Ezekiel 14:21 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?
Ezekiel 14:21 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?
Ezekiel 14:21 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!
Ezekiel 14:21 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!
Ezekiel 14:21 nlt
"Now this is what the Sovereign LORD says: How terrible it will be when all four of these dreadful punishments fall upon Jerusalem ? war, famine, wild animals, and disease ? destroying all her people and animals.
Ezekiel 14 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 14:13 | "If a land sins grievously against me by continuing to be faithless..." | God's pronouncement of judgment |
| Jeremiah 15:2 | "...those destined for death, to death; and those destined for the sword, to the sword..." | Similar prophetic declaration |
| Jeremiah 21:7 | "...and he will give them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon..." | Specific instrument of judgment |
| Leviticus 26:25 | "and I will bring against you a sword that executes vengeance for the covenant." | Covenant consequences |
| Revelation 6:8 | "And behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death..." | Echoes of divine judgment |
| 2 Chronicles 7:14 | "if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face..." | Call to repentance for escape |
| Deuteronomy 32:24 | "I will make them gaunt with plague and ravage them with furious pestilence..." | Descriptions of divine punishment |
| Psalm 7:12-13 | "If a man does not turn back, God sharpens his sword..." | God's active judgment |
| Isaiah 1:20 | "...but if you refuse and are rebellious, you shall eat the flesh of the land." | Consequence of rebellion |
| Jeremiah 29:17-18 | "...I will pursue them with sword, famine, and pestilence..." | Universal scope of judgment |
| Lamentations 4:10 | "The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children..." | Devastation from famine |
| Ezekiel 5:12, 16 | "A third of you shall die by pestilence and be consumed by famine among you..." | Specific proportions of judgment |
| Ezekiel 6:11-12 | "...strike your hands together, stamp your foot, and say, 'Alas!'" | Grief over impending destruction |
| Ezekiel 13:10-11 | "Because they have misled my people, saying, 'Peace,' when there is no peace..." | Warning against false prophets |
| Hosea 13:8 | "I will tear them like a lion; I will devour them like a wolf;" | Animal imagery for destruction |
| Nahum 3:15 | "there the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you off;" | Repeated prophetic threat |
| Matthew 24:7 | "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom..." | Messianic woes reflecting judgment |
| Luke 21:11 | "Great earthquakes will occur in various places, and famines and pestilences..." | Signs of the end times |
| Revelation 18:8 | "Therefore her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine..." | Judgment on corrupt systems |
| Amos 4:10 | "I sent pestilence on you as I sent it on Egypt..." | Historical instances of judgment |
| Deuteronomy 28:63 | "And as the LORD rejoiced over you to make you great and multiply you..." | Contrast with consequences of sin |
| Jeremiah 44:11-12 | "So the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: Behold, I will inflict disaster..." | Specific historical context |
Ezekiel 14 verses
Ezekiel 14 21 Meaning
This verse describes the devastating judgment that God will bring upon Jerusalem and its inhabitants. The "four great judgments" – sword, famine, evil beasts, and pestilence – are the instruments of God's wrath against a people who have persistently turned away from Him. The repetition emphasizes the comprehensiveness of this impending destruction, leaving no possibility of escape.
Ezekiel 14 21 Context
Ezekiel chapter 14 addresses the elders of Israel who are seeking counsel from the prophet. Despite the impending Babylonian exile, some still consult false gods. Ezekiel unequivocally pronounces that such seeking will not avail them, and the instruments of divine judgment – sword, famine, fierce beasts, and pestilence – will surely come. Verse 21 serves as a powerful concluding statement within this section, emphasizing the totality and inevitability of God's wrath upon a stubborn and idolatrous people, connecting the individual pursuit of idolatry to corporate national devastation. This is part of Ezekiel's prophetic ministry during the Babylonian exile, meant to inform the exiles about God's judgment on those left in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 14 21 Word Analysis
- And (וְ, və): Conjunction, links actions, indicating progression and consequence.
