Ezekiel 25:4

4 lo! therefore I shall give thee (to) the sons of the east into heritage (and so lo! I shall give thee to the sons of the east for a possession), and they shall set their folds in thee, and they shall set their tents in thee; they shall eat thy fruits, and they shall drink thy milk.

Ezekiel 25:4 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 25:4

Behold, therefore, I will deliver thee to the men of the east
for a possession
The Chaldeans and Syrians, which were on the east side, as Jarchi; or the Medes and Persians, as Kimchi, which lay more eastward; or it may be the Arabians, who are commonly called the men of the east; who were a part of Nebuchadnezzar's army, and whom he might reward with this country, when taken by him; for this prophecy, according to Josephus F17, was fulfilled five years after the destruction of Jerusalem: and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in
thee;
or, "their camps and their tents" F18; and so the Syriac version renders it, their armies and their tents; who should subdue them, and take possession of their cities and fields, and enjoy what they found there: they shall eat thy fruit, and drink thy milk;
the fruit of their land, their vineyards and fields, and the milk of their flocks and herds, which was commonly drank in those countries; these are put for the whole of their substance. So the Targum,

``they shall eat the good of thy land, and spoil thy substance.''

FOOTNOTES:

F17 Antiqu. l. 16. c. 9. sect. 7.
F18 (Mhytwryj) "arces suas", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Polanus, Coeccius. (Mhynkvm) "tentoria sua", V. L. "tabernacala sus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Polanus, Cocceius, Starckius.

Ezekiel 25:4 In-Context

2 Thou, son of man, set thy face against the sons of Ammon, and thou shalt prophesy of them. (Thou, son of man, set thy face toward the Ammonites, and thou shalt prophesy against them.)
3 And thou shalt say to the sons of Ammon, Hear ye the word of the Lord God; the Lord God saith these things, For that that ye said, Well! well! on my saintuary, for it is defouled, and on the land of Israel, for it is made desolate, and on the house of Judah, for they be led into captivity; (And thou shalt say to the Ammonites, Hear ye the word of the Lord God; the Lord God saith these things, Because ye said, Well! well! to my sanctuary, for it is defiled, and to the land of Israel, for it is made desolate, and to the house of Judah, for they be led into captivity;)
4 lo! therefore I shall give thee (to) the sons of the east into heritage (and so lo! I shall give thee to the sons of the east for a possession), and they shall set their folds in thee, and they shall set their tents in thee; they shall eat thy fruits, and they shall drink thy milk.
5 And I shall give Rabbah into a dwelling place of camels, and the sons of Ammon into a bed of beasts; and ye shall know, that I am the Lord. (And I shall make Rabbah into a dwelling place for camels, and the Ammonites into a bed for beasts; and ye shall know, that I am the Lord.)
6 For the Lord God saith these things, For that that thou clappedest with hand(s), and smitedest with the foot, and joyedest of all [thy] desire on the land of Israel; (For the Lord God saith these things, Because thou clappedest with thy hands, and struckest, or hast kicked, with the foot, and joyedest over the land of Israel with all thy desire;)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.