Ezekiel 21:25

25 "'O Zedekiah, blasphemous and evil prince of Israel: Time's up. It's "punishment payday."

Ezekiel 21:25 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 21:25

And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel
Meaning Zedekiah, the then reigning prince; who is so called, because he had profaned or violated the oath and covenant he made with the king of Babylon, as well as because of other sins he was guilty of; and his being a prince of Israel was an aggravation of his crimes: now, though it is "not fit" in common, or for ordinary persons, "to say to a king thou art wicked, and to princes ye are ungodly", ( Job 34:18 ) , yet a prophet from the Lord, and in his name, may say so; and he ought, when he has a commission from God for it: whose day is come;
the time of his downfall and ruin; and so the Targum,

``whose day of destruction is come:''
when iniquity shall have an end; a stop put to the torrent of it, both in the king and his subjects; they not having the opportunity and means of sinning in captivity as before; or when the measure of iniquity is filled up, then comes punishment; or when the punishment of iniquity shall be completed. So the Targum,
``the time of the recompence of his sins.''

Ezekiel 21:25 In-Context

23 "To the Judah leaders, who themselves have sworn oaths, it will seem like a false divination, but he will remind them of their guilt, and so they'll be captured.
24 "So this is what God, the Master, says: 'Because your sin is now out in the open so everyone can see what you've been doing, you'll be taken captive.
25 "'O Zedekiah, blasphemous and evil prince of Israel: Time's up. It's "punishment payday."
26 God says, Take your royal crown off your head. No more "business as usual." The underdog will be promoted and the top dog will be demoted.
27 Ruins, ruins, ruins! I'll turn the whole place into ruins. And ruins it will remain until the one comes who has a right to it. Then I'll give it to him.'
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.