Ezekiel 36:13 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Ezekiel 36:13 kjv
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations:
Ezekiel 36:13 nkjv
'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Because they say to you, 'You devour men and bereave your nation of children,'
Ezekiel 36:13 niv
"?'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because some say to you, "You devour people and deprive your nation of its children,"
Ezekiel 36:13 esv
Thus says the Lord GOD: Because they say to you, 'You devour people, and you bereave your nation of children,'
Ezekiel 36:13 nlt
"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The other nations taunt you, saying, 'Israel is a land that devours its own people and robs them of their children!'
Ezekiel 36 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 13:32 | "...The land... is a land that devours its inhabitants..." | Early Israelite fear of the land. |
| Lev 26:38 | "You shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall devour you." | Covenant curse of land consuming people. |
| Isa 49:19-20 | "Your desolate places... too small for the inhabitants... they will still say, 'The place is too narrow for me...'" | Restoration and multiplication. |
| Eze 36:29-30 | "I will summon the grain... and multiply the fruit of the tree... no more receive the reproach..." | God's promise to make land fruitful. |
| Jer 31:27-28 | "I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast." | Future repopulation and blessing. |
| Joel 2:23-26 | "...your threshing floors shall be full... I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten." | Reversal of famine and desolation. |
| Zech 8:11-12 | "...the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give its fruit... because I will bestow all these things..." | God's blessings reversing past curses. |
| Isa 54:1-3 | "Sing, O barren one... more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman..." | Prophecy of multitude from former barrenness. |
| Deut 28:49-57 | Vivid description of suffering, famine, and loss during siege. | Covenant curses resulting in 'devouring' |
| Eze 5:17 | "I will send famine... so they will devour your children." | God's judgment leading to internal consumption. |
| Gen 12:2 | "And I will make of you a great nation..." | God's original promise of multitude. |
| Gen 1:28 | "Be fruitful and multiply..." | Command to fill the earth. |
| Ps 107:33-38 | "He turns rivers into a wilderness... He turns a wilderness into a pool of water..." | God's power to change barrenness to fruitfulness. |
| Hos 9:11-12 | "Ephraim's glory shall fly away... no birth, no pregnancy, no conception." | Divine judgment of barrenness and loss. |
| Lam 2:19-20 | "Should women eat their offspring...? " | Extreme famine and parental desperation. |
| Eze 36:22-23 | "I will act for the sake of My holy name... which you have profaned..." | God's primary motivation for restoration. |
| Mal 3:10-12 | "...I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your ground..." | God stops the 'devourer' in response to obedience. |
| Rev 21:4 | "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more..." | Ultimate removal of sorrow and death. |
| 1 Cor 15:54 | "...Death is swallowed up in victory." | Death defeated through Christ. |
| Rom 8:28 | "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good..." | God works through even negative circumstances. |
| Ps 127:3 | "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord..." | Children as a divine blessing. |
| Isa 60:22 | "The least one shall become a thousand, and the smallest a mighty nation..." | God's exponential growth promise. |
Ezekiel 36 verses
Ezekiel 36 13 meaning
Ezekiel 36:13 conveys a harsh accusation made against the land of Israel. It portrays the land as one that 'devours' its inhabitants and causes its people to be childless or bereft. This perception reflects a period of desolation, war, famine, and exile, where the land appeared unable to sustain its population, constantly losing its people to death and displacement. It signifies the national disgrace and the loss of its very essence as a place of life and blessing, contrary to God's original promises of fruitfulness.
Ezekiel 36 13 Context
Ezekiel chapter 36 is part of a larger section of prophecies (Ezekiel 33-48) dealing with the restoration of Israel after its desolation and exile. This particular chapter directly addresses the "mountains of Israel" (Eze 36:1), representing the land itself. Following the judgment pronounced upon Edom (Chapter 35), who mocked and coveted Israel's desolate land, God turns to Israel with a message of hope. The preceding chapters have detailed the causes of Israel's exile—her idolatry and unfaithfulness. The historical context is the Babylonian exile, where Judah was laid waste, Jerusalem destroyed, and many of its inhabitants carried away. In this state, the surrounding nations, and even some among the exiles, perceived the land of Israel as cursed and forsaken, hence the reproach that it "devours people and bereaves its nation of children." Verse 13 articulates this perception of deep national shame and serves as the dark backdrop against which God's subsequent glorious promises of purification, repopulation, and rejuvenation will shine.
Ezekiel 36 13 Word analysis
- Thus says the Lord GOD: (`כה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה` - koh 'amar Adonai Yahweh)
- Thus says: Indicates a direct divine declaration, asserting absolute authority and certainty of the message to follow. It’s God's own word, not human conjecture.
