379Babel
Tow’ebah
…Abominable
8
Maryruwth | Embittered
Anguishing Apocalypse…
The 21st chapter of Ezekiel portrays an unending assault on the Jewish people by the Lord of Babel. Sword in hand, Ezekiel’s god is champing at the bit in frenzied anticipation of using Babylonians to massacre Israel. Only one problem, he’s engaging the wrong army and he’s a century late. But why sweat the details when there are Jews awaiting slaughter?
So it was coming (wa hayah) a word (dabar) of This Is Not Him (#^^#!) to me (‘el ‘any) to say (la ‘amar), (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:1) son of human being (ben ‘adam), you must set your face (sym paneh ‘atah) toward Jerusalem (‘el Yaruwshalaim) and preach prophetically, secreting and pouring out an appeal, distilling a dripping discourse (wa nataph) toward the sanctuary and temple (miqdash – the sacred shrine).
Prophesy, speaking as a prophet (naba’), to the soil of Israel (‘el ‘adamah Yisra’el). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:2)
The Assyrians reduced the Northern Kingdom of Yisra’el to rubble, depopulating it by enslaving and deporting ten of the twelve tribes, between 720 and 702 BCE. This announcement was allegedly spoken circa 587 BCE, during the second siege of the Judean capital by the Babylonians. This mistake would discredit a secular historian, but when the speaker is alleging that he is Yahowah, an error of this magnitude is incomprehensible.
380Since the Lord of Babel and the Devil’s Advocate are incapable of correctly portraying current events, they should not be pretending to be prophet and God. Even if the preaching was secreting an uplifting appeal or dripping with insights, when the overriding context is wrong, nothing is right.
In the last chapter, the Lord’s warning to the forest and desert quickly grew into a Holocaust, with a flambé of Yisra’elite faces. Now, Satan is addressing the ground, perhaps unwilling to look his intended victims in the face.
And have said (wa ‘amar) to the ground of Israel (la ‘adamah Yisra’el), like so, this is what (koh) said (‘amar) This Is Not Him (#^^#!), behold, notice me (hineh ‘any) directed toward you as women (‘el ‘ath).
I have withdrawn, having taken out (wa yatsa’), my sword (chereb ‘any), a naked blade, a sharp cutting razor laid bare from its scabbard (min ta’ar hy’) and I have cut down and exterminated (wa karat) from among you (min ‘ath), right and wrong, righteous and wicked (tsadyq wa rasa’). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:3)
Indiscriminate killing is a hallmark of civilization, revealing Satan’s imprint on the community of man. He would have the innocent and wicked cut down as if there were no distinction.
Yahowah originally orchestrated the capture and release of Yahuwdym | Jews by Babylon. By being hopelessly religious, they had lost the privilege of living in His home. So, they were given a 70-year time out for bad behavior. The intent was not to kill them but, instead, rehabilitate them by getting their attention by having them experience a second Yatsa’ | Exodus.
However, Satan had other plans. Babylon was his country, the birthplace of the institutionalized religion and integrated political schemes which gave rise to Judaism, 381Christianity, and Islam. He would have his people kill Jews, annihilating them, rather than place them in a collective time out.
Because (ya’an), well, because (‘asher) I have made it possible to cut down and exterminate (wa karat) from among you (min ‘ath), innocent and evil, right and wrong (tsadyq wa rasa’).
Therefore (la ken – it seems right), my sword (chereb ‘any) will be continuously withdrawn (yatsa’), laying bare a naked blade, a razor-sharp knife from a sheath (ta’ar hy’) pointed toward all flesh, against everybody, and for all living creatures (‘el kol basar) from south to north (min negeb tsaphown). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:4)
And all flesh, every animal, living creature, and dead body (wa kol basar) will have noticed and become aware (yada’), I (‘any), This Is Not Him (#^^#!), have drawn out (yatsa’) my sword as a weapon of war (chereb ‘any), a naked blade as a sharp cutting razor laid bare from its scabbard (min ta’ar hy’), never to be put back again (lo’ shuwb ‘owd). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:5)
The Lord’s dedication to exterminating the Jewish race remains the central theme of Ezekiel’s book. It is more in our faces than even Adolf Hitler dared in Mein Kampf. But Satan’s rage isn’t limited to the Chosen People. He wants to destroy all life in Israel. Then when every living creature is dead, I suppose that the Devil anticipates the Gowym who have witnessed his carnage to be cheering him on, acknowledging that the death of Jews must be the work of God.
But in his zeal, Satan not only stammered, he actually tried to be prophetic. His claim was that his brazen and bare sword would never be resheathed. Oh, but it has, and many times. Centuries would separate the Babylonian assaults and those by the Greeks and then Romans. And after 382Rome’s third assault, more than a millennium would pass before there was another.
And you (wa ‘atah), son of human being (ben ‘Adam), you must groan and moan (‘anah) with crushed, broken, and shattered genitals (ba shibrown mothenym – with collapsed and ruptured loins) and in bitterness, anguished and despondent (wa ba maryruwth), moaning and groaning, expressing your physical and emotional pain (‘anah) near their eyes (la ‘ayn hem). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:6)
Well, isn’t that a kick in the you-know-where? Satan has just busted his would-be prophet’s balls so that he can cry out in agony. Nothing screams empathy like torture.
And having been (wa hayah) that they say (ky ‘amar) to you (‘el ‘atah), Over what are (‘al mah) you (‘atah) moaning and groaning in pain (‘anah)?
You will have said (wa ‘amar) to the stupefying messenger and appalling rumor monger (‘el shamuw’ah – to the lifeless report and stunning gossip) that it is coming (ky bow’).
And it will have melted, liquifying and dissolving (masas) every heart (kol leb), and every hand (wa kol yad) will have been limp and feeble, unable to respond (raphah).
And every spirit (wa kol ruwach) will be incapacitated, growing dim, while fading away, silenced in rebuke (kahah). Every knee (wa kol berek) will walk, going (halak) to water (maym).
Behold (hineh), it is coming (bow’) and it will have been (wa hayah), declares (na’um) the owner who controls and possesses me, my Lord and Master (‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:7)
383Satan would have his accomplice lie. Rather than admitting that he had been compliant in crushing whatever fleeting vestiges of manhood he may have retained as the Devil’s Advocate, he was to say that his agony was actually a reflection of what the long-lost Israelites were and would endure.
The first step along the way would be standard fare for the Lord of Babel. He would demean the messenger, calling his critics stupefying and appalling rumormongers.
There would be four signs of the apocalypse. Hearts would melt away as if they are liquified. Hands would hang limp and be feeble. All spirits would be incapacitated and dimmed, silenced and rebuked, fading away. And knees would walk to water. But that is not what occurred, not in 587 BCE or any time since.
Recognizing that, by dissolving the heart, death is imminent, let’s chalk the first of these up as Satan’s 23rd attempt at killing Jews. The feeble hands would silence the prophets because of Yahowah’s preference for the enduring nature of the written word.
Spirits, however, are eternal beings akin to light. They cannot be incapacitated or dimmed, and they never fade away. It is a telling mistake for Satan to make because, as a mal’ak | spiritual messenger, he knows that his fate is to endure eternity separated from Yahowah. No doubt, fading away would be preferable in his case, but it is only wishful thinking.
