Ezekiel 21:19

19 "Son of man, lay out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take. Start them from the same place. Place a signpost at the beginning of each road.

Ezekiel 21:19 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 21:19

Also thou, son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword
of the king of Babylon may come
Describe or draw out upon a table or tile, as in ( Ezekiel 4:1 ) , or on the ground, two roads, such as are described in maps; which it may be supposed the king of Babylon would take, either the one or the other, in order to make war against some king or another: both twain shall come forth out of one land;
both ways must be drawn as coming from one country, even Babylon; and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city;
fix upon some spacious place, where Nebuchadnezzar may be supposed to bring his army, as a proper rendezvous for them to muster them in; and let be where two ways meet, that lead to cities, one to one city, and another to another: and it seems that upon the desert of Arabia, through which the king of Babylon came, there was such a place, where two ways met, and one led to Jerusalem, and the other to Rabbath; and this is the place the prophet was to describe, and where in fact Nebuchadnezzar came.

Ezekiel 21:19 In-Context

17 Then I'll clap my hands, a signal that my anger is spent. I, God, have spoken."
18 God's Message came to me:
19 "Son of man, lay out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take. Start them from the same place. Place a signpost at the beginning of each road.
20 Post one sign to mark the road of the sword to Rabbah of the Ammonites. Post the other to mark the road to Judah and Fort Jerusalem.
21 The king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road and he decides by divination which of the two roads to take. He draws straws, he throws god-dice, he examines a goat liver.
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.