God’s Word Translation
Ezekiel 14:21
21“This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will surely send four terrible punishments against Jerusalem. I will send wars, famines, wild animals, and plagues. They will destroy people and animals.
Ezekiel 14:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For thus saith the Lord God; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?
- New International Version (NIV)“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments—sword and famine and wild beasts and plague—to kill its men and their animals!
- English Standard Version (ESV)"For thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!
- New King James Version (NKJV)For thus says the Lord God: “How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it?
Context of Ezekiel 14:21
19“Suppose I send a plague into that country or pour out my fury on it by killing people and destroying animals. 20As I live, declares the Almighty Lord, not even Noah, Daniel, and Job could, by their righteousness, rescue their sons or daughters. They could rescue only themselves. “This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will surely send four terrible punishments against Jerusalem. I will send wars, famines, wild animals, and plagues. They will destroy people and animals. 22But some people will survive. Some of your sons and daughters will be brought out. When they come out to you, you will see how they live. Then you will be comforted after the disasters that I will bring on Jerusalem, after every disaster that I will bring against it. 23You will be comforted when you see how they live. Then you will know that everything I have done was done for a reason,” declares the Almighty Lord.
Read all of Ezekiel 14Ezekiel 14:21 word by word
כִּי֩ כֹ֨ה אָמַ֜ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהֹוִ֗ה אַ֣ף כִּֽי־אַרְבַּ֣עַת שְׁפָטַ֣י׀ הָרָעִ֡ים חֶ֠רֶב וְרָעָ֞ב וְחַיָּ֤ה רָעָה֙ וָדֶ֔בֶר שִׁלַּ֖חְתִּי אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם לְהַכְרִ֥ית מִמֶּ֖נָּה אָדָ֥ם וּבְהֵמָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- For thus saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
- Godיְהֹוִהyehôvih · YHWH/GodH3069
- How much more when I sendשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
- my fourאַרְבַּע'arba‛ 'arbâ‛âh · fourH702
- soreרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: harmfulH7451
- judgmentsשֶׁ֫פֶטshepheţ · judgmentH8201
- upon Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
- the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- and the famineרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458
- beastחַיָּהchay · living thingH2416
- and the pestilenceדֶּ֫בֶרdeber · pestilenceH1698
- to cut offכָּרַתkârath · to cut: eliminateH3772
- from it manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- and beastבְּהֵמָהbehêmâh · animalH929
Cross-references for Ezekiel 14:21
- Ezekiel 14:13“Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful to me. I will use my power against it, cut off its food supply, send a famine to it, and destroy its people and animals.
- Ezekiel 5:12One-third of you will die in plagues and be devoured in famines. Another third will die in battles against those around you. I will scatter the remaining third to the wind, and I will pursue them with a sword.
- Ezekiel 6:11“ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: Clap your hands, stomp your feet, and say, “Oh no!” because the people of Israel have done evil and disgusting things. So they will die in wars, famines, and plagues.
- Ezekiel 33:27“Tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: As I live, whoever is in the ruined cities will be killed in battle. Whoever is in the open field will become food for wild animals. Whoever is in fortified places and caves will die from plagues.
- Jeremiah 15:2When they ask you where they should go, say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: Those who are destined to die will die. Those who are destined to die in wars will die in wars. Those who are destined to die in famines will die in famines. Those who are destined to die in captivity will die in captivity.’
- Amos 4:6I left you with nothing to eat in any of your cities. I left you with no food in your entire land. And you still didn’t return to me, declares the Lord.
- Revelation 6:4A second horse went out. It was fiery red. Its rider was given the power to take peace away from the earth and to make people slaughter one another. So he was given a large sword.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 14:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21My four sore judgments - Sword, war. Famine, occasioned by drought. Pestilence, epidemic diseases which sweep off a great part of the inhabitants of a land. The Noisome Beast, the multiplication of wild beasts in consequence of the general destruction of the inhabitants.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12-23Verses 12-23 Ezekiel 14:12 Or, “When a land” - the case is first put in a general form, and then ism brought with increased force home to Jerusalem - “sinneth against me by trespassing grievously,” and I stretch out “mine hand upon it,” and break the staff of bread “thereof,” and send famine “upon it and” cut off “man and beast: though these three men” etc. Ezekiel 14:14 Noah, Daniel, and Job - Three striking instances of men who, for their integrity…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-23Verses 12-23 National sins bring national judgments. Though sinners escape one judgment, another is waiting for them. When God's professing people rebel against him, they may justly expect all his judgments. The faith, obedience, and prayers of Noah prevailed to the saving of his house, but not of the old world. Job's sacrifice and prayer in behalf of his friends were accepted, and Daniel had prevailed for the saving his companions and the wise men of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21Jerusalem was worse than the imaginary land described in Ezekiel 14:12–20 in two ways. First, Jerusalem did not have men like Noah, Daniel, and Job. Instead, the city was full of unrighteous people. There were no well-known righteous leaders whose faithfulness might stand out before God. Second, Jerusalem would not suffer only one judgment. It would face all four terrible punishments at the same time. These included famine, wild animals, war, and disease…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-2115-21. The argument is cumulative. He first puts the case of the land sinning so as to fall under the judgment of a famine (Eze 14:13); then (Eze 14:15) "noisome beasts" (Le 26:22); then "the sword"; then, worst of all, "pestilence." The three most righteous of men should deliver only themselves in these several four cases. In Eze 14:21 he concentrates the whole in one mass of condemnation. If Noah, Daniel, Job, could not deliver the land, when deserving…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 14:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 14
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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