Ezekiel 14:17 kjv
Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:
Ezekiel 14:17 nkjv
"Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, 'Sword, go through the land,' and I cut off man and beast from it,
Ezekiel 14:17 niv
"Or if I bring a sword against that country and say, 'Let the sword pass throughout the land,' and I kill its people and their animals,
Ezekiel 14:17 esv
"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,
Ezekiel 14:17 nlt
"Or suppose I were to bring war against the land, and I sent enemy armies to destroy both people and animals.
Ezekiel 14 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:25 | "I will bring a sword upon you, avenging the covenant..." | God warns of judgment by sword for breaking covenant. |
| Deut 32:41-42 | "if I whet My flashing sword and My hand takes hold on judgment...I will deal retribution..." | God's direct control and use of the sword for vengeance. |
| Isa 34:5-6 | "For My sword is drunk in heaven...descends for judgment on Edom." | God's sword as an instrument of specific divine judgment. |
| Jer 7:20 | "...My burning anger will be poured out on this place...on man and beast..." | Parallels "man and beast" destruction, showing divine anger. |
| Jer 9:22 | "...the dead bodies of men shall fall like refuse...no one to gather them." | Illustrates widespread death, impacting both man and animals implicitly. |
| Jer 25:29-31 | "...for I am beginning to work disaster...A cry will go out to the ends of the earth." | God bringing widespread judgment, often involving warfare. |
| Jer 46:10 | "The Lord GOD of hosts has a day...to take vengeance; the sword will devour..." | God's specific use of the sword as an agent of divine vengeance. |
| Ez 14:14 | "even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves..." | Preceding verse: righteous intercessors cannot save others (individual). |
| Ez 14:18 | "...if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves..." | Directly parallels this verse, applying righteous men to sword judgment. |
| Ez 14:20 | "even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither son nor daughter..." | Reinforces the limitation of righteous intercession even with extreme judgments. |
| Ez 21:3-4 | "I am against you, and will draw My sword from its sheath and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked." | God drawing His sword against Jerusalem for universal judgment. |
| Joel 3:10 | "...Let the weak say, ‘I am a warrior.’" | Echoes pervasive use of the sword in a world ripe for judgment. |
| Hag 1:11 | "I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine...and on man and beast." | Another instance of comprehensive judgment affecting "man and beast." |
| Zech 9:13 | "For I have bent Judah as My bow...made you a warrior’s sword..." | God using His people (or enemies) as His "sword" in judgment. |
| Rev 6:4 | "And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay..." | The "great sword" as an instrument of widespread death in ultimate judgment. |
| Matt 24:7 | "...nations will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom..." | Wars, with implied use of the sword, are part of tribulation. |
| Matt 24:21 | "For then there will be great tribulation...such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now..." | Foreshadows periods of great judgment and tribulation. |
| Rom 14:12 | "So then each of us will give an account of himself to God." | Core theme of individual accountability in judgment (as in Ez 14). |
| Gal 6:5 | "For each will have to bear his own load." | Emphasizes personal responsibility before God, distinct from others. |
| Isa 14:27 | "For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?" | God's irreversible decrees of judgment are a testament to His power. |
Ezekiel 14 verses
Ezekiel 14 17 Meaning
This verse presents the Lord's declaration of judgment, specifically the devastation by the sword, as a sovereign act against a sinful land. It asserts God's direct control over instruments of judgment, even personifying the sword as an obedient agent. The outcome is the complete annihilation of both human life and animal existence within that land, signifying total desolation as a direct consequence of their collective sin and God's holy decree.
Ezekiel 14 17 Context
Ezekiel 14:17 is embedded in a larger divine discourse (Ezekiel 14:12-23) concerning God's irreversible decision to judge the sinful land of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. This section confronts the false security held by exiles who believed their city would be spared, perhaps through the merit of a few righteous individuals. The Lord unequivocally declares that once a nation's iniquity has reached a tipping point, even the righteousness of figures like Noah, Daniel, or Job cannot avert the decreed national judgment; they could save only themselves. Verse 17 specifically details the second of four dire judgments—famine, sword, wild beasts, and pestilence—that God is prepared to unleash. The historical context is the Babylonian exile, where Ezekiel prophesied to a defiant people clinging to an incomplete understanding of God's justice. The verse, therefore, highlights God's resolve and the principle of individual accountability in the face of widespread national sin.
