Ezekiel 35:6 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Ezekiel 35:6 kjv
Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.
Ezekiel 35:6 nkjv
therefore, as I live," says the Lord GOD, "I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; since you have not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue you.
Ezekiel 35:6 niv
therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you.
Ezekiel 35:6 esv
therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; because you did not hate bloodshed, therefore blood shall pursue you.
Ezekiel 35:6 nlt
As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, since you show no distaste for blood, I will give you a bloodbath of your own. Your turn has come!
Ezekiel 35 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 24:19-20 | "If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done, so it shall be done to him... Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him." | Principle of "eye for an eye" (lex talionis) |
| Deut 32:41 | "If I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me." | God's vengeance against enemies |
| Psa 137:7 | "Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, 'Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!'" | Edom's gleeful participation in Jerusalem's fall |
| Jer 49:10 | "But I have stripped Esau bare; I have uncovered his hiding places, and he shall not be able to conceal himself..." | Prophecy of Edom's complete destruction |
| Oba 1:10 | "Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever." | Judgment for violence against Jacob/Israel |
| Oba 1:12-14 | "But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune... nor have laid hands on their wealth on the day of their disaster..." | Edom's sin of gloating and participation |
| Eze 25:12 | "Thus says the Lord God: Because Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has deeply offended in taking vengeance on them..." | Edom's vengeful actions against Judah |
| Isa 34:5 | "For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction." | God's divine judgment specifically on Edom |
| Amos 1:11 | "Thus says the Lord: 'For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword..." | Edom's unrelenting animosity |
| Joel 3:19 | "Egypt shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the people of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land." | Desolation for shedding innocent blood |
| Mal 1:3-4 | "But Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a desolation and his heritage a wasteland for jackals of the desert." | Confirmation of Edom's lasting desolation |
| Rom 9:13 | "As it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'" | Divine election and foreknowledge (re Edom) |
| Psa 58:10-11 | "The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked." | God's justice seen as righteous |
| Gal 6:7 | "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." | Principle of reaping what you sow |
| Matt 7:2 | "For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you." | Judgment in proportion to actions |
| Rev 16:6 | "For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!" | Retribution in the final judgment |
| Num 35:33 | "You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that has been shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it." | Pollution by bloodshed and its necessary retribution |
| 2 Sam 1:16 | "David said to him, 'Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, "I have killed the Lord’s anointed."'" | Bloodguilt coming back upon the perpetrator |
| Isa 63:3-4 | "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments..." | God as avenger for His people |
| Heb 10:30 | "For we know him who said, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' and again, 'The Lord will judge his people.'" | God's claim of vengeance and repayment |
| Prov 28:17 | "If one is guilty of shedding blood, he will flee to a pit; let no one lend him aid." | Guilt for bloodshed has no escape |
| Jer 25:31 | "The Lord has an indictment against the nations; he is entering into judgment with all flesh, and the wicked he will give to the sword, declares the Lord." | Universal judgment on nations and the wicked |
Ezekiel 35 verses
Ezekiel 35 6 meaning
Ezekiel 35:6 declares the Lord God's immutable judgment upon Mount Seir (Edom), promising a pervasive and relentless cycle of violence and bloodshed as a direct retribution for Edom's consistent animosity towards Israel, culminating in their rejoicing and participation in the destruction of Judah. The divine oath, "as I live," underscores the absolute certainty and irreversibility of this decree. Their lack of aversion to violence and their embrace of shedding innocent blood are the explicit grounds for this severe and unavoidable punishment, ensuring that the very suffering they inflicted or reveled in will become their inescapable fate.
Ezekiel 35 6 Context
Ezekiel 35 is part of a series of oracles (Ezekiel 25-39) primarily concerning the nations surrounding Judah, serving to vindicate God's justice and re-establish hope for Israel. Specifically, chapter 35 focuses on Mount Seir, or Edom, the descendants of Esau. Their historical relationship with Israel (descendants of Jacob) was marked by constant rivalry and hostility (Gen 27, Num 20). Edom had long been an antagonist to Judah. This oracle comes in the wake of Jerusalem's destruction by Babylon in 586 BC, a time when Edom, rather than showing solidarity, rejoiced at Judah's downfall and actively participated in looting and occupying Israelite territory (Psa 137:7, Obadiah). God condemns Edom for their perpetual hatred, their pride in their seemingly impregnable mountainous fortress, and their belief that they could inherit Judah's land because it was "desolate." Ezekiel 35:6 specifically targets Edom's profound bloodthirstiness and lack of empathy, a sin that necessitates an equally profound divine retribution in kind. The chapter contrasts Edom's impending and irreversible desolation with the future restoration of Israel, reinforcing the covenant promises and God's sovereignty over history and justice.
Ezekiel 35 6 Word analysis
- Therefore (לָכֵן - `la-khen`): A strong logical connective indicating consequence. It directly links the preceding declaration of Edom's perpetual hatred and malicious actions to the impending divine judgment. It emphasizes the direct causal relationship between Edom's sin and God's pronouncement.
- as I live (חַי-אָנִי - `ḥay-ānī`): This phrase signifies a divine oath, the strongest possible affirmation from God. It declares that the certainty of the following statement is as absolute as God's very existence. This emphasizes the irreversible and unchangeable nature of the coming judgment.
- declares the Lord GOD (נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה - `nə'um Adonay YHWH`): This is an authoritative formula that authenticates the message as directly from the sovereign and self-existent God. `Adonay` (Lord) conveys His mastership, and `YHWH` (rendered GOD in all caps) reveals His covenant-keeping, transcendent nature. It stresses the divine origin and power behind the pronouncement.
- I will prepare you for blood (הַעֲשֶׂיךָ דָם - `haʿaśīḵā dām`):
- prepare you (הַעֲשֶׂיךָ - `haʿaśīḵā`, Hiphil imperfect of עָשָׂה `ʿāśāh`): The Hiphil stem here means "to cause to be made/done" or "to make you an object of." It doesn't imply preparation by Edom but rather preparation of Edom by God to be blood, or for a destiny of bloodshed. It implies God setting them up for their fate.
- blood (דָּם - `dām`): A central theme in this verse, meaning literal blood, violence, and death. It symbolizes not just physical injury, but the very essence of violent destruction and divine judgment for such acts.
- and blood shall pursue you (וְדָם יִרְדָּפֶךָ - `wəḏām yirədāfeḵā`):
- pursue (יִרְדָּפֶךָ - `yirədāfeḵā`, Qal imperfect of רָדַף `rādaf`): Means to chase, pursue, hunt. It vividly portrays bloodshed as an active agent, an inescapable predator constantly hounding Edom. It suggests an unending, relentless cycle of violence that they cannot escape.
- because you did not hate bloodshed (כִּי לֹא־שָׂנֵאתָ דָם - `kî lōʾ-śānēʾtā dām`):
- did not hate (לֹא־שָׂנֵאתָ - `lōʾ-śānēʾtā`, Qal perfect of שָׂנֵא `śānēʾ`): Signifies not just indifference, but an active acceptance, perhaps even love for violence. Hatred is a strong emotion; its absence here highlights a deep moral failure and an embrace of destructive behavior against God's people. This points to Edom's disposition, a spiritual lack of moral repugnance for murder and violence.
- bloodshed (דָּם - `dām`): Repeated for emphasis, underscoring the specific nature of Edom's egregious sin: not just physical blood, but the act of violence, murder, and wanton destruction associated with it.
- therefore blood shall pursue you (וְדָם יִרְדָּפֶךָ - `wəḏām yirədāfeḵā`): A repetition of the consequence, reinforcing its certainty and serving as a chiasm with the earlier "blood shall pursue you," structurally emphasizing the finality of the judgment and tying it directly back to their lack of hatred for bloodshed.
Words-Group Analysis:
- "Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD": This initial emphatic declaration sets an authoritative tone. The divine oath, reinforced by the full divine title, leaves no room for doubt regarding the fulfillment of the prophecy. It highlights God's justice is bound to His very nature.
- "I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you": This twin expression portrays God's direct intervention in bringing about Edom's fate ("I will prepare you for blood") and the self-perpetuating, inescapable nature of that fate ("blood shall pursue you"). It describes a land and people constantly under the shadow of violence and death, making them a monument of divine retribution.
- "because you did not hate bloodshed, therefore blood shall pursue you": This segment explicitly states the causality and retribution. The judgment is not arbitrary; it is a direct consequence of Edom's moral failing – their affinity for violence against God's chosen people. The repetition of "blood shall pursue you" at the beginning and end of the consequence emphasizes the 'measure for measure' principle of divine justice, highlighting that the very thing they did not abhor will relentlessly hunt them down.
Ezekiel 35 6 Bonus section
The concept of "blood" (Hebrew dām) is highly significant here. It's not just physical gore; it carries legal and moral weight, representing life, guilt, and divine judgment. In biblical law, spilled innocent blood cries out for vengeance and pollutes the land, requiring an avenger or divine retribution (Gen 4:10, Num 35:33). Edom's actions resulted in severe "bloodguilt," which God promises to settle. This prophecy's fulfillment involved a long historical process, seeing Edom diminish through conflicts with Nabataeans, Judeans, and eventually disappearing from history as a distinct national entity after the Roman period, consistent with the promise of a pervasive, unending pursuit by violence that culminated in their demise. This is also a polemic against the regional deities or beliefs that might have encouraged or allowed such behavior, implicitly stating that the God of Israel is sovereign and demands accountability for the taking of life, especially His people's.
Ezekiel 35 6 Commentary
Ezekiel 35:6 is a potent declaration of divine judgment rooted in the principle of lex talionis and God's immutable justice. Edom's historical and recent (at the time of the oracle) malice towards Israel, particularly their celebratory and exploitative actions during Judah's devastation, violated not only sibling kinship but also challenged God's covenant loyalty. The phrase "as I live" elevates the judgment to an unbreakable, personal commitment from God, signaling that His very being is invested in its execution. Edom's failure to "hate bloodshed" reveals a profound spiritual depravity and a deep moral indifference to suffering and death, particularly against God's people. This indifference and active participation in violence becomes the very weapon of their judgment: an unending cycle of "blood" will pursue them. This isn't just a threat of war; it's a pronouncement that Edom will become inherently intertwined with violence and death, experiencing a retribution perfectly tailored to their sin. This serves as a stark warning against gloating over others' misfortunes and reminds that God's justice will hold nations accountable for their actions, particularly those targeting His people.