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 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 6:7 | "And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the LORD." | Punishment of apostasy |
| Isaiah 64:11 | "Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire..." | Lament for destroyed Temple |
| Jeremiah 7:14 | "...but will do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place that I have given you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh." | Prophecy against Jerusalem Temple |
| Jeremiah 52:13 | "And he burned the house of the LORD, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire." | Fall of Jerusalem |
| Lamentations 1:10 | "The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation." | Sorrows of Jerusalem |
| Lamentations 4:1 | "How is the gold become dim! how is it changed! the most fine gold! how are the stones of the sanctuary poured out in the top of every street!" | Lament for the fallen city |
| Psalms 74:6-7 | "But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers. They have set thy sanctuary on fire; they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground." | Prayer for deliverance from enemies |
| Matthew 24:2 | "And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." | Prophecy of Temple's destruction |
| Luke 19:44 | "And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another..." | Jesus' prophecy of Jerusalem |
| John 2:19 | "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." | Jesus' reference to his body |
| 1 Corinthians 3:16 | "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" | Believers as God's temple |
| 1 Corinthians 6:19 | "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" | Believers' bodies as temple |
| 2 Corinthians 6:16 | "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." | Union of Christ and believers |
| Revelation 11:1-2 | "And there was given me a reed like unto a measuring rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein." | Measuring the heavenly temple |
| Revelation 21:22 | "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." | Heavenly city's temple |
| Isaiah 44:28 | "That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid." | God's sovereign control |
| Jeremiah 25:9 | "And, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them..." | Judgment through Babylon |
| Ezekiel 6:3-4 | "And say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places;" | Divine judgment on the land |
| Ezekiel 25:3 | "And say unto the ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;" | Judgment on Ammon for their scorn |
| Psalm 137:7 | "Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof." | Enemies rejoicing over destruction |
| Deuteronomy 31:16 | "And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the strange gods of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me..." | Foreshadowing future unfaithfulness |
Ezekiel 24 verses
Ezekiel 24 21 Meaning
This verse signifies the divine decree regarding the utter destruction and abandonment of the Temple, which served as a central symbol of Israel's covenant relationship with God. It states that the cherished sanctuary, the place of their sons' and daughters' pride and glory, will be defiled and fallen by the sword of the enemy. This loss is presented as an irrecoverable event, highlighting the severe consequences of Israel's continued unfaithfulness and sin.
Ezekiel 24 21 Context
Ezekiel 24 occurs during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. The chapter serves as a symbolic illustration of God's judgment against Judah for its persistent sin, particularly its idolatry and corruption. Verse 21 specifically addresses the impending destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, the very heart of Israel's religious and national life. This judgment is a direct consequence of their covenant unfaithfulness, as detailed throughout the book of Ezekiel. The people had trusted in the physical presence of the Temple as a guarantee of God's protection, forgetting that their spiritual state determined God's favor.
Ezekiel 24 21 Word Analysis
- "ye": Refers to the people of Israel addressed by Ezekiel.
- "shall": Indicates divine pronouncement, a future certainty according to God's will.
- "desire": Points to the longing and cherishing of the people for their sacred sanctuary, the house of God. It signifies its preciousness in their eyes.
- "your": Possessive pronoun, linking the object of desire (the Temple) to the people of Israel.
- "eyes": Symbolizes their perception and the source of their pride and worship.
- "also": Connective particle, adding emphasis to the following statement.
- "the": Definite article, referring to a specific entity.
- "sanctuary": This Hebrew word (miqdash) refers to the holy place, specifically the Temple in Jerusalem. It is the dwelling place of God's name and presence among His people.
- "of": Preposition indicating possession or association.
- "your": Possessive pronoun, again linking the sanctuary to the people.
- "sons": Refers to their children, emphasizing the deep personal loss experienced by the people.
- "and": Conjunction linking the two groups.
- "your": Possessive pronoun.
- "daughters": Also refers to their children, highlighting the familial and communal devastation.
- "and": Conjunction.
- "for": Indicates cause or reason.
- "your": Possessive pronoun.
- "fall": Signifies defeat, destruction, or being slain.
- "by": Preposition indicating agency or means.
- "the": Definite article.
- "sword": Symbol of warfare, judgment, and violent death. It represents the military conquest by the Babylonians.
Word Group Analysis:
- "ye shall leave... your eyes": This phrase emphasizes the act of abandoning and ceasing to look upon the thing most precious to them. Their accustomed worship and reliance on the physical sanctuary will be forcibly terminated.
- "the sanctuary of your sons and your daughters": This construction highlights the intergenerational impact of the destruction. The Temple was not just for the current generation but was to be passed down. Its loss represents a failure in spiritual legacy and a severe blow to the future of the community.
- "for your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword": This clause explains the reason for the people leaving their sanctuary to their eyes. The calamitous loss of life among their offspring by the enemy's sword makes any remaining attachment or pride in the Temple futile and even unbearable.
Ezekiel 24 21 Bonus Section
The imagery of the Temple, described as "the desire of your eyes," speaks volumes about how Israel had inverted its worship. Instead of their ultimate desire being God Himself, their desire had become centered on the physical structure and the religious system associated with it, divorcing it from true devotion and righteous living. This mirrors the human tendency to reify religious symbols, making them ends in themselves rather than means to connect with God. The ultimate fulfillment of this destruction is seen not only in the Babylonian conquest but also in Jesus' own pronouncement regarding the Temple in Matthew 24, when He foretold its complete demolition, and His declaration in John 2:19 that the "temple" referred to His own body, which would be destroyed and raised again. This shifts the understanding of God’s dwelling place from a physical building to a spiritual reality found in Christ and His followers (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16).
Ezekiel 24 21 Commentary
Ezekiel 24:21 is a stark declaration of judgment upon Jerusalem and its Temple. God informs Ezekiel that the cherished sanctuary, the object of their devotion and pride, will be utterly destroyed, and the people will be forced to turn away from it. This devastation will be brought about by the enemy's sword, resulting in the death of their children, the very ones for whom they desired to preserve their heritage. The verse underscores the gravity of sin and its devastating consequences, demonstrating that outward religious observance is meaningless if not accompanied by sincere obedience and a right heart attitude toward God. The physical Temple, though divinely ordained, could not ultimately protect a people who had forsaken their covenant. This destruction served as a brutal, tangible manifestation of God’s judgment on Judah’s persistent rebellion and the ultimate consequence of turning away from Him.