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Ezekiel 25

Ezekiel announces God’s judgment against neighboring nations for their contempt toward Judah and their acts of revenge.

YHWH directs Ezekiel to prophesy against Ammon and then announces judgments against Moab, Edom, and the Philistines. Judah’s land has been devastated, its sanctuary profaned, and its people taken captive. Neighboring peoples have greeted this ruin with contempt or pursued revenge against Judah. God declares that their lands, cities, and people will face destruction. Across these oracles, he states that the nations will come to know that he is YHWH.

injustice and angersermon or Bible study notes
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2“Son of man, set your face toward the children of Ammon, and prophesy against them.
3Tell the children of Ammon, ‘Hear the word of the Lord GOD! The Lord GOD says, “Because you said, ‘Aha!’ against my sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity,
4therefore, behold, I will deliver you to the children of the east for a possession. They will set their encampments in you and make their dwellings in you. They will eat your fruit and they will drink your milk.
5I will make Rabbah a stable for camels and the children of Ammon a resting place for flocks. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”
6For the Lord GOD says: “Because you have clapped your hands, stamped with the feet, and rejoiced with all the contempt of your soul against the land of Israel,
7therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand on you, and will deliver you for a plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will cause you to perish out of the countries. I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”
8“‘The Lord GOD says: “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Behold, the house of Judah is like all the nations,’
9therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on its frontiers, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kiriathaim,
10to the children of the east, to go against the children of Ammon; and I will give them for a possession, that the children of Ammon may not be remembered among the nations.
11I will execute judgments on Moab. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
12“‘The Lord GOD says: “Because Edom has dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended, and taken revenge on them,”
13therefore the Lord GOD says, “I will stretch out my hand on Edom, and will cut off man and animal from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman. They will fall by the sword even to Dedan.
14I will lay my vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel. They will do in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath. Then they will know my vengeance,” says the Lord GOD.
15“‘The Lord GOD says: “Because the Philistines have taken revenge, and have taken vengeance with contempt of soul to destroy with perpetual hostility,”
16therefore the Lord GOD says, “Behold, I will stretch out my hand on the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast.
17I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I lay my vengeance on them.”’”
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Ezekiel 25:6Ammon’s gestures of celebration expose the contempt for Israel that God names as grounds for judgment.
Ezekiel 25:12The charge against Edom centers on revenge against Judah, establishing the reason for the devastation that follows.
Ezekiel 25:13God’s sentence against Edom reaches across its territory and includes both people and animals in the coming desolation.
Where this chapter reaches

Jeremiah and Amos also pronounce judgment against Ammon, Moab, Edom, and the Philistines, sharing Ezekiel’s concern with God’s rule over neighboring nations. Obadiah shares the charge against Edom for its treatment of Judah, while Zephaniah also announces judgment against Ammon, Moab, and the Philistines.

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After reading the whole chapter

What stands out about God’s response to Ammon’s celebration of Judah’s ruin?

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How does the repeated promise that nations will know YHWH shape your reading of these judgments?

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Questions people ask about Ezekiel 25

Why does God judge the nations in Ezekiel 25?

The chapter names specific grounds: Ammon celebrated Israel’s devastation, Moab and Seir dismissed Judah as no different from other nations, and Edom and the Philistines pursued revenge. God’s judgments answer these expressions of contempt and hostility. Judah’s defeat does not place its neighbors beyond God’s authority.

Who are the children of the east in Ezekiel 25?

The phrase refers to peoples from east of Ammon and Moab, often understood as nomadic groups. The chapter does not name a specific tribe or ruler. It describes them occupying the land, setting up encampments, and consuming its produce, while Rabbah becomes a place for camels and flocks.

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What the Bible says about anger →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).