Ezekiel 21:21-22

Ezekiel 21:21-22

[21] For the king  of Babylon  stood  at the parting  of the way,  at the head  of the two  ways,  to use  divination:  he made his arrows  bright,  he consulted  with images,  he looked  in the liver.  [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. 

What does Ezekiel 21:21-22 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

When the king of Babylon reached the fork in the road, he used pagan methods to determine which road he should take (cf. Isaiah 47:8-15). Belomancy involved writing various names on several arrows, mixing them in a quiver, and then drawing or throwing them out. The arrow chosen indicated the god"s selection. Teraphim were household idols that the pagans believed had connections with the spirits of departed ancestors who could communicate with them (necromancy). Hepatoscopy involved inspecting the liver or entrails of a sacrificed animal and making a decision based on their shape, color, and markings.
Both Judah and Ammon had proved to be disloyal vassals; they had both rebelled against Babylon in593 B.C. The lot fell to go against Jerusalem and to besiege it rather than Rabbah. Obviously the Lord controlled the pagan means that Nebuchadnezzar used to determine what He should do ( Proverbs 16:33; Proverbs 21:1; Jeremiah 27:6).