If he were smarter, we might have been able to ascribe water on the knees as an early diagnosis of bursitis, but who would we be kidding?
So it exists (wa hayah) a word (dabar) of This Is Not Him (#^^#!) to me (‘el ‘any) to say (la ‘amar), (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:8) son of human (ben ‘adam), you must deliver a prophetic message (naba’) and have said (wa 384‘amar), like so, this is what (koh) said (‘amar) my Lord (‘adony), you must say (‘amar), a sword, a sword (chereb chereb) was forcibly sharpened against its will and compelled to be fierce, slashing and cutting (chadad – being severe was compulsory (hofal perfect)) and also (wa gam) polished and rubbed raw by having been used to forcibly remove objects (marat),… (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:9)
Since this was written during the final Babylonian assault against Jerusalem, or sometime thereafter, it was not prophetic. There is a better way to say “two swords,” or a “sword’s sword,” or even a “sword within a sword” than chereb chereb. And swords were the least of the problems Judeans were facing. This was a thirty-month siege, so there was no hand-to-hand combat. Jews were being starved into submission.
The hofal stem is an odd choice to deploy pursuant to an inanimate object. And yet, we are to believe that the sword sword was forcibly sharpened against its will. It was compelled to be fierce. And clearly, speaking of it being polished by rubbing against those it was made to slaughter is sadistic.
…on account of the slaughter, the butchering and slaying (la ma’an tebach), a beastly butchering and savage slaughter (tebach), sharpened, violently slashing, and fiercely cutting (chadad) for the purpose (la ma’an) you being ordered to be (hayah) for her (la hy’) polished lightning, burnished by being rubbed raw and glittering (baraq morat).
O (ow), we will rejoice (suws – we will be continually pleased and delighted, glad and joyous).
A tribe of people, a staff or scepter, a rod or ruler (shebet), my son (ben ‘any), she is rejected and despised (ma’as – she is avoided and loathed (qal participle 385feminine singular)) every tree and wood (kol ‘ets). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:10)
If this is not demonic sadism, we need a new definition of both terms. A beastly butchering and savage slaughtering by a sword worn raw, slashing and dissecting the Jews of Judea, to the point the sword glitters like lightning is no laughing matter.
As a program note, since slaughter, lightning, tribe, and son, even tree, albeit not sword, are masculine, identifying the feminine subject of rejection is a head-scratcher. Similarly, we do not know which of shebet’s many definitions the Lord intended. Further, since this chapter has been addressed against women, the mention of the Devil’s child comes out of the woodwork – so to speak.
And it is given (wa nathan) to her (‘eth hy’) to be rubbed raw and removed, bald and bare (la marat) to be seized and controlled, caught in the act and captured (la taphas) in the palm (ba ha kaph).
A sword (chereb) was forcibly sharpened against its will and compelled to be fierce, slashing and cutting (chadad – being severe was compulsory (hofal perfect)) and she, herself, was polished and rubbed raw by having been used to remove and denude objects, baring them (wa hy’ marat) to be given (la nathan) along with her (‘eth hy’) into the hand (ba yad) of the killer (harag – slayer). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:11)
Darker and darker our plunge becomes as the Lord of Babel takes us deeper into his home in Hell. Bare your daggers Zealots, onward Christian soldiers, and into the battle Islamic jihadists – your Lord beckons. Time’s a-wasting and there are Jews to kill – or so says the Devil to the religious. He even claims that it will be fun. But not if you are a Jew…
386You must cry out for help and wail in agony (za’aq). You are compelled to howl in sorrow (yalal), son of mankind (ben ‘adam), for indeed (ky), she, herself, was against my people (hy’ hayah ba ‘am ‘any) – she as in all of (hy’ ba kol) the exalted leaders (nasy’) of Israel (Yisra’el) who are hurled and cast down (magar) upon the sword (‘el chereb).
They were with my people (hayah ‘eth ‘am), therefore (la ken), strike, beat, and punish (saphaq) in the direction of the genitals (‘el yarek). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:12)
While I understand that this is the Lord’s manifesto, I pity the soul of the man Satan inspired to write it for him. And what are we to do with the religious who placed this vomit among the prophets? Is eternity in She’owl with the Lord of Babel too soft of a penalty for this crime?
Like you, I’m pleading for relief. How much more of this can we bear? And yet, after all of the savagery these demonic rants have inspired against God’s people, I am duty-bound to carry on. The victims – the millions of Jews who have been dehumanized and murdered as a result of Ezekiel cry out because they deserve a willing witness to hold the perpetrators accountable.
But good grief, if Team Babel is committed to playing Lord, prophet, and promoter, learn to write…
Verily (ky) a test (bochan – an exam, written as a noun) and what if (wa mah ‘im) also (gam) a shebet | tribe or nation, clan or people, rod or stick, staff or scepter, javelin or club (shebet) is despised, rejected, and avoided (ma’as) it will not be (lo’ hayah)? declares (na’um) the owner who controls and possesses me, my Lord and Master (‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:13)
387To pass the test, I suppose one would need to understand the question. And even then, since it is the Lord of Babel offering the exam, failure is the best option.
And you (wa ‘atah), son of person (ben ‘adam), you are commanded to prophesy (naba’). You are ordered to strike, beat, and afflict, smiting (wa nakah – scourging and applauding, slaying and subjugating, ravaging and wounding) a palm to a palm (‘el yarek). Then perhaps double fold or twist (kaphal – ?, only used in Ezekiel, perhaps from the Akkadian kapalu – to coil and twist) a sword (chereb) a third (shalyshy) sword (chereb) for her defiled and slain (chalal hy’ – her pierced, struck dead, and desecrated), sword (chereb) of the great defilement, desecration, and piercing death (chalal ha gadowl) of the chamber (ha chadar – only used this once in Ezekiel, perhaps parlor) to them (la hem),… (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:14)
So, the prophecy is to beat palms into submission, ravaging and wounding them, then double twisting a sword a third to defile the slain, desecrating the dead of the chamber. And while that sounds sufficiently sadistic and in character, it is a miracle that a slave in Babylon was given a sword, and that after scourging his hands, this wimp of a man doubled it over into thirds.
It is, however, surprising considering the expressive nature of Hebrew that “Ezekiel” had to invent two words in one sentence to describe the action of a primitive weapon. It is also odd that he repeated chalal, writing it as an adjective, when he has used it throughout to convey being defiled and desecrated.
Addressing those who were already enslaved in Babylon, and whose lives hadn’t changed one iota in the past decade, the Lord of Babel explained the purpose of his macabre demonstration…
388…so that (la ma’an) their hearts will melt (la muwg leb hem) and many (wa harbeh) the stumbling block (ha mikshowl). Upon all their gates (‘al kol sa’ar hem), I had given, offered, and bestowed (nathan) a butcher’s slaughter (‘ibchah – to butcher meat for consumption, used once in Ezekiel) by sword (chereb).
Alas, O brother, (‘ah), it performs (‘asah) as lightning (la baraq), diminishing (ma’utah – reducing, used only this once in Ezekiel), butchering, and slaughtering fresh meat (tebach). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:15)
The Lord of Babel has positioned himself as the Adversary, opening Jerusalem’s gates so that the Babylonians can slaughter Jews, butchering them for consumption as if cannibals. With such resounding moral overtones, I wonder why this wasn’t turned into a nursery rhyme by Christians and Muslims.
Same song, different verse…
“Slay a Jew, stab a Jew, slaughter a Jew for stew.” Actually, I was paraphrasing. Satan continued…
You have one to attack (‘achad – unassisted, you are compelled to begin hostilities and launch the assault (hitpael imperative)) on the right (yaman) while setting yourself up (sym) on the left (sama’l), every which way (‘an) your face (paneh ‘ath) is forcibly directed (ya’ad – is placed by compulsion (hofal participle)). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:16)
Ezekiel should be so proud of himself, fulfilling as he is the Devil’s most ardent desires. And perhaps, that is why Satan is applauding…
And so, in addition (wa gam), I will continually strike a vicious blow, beating (nakah) my palms to my palms (kaph ‘any ‘el kaph ‘any). So, then I will settle and satisfy (wa nuwach) my venomous rage and my toxic 389serpentine wrath (hemah ‘any). I (‘any), This Is Not Him (#^^#!), have spoken (dabar). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:17)
Slaughtering and butchering Jews would be a team effort. The Lord of Babel, the Devil’s Advocate, and the Babylonian military would all bludgeon God’s people. After all, a snake can only coil up and strike, envenomating its victims so many times without recharging its reservoir of toxin.
So, he told the enslaved man in Babylon…
And it exists, a word (wa hayah dabar) of This Is Not Him (#^^#!) to me to say (‘el ‘any ‘el ‘amar), (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:18) and you, son of person (wa ‘atah ben ‘adam), you must place for yourself (sym la ‘atah) two ways (shanaym derekym) for the sword (chereb) of the king (melek) of Babel | Babylon (Babel – With the Lord to Confound and Confuse by Commingling) to come (la bow’ – to arrive and enter).
From one land (min ‘erets ‘echad – out of a single country), they will withdraw and come out (yatsa’) – two of them (shanaym hem).
And a hand (wa yad), you must create by cutting off (bara’ – you are ordered to make out of nothing while hewing and hacking out (piel imperative)) with a head (ba ro’sh) you are compelled to hack off (bara’ – you must cut off or hewn out (piel imperative)) on the way to the city (derek ‘iyr). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:19)
This is rather odd in that a Jewish slave in Babylon is going to have no effect on the ongoing assault on Jerusalem. The Babylonians were familiar with the city, having pillaged it just seven years prior to the beginning of the second, more devastating attack.
And as an interesting curiosity, since he became famous for doing so, why doesn’t the Lord of Babel know 390the king’s name? Is he unwilling to share credit for the assault?
The reference to shanaym hem | two of them is also perplexing. Hem | them was scribed in the third-person masculine plural, but melek was singular as was chereb, which is also feminine. ‘Erets | land or country was specifically singular, leaving us with derekym | ways to represent hem. However, since the second siege encircled Jerusalem for 30 months, the ways the sword may have approached the city would have been meaningless. And in the following sentence, we are down to a single path.
With bara’, we have two very different choices. The verb is most often used to describe creating something out of nothing. But even as a miracle worker, Ezekiel wasn’t going to ‘play God’ and create a hand or a head for ‘show and tell.’ If he were imbued with superpowers, the Devil could have dispensed with all of the foolish shenanigans. So, we are left with the more gruesome and, unfortunately fitting, secondary connotation of bara’: to cut, hack, and hew off someone’s hand and head. Perhaps the Lord of Babel is auditioning the Devil’s Advocate for the role of Tamerlane the Terrible or Vlad the Impaler.
Moving beyond the horror of it all, the path that the Babylonian military would have taken to Jerusalem to commence their siege would have become irrelevant upon their arrival. Nonetheless…
Place and set a way (derek sym) for the sword (chereb) to arrive (la bow’) with Rabbah (‘eth Rabbah – an Ammonite town in today’s Amman, Jordan, meaning great) sons of Ammonites (beny Amown – a kindred or tribal people in the Transjordan, from ‘am – family and ‘amam – to be eclipsed and dimmed) and with Judah (wa ‘eth Yahuwdah) into fortified, walled, and impregnable Jerusalem (ba Yaruwshalaim batsuwr). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:20)
391I’m uncertain that any of this matters pursuant to the Lord’s assertions, but since we can learn from history, here is some of what we know of Ammon. It was thought that the Ammonites, who maintained their independence during the Neo-Assyrian Empire from the 10th to 7th centuries by paying tribute, ran afoul of Shalmaneser II during the battle of Qarqar in 853 BCE when they allied with ‘Ahab of Israel, Ben-hadad, the Syrians, and others. But then, in 734 BCE, as Tiglath-Pileser III, and later in 705 BCE, when Sennacherib of Assyria were scheming against Israel, they saved themselves by paying a relatively small tribute. During the reign of Ashurbanipal, circa 650 BCE, they were thought to have been subjugated to the point of assimilation. However, more recent archeology suggests that Ammon survived and actually flourished during the Neo-Babylonian Empire, from 626 to 539 BCE, contradicting the prior belief that they were all but exterminated by Nebuchadnezzar II when Judah was destroyed.
The Ammonites were so menacing toward Yisra’el, their rather gruesome attacks served to explain why the Yisra’elites sought a king to defend them, choosing Sha’uwl. Thereafter, King Dowd set siege to Rabbah, the capital of Ammon, and prevailed, plundering the city while forcing the survivors to fight under his command. Centuries later, as previously mentioned, the Ammonites allied with Ben-hadad in the battle of the Arameans and Assyrians at Qarar during the reign of Shalmaneser III. They were also said to have leagued with the Moabites against Jehoshaphat of Judah, although the allies turned on one another and slaughtered each other’s armies. The prophets, Amos and Jeremiah, spoke against them.
This known, the only reason for the Lord of Babel to mention them would have been to humiliate Jews. Ammon had been cruel to the Yisra’elites, so for the sword to arrive through Rabbah would have been terrifying.
392However, what follows is laughable…
For indeed (ky), the King of Babylon (melek Babel – the leader with the Lord, the ruler intermixing fact and fiction to confuse, the sovereign of the bible) was present, standing (‘amad) toward the mother (‘el ‘em) of the path (ha derek) in the head (ba ro’sh) of two of the ways (shanaym ha derekym) practice soothsaying and divination to make decisions and determine the future through supernatural powers, signs, and omens (qasem qesem).
He recedes, diminishing himself, and is humbled and trivialized by casting lots (qalal) with the arrows (ba ha chets). He asked permission through consultation, questioning the intent (sha’al) in conjunction with the household gods of various sizes and shapes (ba ha taraphym), having looked at the liver (ra’ah ba ha kabed – by considering his emotional feelings). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:21)
This is scandalous. We are to believe that the leader of the world’s most militant superpower paused at the mother of the path, the head of the two ways, to play with his arrows and tiny idols. He diminished and trivialized himself by asking the tiny gods he had brought from home to advise him, while considering his liver – the source of his emotions.
In the one chance in a billion that this occurred, there would have been no reason to mention it. That was unless Satan’s intent was to knock Nebuchadnezzar II down a notch such that he appeared subservient to the Lord of Babel.
By his right side (ba yamyn huw’) was the practice soothsaying and divination to make decisions and determine the future (ha qesem) of Jerusalem (Yaruwshalaim) to set (sym) the rams (kar – a whirling howdah, palanquin, saddle basket, pasture, or male lamb; 393from karar – to whirl and dance) to open a mouth (la patach peh) for murder (ba retsach – shattering and crushing moral agony, used only by Ezekiel; based upon ratsach – premeditated murder), lifting and raising up (la ruwm – to proudly exalt) the noise (qowl) with a joyful blast of acclaim (ba taruw’ah – by trumpeting the signal to clash and crash) to set (sym) the rams (kar) over the gates (‘al sa’ar) to pour out (la shaphak) siege ramps (solalah) to build perimeter assault mounds (dayeq). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:22)
The notion that Nebuchadnezzar would override his generals and position his assault weapons, not on the most strategic ground, but where his collection of little household gods suggested, is ludicrous.
To order an enslaved Jew in Babylon to tell Jews nearly a thousand miles away in Jerusalem that the “mouth of murder was being opened” is sadistic. And only a psychopath would suggest that the resulting noise as stones and bones are shattered is joyful. It is additionally morbid to set the siege weapons up and build the deadly perimeter by proudly blowing a trumpet.
Incidentally, kar is a strange term in this setting. It is used sixteen times, and while the primary definition is a howdah, which is a bed carried by a camel, it is also a palanquin, which is a litter borne on the shoulders of men using long poles. A kar can also be a basket saddle. Its verbal root, karar, means to whirl and dance. It is sometimes rendered “ram,” but I cannot find any justification for that connotation. Here, Ezekiel would have us believe that it is a battering ram.
Intoxicated with the fantasy that the Babylonian king would play this game and resort to divination rather than honed military tactics, the Devil pursues his story by suggesting that his demons may have tricked the king…
394And it will have been to them (wa hayah la hem) like (ka) a futile and vain (shawa’) divination to determine the future (qesem) with their eyes (ba ‘ayn hem) a sworn oath by an enchanter to fulfill an agreement or a curse (shabuw’ah shabuw’ah) for them (la hem) and he, himself, will remember and memorialize (huw’ zakar) the mistake and resulting guilt (‘awon) for the seizure (la tapash). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:23)
In a sea of odd statements, this one is particularly curious. Since the Lord of Babel hasn’t spoken to the Babylonians, he is inferring that the Judeans are going to think that the divination Nebuchadnezzar conducted was futile. And yet, they would not have been there to hear the oath of the enchanter, and thus, they were not a party to the religious tactic. And, therefore, the besieged Jews would have had nothing to memorialize. Further, since the siege lasted 30 months, how it began is irrelevant.
Whether the tactics were inspired by the big generals or little idols, it could not have been futile because Babylon prevailed. However, it seems clear that Satan is trying to blame Jews for their plight, telling them that because they remembered an oath, and memorialized their mistakes, they would be squished like a bug in a hand.
Therefore, it stands to reason (la ken), this is what thusly said (koh ‘amar) my Lord (‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!), because (ya’an) remembering you (zakar ‘atem) your mistake and resulting guilt (‘awon ‘atem) in uncovering and revealing (galah) your defiant rebellion (pesha’ ‘atem), so your sins (chata’ah ‘atem) are seen (ra’ah) with all your wanton practices (ba kol ‘alylah ‘atem) because of remembering of you (zakar ‘atem) in the palm (ba ha kaph) you are seized (taphas). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:24)
Satan isn’t even adept at victim shaming. And it is for damn sure, he makes a lousy god.
395And you (wa ‘atah), profane and defiled (chalal –common casualty), wickedly unrighteous (rasa’) uplifted and exalted leader (nasy’ – chief ruler) of Israel (Yisra’el) whose day has come and gone (‘asher bow’ yowm huw’) along with the final, end times (ba ‘eth qets), iniquity, guilt, and punishment (‘awon). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:25)
For Christians and their Lord, this is the Antichrist. But since we know that the Lord of Babel is the Adversary, the person he is assailing is both vitally important to Yisra’el’s salvation, and he is as tsadaq | righteous as they come.
The most uplifted and exalted leader of Yisra’el is King Dowd. And while his mortal passing was ordinary, his Chag Matsah and Yowm Kipurym returns will be anything but common. His first two arrivals, one as a shepherd and the other as a lamb, have come and gone, but there will be another in the last days. His return will be to restore the fortunes of those Satan has tried to victimize.
With Dowd’s homecoming, Satan’s game is over. The Adversary will be dispatched to She’owl along with those who promoted his agenda against God’s people.
This is what said (koh ‘amar) my Lord (‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!), remove (suwr) the headband of the high priest (mitsnepheth) and you must lift off (ruwm) the crown (ha ‘atarah).
This cannot be this way (zo’th lo’ zo’th). The lowly, humbled, and humiliated (shaphal – the self-abased) must be exalted, towering high, and afforded and elevated position (gabah) and the most esteemed and highest-ranking official, the most powerful individual (gaboah – the king of kings (masculine singular)) must be brought down and humiliated (shaphel – must be defeated, diminished, and shamed). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:26)
396There is only one person pertinent to this story who will wear the headband of the high priest in addition to the crown of Israel’s king – Dowd | David. He will do so upon his return, anointing the Kaporeth | Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant on Yowm Kipurym in year 6000 Yah. We discovered this during our study of Zakaryah’s prophetic portrayal of this day. You will find these insights presented within the Mow’ed | Appointments volume of Yada Yahowah.
Recognizing that Yahowah has affirmed Dowd’s return as Yisra’el’s eternal king countless times, Satan needs to prevent this from happening to prevail. The moment the Mercy Seat is anointed and Yowm Kipurym is fulfilled, the Devil is done. So, he is trying to keep this from happening.
In the second sentence, the Lord of Babel is refining his scenario while decrying God’s. Satan is the lowly and humiliated Adversary who wants to be exalted, towering high above Yahowah. And Dowd is not only the most esteemed person in God’s story, he is the one responsible for ending Satan’s story.
Desperate is as desperate does…
Overthrow and ruin (‘awah), distort and destroy (‘awah), pervert and twist (‘awah) – I will cause it (sym hy’). Although (gam), this (zo’th) will not occur (lo’ hayah) until whom it references arrives (‘ad bow’ ‘asher la huw’). This decision and judgment (ha mishpat) I have bestowed on him (wa nathan huw’). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:27)
From trying to forestall Yahowah’s return on Yowm Kipurym with His son, our King and Messiah, Dowd, so that he can continue to be worshiped as God, the Lord of Babel dispenses with rational transitions to insult an extinct people…
397And you (wa ‘atah), son of person (ben ‘adam), it is imperative that you prophesy (naba’), and have said (wa ‘amar), this is what (koh) said (‘amar) my Lord, the Master who possesses and controls me (‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!), to Ammonite sons (‘el beny ‘Amown) so as to insult and taunt them (wa ‘el cherphah hem).
Have said (wa ‘amar), a sword, a sword (chereb chereb) is open (patach) for slaughtering (tebach – for butchering) – polished, bared, and rubbed (marat) to be held and endure (la kuwl) in order to be (la ma’an) lightning (baraq). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:28)
In the 2nd century BCE, what little was left of the Ammonite kingdom was subjugated by Judas Maccabeus. So, there was no point in insulting them, much less killing them. Further, they were often conquered – by Dowd, Assyria, and Babylon, then the Maccabeus – but never slaughtered, making this another false prophecy.
There is also no record of the Ammonites seeing visions and reporting them to Yisra’el. They clearly promoted religious deceptions, but that is like saying pagans have many gods.
With seeing visions (ba chazah) for you (la ‘ath), vain, futile, and worthless (shawa’), with soothsaying divinations practiced and predicted (ba qasam) for you (la ‘ath), lies of pagan gods, deceptions and delusions (kazab) to give (la nathan) with you (‘eth ‘ath) to the necks (‘el tsawa’r) of the criminally profane and wickedly slain (chalal rasa’) whose day he had come for them (‘asher bow’ yowm hem) in time (ba ‘eth) of final wrongdoing and punishment (‘awon qets – of wickedness in the end). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:29)
It is peculiar that the Lord of Babel is proposing that the predictions the pagans made for Israel were gifts. There were so many of them, the Jews were up to their necks with the criminally profane and wickedly slain. Fortunately, it 398was time that they were punished, so at least someone was being held accountable for something.
You must return (shuwb) to a razor-keen knife in her sheath (‘el ta’ar hy’) in a place (ba maqowm) where (‘asher) you were created (bara’) in the land (ba ‘erets – in the realm or ground) your parentage (makuwrah ‘ath – of your origin, nativity, and ancestry). I will execute judgment against you (shaphat ‘eth ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:30)
Would this point of origin be among the Hittites or Amorites, in Chaldea or Canaan? Or are we going all the way back in time to ‘Eden? If so, does Satan think that there will be a different verdict, a more favorable outcome?
And why is the Lord of Babel talking to his sword, telling the weapon he has brought out to go back into its sheath? Does he not remember telling us that it will never be put away? Also, curious minds want to know why the Lord is bothering with executing judgment when he has already decided that he hates everyone, and they all will die.
Then I will pour out (wa shaphak) upon you (‘al ‘ath) my extreme indignation and wrath, my furious curses (za’am ‘any).
I will blow (puwach) upon you (‘al ‘ath) with the fire (ba ‘esh) of my angry arrogance and prideful insolence (‘ebrah ‘any – my outburst of overflowing and excessive rage).
And I will give you (wa nathan ‘ath) into the hands (ba yad) of stupid and brutal individuals (‘iysh ba’ar – senseless and violent men), craftsmen of chaos, denizens of destruction, artisans of extermination, and fabricators of fables (charash mashchyth). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:31)
399Somebody has an issue with pent-up anger and a problem with bad breath. Outbursts of extreme indignation, outpourings of furious curses, and the breath of angry arrogance from prideful insolence make for a very nasty Adversary.
Satan is so bad he demeans his accomplices, calling the Babylonians stupid and brutish. Although to their credit, the boys of Babel are pros – craftsmen of chaos and denizens of destruction, true artisans of extermination while fabricating fables. Since they are performing at such a high level, are they being labeled senseless because Satan isn’t into sharing credit, or does he have high standards? Tough call.
Who is it that is destined for the fire – the insulted Ammonites, the brutish Babylonians, or the commonly victimized Yisra’elites? And while it isn’t a definitive count because there are so many variations on common themes, these denizens of death and destruction appear to be Satan’s 24th way to die. And despite their diligence and craftsmanship, it does not seem like a pleasant way to go…
To the fire (la ha ‘esh)! Your blood (dam ‘ath) will continually be (hayah) fuel feeding it (la ‘aklah), existing in the midst (hayah ba tawek) of the land (ha ‘erets) – no longer remembered (lo’ zakar) because (ky), I (‘any), This Is Not Him (#^^#!), have spoken (dabar). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 21:32)
Yahowah conceived life and celebrates with the living. Satan, not so much.
We have passed the 400th page in our examination of the Book of Ezekiel, and we have yet to find anything that has been beneficial or true. Although almost every word 400has been insightful – at least those which were somewhat comprehensible. We have been given the Devil’s playbook, delineating his plans for Yisra’el and passion to be seen as the Lord God of religion.
In many ways, this sojourn through Satan’s mind has been similar to what we experienced deciphering the Quran and Hadith for Prophet of Doom and then dissecting Paul’s letters while considering his influence on the Christian New Testament in Questioning Paul. The Lords are the same, and the writing quality throughout has been equally deplorable. This should not be surprising because Paul and Muhammad admitted to having been possessed by Satan. Muhammad even acknowledged that he spoke for him. And it is obvious that Ezekiel is a rhetorical device serving as the voice of ha Satan.
As we continue, our goal will remain the same. I wrote Prophet of Doom and Questioning Paul, and now Babel, to free Muslims, Christians, and Jews from their religions so that they are prepared to meet God. And that is the intent of Yada Yahowah. Our plan is comprehensive and cohesive because your soul is worth the effort.
I am also committed to exposing the Lord’s desire to misappropriate Yahowah’s name and claim it for himself.
And a word, it is (wa hayah dabar) of This Is Not Him (#^^#!) to me for saying (‘el ‘any la ‘amar), (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:1) and you (wa ‘atah), son of person (ben ‘adam), will you actually decide and continually judge (ha shaphat)? Will you actually decide and continually judge (ha shaphat – can you execute justice and inflict punishment (qal imperfect)) a city (‘eth ‘iyr) of the blood (ha dam)?
Then you must have known of her (wa yada’) with all of her abominations (‘eth kol tow’ebah hy’). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:2)
401This is victim shaming. To blame Jerusalem for enduring a 30-month siege is to cast aspersions in the wrong direction. While there were times when Jews were the instigators, causing much of the bloodshed which followed, this was not one of those occasions. Israel, and now Judea, sat between superpowers. In internal disarray, and estranged from Yahowah, the splintered nation was unable to defend itself from Egypt and Assyria or, now, Babylon. So, Jews were caught trying to decide which empire to bribe to be left alone and alive. And more often than not, they chose poorly, which was why Yirma’yah predicted this outcome.
You said (wa ‘amar), thus said (koh ‘amar) my Lord (‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!), a city (‘iyr) dramatizing the pouring out and shedding of blood (shaphak dam) in her midst (ba tawek hy’) may come her time (la bow’ ‘eth hy’). She has done (wa ‘asah) idols, rolling images of religious dung (giluwlym) upon herself (‘al hy’) to be unclean, defiled and impure (la tame’). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:3)
The Lord is so fixated on accusing others of shedding blood, worshiping religious images, and being defiled, methinks he is trying to deflect accountability. By dressing Jews up as himself, he creates a straw man to argue against. And this enables the Adversary to rail against that perception of himself as if he were morally superior.
‘Amar was translated “said,” past tense, because it was scribed using the perfect conjugation. We are, of course, aware that past, present, and future tenses do not exist in Hebrew. The action is either completed in the perfect conjugation or ongoing when scribed in the imperfect. Normally, when conveying the Hebrew message in English, we deduce the appropriate tense from either the context or our familiarity with the Towrah and Prophets. However, in Ezekiel’s case, there are three issues which preclude the more nuanced approach. First, we lack 402sufficient familiarity with Satan to ascertain what he may have intended. Second, we understand that Satan is incapable of prophecy. He makes a word salad of current events. And third, exposing the fact that the writing quality is impoverished is an essential part of this story. It would be inappropriate, therefore, to correct the Devil’s mistakes.
With these things in mind, I am continuing to render the completed action of the perfect conjugation in the past and the continuing aspect of the imperfect in the present and future. The participle dramatizes the imperfect and is conveyed as such while the infinitive floats within the narrative. Also, the imperative, while typically conveying volition, is presented as a command in Ezekiel because the Son of Person is a rhetorical device and not an actual individual with freewill. Therefore, while I am no longer burdening the text by identifying each grammatical element, I am trying to reflect the intent as consistently as possible.
Apart from the fact that Satan does not have any blood to shed nor hands, when we consider the blood he has inspired others to shed and the idols he encouraged men to make, much of this is true – at least when applied to the speaker – the Lord of Babylon.
By your blood (ba dam ‘ath) which you had shed (shaphak), you were guilty as sin (‘asham). And with your idols, your rolling images of religious dung (wa ba giluwlym ‘ath) which you had made (‘asher ‘asah), you were defiled (tame’).
You are continually approaching (wa qarab) your days (yowm ‘ath) and you will come (wa bow’ – you will arrive (qal imperfect second-person masculine singular)) until (‘owd) your years (shanah ‘ath).
Therefore (‘al ken), I had given (nathan) for you (‘ath) a contemptible disgrace (cherphah) to the gentiles (la ha gowym) and a laughingstock (qalasah – an object 403to be mocked and jeered) to all of the lands (la kol ha ‘erets). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:4)
I think that the Lord may have meant to say that a time is quickly approaching when Jews would become a disgraced laughingstock among gentiles. However, since Satan is a prophetic failure, he is likely offering his commentary on current events, mocking the Jews for having been besieged by Babylon.
Should we take this narrative seriously, the only people near the speaker would have been captive Jews in Babylon. And the only distant individuals capable of reading Hebrew would have been the Jews being strangled by the Babylonian siege. We can be assured that neither locale would have found any of this funny.
Those near (ha qarowb) and those far (wa ha rachowb) from you (min ‘ath) are making fun of you, mocking and jeering with you (qalas ba ‘ath). Unclean (tame’) the name (ha shem), many the confusion and consternation (rab ha mahuwmah). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:5)
Under the heading of knowing your enemy, it would take a psychopath to say such a thing.
There is an ongoing assault being perpetrated on these pages which we have not yet discussed. Many of Yahowah’s favorite terms are being sullied. Ezekiel, for example, is called ben ‘adam | child of humankind. Yahowah’s name, which appears 217 times, is the ultimate casualty in this book. Secondarily, but consistently, Yisra’el is besmirched. Hineh | pay close attention is routinely corrupted in this context. And now, for the sixth of thirteen times, we are witnessing the degradation of zarowa’ – a title Yahowah has applied to two men in addition to their latter-day witness: Moseh and Dowd, and then because of them, His Choter, Yada’.
404Behold (hineh), the elevated and esteemed leaders (nasy’) of Israel (Yisra’el), individual to his arm (‘iysh la zarowa’ huw’), they have been in you (hayah ba ‘ath) in order to (la ma’an) pour out (shaphak) blood (dam). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:6)
Father and mother (‘ab wa ‘em) were disdained, having become smaller (qalal) in you (ba ‘ath). To the alien (la ha ger), they did (‘asah) with oppression and tyranny, even extortion (‘osheq). In your midst (ba tawek ‘ath), a fatherless orphan (yathowm) and a widow (wa ‘almanah) are suppressed and mistreated (yanah – are done wrong) in you (ba ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:7)
It bears repeating, Yisra’el was lost and could not be addressed at the time, which this is something even the Devil would have known. A century had come and gone since a Yisra’elite leader had been esteemed. It would have been hard to find a nasy’ | elevated ruler or zarowa’ | strong arm within the besieged city. And it is for certain, while Jews were bleeding, they were not responsible for the blood being shed.
Parents were no more lightly esteemed nor growing smaller in Judea than in any other place. And Judeans were far more accommodating of outsiders than Yahowah would have preferred, all too often emulating them. As for an orphan or widow being mistreated, again, while not Towrah-compliant in this regard, Yahuwdym were more accommodating than gentiles on average.
Qodesh is another important concept associated with Yahowah being corrupted by Satan. And while it speaks of being set apart unto Yahowah and separated from that which is common among men, and thus isolated from those who are religious and political, that is not how the Lord is using the term. Having coveted and corrupted what is 405God’s, the following reference likely speaks of Satan claiming the Temple Mount as his own.
My sanctuary (qodesh ‘any) you despised (bazah) and my Sabbaths (wa ‘eth shabatoth ‘any) you profaned, making common (chalal). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:8)
Until it was gone, Jews treasured the Temple. Sure, they misappropriated its intent, but they did not despise it. Further, religious Jews have come full circle on the Shabat, from failing to observe it to convoluting it to the point that it has become the most arduous day of the week. But there has always only been one Shabat and it has never been common.
Individuals (‘iysh) have been (hayah) tattle tales and slanderous gossips (rakyl) with you (ba ‘ath) for the reason of (la ma’an) pouring out blood (shaphak dam) and to the mountains (wa ‘el ha harym) they have eaten (‘akal) with you (ba ‘ath).
Lewd and shameless sexual behavior (zimah) they have committed (‘asah) in your midst (ba tawek ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:9)
All signs indicate the Devil is a deviant. His fascination with male genitalia and female menstruation is unnerving – especially for a spiritual being.
Genitals (‘erwah) of father (‘ab), they uncovered and revealed (galah) in you (ba ‘ath). The unclean impurity (tame’) of the menstruation of the woman’s period of discharge (ha nidah), they were preoccupied with afflicting (‘anah) with you (ba ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:10)
The Lord had a miscue with ‘anah. There is no rational way to make it work when addressing ha nidah | the filthy discharge. Our options with ‘anah included “replied, answered, or responded,” “afflicted, oppressed, or humbled,” in addition to “sang about the right of 406cohabitation while preoccupied.” Therefore, we can surmise by reading this limited palette of crude terms that the Devil’s vocabulary is stunted.
An individual (wa ‘iysh) with his evil companion’s woman (‘eth ‘ishah rea’ huw’) did an abomination (‘asah tow’ebah). And an individual (wa ‘iysh) with his bride or daughter-in-law (‘eth kalah huw’), he had made unclean (tame’ – he defiled) with lewd sexual behavior (ba zimah).
