Ezekiel 24 21

Ezekiel 24:21 kjv

Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.

Ezekiel 24:21 nkjv

'Speak to the house of Israel, "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the delight of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.

Ezekiel 24:21 niv

Say to the people of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary?the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.

Ezekiel 24:21 esv

'Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.

Ezekiel 24:21 nlt

and I was told to give this message to the people of Israel. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will defile my Temple, the source of your security and pride, the place your heart delights in. Your sons and daughters whom you left behind in Judah will be slaughtered by the sword.

Ezekiel 24 verses

Ezekiel 24 21 Meaning

Ezekiel 24:21 announces the impending, devastating judgment from the Lord GOD upon Jerusalem and the Judahite exiles. God declares that He Himself will profane His own sanctuary—the Temple—which was the central source of their national strength, the object of their beauty, and the deepest longing of their hearts. This destruction will be accompanied by the violent death ("fall by the sword") of their beloved children—their sons and daughters who remain in Jerusalem. This message shattered any lingering false hope among the exiles regarding the safety of Jerusalem and its inhabitants, revealing the complete divine abandonment due to their profound sin.

Ezekiel 24 21 Context

Ezekiel 24 marks a pivotal moment in the prophet's ministry and Judah's history. The prophecy is explicitly dated (Ezek 24:1) to the very day King Nebuchadnezzar began his final siege against Jerusalem (January 15, 588 BCE). This synchronicity underscored the divine precision and immediate reality of Ezekiel's message to the exiles in Babylon. Prior to this, many exiles held out hope that Jerusalem would resist the Babylonians and that their captivity would be short. This verse, following the allegory of the boiling pot and immediately preceding the sign of Ezekiel's wife's death, shatters that hope. God's message conveyed through Ezekiel is an unambiguous declaration of the city's destruction and the Temple's profanation, explaining to the exiles in detail why God would allow such a tragedy to befall His chosen city and people, revealing that their persistent idolatry and moral corruption had severed the covenant relationship to a catastrophic degree.

Ezekiel 24 21 Word analysis

• Speak (דַּבֵּר, dabber): A strong imperative, commanding Ezekiel to deliver a divine message. It signifies authoritative transmission of God's direct words.
• house of Israel (בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, beit Yisrael): While sometimes referring to the northern kingdom, here in Ezekiel's context, it primarily designates the Judahite exiles in Babylon and by extension, the entire covenant people facing judgment for their collective sins.
• Lord GOD (אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, Adonai Yahweh): This combined divine name emphasizes God's supreme sovereignty ("Lord" as master) and His covenant faithfulness ("Yahweh") even in judgment. He acts in both power and justice.
• Behold (הִנֵּה, hinneh): An interjection to arrest attention, highlighting the immediate and dramatic nature of the ensuing divine declaration. It underscores the certainty of what is to happen.
• I am about to profane (וְהִלַּלְתִּי, ve-hillalti): This is from the root halal, meaning "to make common," "to defile," or "to desecrate." The active role of God ("I") is crucial—He is not merely allowing His sanctuary to be defiled, but actively participating in its profanation due to Israel's profanation of Him.
• My sanctuary (אֶת־מִקְדָּשִׁי, et-mikdashí): Literally "My holy place." The Temple in Jerusalem, central to Israel's identity, worship, and national life, the supposed dwelling place of God's presence. God takes ownership even in announcing its destruction.
• pride of your power (גְּאוֹן עֻזְּכֶם, geon uzekhem): Gaon refers to majesty, glory, strength, or arrogance. Oz means strength or might. This describes the Temple not just as a religious edifice, but as the symbol of Judah's national invincibility, military confidence, and the perceived divine guarantee of their security.
• delight of your eyes (מַחְמַד עֵינֵיכֶם, mahmad eineikhem): Mahmad means desired, precious, lovely object. The Temple was not only glorious and impressive in its beauty but also the object of deep emotional and spiritual affection, a source of joy and pride for the people. It mirrors the description of Ezekiel's wife as "the delight of his eyes" in verse 16.
• yearning of your soul (וּמַעַל נַפְשְׁכֶם, u-maal nafshekhem): The precise meaning of ma'al here is debated but understood as something intensely valued, longed for, or carried upon the soul. It denotes a deep emotional and spiritual attachment, representing their innermost desire and comfort, making its loss especially devastating.
• sons and your daughters (בְּנֵיכֶם וּבְנוֹתֵיכֶם, beneikhem uvenoteikhem): Their children, referring specifically to those still left in Jerusalem, a highly personal and cherished part of their lives.
• whom you left behind (אֲשֶׁר עֲזַבְתֶּם, asher azavtem): This emphasizes that Ezekiel's audience, the exiles, had family remaining in Jerusalem whom they hoped would be safe. This clause deepens the personal anguish of the prophecy.
• will fall by the sword (יִפְּלוּ בַּחֶרֶב, yiplu ba-cherev): A common prophetic phrase denoting violent death in battle, by execution, or during a siege. It portrays a brutal and comprehensive loss of life.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Speak to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD:'": This opening confirms the divine authority of the message and its direct recipient, emphasizing that the prophet is merely a messenger delivering the word of the sovereign covenant Lord. The gravity is unmistakable.
• "Behold, I am about to profane My sanctuary": This striking declaration underlines God's direct agency in the destruction of His holy place. It's an active act of judgment, stripping away the sanctity of the Temple due to the profound sin of His people who themselves profaned it. This refutes any notion of the Temple's invulnerability.
• "the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul": This threefold description intensely characterizes the Temple's deep significance to the people of Judah. It wasn't merely a building; it embodied their national confidence and identity ("pride of your power"), their aesthetic appreciation and source of joy ("delight of your eyes"), and their deepest emotional and spiritual connection and longing ("yearning of your soul"). Its loss thus represents a complete national and spiritual devastation.
• "and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind will fall by the sword": This shift from the national symbol (Temple) to the most personal relationships (children) makes the prophecy agonizingly immediate and specific. For the exiles, the fate of their families still in Jerusalem was a constant worry, and this declares a definitive, tragic end to their hope for their safety, underscoring the completeness of God's judgment beyond material destruction.

