Ezekiel 21:16

16 Be thou made sharp, go thou to the right side, either to the left side, whither ever the desire of thy face is (wherever the desire of thy face is/wherever thou desireth).

Ezekiel 21:16 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 21:16

Go thee one way or another
Go to some one place: or "unite thyself" F1; to other swords, or join other soldiers holding swords; the address is to the sword, to steer its course some one way, and slay as it goes along, sparing none: either on the right, or on the left; or south, or north;
so the Targum,

``unsheathe, and slay on the south, and destroy on the north:''
whithersoever thy face is set;
or prepared, as the Targum, or appointed for destruction; this is the usual interpretation: but why may not the words be an apostrophe to the prophet, to go alone or single, either to the right or left, south or north, as his face was set, ( Ezekiel 21:2 ) , sighing and crying, smiting his hands together, in order to affect the minds of the people with the sense of their calamities coming upon them?
FOOTNOTES:

F1 (ydxath) "unito Montanus", Piscator, Polanus; "unitor te", Starckius; "in unum dirigitor", Cocceius.

Ezekiel 21:16 In-Context

14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy thou, and smite thou hand to hand (and strike thou one hand to the other, that is, clap thy hands), and the sword be doubled, and the sword of the slayers be trebled; this is the sword of great slaying, that shall make them astonied, and to fail in heart, and multiplieth fallings.
15 In all the gates of them I gave (the) troubling of a sword, sharp and made bright to shine, girded to slaying.
16 Be thou made sharp, go thou to the right side, either to the left side, whither ever the desire of thy face is (wherever the desire of thy face is/wherever thou desireth).
17 Certainly and I shall smite with hand to hand (Truly I shall clap my hands), and I shall [ful]fill mine indignation; I the Lord spake.
18 And the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.