Ezekiel 9:4

Ezekiel 9:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
• New International Version (NIV)and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the Lord said to him, "Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it."
• New King James Version (NKJV)and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”

Context of Ezekiel 9:4

2Then I looked and I saw six men. They were coming from the higher gate that is on the north side of the temple. Each man carried his weapon and he was ready to kill. A man who was wearing white linen clothes was among them. At his side he had a small box with pens in it. They came in and they stood next to the bronze altar. 3The bright glory of Israel's God then moved up from above the cherubs where it had been. It moved to the entrance of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man who was wearing linen clothes. He said, ‘Go everywhere in the city of Jerusalem. Find the people who are very sad because of the disgusting things that people are doing in the city. Use your pens to put a mark on those people. Put the mark on the front of their heads.’ 5While I listened, the Lord said to the other men, ‘Follow that man through the city. Kill people who do not have his mark on their heads. Do not be sorry for them. Do not be kind to them. 6Kill the old men, young men and girls. Kill the women and the children. Destroy them all! But do not touch anyone who has the mark on their head.’ So the men started to kill. The first people that they killed were the city's leaders who were in front of the temple.

Ezekiel 9:4 word by word

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֵלָ֔יו עֲבֹר֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הָעִ֔יר בְּת֖וֹךְ יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וְהִתְוִ֨יתָ תָּ֜ו עַל־מִצְח֣וֹת הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים הַנֶּֽאֱנָחִים֙ וְהַנֶּ֣אֱנָקִ֔ים עַ֚ל כָּל־הַתּ֣וֹעֵב֔וֹת הַֽנַּעֲשׂ֖וֹת בְּתוֹכָֽהּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto him, Go throughעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
• the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
• of the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• of Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
• and setתָּוָהtâvâh · to markH8427
• a markתָּוtâv · markH8420
• upon the foreheadsמֵ֫צַחmêtsach · foreheadH4696
• of the menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• that sighאָנַח'ânach · to sighH584
• and that cryאָנַק'ânaq · to groanH602
• for all the abominationsתּוֹעֵבַהtô‛êbah tô‛êbah · abominationH8441
• that be doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213

Cross-references for Ezekiel 9:4

• Exodus 12:7They must take some of its blood. They must put the blood on the wood that is round the door of their house. They must put it on each side of the door and above the door. They must do this in every house where they will eat a lamb.
• Malachi 3:16Then the people who respected the Lord talked to each other. The Lord listened to what they said. While the Lord watched, someone wrote names on a scroll. Those were the names of the people who worshipped the Lord and respected the Lord's name. They wrote down their names so that people would remember them.
• 2 Corinthians 1:22He has also put his mark on us, to show that we belong to him. He has given his Spirit to us, to live in us. Because of that, we know that we will receive all the good things that God has promised.
• Ephesians 4:30Do not do anything that will make God's Holy Spirit sad. God gave his Holy Spirit to you to show that you belong to him. As a result you know that God will make you completely free one day.
• 2 Timothy 2:19But the group of true believers remains strong, like the foundation under a building. God has written his message there. It says, ‘The Lord knows who his own people are.’ It also says, ‘Everyone who says that he belongs to the Lord must stop doing bad things.’
• Revelation 7:2Then I saw another angel who was coming up from the east. He was carrying the seal of the God who lives for ever. He shouted loudly to the four other angels. They had received authority to destroy the land and the sea.
• Revelation 9:4They knew that they must not do anything bad to the grass on the earth. They must not attack any plant or any tree. They could only attack people who did not have God's seal on the front of their heads.
• Revelation 13:6So it started to speak against God. It insulted God's name and the place where he lives, as well as the people who live there in heaven.
• Revelation 14:1Then I looked again and I saw the Lamb. He was standing on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. There were 144,000 people there with him. The Lamb's name and his Father's name were written on the front of those people's heads.
• Revelation 20:4Then I saw some thrones, and I saw people who were sitting on them. These people had received authority to judge other people. I also saw the souls of people who had died because they served Jesus. People had cut off their heads because they had told the truth about Jesus, and they had spoken God's message. These believers had not worshipped the wild animal or his image. They had not received the wild animal's mark on their heads or on their hands. Now they became alive again. They ruled as kings together with Christ for 1,000 years.
• Ezekiel 6:11This is what I, the Almighty Lord, say to you, Ezekiel: ‘Clap your hands together. Stamp on the ground with your feet. Show that you are very upset because of all the disgusting, evil things that Israel's people have done. War, famine and disease will kill them.
• 2 Kings 22:13He told them, ‘Go to the temple. Ask the Lord about the message in this book that Hilkiah has found. I need to know what I should do, as well as all the people of Judah. The Lord has become very angry with us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this book. They have not done the things that it tells us we should do.’
• Psalms 119:53When wicked people turn against your Law, I become very angry.
• Isaiah 57:15The Mighty God is far higher than all others. He rules from above and he lives for ever. His name is holy. He says, ‘I live in a high and holy place. But I am also with anyone who is humble and who is sorry when he does wrong things. I will comfort people who are like that, and I will give them hope.
• Jeremiah 13:17If you refuse to listen to God's message, I will hide myself and I will weep. Because you are so proud, tears will pour from my eyes. I will cry because the Lord has sent his own people away as prisoners to a foreign land.
• 2 Corinthians 12:21I am afraid that I may be very sad when I come back to you. My God may cause me to feel ashamed about you. Some of you may still be doing bad and disgusting things. You may be having sex with people that you are not married to, or in other wrong ways. Those are the bad things that many of you did at one time. If you have not turned away from those bad things, that will make me weep.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 9:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh - This is in allusion to the ancient every-where-used custom of setting marks on servants and slaves, to distinguish them from others. It was also common for the worshippers of particular idols to have their idol's mark upon their foreheads, arms, etc. These are called sectarian marks to the present day among the Hindoos and others in India. Hence by this mark we can easily know who is a follower of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4mercy precedes judgment. So in the case of Sodom Luke 21:18, Luke 21:28; Revelation 7:1. This accords with the eschatological character of the predictions in this chapter (see the introduction of Ezekiel). A mark - literally, “Tau,” the name of the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The old form of the letter was that of a cross. The Jews have interpreted this sign variously, some considering that “Tau,” being the last of the Hebrew letters, and so…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-6The man dressed in linen (Ezekiel 9:2–3) marked those to be kept safe, similar to the first Passover (Exodus 12:7–13). Meanwhile, the angels of destruction carried out a complete judgment (Exodus 12:28–30). This time, they targeted everyone without the protective mark, including old and young, girls, women, and children. Unlike in Egypt, where only the firstborn males were affected, all who did not mourn over the city's sins were destroyed (compare…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. midst of ... city ... midst of Jerusalem--This twofold designation marks more emphatically the scene of the divine judgments. a mark--literally, the Hebrew letter Tau, the last in the alphabet, used as a mark ("my sign," Job 31:35, Margin); literally, Tau; originally written in the form of a cross, which Tertullian explains as referring to the badge and only means of salvation, the cross of Christ. But nowhere in Scripture are the words which are now…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 9:4

• Judgment
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• Cutting
• Hearing
• Living creatures
• Cry, Crying
• Forehead
• Groan
• Horn
• Ink-Horn
• Mark

Commentaries on Ezekiel 9

• 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
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings