Ezekiel 5:2

Ezekiel 5:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.
• New International Version (NIV)When the days of your siege come to an end, burn a third of the hair inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind. For I will pursue them with drawn sword.
• English Standard Version (ESV)A third part you shall burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are completed. And a third part you shall take and strike with the sword all around the city. And a third part you shall scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe the sword after them.
• New King James Version (NKJV)You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them.

Context of Ezekiel 5:2

1‘Son of man, take a sharp sword. Use it like a knife to cut off your hair and your beard. Then use some scales to weigh the hair. Put it into three separate parts that are the same weight. Wait until all the days when you are lying on your side have finished. Take one part of your hair and burn it on the brick which has the picture of Jerusalem. Take another part and use a sword to cut it into small pieces. Let the pieces fall all around the brick which shows the city. Then take the third part and throw the hairs into the wind. I will run after them with a sword. 3But keep a few of your hairs. Tie them into the edge of your clothes. 4Finally, take out some of these hairs. Throw them into the fire and burn them. This fire will grow so that it reaches all Israel's people.

Ezekiel 5:2 word by word

שְׁלִשִׁ֗ית בָּא֤וּר תַּבְעִיר֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הָעִ֔יר כִּמְלֹ֖את יְמֵ֣י הַמָּצ֑וֹר וְלָֽקַחְתָּ֣ אֶת־הַשְּׁלִשִׁ֗ית תַּכֶּ֤ה בַחֶ֙רֶב֙ סְבִ֣יבוֹתֶ֔יהָ וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁית֙ תִּזְרֶ֣ה לָר֔וּחַ וְחֶ֖רֶב אָרִ֥יק אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thou shalt burnבָּעַרbâ‛ar · to burn: burnH1197
• with fireאוּר'ûr · flameH217
• a third partשְׁלִישִׁיshelîyshîy · thirdH7992
• in the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
• of the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• when the daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• of the siegeמָצוֹרmâtsôr mâtsûr · siegeH4692
• are fulfilledמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390
• and thou shalt takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• smiteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• aboutסָבִיבsâbîyb sebîybâh · aroundH5439
• it with a knifeחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• thou shalt scatterזָרָהzârâh · to scatterH2219
• in the windרוּחַrûach · spirit: breathH7307
• and I will draw outרִיקrûq · to emptyH7324
• afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310

Cross-references for Ezekiel 5:2

• Ezekiel 5:12Illness or famine will kill one third of your people inside the city. The soldiers who are around the city will kill a third of your people. And I will chase away a third of them to all parts of the earth. I will cause their enemies to run after them with their swords.
• Jeremiah 9:21“Death has come to visit us! It has come into our strong houses. Death has taken away our children who play in the streets. It has taken away our young men who meet together in the streets.”
• Jeremiah 15:2They may ask you, “Where should we go?” Then tell them, “This is what the Lord says: Those who should become ill and die will die. Those who should die in war will die in war. Those who should die from famine will die from famine. Those who should go away as prisoners will go away as prisoners.”
• Jeremiah 24:10I will send war, famine and disease to kill them. I will destroy them all. They will disappear from the land that I gave to them and to their ancestors.” ’
• Jeremiah 38:2They had heard him say this: ‘The Lord says, “Any people who stay in this city will die. War or famine or disease will kill them. But those people who leave the city will not die. If they put themselves under the power of Babylon's soldiers, they will live.”
• Ezekiel 4:1‘Son of man, take a large brick and put it in front of you. On the brick, draw a picture of the city, Jerusalem.
• Ezekiel 12:14I 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.
• Leviticus 26:33God will push you out. He will send your people away to other countries. He will destroy your cities. And he will make your land a desert.
• Jeremiah 9:16I will send them away as prisoners. They will live among foreign nations that they had never heard about. Their ancestors had not heard about them either. I will send enemies to chase after them until I have destroyed them.’
• Amos 9:2They might try to dig deep into the earth to save themselves. But my strong hand will pull them out of there. They might climb up into the sky. But I will pull them down from there.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 5:2

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2“The third part burnt in the midst of the city” represents those who perished within the city during the siege; “the third part smitten about it” (the city) “with” the sword, those who were killed about the city during the same period: “the third part scattered to the wind” those who after the siege were dispersed in foreign lands. In the midst of the city - The prophet is in exile, and is to do this in the midst of Jerusalem. His action being ideal is…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Ezekiel was to burn one-third of the hair to show those who would die from hunger during the siege. He was to cut another third with a sword to show those who would die violently. He was to scatter the last third to the wind to show those who would go into exile.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. Three classes are described. The sword was to destroy one third of the people; famine and plague another third ("fire" in Eze 5:2 being explained in Eze 5:12 to mean pestilence and famine); that which remained was to be scattered among the nations. A few only of the last portion were to escape, symbolized by the hairs bound in Ezekiel's skirts (Eze 5:3; Jr 40:6; 52:16). Even of these some were to be thrown into the fiery ordeal again (Eze 5:4; Jr 41:1…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 5:2

• Backsliders
• Ezekiel
• Prophecy
• Symbols and Similitudes

In the dictionaries

• Arrow
• Detestable
• Living creatures
• Rebuke
• Zedekiah (2)

Commentaries on Ezekiel 5

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings