Ezekiel 21 4

Ezekiel 21:4 kjv

Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:

Ezekiel 21:4 nkjv

Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north,

Ezekiel 21:4 niv

Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.

Ezekiel 21:4 esv

Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north.

Ezekiel 21:4 nlt

Yes, I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked! I will draw my sword against everyone in the land from south to north.

Ezekiel 21 verses

Ezekiel 21 4 Meaning

Ezekiel 21:4 is a divine declaration that states the reason for God's impending and severe judgment upon the land of Israel. Due to the pervasive national corruption, the devastating judgment, personified as God's "sword," will indiscernibly affect all inhabitants—both the righteous and the wicked—leading to a total national catastrophe that spares no one across the entire land from one end to the other.

Ezekiel 21 4 Context

Ezekiel 21:4 occurs during the prophet Ezekiel's ministry among the exiles in Babylon. The prophet's messages primarily concern the impending, and later realized, destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, as well as the eventual restoration of Israel. This particular verse is a direct pronouncement from God explaining the ferocity and widespread nature of the "sword" of judgment about to fall upon the land.

The chapter, Eze 21, is heavily imbued with the imagery of a sharpened, unsheathed "sword" as God's instrument against Jerusalem. It opens with Ezekiel commanded to prophesy against Jerusalem and Israel, setting the stage for the graphic description of the sword. The historical context is critical: the people in exile and those still in Jerusalem believed their city, with the Temple, was inviolable due to God's covenant with David. They struggled to reconcile this belief with the impending devastation. This verse challenges the presumption that individual righteousness alone could shield them from national disaster. The land, Judah/Jerusalem, had reached such a state of moral corruption and apostasy that God's judgment would be universal within its borders, using Babylon as His executor. The prophecy here targets Zedekiah, the "wicked prince of Israel," as the ultimate symbol of Judah's failure.

Ezekiel 21 4 Word analysis

• Because (יַעַן / ya'an): A causal conjunction, meaning "on account of," or "since." It clearly states the divine reason or justification for the subsequent, dire action. This emphasizes that God's actions are purposeful, not arbitrary.
• I will cut off (מִכָּרַת / mikkārat): From the Hebrew root kārat, "to cut, to cut off, to sever." In a literal sense, it conveys a violent termination. In the context of people or a nation, it signifies eradication or removal from the land through destruction or exile. It’s an emphatic declaration of certainty by God.
• from thee (מִמֵּךְ / mimmek): A feminine singular pronoun, referring to the "land of Israel" or Jerusalem mentioned in previous verses (Eze 21:2-3). This signifies that the judgment will emanate from within the nation itself, affecting its own people.
• the righteous (צַדִּיק / ṣaddîq): Refers to individuals who are just, upright, and live according to God's law. Their inclusion highlights that the impending calamity will affect all inhabitants physically and temporally, regardless of individual spiritual standing. It is a shared national consequence.
• and the wicked (וְרָשָׁע / wə-rāšā'): Refers to those who are guilty, evil, or lawless. Their inclusion, alongside the righteous, underscores the comprehensive nature of the judgment's physical impact on the entire populace.
• therefore (לָכֵן / lāḵēn): A consecutive conjunction, meaning "consequently," or "thus." It establishes a direct cause-and-effect link: because of the pervasive situation, God will execute a specific action.
• My sword (חַרְבִּי / ḥarbî): The "sword of the LORD" is a powerful anthropomorphism and metaphor for God's active, devastating judgment. It's not a literal sword, but God's punitive instrument, usually enacted through foreign invaders (e.g., Babylonians). The possessive "My" asserts divine authorship and control over this judgment.
• shall go forth (תֵצֵא / tēṣēʾ): A verb meaning "to come out, go out, emerge." It implies the active deployment and readiness for war, no longer restrained or passive in its sheath. The time for divine forbearance is over.
• out of his sheath (מִתַּעְרָהּ / mittaʿrāh): From the noun taʿar, meaning "sheath" or "scabbard." This signifies that the sword is unsheathed, drawn, and ready for use. It symbolizes a state of unrestrained aggression and active judgment, as opposed to being stored peacefully.
• against all flesh (אֶל-כָּל-בָּשָׂר / ʾel kol-bāśār): Literally "unto all flesh," referring to every human being. This phrase unequivocally declares the all-encompassing nature of the impending judgment, signifying that no person will escape its physical consequences within the designated area.
• from the south to the north (מִצָּפֹון וְעַד נֶגֶב / miṣṣāfôn wəʿaḏ neḡeḇ): The Hebrew text reads literally "from the north and until the south." This is a merism, a literary device that names two opposite parts to signify the whole. Regardless of the English ordering (South to North or North to South), it means the entire geographic expanse of the land, from its northern to its southern borders. This confirms the total, inescapable reach of the judgment across the land of Israel.

Words-group analysis:

• "Because I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked": This foundational statement explains the divine dilemma. When corruption is so ingrained and widespread in a nation, the ensuing judgment necessarily impacts everyone within its bounds, creating a shared experience of tribulation, regardless of individual piety. The righteous suffer physically and temporally as part of their collective identity within the nation, undergoing a purging process alongside the wicked.
• "therefore My sword shall go forth out of his sheath": This emphasizes the direct consequence of the previous statement. The "sword" represents God's active, unstoppable judgment, now fully deployed. Its unholstering signifies that the period of divine restraint has ended, and relentless punitive action is about to commence.
• "against all flesh from the south to the north": This final clause unequivocally expresses the terrifying universality and geographical totality of the impending destruction within the land. "All flesh" signifies human life, reinforcing that the judgment will spare no person, and the comprehensive geographical marker solidifies its inescapable reach across the entire territory of Judah.

Ezekiel 21 4 Bonus section

• The inclusion of "the righteous" in this collective judgment is a key theological point. It challenges a simplistic understanding of divine justice where only the "bad" suffer. Instead, it underscores the corporate solidarity of a covenant people and the idea that when national sin reaches a critical mass, its temporal consequences impact everyone, functioning either as judgment (for the wicked) or purification and refinement (for the righteous). This can be compared to the idea of a spiritual "baptism of fire" where all undergo a severe testing.
• This verse directly counters the prophetic "peace, peace" (Jer 6:14; 8:11) messages that assured people of safety despite their sin, and also refutes any belief that God would only punish specific notorious sinners. God’s patience had run out for the nation as a whole, resulting in an all-encompassing judgment.
• The "sword" as God's instrument is a potent motif not only here but also in the broader biblical narrative, signaling a divine call to judgment or war. Its withdrawal from the sheath is an irrevocable act, symbolizing a point of no return for the judgment.

Ezekiel 21 4 Commentary

Ezekiel 21:4 articulates a profoundly challenging truth: during a national judgment of unprecedented severity, God's "sword" will spare neither the individually righteous nor the wicked in terms of their physical and temporal suffering. This does not imply a loss of spiritual distinction or a condemnation of the righteous to eternal punishment, but rather that the consequences of corporate national apostasy will fall upon the entire land, affecting all its inhabitants alike in the temporal realm. The extensive corruption in Judah necessitated a complete and thorough purging. God's "sword" (representing the Babylonian invaders) is no longer restrained but is fully unleashed to bring about this comprehensive destruction "from the south to the north," symbolizing the inescapable geographical reach across the entire land. This harsh reality shattered the false sense of security that Jerusalem would be divinely protected despite its deep-seated sins. For the righteous, this period of suffering served as a refinement and a call to deeper trust in God beyond earthly circumstances, while for the wicked, it was a direct consequence of their unrepentant rebellion.