Ezekiel Chapter 21 verse 19 Holy Bible

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(19) Appoint thee two ways.--Or, set before thee. The prophet is directed to represent Nebuchadnezzar as about to go forth with his armies, and hesitating whether he should take first the road to Jerusalem or to the capital of the Ammonites. His choice of the former is determined, as he supposes, by his divinations, but really by the overruling hand of the Lord, who thus shows beforehand what it shall be. The whole is set forth in the vivid and concrete imagery so characteristic of Ezekiel; but it is impossible that the scene in real life was to be thus determined by the prophet's open interference. The whole is a vision, in which life and action is conveyed by this manner of describing the course of future events as actually taking place before the eyes of his hearers. The two ways "come forth out of one land;" their starting-point is the same. Babylon, and they diverge towards different destinations.Choose thou a place.--Literally, make a hand or, as we say, a finger-post. The verb here used never means "choose," nor does the noun ever mean "place" but the verb is often used both in the sense of to make and to engrave, and "hand" frequently occurs in the sense of a pillar, and occasionally in that of a guide post. (See 1Samuel 15:12; 2Samuel 18:18; Isaiah 56:5.) The prophet in vision sets up this guide-post to direct the king on his march. The roads to Rabbah and to Jerusalem from Babylon would be the same for many hundred miles. It is impossible, therefore, to suppose that Ezekiel actually stood at their parting.Head of the way, called more poetically in Ezekiel 21:21 "mother of the way," is the point where the road forks. From this point the road to Jerusalem would lie on the right, that to Rabbah, the capital of the Ammonites, on the left.Parallel Commentaries ...Hebrew“Now you,וְאַתָּ֨ה (wə·’at·tāh)Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - second person masculine singularStrong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and yousonבֶן־ (ḇen-)Noun - masculine singular constructStrong's 1121: A sonof man,אָדָ֜ם (’ā·ḏām)Noun - masculine singularStrong's 120: Ruddy, a human beingmark outשִׂים־ (śîm-)Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singularStrong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, settwoשְׁנַ֣יִם (šə·na·yim)Number - mdStrong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)roadsדְּרָכִ֗ים (də·rā·ḵîm)Noun - common pluralStrong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of actionfor the swordחֶ֣רֶב (ḥe·reḇ)Noun - feminine singular constructStrong's 2719: Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, swordof the kingמֶֽלֶךְ־ (me·leḵ-)Noun - masculine singular constructStrong's 4428: A kingof Babylonבָּבֶ֔ל (bā·ḇel)Noun - proper - feminine singularStrong's 894: Babylon -- an eastern Mediterranean empire and its capital cityto take,לָבוֹא֙ (lā·ḇō·w)Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive constructStrong's 935: To come in, come, go in, gobothשְׁנֵיהֶ֑ם (šə·nê·hem)Number - mdc | third person masculine pluralStrong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)startingיֵצְא֣וּ (yê·ṣə·’ū)Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine pluralStrong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proximfrom the sameאֶחָ֖ד (’e·ḥāḏ)Number - masculine singularStrong's 259: United, one, firstland.מֵאֶ֥רֶץ (mê·’e·reṣ)Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singularStrong's 776: Earth, landAnd makeבָּרֵ֔א (bā·rê)Verb - Piel - Infinitive absoluteStrong's 1254: To create, to cut down, select, feeda signpostוְיָ֣ד (wə·yāḏ)Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singularStrong's 3027: A handwhere the roadדֶּֽרֶךְ־ (de·reḵ-)Noun - common singular constructStrong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of actionbranches offבְּרֹ֥אשׁ (bə·rōš)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular constructStrong's 7218: The headto each city.עִ֖יר (‘îr)Noun - feminine singularStrong's 5892: ExcitementJump to PreviousAppoint Babylon Choose City Clear Forth Head Mark Sword Twain Way Ways