For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination. He shakes the arrows; he consults the teraphim; he looks at the liver.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse reveals that Nebuchadnezzar, despite his military might, stood at a literal crossroads, wrestling with a critical decision about which enemy to attack first. He wasn't relying on strategy alone, but on ancient pagan rituals—shaking arrows marked with city names and inspecting a sacrificed animal's liver—highlighting his desperate reliance on mystical signs rather than divine guidance.
For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination. He shakes the arrows; he consults the teraphim; he looks at the liver.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Ezekiel has been told to prophesy against Jerusalem, and in the previous verses, a symbolic action of the king of Babylon preparing for war is described. Now, the prophet explains this action, showing Nebuchadnezzar at a crossroads, contemplating whether to attack the Ammonites at Rabbah or Jerusalem first. To decide, he resorts to various pagan divination practices, including shaking arrows, consulting household idols, and inspecting animal livers.
Imagine standing at a fork in the road, not knowing which path leads to success. The king of Babylon faces this very moment, but his decision-making process is far from ordinary.
Nebuchadnezzar finds himself at a significant crossroads, literally at the 'parting of the way' and the 'head of the two ways.' This isn't just a geographical marker; it represents a moment of critical decision. One path leads toward Jerusalem, the other toward Rabbah, the capital of the Ammonites. He needs to decide his next move in his military campaign. His uncertainty highlights that even powerful rulers face moments where the future is unclear, and they seek ways to gain certainty.
In his quest for answers, the king turns to a collection of ancient rituals. But what do these practices reveal about his understanding of divine guidance?
The verse lists three specific methods of divination Nebuchadnezzar employs: shaking arrows, consulting teraphim (household idols), and inspecting a liver. These were common practices among ancient Near Eastern peoples seeking to discern the will of their gods.
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These rituals, while providing a sense of control for the king, are ultimately empty. They are human attempts to manipulate or predict the future, bypassing true divine revelation.
While the king is meticulously consulting his idols and rituals, a far greater power is already at work, directing the very outcome he seeks to discover.
The profound irony in this passage is that Nebuchadnezzar is desperately trying to discover God's will through pagan divination, while God's sovereign plan is already in motion. Ezekiel is prophesying these events, not as possibilities, but as certainties.
God allows these rituals to be described to show the futility of seeking answers apart from Him. The king’s intense focus on his divination—shaking arrows, consulting idols, examining livers—is ultimately a distraction from the reality that God is the one controlling the course of nations and kings. While Nebuchadnezzar believes he is making a choice, God has already ordained the path his army will take, and that path leads directly to the destruction of Jerusalem.
Understand the original words
melek · Hebrew Noun
A king of a nation; in biblical usage, it refers to a sovereign ruler over a people. When applied to God, it refers to His supreme, eternal rule over all creation.
qesem · Hebrew Noun
Practices used to seek hidden knowledge or future outcomes through supernatural, demonic, or superstitious means. God strictly forbade this in Israel, as it seeks guidance from sources other than Himself.
teraphim · Hebrew Noun
Household gods or idols often used for divination or ancestral veneration in the Ancient Near East. They were considered forbidden objects that represented idolatrous departure from the worship of Yahweh.
This verse vividly illustrates Nebuchadnezzar's strategic thinking, revealing how ancient kings relied on a mixture of military might and superstitious practices to guide their decisions, even as God sovereignly directed the outcome.
c. 605 BC
Nebuchadnezzar's Ascension and Early Campaigns
Nebuchadnezzar II becomes king of Babylon and begins a period of extensive military campaigns to solidify Babylonian power in the region.
c. 597 BC
First Deportation of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar lays siege to Jerusalem and deports King Jehoiachin and many prominent citizens to Babylon, signifying increasing Babylonian control over Judah.
c. 589 BC
Siege of Jerusalem Begins
After a period of rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar returns to Jerusalem, initiating a long and devastating siege that would ultimately lead to the city's destruction.
c. 587-586 BC— this verse
King of Babylon Divines His Next Move
Nebuchadnezzar, poised at a crossroads, consults various divination methods to decide whether to first attack Jerusalem or Rabbath Ammon.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonians breach Jerusalem's walls, destroy the Temple, and deport the remaining population, marking the end of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
c. 582 BC
Final Deportation from Judah
Nebuchadnezzar conducts a final deportation of Jews from Judah, further consolidating Babylonian rule and scattering the remaining population.
This passage equates rebellion with the sin of 'teraphim' (idolatry/images), highlighting the spiritual connection between consulting forbidden objects and defiance against God's will, mirroring Nebuchadnezzar's reliance on idols instead of divine guidance.
Jeremiah 10:2Jeremiah warns against learning the ways of the nations, specifically mentioning 'teraphim' and 'astrology,' connecting these practices to false gods and demonstrating that such divination was a hallmark of pagan cultures that Israel was warned against adopting.
Isaiah 47:13This passage directly mocks Babylon's reliance on its 'astrologers' and 'diviners' who look to the stars, similar to Ezekiel's description of Nebuchadnezzar's divination, showing God's contempt for such attempts to know the future apart from Him.
Proverbs 16:33This proverb states that 'The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord,' offering a profound contrast to Nebuchadnezzar's divination, suggesting that even the casting of lots (like divination with arrows) is ultimately under God's sovereign control.
ellicottEzekiel 21:21: "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."
(21) To use divination. —Various particular forms of divination are mentioned just afterwards. This is a general term to include them all. Divination was always resorted to by the heathen on occasions of important questions. In this case, while Nebuchadnezzar thought in this way to determine his act…
gillEzekiel 21:21: "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."
For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways,.... That is, he would stand there; the prophet knew that it was certain it should be, and therefore represents it as if it was; he had, by a spirit of prophecy, seen, that when the king of Babylon was come to such…
This verse reveals that Nebuchadnezzar, despite his military might, stood at a literal crossroads, wrestling with a critical decision about which enemy to attack first. He wasn't relying on strategy alone, but on ancient pagan rituals—shaking arrows marked with city names and inspecting a sacrificed animal's liver—highlighting his desperate reliance on mystical signs rather than divine guidance.
Ezekiel has been told to prophesy against Jerusalem, and in the previous verses, a symbolic action of the king of Babylon preparing for war is described. Now, the prophet explains this action, showing Nebuchadnezzar at a crossroads, contemplating whether to attack the Ammonites at Rabbah or Jerusalem first. To decide, he resorts to various pagan divination practices, including shaking arrows, consulting household idols, and inspecting animal livers.
Ezekiel has been told to prophesy against Jerusalem, and in the previous verses, a symbolic action of the king of Babylon preparing for war is described. Now, the prophet explains this action, showing Nebuchadnezzar at a crossroads, contemplating whether to attack the Ammonites at Rabbah or Jerusalem first. To decide, he resorts to various pagan divination practices, including shaking arrows, consulting household idols, and inspecting animal livers.
"For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination. He shakes the arrows; he consults the teraphim; he looks at the liver." — This verse reveals that Nebuchadnezzar, despite his military might, stood at a literal crossroads, wrestling with a critical decision about which enemy to attack first. He wasn't relying on strategy…
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Last reviewed October 2026