it itself has come to be against my people; it is against all the chieftains of Israel. The very ones hurled to the sword have come to be with my people. . . .

In fulfillment of Jehovah’s word, the highest earthly chieftain of Israel, King Zedekiah, was not spared. Royal rule in the house of David ceased.

The frightful movements of the symbolic “sword” were enough to make an Israelite cry out and howl and, instead of beating his bosom like a woman, to slap his right thigh. It was enough to make him slap his hands together in astonishment, if not in fear. As Jehovah instructed Ezekiel:

“Cry out and howl, O son of man, . . . make a slap on the thigh. . . .