An individual (wa ‘iysh) with his sister (‘eth ‘achowth huw’), his father’s daughter (bath ‘ab huw’), he either replied, answered, and responded, or he afflicted, oppressed, and humbled while singing about the right of cohabitation while preoccupied (‘anah) in you (ba ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:11)
Three bad people, should they have existed, does not a society make. This is a logical fallacy, projecting onto the group the worst behavior of the few. Logic aside, however, Satan continues to exhibit a disturbing fascination with sexuality.
Gifts and presents, tributes or bribes (shachad) they have grasped (laqach) with you (ba ‘ath) for the purpose of pouring out (shaphak) blood (dam).
Usurious interest (nesek) and excessive interest and profit (wa tarbyth) you have taken (laqach).
And you take advantage of, profiting from (wa batsa’) your rotten relatives (rea’ ‘ath) with extortion (ba ha ‘osheq). And with me (wa ‘eth ‘any), you ignored, overlooked, and forgot (shakach), utters (na’um) my Lord (‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:12)
Judea offered tributes to Babylon and then Egypt expressly to avoid shedding blood. So, Satan is confused. 407And without interest, there are no loans. And without loans, only the rich have access to capital, property, and homes.
Profit is a dirty word with Satan. It is something he and the current communist pope, Francis, share in common. In this year’s Christmas message, as head of the richest and most powerful institution in human history, he condemned the accumulation of wealth and power. I did notice another similarity. The pope is running around in a spiffy wheelchair not unlike the Lord of Babel. Who do you suppose would win the race between the morally crippled?
As for ignoring and then forgetting the Son of Person’s Lord, I relish the day. I’m not in agreement with smiting businesses, as is the custom today because, without them, societies have very little to offer.
So, behold (wa hineh), I struck a vicious blow to afflict and defeat, killing with (nakah) my palm (kaph ‘any) toward your advantage and gain (‘el betsa’ ‘ath – to your greed) which you had made (‘asher ‘asah) and upon (wa ‘al) your blood (dam ‘ath) which (‘asher) was in your midst (hayah ba tawek ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:13)
Clearly, Satan wants to hold every advantage over Jews, which is why he is admitting to striking down and defeating those who are economically successful. He wants everyone indebted to him, thereby making them easier prey. Businessmen and businesswomen are much harder to manipulate than those living on government entitlements.
But since the Towrah encourages us to avoid blood, why is the Lord deliberately striking those who are bleeding? And since Jews are the ones who are bleeding, wouldn’t that distinguish them as victims?
Will your heart be present (ha ‘amad leb ‘ath) if (‘im) your hands are harsh and firm (chazaq yad ‘ath) 408toward the days (la ha yowmym) that (‘asher) I (‘any) will deal (‘asah) with you (‘eth ‘ath)?
I (‘any), This Is Not Him (#^^#!), had spoken (dabar). And I did (wa ‘asah). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:14)
How many unfulfilled threats must the Lord of Babel make before someone realizes that he is all bluster? And how many inaccurate statements are required to disqualify a prophet? If you have read the Towrah and answered, ‘One,’ let this be it…
And so, I scattered (wa puwts) you within the gentiles (‘eth ‘ath ba ha gowym). And I have dispersed (wa zarah) you in the lands (‘ath ba ha ‘erets). So, I have completely finished (wa tamam) your dirtiness (tuma’ah ‘ath) from you (min ‘ath). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:15)
Yahuwdym would be scattered in Diaspora by the Romans, but that had not yet occurred. Previously, Yisra’el had been lost, not dispersed. And Yahowah’s intent with the 70-year time out in Babylon was to keep Yahuwdym together, albeit away from Yahuwdah for a while. Further, the eventual scattering of Jews did not resolve the people’s impurity. It made it worse.
You were defiled (wa chalal) by you (ba ‘ath) toward the eyes (la ‘ayn) of the gentiles (gowym) you are aware (wa yada’) that (ky) I (‘any), This Is Not Him (#^^#!). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:16)
Now there is an interesting admission. According to Satan, by Israelis defiling themselves, they proved that the Lord is Yahowah.
And a word, it is (wa hayah dabar) of This Is Not Him (#^^#!) to me for saying (‘el ‘any la ‘amar), (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:17) son of person (ben ‘adam), it was for me (hayah la ‘any) the Household of Israel (beyth Yisra’el) for apostasy, turning away, and backsliding 409(suwg), all of them (kol hem) copper or bronze (nachosheth – a malleable alloy) and tin (wa badyl), iron ore (wa barzel) or lead (wa ‘ophreth) in the midst of a furnace (ba tawek kuwr). They were dross (hayah syg) of silver (keseph). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:18)
TINH is saying that, for him, Israel’s purpose was for suwg | apostasy. If he were God, that would not be the case.
Moving on to the bag of mixed metaphors, how is it that every Israelite can be copper, bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the same furnace while also being the dross of silver? Unable to make sense of his own accounting, the Lord gives up and pronounces…
Therefore, it stands to reason (la ken) thus said (koh ‘amar) my Lord (‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!) because (ya’an) are all of you (hayah kol ‘atem) for dross (la syg). Therefore (la ken), behold (hineh), I will gather (‘any qabats) you to the midst (‘eth ‘atem ‘el tawek) of Jerusalem (Yaruwshalaim). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:19)
We have yet another way to kill Jews – the 25th overall. The Lord of Babel is going to gather them all together and then turn Jerusalem into a roaring furnace.
Collecting (qabuwtsah) silver (keseph), and bronze (wa nachosheth), and iron ore (wa barzel), and lead (wa ‘ophreth), and tin (wa badyl) to the midst of a furnace (‘el tawek kuwr) to blow, fanning and breathing (la naphach) fire on him (‘al huw’ ‘esh) for pouring it out molten and melted (la natak). In this way (ken), I will gather them together (qabats) in my angry nostrils (ba ‘aph ‘any) and in my venomous serpentine rage and toxicity (wa ba chemah ‘any) because I have restored my physical energy (nuwach) as I melt you all (wa nathak ‘eth ‘atem). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:20)
While death by melting sounds sufficiently sadistic for Satan to want to expose Jews to such a thing, apart from an 410acidic bath, it isn’t possible. The human body is 75% water, which evaporates and 18% carbon which turns to ash. Even the trace elements, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, and chlorine, are not going to melt in a furnace. Nor will melting Jews do anything to restore Satan’s luster.
Unwilling to let go…
So, I have gathered and encircled (wa kanas) you (‘esh ‘atem). And I will blow on you (naphach ‘al ‘atem) with the fire (ba ‘esh) of my wrathful fury and arrogant insolence (‘ebrah ‘any) and you will be melted (wa nathak) in the midst of her (ba tawek hy’). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:21)
And here I thought that fire-breathing dragons were a myth. Apparently, they are real. Perhaps, then, with all of this togetherness around the campfire, there will be a chorus singing: Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea. And he frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Israeli. A dragon lives forever, but not so little Jews.
Okay, so that might have been lame. But with Satan’s rendition of a thousand ways to die, I thought we could use a diversion. After all, Ezekiel’s Lord is a flaming TINH.