Ezekiel 14 17 Word analysis
- Or if I bring (וְכִי־אָבִיא, vechi-avi): This strong initial phrase establishes God's direct, personal agency in the judgment. The "I" (אָבִיא, avi) is a deliberate first-person declaration, removing any ambiguity about the divine origin of the impending calamity.
- a sword (חֶרֶב, cherev): This is the common Hebrew word for a sword. In biblical prophecy, it frequently symbolizes divine judgment, war, destruction, and violent death. Its appearance here immediately signals a severe and destructive judgment, often inflicted by foreign invaders.
- upon that land (אֶל־הָאָרֶץ הַהִיא, el-ha'aretz hahi): This phrase specifically targets the land undergoing judgment, implicitly Judah and its people. The demonstrative "that" ("הַהִיא," hahi) makes it a particular, not general, decree, referencing the object of God's impending wrath.
- and say (וְאָמַרְתִּי, v'amarti): This signifies God's absolute authority and power. The judgment does not occur by chance but by direct divine command. God merely needs to speak, and His commands are put into action.
- ‘Sword, go through the land’ (חֶרֶב עֲבֹר בָּאָרֶץ, cherev avor ba'aretz): This direct imperative is a profound personification. God speaks directly to the sword as if it were a sentient agent, commanding it to execute His will. This imagery underscores the sword's irresistibility and thoroughness; it will penetrate and devastate every part of the land, leaving no corner untouched.
- and I cut off (וְהִכְרַתִּי, v'hikhartti): This verb in the Hiphil stem is a very potent term in Hebrew, meaning "to cause to be cut off" or "to exterminate." It is often associated with the most severe consequences of covenant breaking, denoting utter destruction or the complete cessation of life, be it of individuals, a family line, or an entire populace. It signifies the finality and thoroughness of the judgment.
- man (אָדָם, adam): This refers to all human beings within the land.
- and beast (וּבְהֵמָה, u'v'hemah): This refers to domesticated animals. The coupling of "man and beast" is a common prophetic idiom (e.g., Jer 7:20, Zeph 1:3) denoting total desolation. It signifies complete ruin, where life in its entirety—both human and animal, foundational to any society—is extinguished, indicating an environmental and societal catastrophe beyond repair.
- from it (מִמֶּנָּה, mimmennah): This pronoun points back to "that land," emphasizing that the eradication is from within the land itself, making the desolation complete and internal.
Ezekiel 14 17 Bonus section
This verse directly echoes ancient covenant curses found in texts such as Leviticus 26:25 and Deuteronomy 28, where the sword is specifically enumerated as a consequence for national disobedience. The deliberate inclusion of "man and beast" across the four dire judgments in Ezekiel 14 (famine, sword, wild beasts, pestilence) is not accidental. It reinforces a profound theological point: God's judgments against a land are comprehensive, impacting the entire created order within it. This holistic destruction signifies God's complete withdrawal of His sustaining presence and blessing, leading to a breakdown of all life-systems. The imagery of God commanding the sword is a powerful anthropomorphism; while the sword itself is not sentient, the metaphor emphasizes the directness and unswerving obedience of the divine instrument, underscoring that every aspect of the judgment is perfectly controlled and orchestrated by God, even seemingly inanimate forces. This meticulous detail elevates the understanding of God's intimate and detailed involvement in the outworking of consequences for humanity's sin, highlighting that nothing is beyond His ultimate purview and control.
Ezekiel 14 17 Commentary
Ezekiel 14:17 powerfully illustrates God's unyielding resolve in judgment. The "I" who "brings" the sword emphasizes God's active, personal, and sovereign initiation of calamity, dismissing any notion of random misfortune. The personification of the sword, receiving direct divine orders to "go through the land," underlines the unstoppable and thorough nature of the impending devastation. This isn't mere warfare but God's deliberate execution of justice. The explicit decree to "cut off man and beast" signifies not just extensive loss of life but total societal collapse and ecological devastation, wiping out all foundational life forms that sustain existence. This prophetic declaration serves as an unshakeable testament to God's holy justice against rampant sin and idolatry, revealing that once His righteous decree is issued, it cannot be circumvented or mitigated by others' righteousness; only individual repentance offers a path for personal salvation in the face of widespread doom.