Ezekiel 25:17

The Philistines had a long-standing dislike for Judah. Their specific wrongdoings are not mentioned, but the Lord noticed them and would seek revenge. They would then understand the Lord's supreme power.

The Kerethites were a Philistine tribe (see 1 Samuel 30:14).

This section contains a series of messages of judgment against nearby nations. There are six shorter messages against Judah's immediate neighbors, arranged in a clockwise order, followed by a final message against Egypt (Ezekiel 30–32). Through experiencing God's judgment, the nations would recognize God's control over everything. The nations might be used to carry out God's judgment on his people, but they would not avoid judgment themselves.

One of the main purposes of these messages was to show that the negative part of God's promise to Abraham ("I will … curse those who curse you," Genesis 12:3) was still active. No one can harm God's people and avoid consequences, even when God's people are under his judgment.