God’s Word Translation
Ezekiel 21:3
3Tell the land of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will take my sword out of its scabbard and kill the righteous people and the wicked people among you.
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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)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.
- 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.
Context of Ezekiel 21:3
1The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, 2“Son of man, turn to Jerusalem, preach against the holy places. Prophesy against the land of Israel. Tell the land of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will take my sword out of its scabbard and kill the righteous people and the wicked people among you. 4I’m going to kill the righteous people and the wicked people among you. That is why my sword will come out of its scabbard to be used against everyone from the south to the north. 5Then everyone will know that I, the Lord, have taken my sword from its scabbard, and I will not put it back 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 5:8“So this is what the Almighty Lord says: I, too, am against you, and I will punish you in front of the nations.
- Ezekiel 26:3So this is what the Almighty Lord says: I am against you, Tyre. I will bring many nations against you as the waves on the sea rise.
- Jeremiah 21:13“ ‘I’m against you, Jerusalem. You are the city that is in the valley and on the rock in the plain,’ ” declares the Lord. “ ‘But you ask, “Who can attack us? Who can enter our places of refuge?”
- Jeremiah 50:31“I’m against you, you arrogant city,” declares the Almighty Lord of Armies. “Your day has come, the time when I will punish you.
- Jeremiah 51:25“I am against you, Babylon, you destructive mountain. You have destroyed the whole earth,” declares the Lord. “I will use my power against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a scorched mountain.
- Nahum 2:13“I am against you, Nineveh,” declares the Lord of Armies. “I will send your chariots up in smoke, and a sword will kill your young lions. I will remove your prey from the earth, and no one will ever hear the voice of your messengers again.”
- Nahum 3:5“I am against you, Nineveh,” declares the Lord of Armies. “I will lift up your dress over your face. I will show nations your naked body and kingdoms your disgrace.
- Ezekiel 21:9“Son of man, prophesy. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: A sword, a sword is sharpened and polished,
- 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 14:17“Suppose I bring a war against that country by saying, ‘I will let a war go throughout this country.’ Suppose I destroy the people and the animals in it.
- Exodus 15:9“The enemy said, ‘I’ll pursue them! I’ll catch up with them! I’ll divide the loot! I’ll take all I want! I’ll use my sword! I’ll take all they have!’
- Leviticus 26:25I will bring war on you to get revenge for my promise ⌞that you rejected⌟. When you gather in your cities, I will send plagues on you and you will fall under the control of your enemy.
- Deuteronomy 32:41I will sharpen my flashing sword and take justice into my own hands. Then I will take revenge on my enemies and pay back those who hate me.
- Psalms 17:13Arise, O Lord; confront them! Bring them to their knees! With your sword rescue my life from wicked people.
- Isaiah 10:5“How horrible it will be for Assyria! It is the rod of my anger. My fury is the staff in the Assyrians’ hands.
- Isaiah 34:5When my sword is covered ⌞with blood⌟ in the heavens, it will fall on Edom and on the people I’ve claimed for 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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