Ezekiel 21:25

“And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, &c.] 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”, (<183418>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…”

“profane--as having desecrated by idolatry and perjury his office as the Lord's anointed. HAVERNICK translates, as in Eze 21:14, "slain," that is, not literally, but virtually; to Ezekiel's idealizing view Zedekiah was the grand victim "pierced through" by God's sword of judgment, as his sons were slain before his eyes, which were then put out, and he was led a captive in chains to Babylon. English Version is better: so GESENIUS (Ch2 36:13; Jer 52:2). when iniquity shall have an end-- (Eze 21:29). When thine iniquity, having reached its last stage of guilt, shall be put an end to by judgment (Eze 35:5).”

“The third word of judgment. The king of Babylon’s march upon Judaea and upon the Ammonites. Destruction is to go forth not on Judah only, but also on such neighboring tribes as the Ammonites (compare Jeremiah 27:2-3). Ezekiel 21:19 Appoint thee - Set before thee. Choose thou a place, choose it - Rather, “mark a spot, mark it,” as upon a map, at the head of the two roads, one leading to Jerusalem, the other to Ammon. These were the two roads by one or other of which an invading army must march from Babylon to Egypt. Ezekiel 21:21 The Chaldaean king is depicted standing at the entrance of the holy land from the north, meditating his campaign, using rites of divination that really belonged to…”

“And thou - Zedekiah. Whose day - The day of sorrows, and sufferings, and punishment is at hand. Shall have an end - Shall bring the ruin of king and kingdom, and with the overthrow of your state, the means of sinning shall end too. Ezekiel 21:26”

“21:25-27 This judgment would extend against Zedekiah, the corrupt and wicked prince of Israel, as well as against the people. Ezekiel identifies Zedekiah by title rather than by name, indicating that his office was also under judgment. He would be stripped of the emblems of royalty and brought low, while the Lord exalted the lowly. The old order would experience destruction. • the one appears who has the right to judge it: This coming judge is often understood to be the Messiah (cp. Gen 49:10). In this context, however, the Lord was handing Judah over to the Babylonians for judgment (see Ezek 23:24). Ezekiel was probably reshaping the traditional messianic oracle of Gen 49:10 into a message…”

“profane: Eze 17:19; Ch2 36:13; Jer 24:8, Jer 52:2 whose: Eze 21:29, Eze 7:6, Eze 30:3, Eze 35:5; Psa 7:9, Psa 9:5, Psa 9:6; Jer 51:13 Ezekiel 21:26”