As is melted (ka hithuwk) silver (keseph) in the midst (ba tawek) of a furnace (kuwr), in this way, you will be melted (ken nathak) in the middle of her (ba tawek hy’). And so, you will have discovered (wa yada’) that (ky), I am (‘any) This Is Not Him (#^^#!).
I will have poured out (shaphak) my venomous rage and deadly snake toxin (chemah ‘any) over you all (‘al ‘atem). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:22)
Moving on, please…
And a word, it is (wa hayah dabar) of This Is Not Him (#^^#!) to me for saying (‘el ‘any la ‘amar), (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:23) son of person (ben ‘adam), 411you must say (‘amar) to her (la hy’), you of a land (‘ath ‘erets) dirty and immoral (lo’ thaher). She no rain (hy’ lo’ goshem) she in day (hy’ ba yowm) of wrath and curses (za’am). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:24)
The weather has changed. Instead of regional warming as a result of the raging furnace, we have a dirty drought comprised of wrathful curses. But as one might expect, there will be climate deniers…
A conspiracy of treasonous defiance (qesher) of her prophets (naby’ hy’) in the midst of her (ba tawek hy’) like a roaring lion (‘ary sha’ag) mangling by ripping apart (taraph) the souls (nepesh) they have devoured (‘akal – they have eaten).
Treasure (chosen) and honor (wa yaqar) they have seized (laqach). Her widows (‘almanah hy’) they have multiplied (rabah) in her midst (ba tawek hy’). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:25)
If there was a conspiracy on this day, it was in creating the illusion that Ezekiel was a prophet, and his Lord was a god. And it was Master and Possessed, as attested by their own words, who sought to mangle the souls they were seeking to devour. Satan is, thereby, attempting to dishonor Yahowah’s witnesses and people by projecting his peculiarities on them.
And at the moment, there was no point in seizing anything. Whatever of value existed in Jerusalem was being confiscated by the Babylonians.
There is no point in Jewish history when God’s people “violently and physically harmed the Towrah.” They are known to have ignored it and to have turned a deaf ear, even to having misinterpreted it via the Babylonian Talmud. But shredding it was not among their crimes. Even today, religious Jews dress the Towrah up like a whore and kiss it.
412Religious Jews are keenly aware of what is clean and unclean. They have written tomes about both. And while their Shabat observance is torturous, the importance of the seventh day has long been at the forefront of Jewish life. It has never been a secret.
Her priests (kohen hy’) have violently and physically harmed (chamas) my torah (towrah ‘any) and they are profaning and dishonoring (chalal) my sanctuary (qodesh ‘any). Between (bayn) sacred (qodesh) to common (la chol – ordinary) they did not separate (lo’ badal). And between (wa bayn) the unclean (ha tame’) to the clean (la tahowr) they did not know (lo’ yada’). And from my Sabbaths (wa min shabatowth ‘any) they hid as if a secret, concealing (‘alam) of their eyes (‘ayn hem). And so, I am defiled and profaned, even common (chalal) within their midst (ba tawek hem). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:26)
Not true.
Her leaders, especially those serving the king (sar hy’), in her inner parts (ba qereb hy’), like wolves (ka za’eb) tear (taraph) prey (tereph) to pour out blood (la shaphak dam) to destroy souls (la ‘abad nepesh) for the purpose of (la ma’an) ill-gotten gain, cutting off by taking advantage (besa’ besa’ – being greedy). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:27)
Jerusalem was under siege. There were no wolves in her midst. There was no prey. Souls do not bleed. And the only correlation currently between carnivores and economics is The Wolf of Wall Street – and it isn’t credible either.
It's been a while since Jews were condemned for daubing, but their artistry was not forgotten…
So her prophets (wa naby’ hy’) have plastered over them, whitewashing and coating them (tuwach la hem), 413whitening the wall and making it unappealing and tasteless (taphel), seeing false and worthless, inconsequential visions (chazah shawa’) practicing divination to seek omens to predict the future (wa qasam) to their lies, deceptions, and delusions (la hem kazab), saying (‘amar), Thus said (koh ‘amar) my Lord (‘adony) This Is Not Him (#^^#!) when (wa) This Is Not Him (#^^#!), he did not speak (lo’ dabar). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:28)
Throughout Ezekiel, the most notorious false prophet is used to condemn those who actually spoke for Yahowah. Here, God’s witnesses are accused of whitewashing and plastering over whatever Satan is opining in a tasteless fashion. These lies are to be believed while the real prophets are delusional. However, there is a slight problem with the Lord’s story. The only place where we read “Thus said (koh ‘amar) my Lord (‘adony) This Is Not Him (#^^#!)” is here in Ezekiel. So, since TINH isn’t speaking, who is?
The Earth had become a scary place with defrauders, extortioners, and kidnappers stealing and robbing – oh my. The afflicted are oppressed and the miserable are needy. Disadvantaged aliens are exploited without justice. This sounds like the bane of civilization and reflects the culture most everywhere on Earth.
The people of the land (‘am ha ‘erets), they have defrauded (‘ashaq), extorted (‘osheq), and kidnaped (wa gazal), stealing and robbing (gazel).
So, the afflicted and oppressed, the miserable and persecuted (wa ‘any) and the poor and needy (wa ‘ebyown), they have taken advantage (yanah). And (wa) the alien and stranger (ger), they have exploited and extorted (‘ashaq) without justice (ba lo’ mishpat). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:29)
414So, what is a demon to do? How is Satan going to prevent God from intervening and extinguishing Jerusalem’s furnaces after cramming them full of Jews?
And so (wa), I am seeking (baqash) from them (min hem) a person (‘iysh) who could build a stone wall (gadar gader – to restore a prior prison and block progress) and stand in the breach (wa ‘amad ba ha perets) before me (la paneh ‘any) behind and through, over and around (ba’ad), the Land and Earth (ha ‘erets) to not destroy or corrupt it (la blithy shachath hy’), but I found none (wa lo’ matsa’). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:30)
The answer would have been to build a wall to keep God at bay and Jews trapped inside, but sadly, with the Babylonians busy tearing it down, the Lord couldn’t find anyone to build it up. And frankly, the scope seems imposing. Even if we were to limit ha ‘erets to the Land of Israel, behind and through, over and around sounds ambitious. However, if you don’t mind him taking all of the credit, and if you do not care who pays for it, you might consider The Donald. He’s big on MAGA walls.
And speaking of walls, in the next volume we’ll take measure of the Lord’s designs for a massive concentration camp for Jews in the guise of his temple complex. It is Auschwitz on a monstrous scale. And it is designed to rob Yahuwdym of a homeland, flatten Mowryah, and bury Yaruwshalaim.
Back to Babylon, the dearth of wall builders and breach standers would prove costly…
And so (wa), I am pouring out (shaphak) over them (‘al hem) my curses and angry indignation (za’am ‘any) with the fire (ba ‘esh) of my arrogant pride and furious rage (‘ebrah ‘any). I have finished them (kalah hem – even though I have grown weary of killing them).
415Their way (derek hem) in their head (ba ro’sh hem) I had provided (nathan), reveals (na’um) my Lord (‘adony), This Is Not Him (#^^#!). (Yachezq’el / Ezekiel 22:31)
For the want of a stone piler, there would be a furious fire – Satan’s Final Solution.
