Ezekiel 21:7 kjv
And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 21:7 nkjv
And it shall be when they say to you, 'Why are you sighing?' that you shall answer, 'Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,' says the Lord GOD."
Ezekiel 21:7 niv
And when they ask you, 'Why are you groaning?' you shall say, 'Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every leg will be wet with urine.' It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign LORD."
Ezekiel 21:7 esv
And when they say to you, 'Why do you groan?' you shall say, 'Because of the news that it is coming. Every heart will melt, and all hands will be feeble; every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming, and it will be fulfilled,'" declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 21:7 nlt
When they ask why you are groaning, tell them, 'I groan because of the terrifying news I have heard. When it comes true, the boldest heart will melt with fear; all strength will disappear. Every spirit will faint; strong knees will become as weak as water. And the Sovereign LORD says: It is coming! It's on its way!'"
Ezekiel 21 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 13:7-8 | "Therefore all hands will hang limp, and every human heart will melt... terror and pain will grip them." | Description of widespread fear and physical paralysis. |
| Jer 6:24 | "We heard the report...anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman in labor." | Similar fear and pain at the news of an invasion. |
| Zeph 1:14-17 | "The great day of the LORD is near...a day of wrath...trouble and distress." | Foretelling overwhelming divine judgment and terror. |
| Lk 21:26 | "People fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world." | NT echo of universal fear in judgment's approach. |
| Deut 28:65-67 | "The LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despairing soul." | Prophetic description of complete dread and despair under judgment. |
| Isa 19:1 | "The heart of Egypt will melt within it." | Metaphorical melting of hearts due to impending doom. |
| Josh 5:1 | "Their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites." | Describes total loss of courage due to fear. |
| 2 Sam 17:10 | "Then even the brave man, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt away." | Emphasizes the overwhelming nature of fear. |
| Psa 38:8-10 | "I am feeble and badly crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart...my strength fails me." | Description of profound internal distress and physical weakness. |
| Lam 1:20 | "My soul is in an uproar; my heart is within me like a woman in travail, for I have been most rebellious." | Anguish and distress due to past rebellion and judgment. |
| Exo 2:23 | "The people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help." | Groaning as an expression of deep suffering and oppression. |
| Rom 8:22-23 | "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning...we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly." | Spiritual groaning from present suffering, longing for future. |
| Isa 55:11 | "My word...shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose." | God's word is certain and always achieves its purpose. |
| Jer 1:12 | "For I am watching over my word to perform it." | God's active involvement in fulfilling His declared word. |
| Zech 1:6 | "But my words and my statutes...did they not overtake your fathers?" | Affirmation of past prophecies coming to pass. |
| Num 23:19 | "God is not a man...that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it?" | Assurance of God's unchanging and trustworthy word. |
| Eze 7:10 | "Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come." | Parallel emphasis on the swift and certain arrival of judgment within Ezekiel. |
| Eze 24:14 | "I, the LORD, have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it; I will not turn back." | Strong declaration of irreversible divine judgment. |
| Matt 24:35 | "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." | Jesus confirming the absolute certainty and eternality of God's word. |
| Eze 4:1-17 | "Lie on your left side for 390 days... then on your right side..." | Ezekiel frequently engaged in symbolic actions (sign-acts) to convey prophecy. |
| Eze 12:1-7 | "Dig through the wall... carry your belongings out by day." | Ezekiel's dramatic actions prompting questions from the people. |
Ezekiel 21 verses
Ezekiel 21 7 Meaning
Ezekiel 21:7 is a prophecy of impending judgment against Jerusalem and Israel, declared through the prophet Ezekiel's visible lamentation. His groaning is a prophetic sign, and the verse explains that this anguish stems from the terrifying news of an inescapable invasion and destruction. It describes the comprehensive terror and physical collapse that will overcome everyone—hearts will fail, hands will be paralyzed, spirits will lose all courage, and strength will abandon even the strongest knees, underscoring the absolute certainty and devastating impact of the divine judgment, "it is coming; it will surely come."
Ezekiel 21 7 Context
Ezekiel 21 is part of a series of oracles of judgment against Judah and Jerusalem, delivered during the prophet's early exile in Babylon. This particular chapter focuses on the "Sword of the LORD," symbolizing Babylon's invasion and God's instrument of judgment. The prophet himself is used as a living sign; his actions of groaning (mentioned in v.6 and explained in v.7) are not merely personal grief but a prophetic sign-act designed to provoke questions from the onlookers, thus creating an opportunity for Ezekiel to declare God's message of imminent and inescapable doom. The verse specifically details the prophet's explanation of his groaning as a direct response to the horrific tidings of Jerusalem's impending destruction, setting the stage for the rest of the chapter which graphically portrays the sharpness and fury of God's judgment.
Ezekiel 21 7 Word analysis
- And when they say to you, 'Why do you groan?': This opening establishes a dialogical structure. Ezekiel's profound sorrow is a visible prophetic sign (Hebrew: ’ânâkh, נֶאֱנָח – to groan, sigh, lament deeply) meant to prompt inquiry, turning his personal anguish into a divine message. His groaning is a response to divine revelation, not human events.
- You shall say, 'Because of the tidings': The "tidings" (Hebrew: shemu‘ah, שְׁמוּעָה – a report, a hearing, news) refers to a specific, dreadful report. It's not general bad news, but the assured reality of Jerusalem's downfall.
- 'That it is coming.': The Hebrew verb ba’ah (בָּאָה) in its participle form emphasizes the immediacy and unstoppable nature of the event. It is not just will come, but is coming—an ongoing, encroaching reality.
- Every heart will melt, and all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water: This quadruple parallelism vividly describes the total physiological and psychological collapse in the face of terror.
- Every heart will melt: (namas, נָמַס – to dissolve, melt) refers to utter loss of courage and will. Hearts, as the seat of courage and emotion, will dissolve from fear.
- All hands will be feeble: (rafah, רָפָה – to sink, relax, slacken) implies hands that lose their strength, dropping their weapons, unable to act or defend.
- Every spirit will faint: (bôsh, בּוֹשׁ – to be ashamed, confused; here often translated as to be disappointed, despondent, faint). The life force or courage (ruakh) will fail, leading to despair and incapacitation.
- All knees will be weak as water: This striking simile signifies complete physical debilitation and collapse, an inability to stand or resist due to overwhelming terror.
- 'Behold, it is coming; it will surely come,': The emphatic repetition (Hebrew: hinneh ba’ah ūva’ah, הִנֵּה בָּאָה וּבָאָה) serves as a divine guarantee. The exclamation hinneh ("Behold!") draws immediate attention to the undeniable certainty, followed by a double affirmation of its arrival.
- 'Declares the Lord GOD.': The prophetic formula (Hebrew: ne'um Adonai Yehovih, נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה) authenticates the entire message. This is not Ezekiel's opinion, but a direct, authoritative word from the Sovereign God.
Ezekiel 21 7 Bonus section
Ezekiel's prophetic role in this chapter transcends mere message delivery; he embodies the very message through his actions and internal state. His groaning is a visceral participation in the future suffering he announces, making him a true watchman not only with words but with his own being. This particular verse highlights the comprehensive nature of the coming disaster; it is not selective but affects every facet of human existence – physical, emotional, and spiritual – reducing a proud nation to utter helplessness and despair. The specific quartet of melting hearts, feeble hands, faint spirits, and weak knees became a classical expression in Hebrew prophecy to denote overwhelming fear in the face of God's wrath or a formidable enemy, emphasizing the loss of morale, capacity for resistance, and basic stability.
Ezekiel 21 7 Commentary
Ezekiel 21:7 is a profound declaration of imminent, divine judgment against Jerusalem. The prophet's involuntary groaning, a visible sign-act, serves as a pre-enactment of the terror awaiting the people. When questioned, his explanation reveals the depth of God's decreed punishment: an unstoppable "tidings" of destruction that will overwhelm everyone. The verse masterfully employs vivid imagery to portray universal paralysis, describing how heart, hands, spirit, and knees will utterly fail. The repeated declaration "it is coming; it will surely come," underscored by the Lord GOD's own word, emphasizes the absolute certainty and irreversibility of this catastrophic judgment. It powerfully conveys that Jerusalem's fall is not merely a political event, but a direct, terrifying consequence of divine wrath.