axes

May 21, 2017

The attack on the city and the neighboring towns (Ezek 26:8-26:9)

“King Nebuchadnezzar

Will put to the sword

Your daughter towns

On the mainland.

He will set up

A siege wall

Against you.

He will cast up

A ramp

Against you.

He will raise a roof

Of shields

Against you.

He shall direct

The shock

Of his battering rams

Against your walls.

He will break down

Your towers

With his axes.”

King Nebuchadnezzar was going to kill people in the neighboring towns of Tyre that were further inland. However, he was also going to set up a siege wall against Tyre with a ramp and shields. He was going to use battering rams against their walls. He was going to break down their towers with axes.

January 25, 2017

The attack on Egypt (Jer 46:22-46:24)

“‘She makes a sound

Like a snake gliding away.

Her enemies march in force.

They come against her

With axes,

Like those who fell trees.

They shall cut down

Her forest.’

Says Yahweh.

‘Even though it is

Impenetrable,

Because they are

More numerous

Than locusts.

They are without number.

Daughter Egypt

Shall be put to shame.

She shall be handed over

To a people from the north.’”

The Egyptians will slitter away like a snake as her enemies shall attack her in full force. They are coming with axes to kill her, as if they were clearing a forest. This enemy is like a large swarm of locusts that is so numerous that cannot be measured. Good daughter Egypt will be put to shame, as she will be handed over to the people from the north.

October 29, 2015

Description of the devastation (Ps 74:4-74:8)

“Your foes have roared

Within your holy place.

They set up their emblems there.

At the upper entrance

They hacked the wooden trellis with axes.

Then they smashed all its carved work

With hatchets and hammers.

They set your sanctuary on fire.

They desecrated the dwelling place of your name.

They said to themselves.

‘We will utterly subdue them.’

They burned

All the meeting places of God

In the land.”

Asaph then presented a detailed description of the destruction that took place. The enemies of God roared in God’s holy place. They set up their own emblems within the Temple. At the entrance to the Temple they hacked down the wooden trellis with axes. They smashed all the carved works with hatchets and hammers. Then they set the sanctuary on fire. They manually smashed and hacked away until they set it ablaze. They said to themselves that they had subdued the Israelites because they had burned their Temple and all the other meeting places of God. This might be later since originally there was only one Temple.