Ezekiel 21:3

KJV1611 – Modern English

And say to the land of Israel, Thus says the LORD; Behold, I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you 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

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  and say to the southern forest, 'Listen to the word of the LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Behold, I am about to set you ablaze, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree within you. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from the south to the north will be scorched by it.

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

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

• 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.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

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

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Thus saieth the LORDE God: Beholde, I wil vpon the, & wil drawe my swearde out of ye sheth, & rote out of ye both the rightuous & the wicked.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, Beholde, I come against thee, and will drawe my sword out of his sheath, and cut off from thee both the righteous and the wicked.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Say to the lande of Israel, thus saith the Lorde, Beholde I am against thee, and wyll drawe my sworde out of the sheath, and cut of from thee both the righteous and the wicked.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I [am] against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  and tell the land of Israel, Thus says Yahweh: Behold, I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  and thou hast said unto the ground of Israel: Thus said Jehovah: Lo, I `am' against thee, And have brought out My sword from its scabbard, And have cut off from thee righteous and wicked.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And say to the land of Israel, These are the words of the Lord: See, I am against you, and I will take my sword out of its cover, cutting off from you the upright and the evil.

• World English Bible (2000)

  and tell the land of Israel, Thus says Yahweh: Behold, I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  and say to them,‘This is what the LORD says: Look, I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.

Referenced Verses

• Job 9:22 : 22 This is one thing, therefore I have said it, He destroys the perfect and the wicked.
• Jer 21:13 : 13 Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley and rock of the plain, says the LORD; who say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our dwellings?
• Ezek 5:8 : 8 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against you, and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.
• Nah 2:13 : 13 Behold, I am against you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions: and I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no more be heard.
• Nah 3:5 : 5 Behold, I am against you, says the LORD of hosts; and I will lift your skirts over your face, and I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.
• Ezek 21:19 : 19 Also, son of man, appoint two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both shall come forth out of one land: and choose a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city.
• Ezek 26:3 : 3 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up.
• Zeph 2:12 : 12 You Ethiopians also, you shall be slain by my sword.
• Zech 13:7 : 7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man who is my fellow, says the LORD of hosts: strike 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 you shall die with pestilence, and with famine they shall be consumed in your midst: and a third part shall fall by the sword around you; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.
• Ezek 9:5-6 : 5 And to the others he said in my hearing, Go after him through the city and strike: let not your eye spare, neither have any pity: 6 Utterly slay old and young, both maidens, and little children, and women: but do not come near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began with the elders who were before the house.
• Ezek 14:17 : 17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land and say, Sword, pass through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:
• Ezek 14:21 : 21 For thus says the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four severe judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the wild beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?
• Ezek 21:9-9 : 9 Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the LORD; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also polished: 10 It is sharpened to make a great slaughter; it is polished that it may glitter: should we then rejoice? it despises the rod of my son, as every tree. 11 And he has given it to be polished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is polished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.
• Jer 47:6-7 : 6 O sword of the LORD, how long until you be quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard, rest, and be still. 7 How can it be quiet, seeing the LORD has given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the seashore? There He has appointed it.
• Jer 50:31 : 31 Behold, I am against you, O most proud, says the Lord GOD of hosts: for your day has come, the time that I will visit you.
• Jer 51:20 : 20 You are my battle axe and weapons of war; for with you I will break in pieces the nations, and with you I will destroy kingdoms;
• Jer 51:25 : 25 Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, says the LORD, which destroys all the earth; and I will stretch out My hand upon you, and roll you down from the rocks, and will make you a burnt mountain.
• Ps 17:13 : 13 Arise, O LORD, confront him, cast him down; deliver my soul from the wicked, which is your 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 sacrifices, and to him that does not sacrifice; as is the good, so is the sinner; and he who swears, as he who fears an oath.
• Isa 10:5 : 5 O Assyrian, the rod of my anger, and the staff in their hand is my indignation.
• Isa 34:5 : 5 For my sword shall be bathed 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, if they say to you, Where shall we go forth? then you shall tell them, Thus says the LORD; Those for death, to death; and those for the sword, to the sword; and those for the famine, to the famine; and those for the captivity, to the captivity. 3 And I will appoint over them four kinds, says the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy. 4 And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for what 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 avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when you are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
• Lev 26:33 : 33 And I will scatter you among the nations, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
• Deut 32:41-42 : 41 If I sharpen my glittering sword, and my hand takes hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to my enemies, and will reward those who hate me. 42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenge upon the enemy.