- the Lord GOD: (`אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה` - Adonai Yahweh or Adonai Elohim) Combines the deferential "Master" or "Lord" (`אֲדֹנָי` - Adonai) with God's covenant name (`יְהוִה` - Yahweh`), emphasizing both His supreme sovereignty and His covenant faithfulness to Israel, despite their current situation.
- Because they say to you, (`יַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֹמְרִים לָכֶם` - ya'an 'asher 'omrim lakhem)
- Because: (`יַעַן` -
- they: (`אֹמְרִים` - 'omrim, part of the verb phrase) Refers to the surrounding nations (as evident in Eze 35 and Eze 36:2) who rejoiced at Israel's downfall, but also likely reflects the internal despair and murmuring of the exiles themselves, questioning God's care.
- say: (`אֹמְרִים` - 'omrim) A present participle, indicating an ongoing or widely held sentiment. It’s a persistent accusation.
- to you: (`לָכֶם` - lakhem, plural) Refers collectively to the "mountains of Israel," the land itself (Eze 36:1, 6), personifying it as an entity receiving the reproach.
- You devour: (`אֹכֶלֶת אָדָם` - 'okheleth 'adam, lit. "devouring human") The land itself (feminine singular) is described using a feminine singular present participle of the verb "to eat/devour" (`אָכַל` - 'akhal). This is a stark personification. It implies the land itself consumes its inhabitants through natural disaster (famine), war, pestilence, and exile.
- people: (`אָדָם` - 'adam) Refers to humanity, the inhabitants, making the accusation broad and universal – the land is dangerous to human life.
- and you bereave: (`וּמְשַׁכֶּלֶת` - ûməšakkêleṯ, present participle feminine singular) From the verb `שָׁכַל` - shakhal, meaning to be bereaved, make childless, cause to miscarry. This imagery directly addresses the loss of population and the failure to reproduce, crucial for God's covenant of multiplication.
- your nation/country of children: (`גּוֹיִךְ` - gôyayikh, "your nation" or "your country") `גּוֹי` (goy) typically means "nation" or "people," often in reference to non-Israelite nations, but here refers to the Israelite population as a whole or to the "land" of Israel, emphasizing the land's role in producing children, thus failing in its purpose. The plural possessive "your" (`ךְ` - k* with feminine `יך`) further links it directly to the land itself, completing the personification.
Ezekiel 36 13 Bonus section
The concept of the "land devouring its inhabitants" is not unique to Ezekiel. It first appears as a fear of the spies in Numbers 13:32 regarding Canaan, suggesting an underlying Israelite concern about a hostile land. This verse shows that this ancient fear became a horrifying reality due to covenant curses detailed in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, where disobedience would lead to famine, war, and depopulation, metaphorically making the land "vomit out" its inhabitants.
By personifying the land as feminine – "you devour," "you bereave" (feminine participles) – the accusation gains even greater weight. A motherland is supposed to nurture and provide life, yet Israel's land is depicted as having become its opposite: a barren, consuming mother, unable to hold onto or multiply her children. This highlights the complete inversion of God's design and promises for His people in that specific period. The prophet lays bare the complete nadir of their national existence before God's incredible restoration promises begin to unfold.
Ezekiel 36 13 Commentary
Ezekiel 36:13 captures the profound shame and despair of Israel during its exile. The accusation that the very "land" itself is a "devourer of people" and makes its "nation childless" is devastating. This wasn't merely a political or military defeat; it was a perceived theological crisis. For a people whose identity was tied to a land promised by God, a land of blessing and fruitfulness, this reproach directly attacked God's faithfulness and their foundational covenant promises of multitude (Gen 12:2, Gen 1:28).
The accusation reflects the bitter reality of many years of war, famine, pestilence, and mass deportations. The land, once flowing with milk and honey, seemed to have reversed its nature, becoming a tomb for its children. This perception was held not only by surrounding enemy nations, who gloated at Israel's downfall, but likely also echoed in the hearts of the despondent exiles themselves, grappling with their national calamity and perceived abandonment by God.
This verse serves as a crucial setup for God's redemptive message. By acknowledging the full depth of their humiliation and the specific nature of the reproach against the land, God is about to powerfully declare His intention to reverse this shame. He will vindicate His name, which has been profaned by this desolation, and transform the land from a devourer into a provider of abundant life and numerous descendants, not for Israel's righteousness, but for His own holy name's sake. It underscores that God takes the reputation of His people and His dwelling place seriously, and will act to restore what was lost.