatly offended through taking revenge. Its description of retaliation does not make the act innocent or place it outside God's judgement.
Ezekiel 25:12-14
King James Version12Thus 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;
13Therefore 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.
Ezekiel 25:15-17
The Coast’s Old Hatred Is Judged
The Philistines, a coastal people west of Judah, also acted in revenge. Their longstanding hatred drove a desire to destroy. God declares that he will stretch out his hand against them and remove the remaining coastal population, including the Cherethims, a group linked here with that coast. Severe acts of judgement will answer their spite. They will know the Lord when he takes vengeance. The chapter ends as it began. The way these neighbours treat those in pain brings a warning against them too.
In everyday life
A harbour curator sets a faded feud record beside the names of families forced from the shore. The display once praised revenge as loyalty. She removes that praise and leaves the losses in full view of visitors. God's warning threatens a nation's destruction; the curator can only change how past harm is remembered.
Notice
Ezekiel 25:15 The hatred is described as old. Long duration is part of the accusation, not a reason that revenge has become acceptable with the passing of time.
Ezekiel 25:15-17
King James Version15Thus 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.
KJV words made clear
- despite
- Spiteful contempt or hostility directed towards another.
- couchingplace
- A place where animals lie down to rest.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
