Ezekiel 12:16

KJV1611 – Modern English

But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they go; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְהוֹתַרְתִּ֤י מֵהֶם֙ אַנְשֵׁ֣י מִסְפָּ֔ר מֵחֶ֖רֶב מֵרָעָ֣ב וּמִדָּ֑בֶר לְמַ֨עַן יְסַפְּר֜וּ אֶת־כָּל־תּוֹעֲבֽוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם בַּגּוֹיִם֙ אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֣אוּ שָׁ֔ם וְיָדְע֖וּ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

Transliteration

And-hôṯartî from-them ʾanšê mispār from-ḥereḇ from-rāʿāḇ and-from-dāḇer so-that yəsappərû ʾeṯ-all-tôʿăḇôṯêhem among-the-gôyim which-bāʾû there and-yādəʿû that-I YHWH

Grammar Details

• *hôṯartî*: hiphil perfect, 1st common singular - I will leave/spare
• *ʾanšê*: common noun, masculine plural construct - men of
• *mispār*: common noun, masculine singular - number/few
• *ḥereḇ*: common noun, feminine singular - sword
• *rāʿāḇ*: common noun, masculine singular - famine/hunger
• *dāḇer*: common noun, masculine singular - plague/pestilence
• *yəsappərû*: piel imperfect, 3rd common plural - they will recount/tell
• *tôʿăḇôṯêhem*: common noun, feminine plural with 3rd masculine plural suffix - their abominations
• *gôyim*: common noun, masculine plural with definite article - the nations
• *bāʾû*: qal perfect, 3rd common plural - they came/entered
• *yādəʿû*: qal perfect, 3rd common plural - they will know

Word Meanings

• *ʾanšê* *mispār*: men of number/few men/a small number of men

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine, and plague so that they may recount all their detestable practices among the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the nations whither they come; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  But, I will leaue a litle nombre of them, from the swearde, hunger & pestilence: to tell all their abhominacions amonge the Heithen, where they come: that they maye knowe, how that I am the LORDE.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  But I will leaue a litle nomber of them from the sworde, from the famine, and from the pestilence, that they may declare all these abominations among the heathen, where they come, and they shall knowe, that I am the Lorde.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  But I will leaue a litle number of the from the sworde, hunger, and pestilence, to tell all their abhominations among the heathen where they come, that they may knowe howe that I am the Lord.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they come; and they shall know that I am Yahweh.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  and I have left of them, a few in number, from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence, so that they recount all their abominations among the nations whither they have come, and they have known that I `am' Jehovah.'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the nations whither they come; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the nations whither they come; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  But a small number of them I will keep from the sword, from the need of food, and from disease, so that they may make clear all their disgusting ways among the nations where they come; and they will be certain that I am the Lord.

• World English Bible (2000)

  But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they come; and they shall know that I am Yahweh.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  But I will let a small number of them survive the sword, famine, and pestilence, so that they can confess all their abominable practices to the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Referenced Verses

• Ezek 14:22-23 : 22 Yet, behold, in it shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come to you, and you shall see their way and their deeds: and you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. 23 And they shall comfort you, when you see their ways and their deeds: and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, says the Lord GOD.
• Jer 22:8-9 : 8 And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, Why has the LORD done thus to this great city? 9 Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods, and served them.
• Ezek 6:8-9 : 8 Yet I will leave a remnant, that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries. 9 And those of you who escape shall remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I am grieved by their adulterous heart, which has departed from me, and by their eyes, which go lusting after their idols; and they shall loathe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations. 10 And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not spoken in vain that I would do this evil to them.
• Jer 30:11 : 11 For I am with you, says the LORD, to save you: though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a full end of you; but I will correct you in due measure, and will not leave you altogether unpunished.
• Ezek 36:31 : 31 Then you shall remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.
• Dan 9:5-9 : 5 We have sinned and committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and from Your judgments: 6 Neither have we listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us belongs confusion of face, as it is this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those near and those far off, through all the countries where You have driven them, because of their trespass which they have trespassed against You. 8 O Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him; 10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, even by departing, that they might not obey Your voice; therefore, the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him. 12 And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great calamity: for under the whole heaven, such as has been done upon Jerusalem has not been done.
• Amos 9:8-9 : 8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, says the LORD. 9 For behold, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
• Matt 7:14 : 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and few are those who find it.
• Matt 24:22 : 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
• Rom 9:27 : 27 Isaiah also cries concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:
• Rom 11:4-5 : 4 But what is God's answer to him? I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5 Even so then, at this present time there is also a remnant according to the election of grace.
• Gen 13:16 : 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also shall be numbered.
• Lev 26:40-41 : 40 If they shall confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary to me; 41 And that I also have walked contrary to them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept the punishment of their iniquity:
• Deut 29:24-28 : 24 Even all nations shall say, Why has the LORD done thus to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean? 25 Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt: 26 For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given to them: 27 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book: 28 And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.
• 1 Kgs 9:6-9 : 6 But if you or your children turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: 7 Then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for My name, I will cast out of My sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people: 8 And at this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why has the LORD done this to this land and to this house? 9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold of other gods, and have worshiped them, and served them: therefore, the LORD has brought upon them all this evil.
• Isa 1:9 : 9 Except the LORD of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have been as Sodom, and we would have been like Gomorrah.
• Isa 6:13 : 13 But yet a tenth will be in it, and it will return, and be consumed; as a terebinth tree or as an oak, whose stump remains when it is cut down. So the holy seed shall be its stump.
• Isa 10:19 : 19 And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.
• Isa 10:22 : 22 For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: a destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness.
• Isa 24:13 : 13 When it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people, it shall be like the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done.
• Jer 3:24-25 : 24 For shame has devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covers us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
• Jer 4:27 : 27 For thus says the LORD, The whole land shall be desolate; yet I will not make a complete end.