The Sword of the Lord: Judgment on Jerusalem and the Nations
Ezekiel 21:1-32
Eze.21.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:4 (verbal): Uses the same prophetic introductory formula 'The word of the LORD came to me, saying,' introducing a divine oracle and call narrative.
- Hosea 1:2 (verbal): Begins with 'The word of the LORD that came to Hosea,' a near-verbal parallel establishing the prophetic message's origin.
- Micah 1:1 (structural): Opens with 'The word of the LORD that came to Micah,' functioning similarly as a book-level prophetic introduction.
- 1 Kings 17:2 (thematic): 'And the word of the LORD came to Elijah,' showing the same pattern of divine communication to a prophet (prophetic commission/oracle context) in the narrative books.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
- And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Eze.21.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שים: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- פניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תימנה: ADV
- והטף: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- אל: NEG
- דרום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והנבא: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,ms
- אל: NEG
- יער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השדה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- נגב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 20:46-47 (quotation): Nearly identical command: 'Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south' — a repeated directive in Ezekiel.
- Ezekiel 6:2 (structural): Same prophetic formula 'Son of man, set thy face toward... and prophesy against them' applied to a geographic target (mountains of Israel), showing a recurring prophetic pattern.
- Ezekiel 3:17 (thematic): God appoints Ezekiel as watchman charged to warn and prophesy to Israel—same vocational mandate behind the command to address a specified region.
- Ezekiel 21:3 (structural): Immediate context within the same oracle where Ezekiel is instructed to address a specific group/land; continues the pattern of directed denunciation in Ezekiel 21.
Alternative generated candidates
- Son of man, set your face toward the south road, and give a lamentation to the south; prophesy against the forest of the field in the Negeb.
- Son of man, set your face toward the south and preach against the south; proclaim to the forest of the field in the Negeb.
Eze.21.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ליער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנגב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- מצית: VERB,hiph,impf,1,sg
- בך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- אש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואכלה: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- בך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- כל: DET
- עץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- עץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יבש: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תכבה: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- להבת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שלהבת: REL+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ונצרבו: VERB,nifal,perf,3,pl
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- כל: DET
- פנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מנגב: PREP
- צפונה: ADV
Parallels
- Ezekiel 20:47-48 (quotation): Near-verbatim repetition of the oracle to the 'forest of the south'—same opening 'Hear the word of the LORD' and the declaration 'I will kindle a fire... it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree,' signaling the same divine judgment by fire.
- Ezekiel 15:6 (verbal): Uses the image of wood/trees destined for fire ('given to the fire for fuel') to portray uselessness and impending destruction—related tree-as-fuel language and motif of divine consumption.
- Jeremiah 17:27 (thematic): Speaks of kindling a fire in the city gates that will devour palaces as punishment for disobedience—parallel motif of fire as God's instrument of judgment on land/people.
- Zephaniah 1:18 (thematic): Foretells an inescapable, land-consuming judgment ('the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy'), echoing the theme of a divine, all-consuming fire sweeping the region.
Alternative generated candidates
- And say to the forest of the Negeb, 'Hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD—Behold, I kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree; the flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the Negeb to the north shall be scorched in it.'
- And say to the forest of the Negeb, Hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree; the flame shall not be quenched, and every face from south to north shall be scorched in it.
Eze.21.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- בשר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בערתיה: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- תכבה: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 20:47 (verbal): Uses the same image of God kindling a consuming fire as punishment—'I will kindle a fire...it shall devour'—a close intra-book parallel to 21:4's unquenchable fire.
- Jeremiah 17:27 (verbal): Speaks of kindling a fire in the gates of Jerusalem that 'shall not be quenched,' echoing the language of an unquenchable divine fire in Ezekiel 21:4.
- Isaiah 66:24 (verbal): Declares that 'their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched,' a strikingly similar phrase about unending divine judgment.
- Mark 9:48 (quotation): Jesus cites wording identical to Isaiah 66:24 ('where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched'), reflecting the New Testament use of the unquenchable-fire motif also found in Ezekiel 21:4.
- Joel 2:3 (thematic): Describes a devouring fire before and behind the advancing army ('before them fire devours, and behind them a flame burns'), thematically paralleling Ezekiel's motif of unstoppable consuming judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.
- And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.
Eze.21.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אהה: INTJ
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- אמרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- הלא: PART
- ממשל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- משלים: VERB,qal,ptcp,ms
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:1-4 (structural): Immediate context — the same oracle about the sword and impending judgment; vv.1–4 set the scene for the complaint in v.5 and belong to one speech unit.
