Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezekiel 21:13

"For there is a trial; and what if even the rod that contemneth shall be no more? saith the Lord Jehovah." — Ezekiel 21:13 (ASV)

Because it is a trial. — Here again, the original text is obscure due to its conciseness and abruptness, leading to a wide variety of interpretations. Neither the main text nor the marginal notes of our translation are entirely intelligible. The words for “rod” and “contemn” (meaning to despise or view with contempt) are the same as those in Ezekiel 21:10 and must be understood in the same sense. The most satisfactory translation is this: “For it (the sword) has been proven (namely, on others), and what if this contemning rod will be no more?” That is, the power of the sword of Babylon has already been proven; and the sceptre of Judah, which despises it, will be utterly swept away. Various other translations, differing in detail, convey the same general meaning.