What is the meaning of Ezekiel 35:4? I will turn your cities into ruins • The LORD Himself vows active judgment; nothing is left to chance. • “Cities” points to Edom’s proud centers like Bozrah and Teman—once bustling, now archaeological rubble. Compare Isaiah 34:9-10 and Jeremiah 49:13. • God’s action answers Edom’s centuries-long hostility to Israel (Obadiah 3-4, 10-12). • The literal track record—Edom erased by Babylon and the Nabateans—underscores Scripture’s reliability. and you will become a desolation • The shift from places to people makes the judgment total. • Jeremiah 49:17 echoes the same verdict: “Edom will become an object of horror.” • Like Ammon in Ezekiel 25:5, Edom learns that covenant enmity invites comprehensive loss. • By the first century A.D., Edom as a nation vanished, matching the prophetic word. • The lesson is enduring: those who curse God’s covenant people reap what they sow (Genesis 12:3). Then you will know that I am the LORD • Judgment’s purpose is revelation; the nations must recognize God’s sovereignty. • Ezekiel repeats the phrase (6:7; 25:11; 33:29) to show every fulfilled oracle authenticates the LORD. • For Edom, the knowledge comes after ruin; for the watching world—and for us—it confirms the absolute trustworthiness of Scripture (Isaiah 46:9-10). summary Ezekiel 35:4 delivers a three-stage promise: God will raze Edom’s cities, leave the land and people utterly desolate, and through that fulfillment make His lordship undeniable. History validates the prophecy, demonstrating God’s justice against persistent sin and the literal dependability of His Word. |
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