Ezekiel 5:17 kjv
So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee: and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.
Ezekiel 5:17 nkjv
So I will send against you famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the LORD, have spoken.' "
Ezekiel 5:17 niv
I will send famine and wild beasts against you, and they will leave you childless. Plague and bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I the LORD have spoken."
Ezekiel 5:17 esv
I will send famine and wild beasts against you, and they will rob you of your children. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword upon you. I am the LORD; I have spoken."
Ezekiel 5:17 nlt
And along with the famine, wild animals will attack you and rob you of your children. Disease and war will stalk your land, and I will bring the sword of the enemy against you. I, the LORD, have spoken!"
Ezekiel 5 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Eze 5:17 | "Moreover, I will send the wild animals of the field against them..." | Gen 3:14 (Curse on serpent, impact on ground) |
| Eze 5:17 | "...to deprive them of their children and destroy their livestock..." | Lev 26:22 (Similar animal judgment threat) |
| Eze 5:17 | "...and make them so few that your paths will be deserted." | Jer 4:7 (Similar imagery of devastation by enemy) |
| Eze 5:17 | "So, your roads will be deserted, and few will pass on them." | Jer 50:16 (Judgment leading to desolation) |
| Deut 32:24 | "I will unleash against them the teeth of beasts, with the poison of those that crawl in the dust." | Hos 2:12 (Animals taking away produce) |
| Lev 26:6 | "I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down with no one to make you afraid. I will get rid of the wild beasts in the land..." | Rev 6:8 (White horse represents conquest, pestilence, and death including wild beasts) |
| Ex 23:29 | "I will not drive them out before you in a single year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals multiply against you." | Luke 11:24 (Unclean spirit returns with seven other spirits more wicked) |
| 1 Sam 12:25 | "...if you continue to do wickedly, you and your king will be brought to ruin." | Acts 17:30-31 (God commands repentance, warning of judgment) |
| Psa 104:11 | "They give drink to all the wild animals; the wild donkeys quench their thirst." | Isa 13:21-22 (Idols and nations that fail, land becoming habitation for wild animals) |
| Jer 15:3 | "I will send against them four kinds of judgment by sword, famine, destroying animals, and plague, declares the Lord..." | Rom 8:19-22 (Creation groaning, subject to futility) |
| Lev 26:24 | "...I will also send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children..." | 1 Cor 3:17 (God will destroy anyone who destroys His temple) |
| 2 Chron 36:19 | "They burned God’s temple and demolished Jerusalem’s walls; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there." | Rev 18:10, 17-19 (Destruction of Babylon) |
| 2 Kings 19:35 | "That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death 185,000 in the Assyrian camp. When they arose the next morning, they saw that they were all dead bodies." | 2 Sam 24:16 (Angel of Death, plague) |
| Hos 5:14 | "For I will be like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I will tear them to pieces and go away; I will carry them off with no one to rescue them." | Rev 5:5 (Lion of the tribe of Judah) |
| Mic 5:8 | "Jacob will be like a lion among the nations, like a young lion in a sheepfold, the one that devours and drags away the prey, and no one delivers." | Gen 49:9 (Judah like a lion) |
| Rev 9:4 | "They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads." | John 10:10 (Jesus the good shepherd gives life) |
| Rev 13:16-17 | "It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark..." | 2 Thess 2:9-12 (Strong delusion because they refused to love the truth) |
| Ezek 14:13, 15, 17, 19 | "If a land sins against me by persisting in unfaithfulness, and I stretch out my hand against it... If plague and bloodshed should sweep through the land... Wild animals might also prowl through the land, making it desolate and depopulating it..." | Nahum 3:17 (Imagery of widespread destruction and exile) |
| Luke 21:24 | "They will fall by the sword and be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." | Jer 7:12-15 (Destruction of Shiloh foreshadowing Jerusalem) |
Ezekiel 5 verses
Ezekiel 5 17 Meaning
This verse describes a consequence of sin: a supernatural multiplication of wild animals. These animals would increase in number and ravage the land, making it desolate and uninhabitable for its people. The purpose is judgment, specifically against a rebellious nation that has defiled its land and disregarded God's commands.
Ezekiel 5 17 Context
Ezekiel chapter 5 continues God's judgment prophecy against rebellious Jerusalem and its people. The preceding verses (1-4) describe a remnant being scattered, with only a few being rescued as if in a robe, indicating a severe scattering and minimal survival. Verse 5 shows Jerusalem's role as a center of wickedness, a "rebellious city." The subsequent verses detail the consequences: fire, sword, famine, and plague consuming the inhabitants, and a partial scattering. This verse, Ezekiel 5:17, elaborates on another form of judgment through wild animals, amplifying the message of total devastation and the pervasive nature of God's retribution for their disobedience. The historical backdrop is the impending Babylonian conquest, which would lead to the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of its people.
Ezekiel 5 17 Word analysis
- Moreover (wa-ʿôd) - "And further," "also." Introduces an additional element of judgment.
- I will send (šālaḥti) - "I will send forth," "I will cause to go." Emphasizes divine agency in the judgment.
- the wild animals (ḥayyāṯ) - Plural of "ḥāyâ," meaning "wild beast" or "wild animal." This can include predatory animals or animals of prey, signifying untamed and destructive forces.
- of the field (śāḏeh) - "Field," "countryside." Indicates these animals are native to the natural, uncultivated, or surrounding areas, but now they are sent to infiltrate and destroy the settled lands.
- to deprive them (lĕmaʿăṯ) - "To take away," "to bereave." A consequence of the animal attacks.
- of their children (wĕyālědîm) - "Children." Highlights a specific type of loss and suffering, targeting the future generation.
- and to destroy (wĕšāḥaṯ) - "To destroy," "to corrupt," "to ruin." A severe and total destruction.
- their livestock (miqněhem) - "Their possessions," "their cattle," "their livestock." Pertaining to their economic livelihood and sustenance.
- and make them few (wĕhiṯʿîṯâ) - "To make few," "to make scarce." Describes a drastic reduction in population.
- that your paths (derĕkêk) - "Your paths," "your ways," "your roads." Refers to the ways of travel and commerce within the land.
- will be deserted (yiḵhělû) - "Will be desolate," "will be empty." The land becomes barren and devoid of activity.
Ezekiel 5 17 Bonus Section
The use of wild animals as an instrument of judgment is consistent with other pronouncements in the Old Testament, such as those found in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 32, where such consequences are warned against for disobedience. This is not an arbitrary act of nature, but rather a controlled unleashing of these forces by the Almighty to achieve His judicial purposes. The phrasing also carries an implied consequence from the Fall (Genesis 3), where creation itself was subjected to futility due to humanity's sin. Here, it's seen actively participating in God's judgment upon sinful humanity. The eventual restoration promised in messianic prophecies would see a reversal of this, where even the wild animals live in peace with man and each other (Isaiah 11:6-9).
Ezekiel 5 17 Commentary
God's judgment is multifaceted, and in Ezekiel 5:17, it extends to the natural world being turned against a sinful people. The increase and intervention of wild animals serve as a divine mechanism to empty the land, taking both the young and the livestock. This ecological disruption leads to the abandonment of usual thoroughfares, symbolizing a complete breakdown of society and movement. This divine repurposing of creation underscores the severity of the nation's transgression, prompting God to allow even nature's fury to act as an instrument of His justice. It's a potent picture of how a land's well-being is intrinsically linked to its obedience to God.