- Ezekiel 21:27 (thematic): Declares the removal of the crown and the overturning of rulers ('I will overturn... it shall be no more'); parallels v.5's concern with leadership, judgment and the fate of rulers.
- Ezekiel 12:2 (verbal): Similar rhetorical frame of people speaking to/against the prophet ('they say, “The vision he sees is for many days”'); echoes the 'they say to me' motif in 21:5 and the social reaction to prophetic message.
- Isaiah 14:12-17 (thematic): Taunt against the fallen king of Babylon — imagery of a once-mighty ruler brought low; parallels Ezekiel's theme of proud rulers judged and humiliated.
- Psalm 2:1-4 (thematic): Kings and rulers plotting in vain and God's sovereign response ('He who sits in the heavens laughs'); relates to the theme of human rule confronted by divine judgment and the impotence of earthly power.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I said, 'Ah, Lord GOD! They say of me, “Is this not a parable?”' ”
- Then I said, Alas, Sovereign LORD! and he said to me, They say of me, Is not the rule already finished? Is it not ended?
Eze.21.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Ezekiel 1:3 (verbal): Same prophetic introductory formula—וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֶל־יְחֶזְקֵאל—marking the word of the LORD coming to Ezekiel.
- Jeremiah 1:4 (verbal): Identical prophetic phrase (’Now the word of the LORD came unto me, saying’) used to introduce a divine message to the prophet.
- Joel 1:1 (verbal): Opening formula (’The word of the LORD that came to Joel’)—the standard prophetic annunciation of a revelatory oracle.
- Hosea 1:1 (verbal): Begins with the same kind of formula (’The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea’) signaling a prophet’s receipt of divine communication.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
- And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Eze.21.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שים: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- פניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- והטף: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- אל: NEG
- מקדשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- והנבא: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,ms
- אל: NEG
- אדמת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 20:45-46 (verbal): Same prophetic formula: 'Son of man, set your face toward...' and a command to prophesy against a specific region (here the 'south'), mirroring the locational commissioning in 21:7.
- Ezekiel 3:17 (structural): Parallel in the prophetic role language—Ezekiel is appointed as a watchman over Israel, tasked to warn and prophesy to the land and people, explaining the function behind the command in 21:7.
- Ezekiel 2:3-7 (quotation): Early commissioning of Ezekiel to speak to the house of Israel despite their rebellion; provides the broader commissionary context for orders to prophesy 'against the sanctuaries and the land of Israel'.
- Jeremiah 26:2 (thematic): Jeremiah is commanded to stand in the temple and deliver unwelcome prophetic words to Judah and those who worship at the house of the LORD—a closely related instance of being sent to prophesy against religious centers and the people.
Alternative generated candidates
- Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and cry against the sanctuaries; prophesy against the land of Israel.
- Son of man, set your face to Jerusalem, and prophesy against the sanctuaries; and speak to the land of Israel.
Eze.21.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לאדמת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- והוצאתי: VERB,hif,perf,1,NA,sg
- חרבי: NOUN,f,sg,poss1s
- מתערה: NOUN,f,sg,abs+prep:m
- והכרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,ms,sg
- ממך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- צדיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ורשע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 9:4-6 (thematic): Both passages portray Yahweh’s agents executing violent, city-wide judgment with the sword; the motif of indiscriminate slaughter as divine punishment links them (Ezek.21:8’s cutting off the righteous and wicked, Ezek.9’s slaughter of the unmarked).
- Ezekiel 14:16-20 (thematic): Addresses the fate of a land despite the presence of the righteous—though righteous exist, the community suffers judgment; echoes Ezek.21:8’s claim that both righteous and wicked will be cut off.
- Leviticus 26:25 (verbal): Uses the same imagery of God bringing a sword as punitive action against the land/people (’I will bring a sword upon you’), providing an earlier covenantal precedent for divine sword-judgment like Ezek.21:8.
- Ezekiel 5:12 (verbal): Speaks of death by sword among the people (a portion ‘shall fall by the sword’), paralleling Ezek.21:8’s declaration that the sword will cut off inhabitants—both emphasize sword as instrument of nationwide chastisement.
Alternative generated candidates
- And say to the land of Israel, Thus says the LORD: Behold, I draw my sword from its sheath, and I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked.
- And say to the land of Israel, Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am against you; I will draw my sword out of its sheath and cut off from you both righteous and wicked.
Eze.21.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יען: CONJ
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הכרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- ממך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- צדיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ורשע: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לכן: ADV
- תצא: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms
- חרבי: NOUN,f,sg,poss1s
- מתערה: NOUN,f,sg,abs+prep:m
- אל: NEG
- כל: DET
- בשר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מנגב: PREP
- צפון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:10 (structural): Immediate continuation: further description of the sword being sharpened and set for slaughter—direct structural and verbal continuation of v.9's decree of a sword against all flesh.
- Ezekiel 9:4-6 (thematic): God distinguishes the righteous (marked) from the wicked and commands execution of the rest—echoes the theme of divine knowledge of righteous vs. wicked and sweeping judgment on the people.
- Ezekiel 14:14-20 (thematic): God's awareness of righteous individuals amid a wicked nation and the question of sparing them parallels the claim 'I know the righteous and the wicked' in v.9 and the consequences of national judgment.
- Isaiah 34:5-6 (verbal): Uses the image of God's sword coming down/bathed for judgment on nations—parallels the motif of God's sword going forth to execute worldwide or cross-regional judgment.
- Deuteronomy 32:41 (verbal): God's sharpening/wielding of a gleaming sword in executing vengeance mirrors the language and divine agency of sending a sword against the nations in Ezek.21:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- Because I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked from you, therefore my sword shall go forth from its sheath against all flesh from south to north.
- Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore my sword shall go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north.
Eze.21.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידעו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- בשר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הוצאתי: VERB,hiph,perf,1,m,sg
- חרבי: NOUN,f,sg,poss1s
- מתערה: NOUN,f,sg,abs+prep:m
- לא: PART_NEG
- תשוב: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
- עוד: ADV
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:4 (verbal): Same chapter's imagery of a drawn sword against the land; repeats the motif of God drawing a sword as the instrument of judgment.
- Ezekiel 7:4 (thematic): Announces coming sword-judgment on the nations and uses the prophetic formula 'so that you may know that I am the LORD,' paralleling the purpose language of 21:10.
- Isaiah 34:5-6 (thematic): God's sword coming down from heaven to execute vengeance — similar personification of the sword as God's agent of irreversible judgment.
- Deuteronomy 32:41 (verbal): God speaks of sharpening and drawing a 'flashing sword' to execute judgment — comparable language of God actively unsheathing a weapon.
- Zechariah 13:7 (thematic): The sword is addressed/awakened as God's tool ('Awake, O sword...') — reflects the motif of the sword personified and employed by God in judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have drawn my sword from its sheath; it shall not return any more.
- Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when my sword goes forth out of its sheath; it shall not return any more.
Eze.21.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואתה: CONJ+PRON,2,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האנח: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- בשברון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מתנים: NOUN,m,du,abs
- ובמרירות: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תאנח: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לעיניהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:6 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the same chapter: the prophet is similarly commanded to groan with 'breaking of loins' and bitter sighing—nearly identical wording and prophetic sign-action.
- Jeremiah 4:19 (thematic): Jeremiah expresses intense inner anguish and inability to remain silent ('my heart is pounding... I cannot keep silent'), echoing Ezekiel's groaning as prophetic lament over coming disaster.
- Lamentations 2:11 (thematic): Graphic bodily language of grief ('my bowels are troubled / my stomach churns') parallels Ezekiel's 'breaking of loins,' both using visceral imagery to convey overwhelming sorrow at Jerusalem's fate.
- Psalm 38:9 (verbal): The psalmist speaks of sighing that is not hidden from God ('my sighing is not hidden'), connecting the motif of audible lament and bitter sighing found in Ezekiel's prophetic performance.
- Romans 8:22-23 (thematic): New Testament theological echo: creation and believers 'groan' awaiting redemption—uses groaning/sighing imagery to describe response to present suffering and longing for deliverance, similar to Ezekiel's prophetic groan over judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- And you, son of man, groan with breaking of the loins; with bitter grief sigh before their eyes.
- And you, son of man, groan with breaking of loins, and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.
Eze.21.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- יאמרו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- מה: PRON,int
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- נאנח: VERB,qal,imf,2,m,sg
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- שמועה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- באה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ונמס: VERB,niphal,perf,3,f,sg
- כל: DET
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ורפו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- ידים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- וכהתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- כל: DET
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- ברכים: NOUN,f,dual,abs
- תלכנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,dual
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הנה: PART
- באה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ונהיתה: VERB,niphal,perf,3,f,sg
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Joshua 2:9-11 (verbal): Rahab reports that when Israel’s reputation reached them “our hearts melted, neither was there any more courage in anyone” (same language of hearts melting and loss of nerve before an approaching threat).
- Psalm 22:14-15 (verbal): The psalmist uses the image “my heart is like wax; it is melted within me,” echoing the metaphor of a melting heart to express utter weakness and distress in the face of danger.
