The battering-ram is an ancient siege weapon used to break through walls and fortifications during warfare. It is mentioned in the Bible in the context of military conquests and sieges, illustrating the formidable challenges faced by cities under attack. The battering-ram symbolizes the relentless force and determination of an invading army.

Ezekiel 4:2 : "Then lay siege against it: build a siege wall, erect a ramp, set up camps, and place battering rams around it." In this passage, the prophet Ezekiel is instructed to perform a symbolic act representing the siege of Jerusalem. The use of battering rams is part of the detailed description of the siege tactics employed by the Babylonians, emphasizing the severity and inevitability of the coming destruction.

Ezekiel 21:22 : "In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem: to set up battering rams, to call for slaughter, to lift the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a siege wall, and to construct a ramp." Here, the prophet Ezekiel describes the decision-making process of the Babylonian king, who uses divination to determine his military strategy against Jerusalem. The repeated mention of battering rams underscores their importance in the siege warfare of the time.

The battering-ram, as depicted in these scriptures, serves as a powerful image of the destructive capabilities of ancient armies. It highlights the vulnerability of fortified cities when faced with determined and well-equipped adversaries. The biblical references to battering rams also reflect the historical context of the Near Eastern warfare, where such siege engines were a common and feared element of military campaigns.

In the broader biblical narrative, the imagery of the battering-ram can be seen as a metaphor for the judgment and wrath of God against unfaithfulness and sin. The destruction wrought by these siege engines serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from divine commandments and the protection that comes from obedience to God.2 Samuel 20:15
And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.
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Ezekiel 4:2
And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.
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Ezekiel 21:22
At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort.
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Of Passages from the Holy Scriptures, and from the Apocrypha ...
... true religion which is delivered in the Scriptures, and which ... power of working miracles
as a battering-ram, with which ... is just a kind of general pestilence in ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/of passages from the holy.htm

The Psalter of Solomon.
... in a great measure to preceding Scriptures, we can ... he broke down the walls with the
battering-ram (ii.1 ... mixed marriages permitted, and a general corruption of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the psalter of solomon.htm

On Reconciling Religious Dissensions among Christians
... The first is, that by this battering-ram of dissensions ... Besides, this general agreement
is no easy matter ... than concerning that of the Scriptures, the contents of ...
/.../the works of james arminius vol 1/oration v on reconciling religious.htm

The Greater Prophets.
... They are the repetitions of a battering-ram that gives ... This signifies, in general,
that God's care extends to ... must strike every reader of the holy Scriptures. ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxii the greater prophets.htm

The Dialogue against the Luciferians.
... use it as a sort of controversial battering ram: as such I ... him be anathema." There
was a general chorus of ... like the Father according to the Scriptures, let him ...
/.../the principal works of st jerome/the dialogue against the luciferians.htm

The Holy War,
... Being worsted in a general engagement, the doubters are ... and all his spiritual supplies
from the sacred Scriptures. ... somewhat to say to you concerning your King ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy war.htm

Against Jovinianus.
... with exultation: this is his strongest battering-ram with which ... Apostle Paul fully
instructs us concerning him in ... expressions of the sacred Scriptures there is ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/against jovinianus.htm

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
... may understand, the church of Antichrist in general; yet by ... And this is the wisdom
of God concerning her, that ... one; and is sealed up in the scriptures of truth ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/of antichrist and his ruin .htm

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