Ezekiel 24 21 Bonus section

The historical date provided for this prophecy (Ezek 24:1, the ninth year, tenth month, tenth day) is exceptionally precise. It serves to underscore not only God's perfect knowledge of future events but also His active hand in their unfolding. The fact that the prophet spoke this word to the exiles in Babylon on the very day the siege began thousands of miles away in Jerusalem demonstrates divine omnipresence and the absolute certainty of prophetic fulfillment, leaving no room for doubt about the authenticity of Ezekiel's commission or the message. The deep personal impact on the exiles stems from them learning of the disaster through divine revelation via Ezekiel long before human messengers could arrive from Jerusalem, adding to the psychological weight and trauma of the prophecy. This highlights a theological principle: God communicates His will and warnings, and when disregarded, His word is still upheld through judgment.

Ezekiel 24 21 Commentary

Ezekiel 24:21 delivers one of the most painful prophecies to the exiled Jews in Babylon: God Himself will dismantle their false security by actively defiling His own Temple in Jerusalem. This was an unthinkable act to the Judeans who clung to a "Temple theology," believing the presence of the Temple guaranteed their safety. The prophet reveals that their egregious sins, particularly the pervasive idolatry and moral corruption documented in earlier chapters (Ezekiel 8), had made their worship and even the holy space profane in God's eyes. By calling it "the pride of your power," "the delight of your eyes," and "the yearning of your soul," God highlights the Temple's central role in their national identity, emotional well-being, and spiritual longing, emphasizing how profoundly its destruction would shatter their world. The immediate, synchronized timing of the prophecy with the commencement of the siege against Jerusalem amplified its reality. The parallel with Ezekiel's wife's death (Ezek 24:16-18), who was "the delight of his eyes," served as a living parable to make the devastating loss intensely personal for the exiles. This divine judgment culminated not just in the Temple's destruction but also in the brutal killing of their innocent children remaining in Jerusalem, confirming that the consequences of sin are all-encompassing, impacting cherished symbols, national identity, and individual families alike.

Practical usage:

• Never place ultimate trust in religious structures, rituals, or symbols over a genuine, obedient relationship with God, as even God's sanctuary can face judgment when corrupted by human sin.
• Understand that God's justice, though severe, is always righteous and proportionate to His holiness being repeatedly dishonored.
• Recognize that national or collective sin can have profoundly personal and painful consequences for individuals and families.