Ezekiel 25:2 - Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

Set thy face against the Ammonites. — It has already been mentioned that the utterances against the four contiguous nations of Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia are all contained in one prophecy, and that this prophecy was evidently spoken after the fall of Jerusalem, and, consequently, after the date of Ezekiel 26:1. The Ammonites, descended from Lot’s incest with his younger daughter, had been for centuries persistent enemies of Israel. They had joined the Moabites in their oppression of Israel under Eglon (Judges 3:13), and in a later attack had been subdued by Jephthah (Judges 11:32-33); they fought with extreme cruelty and insolence against Saul (1 Samuel 11:2-11); they insulted and warred against David (2 Samuel 10:1-6), and were utterly crushed by him (2 Samuel 12:31); their idolatries were favoured by Solomon (1 Kings 11:7); uniting with Moab and Edom, they attacked Judah under Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:1-25), but utterly failed, and were tributary to his descendant, Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:8); again they fought with Jotham, and were reduced by him to heavy tribute (2 Chronicles 27:5); and not long before this time they had occupied the vacant cities of Gad (Jeremiah 49:1). Now they had joined Nebuchadnezzar’s army against Judah (2 Kings 24:2). From Ezekiel 25:3 it appears that their hostility arose not only from national jealousy, but from an especial hatred against the Jewish religion (comp. also Psalms 83:7). They are the frequent subject of prophetic denunciation (Isaiah 11:14; Jeremiah 49:1-6; Amos 1:13-15; Zephaniah 2:8-11).