John Calvin Commentary Ezekiel 17:21

"And all his fugitives in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward every wind: and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it." — Ezekiel 17:21 (ASV)

The Prophet now turns his attention to the whole people, especially to the soldiers, whom Zedekiah himself thought would be fit guardians of the city. He says, then, thus shall all his forces be dissipated, so that they shall be dispersed here and there and all by the sword. By these words he means the slaughter of the army, since as long as soldiers stand in their own ranks, they withstand and repel a hostile attack; but when they are dispersed, everyone is vulnerable to the enemy, and so an indiscriminate slaughter results.

He says, therefore, that Zedekiah’s soldiers would be fugitives throughout all their companies: that is, although he had a large army, yet all his forces would be dispersed, and while each one looked out for his own safety, he would fall into the enemy’s hands. Thus, all shall fall by the sword; then those who remain shall be dispersed to every wind. We saw the same thing before, for when the Prophet had declared that all the people would suffer by the sword, he added, at the same time, that all the survivors would be fugitives, just as if someone were to throw out refuse or hair which the wind would blow here and there.

Therefore, he repeats the same now: namely, that the whole people would be like a torn body, since if they escaped the sword, they would still find no place of rest. Consequently, while a few would flee to Egypt, some to the Moabites, and others to the neighboring nations, the whole body of the people would be dissipated.

He adds, and you shall know that I Jehovah have spoken. We have explained the meaning of this, and why the Prophet repeats it so often, namely, because the Jews were stubborn and mocked all God’s threats: the Prophet teaches that they would indeed experience that He had spoken, and this is the wisdom of fools, as the common proverb expresses it. For because they do not obey any counsel, nor accept any warnings, and receive no teaching, they are taught only by the event itself.