- I (אֲנִי, ’anî): First-person pronoun, emphasizing God's direct involvement and authority in the judgment.
- will send (שָׁלַחְתִּי, shālach-tî): Verb in the perfect tense, indicating a completed action from God's perspective, conveying certainty. It means to send forth, extend, dispatch.
- four (אַרְבָּעָה, ’arba‘āh): Cardinal number. Refers to the four specific agents of destruction.
- of my (מִן־, min- followed by pronoun suffix): "From my" or "of my," indicating possession or source.
- judgments (מִשְׁפָּטִֽים, mishpāṭîm): Plural of "mishpat," meaning judgment, justice, or ordinance. Here, it specifically refers to divine punitive actions or pronouncements of doom.
- against (עַל־, ‘al-): Preposition indicating direction or imposition upon.
- Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלִַם, Yərûšā-laim): The city of Jerusalem, the center of God's covenant people.
- even (גַּם־, gam-): Particle of addition or emphasis, "also," "indeed."
- the sword (חֶרֶב, ḥereḇ): A weapon of warfare, symbolizing violent death.
- and (וְ, və): Conjunction.
- famine (רָעָב, rā‘āḇ): Starvation due to lack of food, a common means of divine punishment.
- and (וְ, və): Conjunction.
- evil (בַּעַת, ba‘aṯ - typically referring to calamity, disaster, ruin): Used here with wild beasts. The phrase "evil beasts" likely implies those that prey on and devour people.
- beasts (חַיּוֹת, ḥayōṯ): Plural of "chayyah," meaning living creature, wild animal.
- and (וְ, və): Conjunction.
- pestilence (דֶּבֶר, deḇer): A widespread deadly disease, often epidemic.
Word Group Analysis
- "four of my judgments" (אַרְבָּעָה מִשְׁפָּטַי, ‘arba‘āh mishpāṭāi): This phrase refers to four distinct, yet coordinated, destructive forces sent by God. The use of "my judgments" highlights that these are not random calamities but divinely ordained instruments of justice against sin.
- "sword, and famine, and evil beasts, and pestilence" (חֶרֶב וְרָעָב וְחַיּוֹת רָעוֹת וְדֶבֶר, ḥereḇ wə-rā‘āḇ wə-ḥayyōṯ rā‘ōṯ wə-deḇer): This listing of four specific agents of destruction signifies the comprehensive and inescapable nature of God's judgment. Each represents a distinct but equally deadly form of divine retribution, designed to purge the land and its inhabitants of wickedness.
Ezekiel 14 21 Bonus Section
The repetition of judgment clauses like "sword, famine, and pestilence" throughout the prophetic books serves as a thematic motif emphasizing God's righteous anger against sin and His unwavering commitment to covenant faithfulness. Even though these instruments are destructive, they ultimately aim at purification and, in some instances, restoration. This verse also serves as a theological statement on the sovereignty of God over all of creation, including the destructive forces that can impact humanity. The ancient Near Eastern context often attributed such calamities to the capricious actions of various deities, but Ezekiel (and the biblical witness generally) insists that the God of Israel is the sole source of all such power, wielding it according to His justice.
Ezekiel 14 21 Commentary
Ezekiel 14:21 presents a solemn declaration of God's coming judgment upon Jerusalem. God Himself initiates and sends forth four types of devastating agents: the sword (warfare), famine (starvation), wild beasts (natural predatory destruction), and pestilence (disease). This enumeration underscores that God's judgment is total, affecting every aspect of life and leaving no refuge. The "evil beasts" likely represent those creatures that would naturally attack humans, either directly sent by God or as a consequence of the societal breakdown brought on by the other judgments. The emphasis is on divine agency; these are God's judgments, meticulously planned and executed as a response to the persistent sin and idolatry of Jerusalem. The certainty of their arrival is conveyed by the use of the perfect tense, "I will send," implying the action is as good as done from God's perspective.