English Standard Version
Ezekiel 21:3
3and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am against you and will draw my sword from its sheath and will cut off from you both righteous and wicked.
Ezekiel 21:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.
- New International Version (NIV)and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.
- New King James Version (NKJV)and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked from you.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Tell her, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am your enemy, O Israel, and I am about to unsheath my sword to destroy your people—the righteous and the wicked alike.
Context of Ezekiel 21:3
1The word of the Lord came to me: 2"Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am against you and will draw my sword from its sheath and will cut off from you both righteous and wicked. 4Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north. 5And all flesh shall know that I am the Lord. I have drawn my sword from its sheath; it shall not be sheathed again.
Read all of Ezekiel 21Ezekiel 21:3 word by word
וְאָמַרְתָּ֞ לְאַדְמַ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה הִנְנִ֣י אֵלַ֔יִךְ וְהוֹצֵאתִ֥י חַרְבִּ֖י מִתַּעְרָ֑הּ וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י מִמֵּ֖ךְ צַדִּ֥יק וְרָשָֽׁע׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- to the landאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- against thee, and will draw forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: sendH3318
- my swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- out of his sheathתַּ֫עַרta‛ar · razorH8593
- and will cut offכָּרַתkârath · to cut: eliminateH3772
- from thee the righteousצַדִּיקtsaddîyq · righteousH6662
- and the wickedרָשָׁעrâshâ‛ · wickedH7563
Cross-references for Ezekiel 21:3
- Ezekiel 5:8therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, even I, am against you. And I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.
- Ezekiel 26:3therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves.
- Jeremiah 21:13"Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, O rock of the plain, declares the Lord; you who say, 'Who shall come down against us, or who shall enter our habitations?'
- Jeremiah 50:31"Behold, I am against you, O proud one, declares the Lord God of hosts, for your day has come, the time when I will punish you.
- Jeremiah 51:25"Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, declares the Lord, which destroys the whole earth; I will stretch out my hand against you, and roll you down from the crags, and make you a burnt mountain.
- Nahum 2:13Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.
- Nahum 3:5Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame.
- Ezekiel 21:9"Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord, say: "A sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished,
- Ezekiel 5:12A third part of you shall die of pestilence and be consumed with famine in your midst; a third part shall fall by the sword all around you; and a third part I will scatter to all the winds and will unsheathe the sword after them.
- Ezekiel 14:17"Or if I bring a sword upon that land and say, Let a sword pass through the land, and I cut off from it man and beast,
- Exodus 15:9The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.'
- Leviticus 26:25And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall execute vengeance for the covenant. And if you gather within your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
- Deuteronomy 32:41if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me.
- Psalms 17:13Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
- Isaiah 10:5Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!
- Isaiah 34:5For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 21:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Behold, I am against thee - Dismal news! When God is against us, who can be for us? And will draw forth my sword - War. And will cut off from thee - The land of Judea. The righteous and the wicked - All shall be removed from thee. Some shall be cut off - removed by the sword; shall be slain in battle, or by the pestilence; and some shall be cut off - die by the famine; and some shall be cut off - removed from the land by captivity. Now, among the two…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-5The Lord himself was the true enemy Israel needed to fear. He was about to bring a complete judgment against them. Normally, people expect the righteous to escape judgment and the wicked to receive it. This contrast is like the green tree and the dry tree in the parable (Ezekiel 20:47–48). God’s judgment on sin would be like a very hot fire. It would burn everything it touched.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. righteous ... wicked--not contradictory of Eze 18:4, 9 and Ge 18:23. Ezekiel here views the mere outward aspect of the indiscriminate universality of the national calamity. But really the same captivity to the "righteous" would prove a blessing as a wholesome discipline, which to the "wicked" would be an unmitigated punishment. The godly were sealed with a mark (Eze 9:4), not for outward exemption from the common calamity, but as marked for the secret…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 21:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 21
- 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
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Commentaries