Ezekiel 12:16

Ezekiel 12:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
• New International Version (NIV)But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)But I will let a few of them escape from the sword, from famine and pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they go, and may know that I am the Lord."
• New King James Version (NKJV)But I will spare a few of their men from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the Gentiles wherever they go. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”

Context of Ezekiel 12:16

14I will cause all his officers and soldiers to run away in different directions. Then their enemies will chase after them, to kill them with their swords. 15I will send the people away from their homes to other countries. They will have to live among foreign people. Then they will know that I am the Lord. But I will save a few of them. War, famine and disease will not kill all of them. When they live among those other nations, they will realize that they have done many disgusting things. And they will know that I am the Lord.’ 17The Lord gave this message to me: 18‘Son of man, shake with fear while you eat your food or you drink your water.

Ezekiel 12:16 word by word

וְהוֹתַרְתִּ֤י מֵהֶם֙ אַנְשֵׁ֣י מִסְפָּ֔ר מֵחֶ֖רֶב מֵרָעָ֣ב וּמִדָּ֑בֶר לְמַ֨עַן יְסַפְּר֜וּ אֶת־כָּל־תּוֹעֲבֽוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם בַּגּוֹיִם֙ אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֣אוּ שָׁ֔ם וְיָדְע֖וּ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But I will leaveיָתַרyâthar · to remainH3498
• a fewמִסְפָּרmispâr · numberH4557
• menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• of them from the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• from the famineרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458
• and from the pestilenceדֶּ֫בֶרdeber · pestilenceH1698
• that they may declareסָפַרsâphar · to recountH5608
• all their abominationsתּוֹעֵבַהtô‛êbah tô‛êbah · abominationH8441
• among the heathenגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• whither they comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• and they shall knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068

Cross-references for Ezekiel 12:16

• Ezekiel 6:8But I will allow some of you to live. Those people will escape when the enemy army attacks. They will run away to live in foreign countries.
• Ezekiel 14:22But some people will still be alive. Some sons and daughters will come out from the city. They will come to you here in Babylon. You will see the way that those people have lived. You will see the things that they have done. Then you will not be upset that I have punished Jerusalem in all these ways.
• Isaiah 1:9Unless the Lord Almighty had left some of us alive, we would have become like Sodom. We would have been completely destroyed, like Gomorrah.
• Isaiah 6:13Even if only one tenth part of the people remain in the land, enemies will continue to destroy it. It will be like they are cutting down a great oak tree. But the base of the tree with its roots will still be there. From the part that remains, a holy branch will grow.’
• Isaiah 10:22Israel's people are now very many, as many as the sand on the shore of the sea. But only a few will remain to return. The Lord has decided to destroy you, people of Israel. His punishment is fair and right.
• Isaiah 24:13This is what will happen among all the nations on the earth. Only a few people will remain, like a few olives that remain on a tree after the harvest. After people have picked the grapes off a vine, there are only a few that remain.
• Jeremiah 4:27The Lord had said, ‘The whole land will become like a desert, but I will not completely destroy it.
• Jeremiah 30:11The Lord says, ‘I am with you and I will save you. I have sent you away to live in foreign lands. That was the punishment that you deserved. I will completely destroy the nations where I sent you to live. But I will not completely destroy you. I will certainly punish you, but only as much as you deserve.’
• Amos 9:8I, the Lord God, am carefully watching you Israelites. I see that you are a wicked nation, so I will remove you from the earth. But I will not completely destroy all the descendants of Jacob.’ That is what the Lord says.
• Matthew 7:14It is difficult to go through the small gate. And it is difficult to walk on the narrow road. But when you do go that way, you will get true life. Not many people find that narrow gate.’
• Matthew 24:22God will cause those days of great trouble to be not so many. If he did not do that, there would be nobody still alive. But God will cause those days to come to an end. He will do that to help the people that he has chosen.
• Romans 11:4This was God's answer to Elijah: ‘There are still 7,000 men that I have kept for myself. Those men have not worshipped the false god Baal.’
• Genesis 13:16I will make your descendants become very many. Like the dust of the ground, people will not be able to count them all.
• Isaiah 10:19Only a few trees will remain in the forests. Even a child will be able to count them!
• Romans 9:27Also, Isaiah, God's prophet, said this about Israel's people: ‘There are so many of Israel's people, nobody can count them. They are as many as the bits of sand on the shore of the sea. But God will save only a few of them.
• Ezekiel 36:31Then you will remember the evil way that you lived. You will remember the bad things that you did. You will be ashamed of yourselves because of the sins and the disgusting things that you did.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 12:16

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Few - literally, as in the margin; so few, that they can easily be counted Isaiah 10:19. The few who should escape destruction should make known to all among whom they should dwell how great had been the wickedness of the people, how just their punishment.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16The few unhappy survivors confessed their terrible sins to their captors. They did not do this out of repentance, but because they recognized that the Lord had judged them fairly.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. I will leave a few ... that they may declare ... abominations--God's purpose in scattering a remnant of Jews among the Gentiles; namely, not only that they themselves should be weaned from idolatry (see Eze 12:15), but that by their own word, as also by their whole state as exiles, they should make God's righteousness manifest among the Gentiles, as vindicated in their punishment for their sins (compare Is 43:10; Zec 8:13).Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 12:16

• Instruction
• Judgments
• Zedekiah

In the dictionaries

• Carefulness
• Ezekiel
• Zedekiah (2)

Commentaries on Ezekiel 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings