What is the meaning of Ezekiel 21:7? And when they ask, ‘Why are you groaning?’ When the prophet walks through Jerusalem clutching his stomach and sighing, the people notice. Their question—“Why the groaning?”—reveals how disconnected they are from God’s warnings. Similar bewilderment shows up in Ezekiel 12:9–12 when they ask about the prophet’s dramatic baggage. God often uses the visible behavior of His servants (Isaiah 20:2–4; Hosea 1:2) to underline a message that words alone have not penetrated. Ezekiel’s groans are heaven’s alarm siren, calling the nation to attention before judgment falls. you are to say, ‘Because of the news that is coming.’ The “news” is the Babylonian sword already on the march (Ezekiel 21:1–5). Ezekiel speaks of it as certain, not hypothetical. Like Jeremiah’s “disaster from the north” (Jeremiah 1:14; 4:6), this announcement proves God keeps His covenant warnings (Leviticus 26:14–33). • Their city, their temple, and their king will soon be overrun (2 Kings 25:1–10). • God is not merely predicting calamity; He is personally sending it (Ezekiel 21:3, “I draw My sword”). The groan is therefore not self-pity but prophetic compassion, echoing Jesus’ later tears over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44). Every heart will melt, Internal courage disappears when God’s hand is against a people. Judges 7:21 and Joshua 2:11 use the same image for enemies who realize the LORD fights for Israel; now Israel herself feels it. Spiritual rebellion drains moral fortitude. Proverbs 28:1 describes the wicked fleeing though no one pursues—an exact opposite of the righteous boldness they might have known. and every hand will go limp. Paralysis replaces action. Isaiah 13:7 applies the phrase to Babylon under divine wrath; here it strikes God’s own covenant nation, underscoring impartial justice (Romans 2:11). Hands once lifted in worship (Psalm 63:4) or battle (Exodus 17:11-12) now hang useless, showing judgment touches both religious and civic life. Every spirit will faint, The human will collapses. Ezekiel 22:14 asks, “Can your courage endure…?”—the implied answer is no. Sin saps vitality; obedience strengthens it (Nehemiah 6:9). This fainting anticipates the exile’s crushing psychological toll (Lamentations 1:13). and every knee will turn to water.’ The vivid picture of knees “flowing with water” portrays total physical weakness. Daniel 5:6 records Belshazzar’s knees knocking at God’s writing on the wall; the same divine dread now visits Judah. Philippians 2:10 reminds us every knee will ultimately bow—better voluntarily in worship than involuntarily in terror. Yes, it is coming and it will surely happen, Divine certainty rings through the repetition. What God decrees cannot be delayed or canceled by wishful thinking (Numbers 23:19). Just as the flood came after Noah’s preaching (Matthew 24:38-39), Babylon will arrive despite Judah’s denial (Ezekiel 12:22-25). declares the Lord GOD. The covenant Name seals the verdict. “Lord GOD” (Adonai YHWH) combines sovereign authority with covenant faithfulness. Amos 3:7 affirms that the Lord GOD reveals His plans through prophets; here the revelation serves both as warning and vindication of His righteousness (Psalm 19:9). summary Ezekiel 21:7 records God telling His prophet to dramatize the coming Babylonian judgment through groans that mirror the nation’s future agony. The verse marches from the people’s puzzled question to God’s unflinching answer: catastrophic news will drain courage, strength, and spirit, fulfilling covenant warnings with absolute certainty. The passage reminds us that when God speaks, His word is sure, His justice impartial, and His calls to repentance urgent. |
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