Ezekiel 21:3

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֙ לְיַ֣עַר הַנֶּ֔גֶב שְׁמַ֖ע דְּבַר־יְהוָ֑ה כֹּֽה־אָמַ֣ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֡ה הִנְנִ֣י מַֽצִּית־בְּךָ֣ ׀ אֵ֡שׁ וְאָכְלָ֣ה בְךָ֣ כָל־עֵֽץ־לַח֩ וְכָל־עֵ֨ץ יָבֵ֤שׁ לֹֽא־תִכְבֶּה֙ לַהֶ֣בֶת שַׁלְהֶ֔בֶת וְנִצְרְבוּ־בָ֥הּ כָּל־פָּנִ֖ים מִנֶּ֥גֶב צָפֽוֹנָה׃

Transliteration

And-ʾāmartā to-yaʿar the-neḡeḇ šəmaʿ dəḇar-YHWH thus-ʾāmar ʾăḏōnāy YHWH hinənî maṣṣît-in-you ʾēš and-ʾāḵəlāh in-you all-ʿēṣ-laḥ and-all-ʿēṣ yāḇēš not-ṯiḵbeh laheḇeṯ šalheḇeṯ and-niṣrəḇû-in-her all-pānîm from-neḡeḇ ṣāp̄ônāh.

Grammar Details

• *ʾāmartā*: qal perfect 2nd masculine singular with waw conjunction - and you shall say
• *yaʿar*: construct state, masculine singular - forest of
• *neḡeḇ*: definite article with masculine singular - the south/Negev
• *šəmaʿ*: qal imperative masculine singular - hear/listen
• *dəḇar*: construct state, masculine singular - word of
• *ʾāmar*: qal perfect 3rd masculine singular - he said
• *ʾăḏōnāy*: plural noun with 1st person suffix as divine title - my Lord
• *hinənî*: particle with 1st person singular suffix - behold me/here I am
• *maṣṣît*: hiphil participle masculine singular - kindling/igniting
• *ʾēš*: feminine singular - fire
• *ʾāḵəlāh*: qal perfect 3rd feminine singular with waw consecutive - and it will consume
• *ʿēṣ*: masculine singular - tree/wood
• *laḥ*: masculine singular adjective - green/moist
• *yāḇēš*: masculine singular adjective - dry
• *ṯiḵbeh*: qal imperfect 3rd feminine singular with negative particle - it will not be extinguished
• *laheḇeṯ*: construct state, feminine singular - flame of
• *šalheḇeṯ*: feminine singular - great flame/blaze
• *niṣrəḇû*: niphal perfect 3rd common plural with waw consecutive - and they will be scorched
• *pānîm*: masculine plural - faces
• *ṣāp̄ônāh*: feminine singular with directional suffix - northward

Word Meanings

• *yaʿar*: forest/wooded area
• *neḡeḇ*: south/dry region/Negev
• *maṣṣît*: kindling/setting on fire/igniting
• *ʿēṣ*: tree/wood/timber
• *laḥ*: green/moist/fresh
• *yāḇēš*: dry/withered
• *šalheḇeṯ*: intense flame/great blaze
• *niṣrəḇû*: scorched/burned/seared

Referenced Verses

• Job 9:22 : 22 It is all one; therefore I say, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.
• Jer 21:13 : 13 Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, [and] of the rock of the plain, saith Jehovah; you that say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?
• Ezek 5:8 : 8 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I, even I, am against thee; and I will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations.
• Nah 2:13 : 13 Behold, I am against thee, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions; and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.
• Nah 3:5 : 5 Behold, I am against thee, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will uncover thy skirts upon thy face; and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.
• Ezek 21:19 : 19 Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; they twain shall come forth out of one land: and mark out a place, mark it out at the head of the way to the city.
• Ezek 26:3 : 3 therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I am against thee, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth its waves to come up.
• Zeph 2:12 : 12 Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword.
• Zech 13:7 : 7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my hand upon the little ones.
• Ezek 5:12 : 12 A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee; and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and a third part I will scatter unto all the winds, and will draw out a sword after them.
• Ezek 9:5-6 : 5 And to the others he said in my hearing, Go ye through the city after him, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity; 6 slay utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark: and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the old men that were before the house.
• Ezek 14:17 : 17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off from it man and beast;
• Ezek 14:21 : 21 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!
• Ezek 21:9-9 : 9 Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah: Say, A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished; 10 it is sharpened that it may make a slaughter; it is furbished that it may be as lightning: shall we then make mirth? the rod of my son, it contemneth every tree. 11 And it is given to be furbished, that it may be handled: the sword, it is sharpened, yea, it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.
• Jer 47:6-7 : 6 O thou sword of Jehovah, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard; rest, and be still. 7 How canst thou be quiet, seeing Jehovah hath given thee a charge? Against Ashkelon, and against the sea-shore, there hath he appointed it.
• Jer 50:31 : 31 Behold, I am against thee, O thou proud one, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts; for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.
• Jer 51:20 : 20 Thou art my battle-axe and weapons of war: and with thee will I break in pieces the nations; and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
• Jer 51:25 : 25 Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith Jehovah, which destroyest all the earth; and I will stretch out my hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.
• Ps 17:13 : 13 Arise, O Jehovah, Confront him, cast him down: Deliver my soul from the wicked by thy sword;
• Eccl 9:2 : 2 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not; as is the good, so is the sinner; [and] he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.
• Isa 10:5 : 5 Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine indignation!
• Isa 34:5 : 5 For my sword hath drunk its fill in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.
• Jer 15:2-4 : 2 And it shall come to pass, when they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith Jehovah: Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for captivity, to captivity. 3 And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith Jehovah: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy. 4 And I will cause them to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.
• Exod 15:9 : 9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
• Lev 26:25 : 25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall execute the vengeance of the covenant; and ye shall be gathered together within your cities: and I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
• Lev 26:33 : 33 And you will I scatter among the nations, and I will draw out the sword after you: and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.
• Deut 32:41-42 : 41 If I whet my glittering sword, And my hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine adversaries, And will recompense them that hate me. 42 I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, And my sword shall devour flesh; With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the head of the leaders of the enemy.