Bible Strands
Ezekiel 25:2
“Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD speaks through Ezekiel to command the prophet to address the Ammonites. This directive follows immediately after the divine word comes to Ezekiel, initiating a specific judgment oracle.
The words — The command centers on `שִׂים (sim)` meaning "set" and `פָּנֶ֖י/ךָ (pa.Nei./kha)` meaning "your face," directing the prophet to turn his attention toward the Ammonites. The action `וְ/הִנָּבֵ֖א (ve./hi.na.Ve')` literally means "and prophesy," establishing the required verbal response.
The thread — This prophetic posture against the Ammonites recurs in Jeremiah 49:1 and Amos 1:13 as part of a broader pattern of judgment oracles against surrounding nations. The same command structure appears in Ezekiel 6:2, where the prophet is told to set his face against the mountains of Israel.
Why it lands — The text demands direct, unflinching confrontation with a nation that celebrated Israel's destruction. It requires the reader to recognize that divine judgment targets specific historical actions, not abstract moral failures.
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
Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 49:1 Concerning the Ammonites, this is what the LORD says: “Has Israel no sons? Is he without heir? Why then has Milcom taken possession of Gad? Why have his people settled in their cities?
- Ezekiel 6:2 “Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them.
- Amos 1:13 This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of the Ammonites, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory.
- Genesis 19:38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites of today.
- Jeremiah 9:25 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh—
- Jeremiah 25:21 Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;
- Jeremiah 27:3 Send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.
- Ezekiel 20:46 “Son of man, set your face toward the south, preach against it, and prophesy against the forest of the Negev.
- Ezekiel 21:2 “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel
- Ezekiel 21:28 Now prophesy, son of man, and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt: ‘A sword! A sword is drawn for slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning—