Ezekiel 25:4

4 Therefore, lo, I am giving thee to sons of the east for a possession, And they set their towers in thee, And have placed in thee their tabernacles. They eat thy fruit, and they 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 `Son of man, set thy face unto the sons of Ammon, and prophesy against them;
3 and thou hast said to the sons of Ammon: Hear ye a word of the Lord Jehovah: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because of thy saying, Aha, to My sanctuary, Because it hath been polluted, And unto the ground of Israel, Because it hath been desolate, And unto the house of Judah, Because they have gone into a removal:
4 Therefore, lo, I am giving thee to sons of the east for a possession, And they set their towers in thee, And have placed in thee their tabernacles. They eat thy fruit, and they drink thy milk,
5 And I have given Rabbah for a habitation of camels, And the sons of Ammon for the crouching of a flock, And ye have known that I [am] Jehovah.
6 For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because of thy clapping the hand, And of thy stamping with the foot, And thou rejoicest with all thy despite in soul Against the ground of Israel,
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.