“Son of man, turn and face the land of Ammon and prophesy against its people.
Parallel translations
- WEB Son of man, set your face toward the children of Ammon, and prophesy against them:
- KJV Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;
- BSB “Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them.
- NKJV “Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them.
- NASB “Son of man, set your face against the sons of Ammon and prophesy against them,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God commands Ezekiel to set his face against Ammon and prophesy against them. It targets the first of the neighboring nations for judgment.
Overview
Ammon, descended from Lot and a longtime hostile neighbor of Israel, is the first nation addressed. To 'set your face toward' them is a posture of prophetic confrontation. This signals that God holds the surrounding peoples accountable for how they treated His covenant nation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Jer 49:1–6Of the children of Ammon. Yahweh says: “Has Israel no sons? has he no heir? Why then does Malcam possess Gad, and his people dwell in its cities?
- Ezek 6:2“Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy to them,
- Amos 1:13–15Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border.
- Ezek 21:2“Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel.
- Ezek 35:2Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it,
- Jer 9:25–26“Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will punish all those who are circumcised only in their flesh:
- Gen 19:38The younger also bore a son, and called his name Ben Ammi. He is the father of the children of Ammon to this day.
- Zeph 2:8–11I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the insults of the children of Ammon, with which they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border.
- Jer 27:3Then send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the children of Ammon, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.
- Ezek 20:46“Son of man, set your face toward the south, and preach toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the field in the South;
- Jer 25:21Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon;
- Ezek 21:28–32“You, son of man, prophesy, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach: “A sword! A sword is drawn! It is polished for the slaughter, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning;
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The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 25:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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