Ezekiel 21:11

11 And he gives it to be polished, {to be seized by the hand}. It is sharpened--a sword--and it [is] polished to give it into [the] hand of [the] killer.

Ezekiel 21:11 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 21:11

And he hath given it to be furbished, that it might be
handled
Either Nebuchadnezzar, or rather God, or the Son of God, prepared and brightened the sword, that it might be handled and made use of, either by the Chaldeans or Romans, to the destruction of the Jews. The Targum is,

``he gave their vengeance to be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.''

The sword is sharpened and furbished, to give it into the hand of the
slayer;
either the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar; or the Roman emperor, Titus Vespasian.

Ezekiel 21:11 In-Context

9 "Son of man, prophesy, and you must say, 'Thus says the Lord,' say, 'A sword, a sword [is] sharpened and [is] also polished.

10 It is sharpened to slaughter a slaughter, {polished to flash like lightning}! Or will we rejoice? A rod, my son, [is] despising every tree.

11 And he gives it to be polished, {to be seized by the hand}. It is sharpened--a sword--and it [is] polished to give it into [the] hand of [the] killer.

12 Cry and wail, son of man, for it is against my people; it is against all of the princes of Israel. They are thrown to [the] sword with my people; therefore {strike your thigh}.

13 For {examine}! And what if also [the] rod will not be despising?' {declares} the Lord Yahweh.

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "to take hold of in the palm of the hand"