Ezekiel 16:40 kjv
They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
Ezekiel 16:40 nkjv
"They shall also bring up an assembly against you, and they shall stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords.
Ezekiel 16:40 niv
They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to pieces with their swords.
Ezekiel 16:40 esv
They shall bring up a crowd against you, and they shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords.
Ezekiel 16:40 nlt
They will band together in a mob to stone you and cut you up with swords.
Ezekiel 16 40 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 16:40 | They shall also bring an army against you, and they shall stone you with stones, and cut you down with their swords. | Ezekiel 16:40 |
| Jeremiah 7:9-11 | "Will you steal and murder and commit adultery and swear falsely and make offerings to Baal and walk after other gods...?" | Jeremiah 7:9-11 (Idolatry leading to destruction) |
| Lamentations 1:8 | Jerusalem has grievously sinned; therefore she has become a reproach... | Lamentations 1:8 (Jerusalem's sin and shame) |
| Isaiah 3:8 | For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their tongues and their doings are against the LORD... | Isaiah 3:8 (Cause of downfall) |
| Micah 7:2-3 | "...For each price is to shed blood... the ruler demands gifts, and the judge takes a bribe; the great man utters his evil desire; so they weave it together." | Micah 7:2-3 (Corruption leading to judgment) |
| Matthew 21:43 | "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to another nation that will produce its fruit." | Matthew 21:43 (Kingdom taken away due to disobedience) |
| Luke 21:20-24 | "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near." | Luke 21:20-24 (Prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction) |
| 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 | "...neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers..." | 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (Condemnation of sexual immorality and idolatry) |
| Galatians 5:19-21 | "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery..." | Galatians 5:19-21 (Listing sins that disqualify from inheriting God's kingdom) |
| Revelation 18:5 | "for her sins are heaped high, reaching to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities." | Revelation 18:5 (Babylon's judgment for sin) |
| Nahum 3:4-5 | "Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and rapine!... Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts..." | Nahum 3:4-5 (Judgment on Nineveh for its sins) |
| Hosea 2:3-5 | "...Lest I strip her naked and expose her on the day she was born, and leave her as a wilderness..." | Hosea 2:3-5 (Figurative stripping due to unfaithfulness) |
| Joel 1:6 | "It has come up with the teeth of a lion; it has the fangs of a lioness." | Joel 1:6 (Description of destructive force) |
| Amos 3:2 | "Only you have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." | Amos 3:2 (Specific punishment for God's chosen people) |
| Psalms 107:17 | "Fools because of their rebellious ways, and because of their iniquities, suffered affliction," | Psalms 107:17 (Affliction as a consequence of iniquity) |
| Romans 2:8-9 | "...but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury." | Romans 2:8-9 (Wrath for disobedience and unrighteousness) |
| Deuteronomy 28:49-50 | "The LORD will bring a nation from far away, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops, a nation whose language you do not understand..." | Deuteronomy 28:49-50 (Prophecy of invasion by a foreign nation) |
| Jeremiah 52:4-11 | "And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem..." | Jeremiah 52:4-11 (Historical account of Jerusalem's conquest) |
| 2 Chronicles 36:13 | "He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. But he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning to the LORD God of Israel." | 2 Chronicles 36:13 (Rebellion leading to Babylonian captivity) |
| John 8:32 | "...and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." | John 8:32 (Truth as freedom from sin's bondage) |
Ezekiel 16 verses
Ezekiel 16 40 Meaning
This verse describes the consequence of Jerusalem's spiritual adultery and betrayal. God will cause enemies to attack the city, leading to their judgment. They will be stripped bare, revealing their shame, and brought to judgment for their sexual immorality and idolatry.
