New English Translation
Ezekiel 21:3
3and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the 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.
- 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
1(21:6) The word of the Lord came to me: 2“Son of man, turn toward Jerusalem and speak out against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. 4Because I will cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will go out from its sheath against everyone from the south to the north. 5Then everyone will know that I am the Lord, who drew my sword from its sheath – it will 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 5:8“Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: I – even I – am against you, and I will execute judgment among you while the nations watch.
- Ezekiel 26:3therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against you, O Tyre! I will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves.
- Jeremiah 21:13Listen, you who sit enthroned above the valley on a rocky plateau. I am opposed to you,’ says the Lord. ‘You boast, “No one can swoop down on us. No one can penetrate into our places of refuge.”
- Jeremiah 50:31“Listen! I am opposed to you, you proud city,” says the Lord God who rules over all. “Indeed, your day of reckoning has come, the time when I will punish you.
- Jeremiah 51:25The Lord says, “Beware! I am opposed to you, Babylon! You are like a destructive mountain that destroys all the earth. I will unleash my power against you; I will roll you off the cliffs and make you like a burned-out mountain.
- Nahum 2:13“I am against you!” declares the Lord who commands armies: “I will burn your chariots with fire; the sword will devour your young lions; you will no longer prey upon the land; the voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.”
- Nahum 3:5I am against you,” declares the Lord who commands armies. “I will strip off your clothes! I will show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to the kingdoms;
- Ezekiel 21:9“Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also polished.
- Ezekiel 5:12A third of your people will die of plague or be overcome by the famine within you. A third of your people will fall by the sword surrounding you, and a third I will scatter to the winds. I will unleash a sword behind them.
- Ezekiel 14:17“Or suppose I were to bring a sword against that land and say, ‘Let a sword pass through the land,’ and I were to kill both people and animals.
- Exodus 15:9The enemy said, ‘I will chase, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.’
- Leviticus 26:25I will bring on you an avenging sword, a covenant vengeance. Although you will gather together into your cities, I will send pestilence among you and you will be given into enemy hands.
- Deuteronomy 32:41I will sharpen my lightning-like sword, and my hand will grasp hold of the weapon of judgment; I will execute vengeance on my foes, and repay those who hate me!
- Psalms 17:13Rise up, Lord! Confront him! Knock him down! Use your sword to rescue me from the wicked man!
- Isaiah 10:5Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger, is as good as dead, a cudgel with which I angrily punish.
- Isaiah 34:5He says, “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. Look, it now descends on Edom, on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries