Ezekiel 23:24

24 They'll come down on you out of the north, armed to the teeth, bringing chariots and troops from all sides. I'll turn over the task of judgment to them. They'll punish you according to their rules.

Ezekiel 23:24 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 23:24

And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and
wheels
With "chariots", in which were their princes and great men, their chief commanders, generals, and captains, and in which they fought, as was usual in those times; and with "wagons", to carry their provisions and warlike stores; and with "wheels", that is, either with chariots and wagons that ran upon wheels, or with wheels for them in case they should break down; the first of these words here, according to some Jewish interpreters, as Donesh in Jarchi, signifies warlike instruments in general; and the second word is used for chariots: and so the whole is paraphrased by the Targum,

``and they shall come against thee with instruments of war, with chariots and wheels;''
all which denotes how well prepared they should be, and with what swiftness they would come: and with an assembly of people, which shall set against thee buckler,
and shield, and helmet, round about;
a multitude of people, a vast army gathered out of all the provinces of Babylon, having bucklers and shields about their bodies, and helmets on their heads to protect and defend them; and these should surround the city of Jerusalem. So the Targum, ``an army of people, armed with shields and helmets, shall set themselves against thee round about:'' and I will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee
according to their judgments;
that is, I will deliver you into their hands, and they shall judge and condemn you; not according to my laws and yours, but according to their own laws, according to the customs and usages among them, according to the law of nations; they shall deal with you as rebels and covenant breakers, such Zedekiah was; he broke covenant with the king of Babylon, and rebelled against him: and this was fulfilled when he fell into his hands, and when he slew his children before his face, and then put out his eyes.

Ezekiel 23:24 In-Context

22 "'Therefore, Oholibah, this is the Message from God, the Master: I will incite your old lovers against you, lovers you got tired of and left in disgust. I'll bring them against you from every direction,
23 Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all Assyrians - good-looking young men, ambassadors and governors, elite officers and celebrities - all of them mounted on fine, spirited horses.
24 They'll come down on you out of the north, armed to the teeth, bringing chariots and troops from all sides. I'll turn over the task of judgment to them. They'll punish you according to their rules.
25 I'll stand totally and relentlessly against you as they rip into you furiously. They'll mutilate you, cutting off your ears and nose, killing at random. They'll enslave your children - and anybody left over will be burned.
26 They'll rip off your clothes and steal your jewelry.
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.