Ezekiel 16 40 Context
Ezekiel 16 is a foundational chapter where the prophet uses an extended, vivid allegory to portray Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife. God recounts Jerusalem's history from its abandonment as an infant to its later prostitution through idolatry and alliances with foreign nations. The chapter details God's initial compassion, Jerusalem's subsequent betrayal through unfaithfulness to her covenant, and the impending severe judgment for her transgressions. This verse specifically speaks of the retributive justice God will enact, employing enemy nations to bring punishment upon Jerusalem for her deep-seated corruption and sins. The immediate context is the detailed description of the destruction that will come upon the city, signifying a public stripping and a severe, physical judgment.
Ezekiel 16 40 Word Analysis
- וְהֵבִ֣יאוּ (ve'hevī') - And they shall bring.
- וְ (ve) - "And"; a conjunction indicating continuation or consequence.
- הֵבִ֣יאוּ (hevi') - "they shall bring"; from the root בּוֹא (bo), meaning "to come" or "to bring". This implies a forceful introduction of an army.
- עָלַ֤יִךְ (alayich) - against you.
- עַל (al) - "upon," "against."
- -ַיִךְ (-ayich) - The feminine singular suffix "you," referring to Jerusalem.
- וְסָ֣קְל֔וּ (vesaqelū) - and they shall stone you.
- וְ (ve) - "and."
- סָ֣קְלוּ (saqelū) - "they shall stone"; from the root סָקַל (saqal), meaning to stone. This signifies a public, violent execution as a form of capital punishment or judgment in ancient Israelite law.
- בָאֲבָנִ֑ים (va'avanim) - with stones.
- בְ (ve) - "with," "in."
- אֲבָנִים (avanim) - "stones"; plural of אֶבֶן (eben). This emphasizes the instruments of the execution.
- וְגָדְע֣וּ (vegade'ū) - and cut you down.
- וְ (ve) - "and."
- גָדְעוּ (gade'ū) - "they shall cut down"; from the root גָדַע (gada'), meaning to cut off, hew down. This implies a violent, destructive action with weapons like swords.
- בְחַרְב$_{הֶ֔ם (becharvehem) - with their swords.
- בְ (ve) - "with."
- חַרְב$_{הֶם (charvehem) - "their swords"; plural of חֶרֶב (cherev), a sword. This signifies a military execution or slaughter.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "they shall bring an army against you": This phrase establishes the external force of judgment. It is God's judgment manifested through human agents, reflecting His ultimate sovereignty over all nations.
- "and they shall stone you with stones, and cut you down with their swords": This paired description of judgment emphasizes both a legalistic, public execution ("stoning") and a violent, military defeat ("cutting down with swords"). It conveys the completeness and severity of the retribution for Jerusalem's sins. The repetition of "stones" amplifies the certainty and reality of the impending judgment.
Ezekiel 16 40 Bonus Section
The imagery of being "stoned" and "cut down with swords" in this verse reflects ancient Near Eastern judicial and military practices. Stoning was a prescribed punishment in Mosaic law for severe offenses, highlighting the concept of the community administering justice. Being "cut down with swords" speaks to the brutality of warfare and conquest. The spiritual unfaithfulness of Jerusalem is portrayed as so egregious that it warrants a judgment comparable to the most severe human penalties, signifying that her sin is not merely a minor transgression but a fundamental breach of her covenant relationship with God, deserving of a thorough and public purging. The stripping away of all defenses and pride aligns with the broader theme in Ezekiel 16 where Jerusalem's shame is exposed, a consequence of her immodest and unfaithful behavior.
Ezekiel 16 40 Commentary
Ezekiel 16:40 declares the inevitable consequence of Jerusalem's idolatry and unfaithfulness: military invasion and a brutal, public dismantling of the city and its inhabitants. The prophecy vividly illustrates divine retribution, where enemies, empowered by God, carry out the sentence for sin. The methods of judgment, stoning and swords, are instruments of capital punishment and warfare, underscoring the total devastation that awaits. This verse functions as a solemn warning about the cost of covenant breaking and emphasizes God's commitment to justice against those who forsake Him for other "lovers."