Bible Strands
Ezekiel 21:10
it is sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we rejoice in the scepter of My son? The sword despises every such stick.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Ezekiel delivers this oracle to the exiled community and Judah's leaders during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. God speaks through him to announce impending judgment using the metaphor of a weapon being prepared for execution.
The words — The Hebrew term טְבֹחַ (te.Vo.ach) means "to slaughter," paired with הוּחַדָּה (hu.Cha.dah), "it has been sharpened," emphasizing the weapon's lethal readiness. The phrase בָּרָק (Ba.rok), "lightning," describes the polished blade's terrifying gleam.
The thread — This sword imagery echoes the divine warrior motif in Psalms 110:5, where God crushes kings in wrath, and recalls the purifying fire in Ezekiel 20:47. The reference to a "scepter" and "son" also connects to the Davidic covenant language in 2 Samuel 7:14, contrasting human authority with divine judgment.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that human political power, symbolized by a scepter or staff, cannot withstand God's appointed judgment. It calls the reader to abandon reliance on earthly leadership and submit to the reality of divine sovereignty.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree.
Cross-references
- Psalms 110:5 The Lord is at Your right hand; He will crush kings in the day of His wrath.
- Ezekiel 20:47 Say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: I am about to ignite in you a fire, and it will devour all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by it every face from south to north will be scorched.
- 2 Samuel 7:14 I will be his Father, and he will be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.
- Esther 3:15 The couriers left, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was in confusion.
- Psalms 2:7 I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.
- Psalms 89:26 He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock of my salvation.’
- Psalms 89:38 Now, however, You have spurned and rejected him; You are enraged by Your anointed one.
- Ecclesiastes 3:4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
- Isaiah 5:12 At their feasts are the lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine. They disregard the actions of the LORD and fail to see the work of His hands.
- Isaiah 22:12 On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth.