Ezekiel 35:7 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Ezekiel 35:7 kjv
Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth.
Ezekiel 35:7 nkjv
Thus I will make Mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it the one who leaves and the one who returns.
Ezekiel 35:7 niv
I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and cut off from it all who come and go.
Ezekiel 35:7 esv
I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation, and I will cut off from it all who come and go.
Ezekiel 35:7 nlt
I will make Mount Seir utterly desolate, killing off all who try to escape and any who return.
Ezekiel 35 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Oba 1:10 | "Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you..." | Edom's judgment for violence against Israel. |
| Oba 1:12-14 | "You should not have gloated over your brother's day... not have rejoiced..." | Edom's specific sins against Judah at its fall. |
| Isa 34:5 | "My sword is satiated in heaven... it descends for judgment on Edom..." | God's direct judgment against Edom. |
| Isa 34:10-15 | "From generation to generation it shall lie waste... none shall pass through it..." | Description of Edom's utter desolation, like Ezek 35:7. |
| Jer 49:7 | "Concerning Edom: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Is there no longer wisdom in Teman...?" | Introduction to prophecies against Edom. |
| Jer 49:17-18 | "Edom shall become a horror... No one shall dwell there, nor shall a son of man reside in it." | Edom's future desolation and lack of inhabitants. |
| Amos 1:11-12 | "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..." | God's judgment against Edom for its perpetual wrath. |
| Mal 1:3-4 | "But Esau I hated... I have laid waste his hill country... Though Edom says, 'We will rebuild'..." | Divine pronouncement of Edom's desolation and inability to recover. |
| Ezek 25:12-14 | "Thus says the Lord God: Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah... I will execute vengeance on Edom..." | Edom's vengeance as a reason for judgment. |
| Lev 26:33 | "And I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation..." | God's covenant judgment involving desolation. |
| Jer 25:9-11 | "And this whole land shall be a desolation and a horror, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years." | Judah's desolation as a result of God's judgment. |
| Ezek 6:14 | "And I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land a desolate waste..." | Desolation linked to idolatry. |
| Ezek 29:10 | "Therefore, behold, I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation..." | Judgment of Egypt into desolation. |
| Ps 37:9 | "For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land." | General principle of the wicked being "cut off." |
| Num 15:30 | "But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or a sojourner, that person reviles the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from among his people." | "Cut off" signifying spiritual exclusion or demise. |
| Ex 12:15 | "Whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel." | "Cut off" indicating removal from the covenant community. |
| Zech 7:14 | "I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations... thus the land was left desolate, with no one passing through or coming back..." | Similar phrase describing depopulation and lack of transit. |
| Ezek 36:10-11 | "And I will multiply people on you, the whole house of Israel, all of it... and will make you more prosperous than you were before." | Contrast with Israel's future restoration and repopulation. |
| Ps 9:16 | "The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment; by the work of his own hands the wicked are snared." | God's character revealed through His judgments on nations. |
| Rom 9:13 | "As it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'" | Paul references Malachi regarding God's sovereign choice between Jacob and Esau, underpinning the history leading to Edom's judgment. |
Ezekiel 35 verses
Ezekiel 35 7 meaning
Ezekiel 35:7 pronounces God's severe and complete judgment upon Mount Seir, which represents the nation of Edom. The verse declares that God Himself will render Edom an absolute and permanent desolation, to such an extent that all human activity, including travel and habitation, will entirely cease from its land. It signifies utter depopulation and abandonment as a consequence of their historical hostility toward Israel.
Ezekiel 35 7 Context
Ezekiel chapter 35 stands in stark contrast to the preceding chapters (33-34) concerning Israel's leadership and the subsequent chapters (36-39) promising Israel's future restoration and blessing. Chapter 35, addressed exclusively to "Mount Seir" (Edom), serves as a necessary preamble to Israel's hope. Before God fully restores His people, He must address the injustice and persistent animosity of nations that rejoiced in Judah's downfall. Edom, descended from Esau, Israel's brother, harbored ancient hatred and capitalized on Judah's destruction by Babylon, seeking to annex Israelite territory and gloating over their suffering. This verse declares a specific, divine retaliation against Edom for its malicious joy and predatory actions.
Ezekiel 35 7 Word analysis
- Thus I will make: (`אֶעֱשֶׂה` - a’ehseh, from `עָשָׂה` - ’asah - to make, do). A divine declaration. God is the sovereign agent initiating and executing this judgment, emphasizing His direct, unstoppable involvement and purpose.
- Mount Seir: (Hebrew: `הַר שֵׂעִיר` - har se'ir). Mount Seir is a mountainous region and tribal name primarily associated with Edom. It acts as a metonymy for the entire nation and people of Edom. Historically, Edom was Esau’s descendants, marked by an enduring hostility toward Jacob’s descendants (Israel).
- an utter desolation: (Hebrew: `שְׁמָמָה וּשְׁמָמָה` - shimamah u’shimamah). This phrase employs a Hebrew superlative, literally "a desolation and a desolation." It conveys the strongest possible degree of destruction and emptiness, signifying an irreparable, complete, and permanent state of waste, devoid of habitation or life. It is more than just ruin; it is a wasteland.
- and cut off from it: (Hebrew: `וּמַלְּתִי מִמֶּנּוּ` - u'malleti mimmennu, from `מָלַט` - malat in Hiphil, meaning "to cause to escape/flee" but here in context "to cause to disappear" or "to remove utterly"). The active sense implies God will actively remove or ensure the complete absence of any movement or life within the land. It speaks of a forced end to their presence.
- all who pass through and repass: (Hebrew: `עֹבֵר וָשָׁב` - over vashav, "passer-by and returner" or "those going and coming"). This idiom denotes all human traffic, activity, trade, and even population. Its cessation signifies absolute depopulation, total abandonment, and a complete end to any normal functioning or habitation within the land. Not even travelers or refugees will dare to venture there.
- Thus I will make Mount Seir: Highlights God's active, purposeful intervention and direct hand in Edom's destiny, underscoring divine justice for their actions.
- an utter desolation, and cut off from it: Connects the complete destruction of the land with the total removal of any form of life or activity within it, stressing the thoroughness and finality of God's judgment.
- all who pass through and repass: Emphasizes the comprehensive scope of the depopulation. It's not just a partial emptying but a complete cessation of all movement and human presence, leaving the land desolate and uninhabited.
Ezekiel 35 7 Bonus section
The severity of Edom's judgment, as described here, operates under the principle of lex talionis (law of retaliation), where Edom's malicious joy and intent to seize Judah's desolate land is met with its own irreversible desolation (cf. Ezek 35:10, 15). Historically, while other ancient nations saw periods of decline and resurgence, Edom eventually vanished as a distinct national entity, largely absorbed into other groups by the Roman period, confirming the long-term prophetic fulfillment of utter desolation and depopulation unlike many others. This specific prophetic judgment of Edom served not only as punishment for Edom but also as a demonstration to Israel of God's faithfulness to His promises, showing His power to both judge Israel's enemies and restore His people (leading into chapter 36).
Ezekiel 35 7 Commentary
Ezekiel 35:7 encapsulates God's unwavering justice against those who spite His covenant people. For Mount Seir, embodying the Edomites' perpetual malice and opportunistic cruelty, the verdict is definitive: an utter and permanent desolation decreed by God Himself. This isn't just a political defeat but a divinely ordained emptying of the land, rendering it completely uninhabitable. The removal of "all who pass through and repass" signifies the radical and lasting nature of this judgment—no inhabitants, no traders, no travelers, merely an eternal wasteland. It underscores that God, the true owner of the land and overseer of history, holds nations accountable for their actions, particularly their treatment of Israel, a principle foundational to the unfolding of biblical prophecy. The judgment on Edom stands as a clear witness to God's commitment to justice and foreshadows His ultimate victory over all opposition.