Ezekiel 21:25

25 "'You unclean and evil leader of Israel, you will be killed! The time of your final punishment has come.

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 The people of Jerusalem have made agreements with other nations to help them fight Babylon. So they will think this prediction is wrong, but it is really proof of their sin, and they will be captured.
24 "So this is what the Lord God says: 'You have shown how sinful you are by turning against the Lord. Your sins are seen in all the things you do. Because of this proof against you, you will be taken captive by the enemy.
25 "'You unclean and evil leader of Israel, you will be killed! The time of your final punishment has come.
26 This is what the Lord God says: Take off the royal turban, and remove the crown. Things will change. Those who are important now will be made unimportant, and those who are unimportant now will be made important.
27 A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! This place will not be rebuilt until the one comes who has a right to be king. Then I will give him that right.'
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.