EZEKIEL 21:21

 That some forms of omen divination were accepted in Israel whereas magic was consistently condemned is difficult to explain, but it may in part be due to the difference in nature between magic and divination. Magic sought to manipulate the divine world to satisfy human needs; it was more human centered. In contrast, divination sought revelation from the divine world...” (Horsnell)

Despite that distinction, Chhetri notes, “Hosea warns that Israel will be stripped of such divination techniques along with other detestable things (Hos 3.4). Perhaps in 4:12 he alludes to these techniques as abominations (cf. 1 Sam 15:23; 2 Kgs 23:24; Ezek 21:21; Zech 10:2).”

Falk: “One recent discovery in the Negev provides evidence that corroborates Ezekiel 21. In 2024, during a salvage excavation, Dr. Tali Erickson-Gini uncovered some special items from an ancient Babylonian mass burial tomb in the Negev of southern Israel. Initially, the tomb was thought to date to the Early Bronze Age, but further analysis proved the structure dates to the late Iron Age (seventh century b.c.e.). The main tomb contained 60 individuals and a smaller tomb contained seven others. Many artifacts were found in this burial, but Erickson-Gini drew attention to the more than 40 small flint and quartz microliths...Erickson-Gini believes that these microliths were used in divination.

These microliths were unused, which shows they weren’t intended for battle. Erickson-Gini explains that during the Iron Age, stone arrowheads such as these were merely symbolic and used in religious practices.

Also, the location at which they were discovered tells us a lot about their intended use. They were found at an ancient T-junction, where the road split and travelers would have to choose their path. Could these arrowheads have been used to help decide which path to take? That’s precisely the scenario that played out in Ezekiel 21.”

And in a recent article by Erickson-Gini in BAR magazine, she says herself, “These tiny, finely made flint blades may also suggest a connection between the Negev tombs and South Arabia. They likely are to be associated with a divinatory practice called belomancy, mentioned in conjunction with arrows in Ezekiel 21:21. This widespread practice in ancient Arab cultures was finally banned in the Quran (Ma'ida 5:90). Flint blades such as these are well known from temple and tomb contexts in ancient South Arabia. In addition to these items, a small microlith core of quartz crystal that probably originated in East Africa was found in the tomb assemblage.”

As we shall see, not everyone agrees with Erickson-Gini that belomancy involved just the arrowheads themselves. For example, Younger states quite definitely that “one usage of belomancy, divination by means of arrows, is seen in Ezek 21:21[26], where the king of Babylon (in addition to other forms of divination) 'shakes the arrows' (cf. 2 Kgs 13:14-19). In this arrows were marked with the name of peoples, shaken up in a quiver, and one was drawn out, as in drawing lots.” As to this proposed method of divination, Chisholm agrees with it.

But let's back up for a minute to picture the historical background for Ezekiel 21:21, as Chisholm describes it: “One now discovers that the sword wielded by the Lord (see vv. 3-5, 9-17) is Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon (vv. 18-19a). As he approached the land from the north, he would have two options before him (v. 19b). He could veer to the left and invade Ammon, located on the eastern side of the Jordan River, or he could turn to the right and attack Judah and its capital Jerusalem (v. 20). He would seek an omen before making a decision, for he believed that it was through such means that one could determine the will of the gods and know the future (v. 21).”

But what about the three means the king resorted to while he was at the crossroad? F.F. Bruce describes them as follows: “Nebuchadrezzar cast lots by approved methods: (i) divination by means of two arrows, one marked 'Jerusalem' and the other marked 'Rabbah,' so that which ever came out from the quiver first would supply the answer; (ii) the consultation of an oracle by means of idols..; (iii) hepatoscopy, the examination of the liver of sacrificed animals...”

It is the details involved in the first of these three practices which is still a bit vaguely defined in scholar's minds today although most of them sound quite sure of their own interpretation. Dyer at least adds a mild caveat to his opinion: “Casting lots with arrows was probably similar to today's practice of drawing straws.”

And Van Dam similarly adds a cautionary note when he states, “Rhabdomancy is divination by the use of wooden sticks or rods. Hosea may be referring to this procedure...(Hosea 4:13). There is, however, no consensus on the meaning of this passage. The king of Babylon's shaking of arrows (Ezek 21:21) may be belomancy, a form of rhabdomancy, but the king's actions have also been interpreted as divination by lot.”

Block: “The king resorts to three different divinatory techniques, presumably to ensure the veracity of the communication. First he as shaken the arrows, a practice known as belomancy or rhabdomancy. The action consisted of shaking two inscribed arrows and then drawing one as one draws a lot, on the assumption that the gods had determined which was was selected (cf. Prov. 16:33).”

However, J.S. Wright defines rhabdomancy in Ezekiel 21:21 as follows: “Sticks or arrows were thrown into the air, and omens were deduced from their position as they fell. Ho. iv. 12 could also be a reference to this.”

Greenberg quotes favorably the explanation given by St. Jerome: “...placing the arrows in a quiver and shuffling them, after having inscribed or marked them with the names of his various enemies, to see which would emerge, and, thereby, which town he must attack.” Greenberg also compares this to a procedure found in Islamic Arabian culture.

But whichever mode of divination was actually used at the time, they all have one thing in common, namely, they force their deity to give them an answer. And this is the major distinction between the pagan cultures and that of the Israelites, who had their own means of divination using the Urim and the Thummin. We find out from the sad example of King Saul later in his life when God no longer spoke to him using that tool. The best explanation I have heard as to how that divination method could refuse to give an answer is that these two stones generally kept by the high priest each had a “head” and a “tail.” Two heads would mean one answer; two tails another option; and one head and one tail meant that God chose not to answer the question at all. This presents a major difference fro pagan practices at the time which attempted to put their god in a box and force him to reveal his secrets.