- Habakkuk 3:16 (thematic): Habakkuk’s reaction to God’s coming judgment—trembling, fainting, knees knocking—parallels Ezekiel’s catalogue of bodily collapse (hands slackening, spirits failing, knees like water) in response to impending doom.
- Isaiah 21:3-4 (thematic): The oracle concerning the desert watch evokes the same bodily and emotional terror—panting heart, fear, fainting—when news of devastation draws near, a thematic parallel to Ezekiel’s description of widespread collapse at the report of judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- And when they ask you, 'Why do you groan?' you shall say, 'Because news has come, and every heart shall melt, and every hand shall be feeble; and every spirit shall faint, and every knee shall be like water. Behold, it has come, and shall be accomplished,' says the Lord GOD.
- And when they say to you, Why do you sigh? you shall say, Because of the report; the time has come, and every heart shall melt, every hand shall be feeble, every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water. Behold, it comes and shall be—declares the Lord GOD.
Eze.21.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:4 (verbal): Same prophetic formula — 'And the word of the LORD came to me, saying' introducing a divine commission/oracle.
- 1 Kings 17:2 (verbal): Uses the same wording ('the word of the LORD came to Elijah, saying') to introduce a prophetic/message to a prophet.
- 2 Samuel 7:4 (structural): The LORD's word comes to Nathan in the same formulaic way ('And the word of the LORD came to Nathan'), showing the standard narrative frame for delivering divine communication.
- Ezekiel 33:1 (structural): An internal parallel within Ezekiel where the canonical formula 'And the word of the LORD came to me, saying' recurs to introduce a new oracle, demonstrating the book's repetitive prophetic rubric.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
- And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Eze.21.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנבא: VERB,hitp,imp,2,m,sg
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הוחדה: VERB,niphal,perf,3,f,sg
- וגם: CONJ
- מרוטה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:3-7 (structural): Same prophetic oracle within Ezekiel 21 that repeatedly depicts the Lord’s sword being sharpened and prepared for judgment; 21:14 is a concentrated proclamation of that motif.
- Ezekiel 5:1 (verbal): Uses the image of a 'sharp sword' in a symbolic prophetic action of judgment (taking a sharp sword and passing it through the hair), echoing the literal/figurative sharpened-sword language of 21:14.
- Deuteronomy 32:41 (verbal): God speaks of whetting his flashing/glittering sword ('If I sharpen my flashing sword...'), a close verbal parallel to the theme of God preparing a sword to execute judgment.
- Isaiah 34:5-6 (thematic): An oracle of divine vengeance in which the Lord’s sword is employed to enact wrath and bloodshed against nations—themewise parallel to Ezekiel’s sharpened sword as an instrument of divine judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Sword, sword, sharpened, sharpened; and also polished.
- Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: A sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished!
Eze.21.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- למען: PREP
- טבח: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- טבח: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הוחדה: VERB,hif,perf,3,f,sg
- למען: PREP
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- ברק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מרטה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- או: CONJ
- נשיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שבט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- מאסת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- כל: DET
- עץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:9-10 (verbal): Same passage cluster in chapter 21: the repeated cry “Sword, sword” and the language of a sword sharpened/polished for slaughter (ready to flash like lightning) closely parallels the wording and imagery of v.15.
- Deuteronomy 32:41 (verbal): Moses’ taunt-song uses the image of God sharpening a flashing sword and taking hold of judgment — a closely related verbal motif of a divinely‑wielded, gleaming sword sent for vengeance.
- Isaiah 34:5-6 (thematic): Isaiah depicts the sword of the Lord drinking blood and descending for vengeance; thematically parallel in portraying God’s sword as an agent of decisive, bloody judgment.
- Zechariah 13:7 (allusion): The prophetic summons “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd…” echoes the call to the sword as God’s instrument of judgment found in Ezekiel 21, linking the sword‑as‑divine‑agent motif and the striking of leadership/shepherd imagery.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'To make slaughter for slaughter—sharpened for the slaughter; that it may give a flash, that it may be handled for slaughter; it is sharpened and made bright for the hand of the slayer.'
- Sharpened for slaughter; made bright to flash— I have made it ready for the slaughter, polished that it may glow.
Eze.21.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- למרטה: PREP,NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לתפש: PREP,VERB,qal,inf
- בכף: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,construct
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- הוחדה: VERB,hophal,perf,3,f,sg
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- והיא: CONJ+PRON,3,f,sg
- מרטה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לתת: VERB,qal,inf
- אותה: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הורג: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 32:41 (verbal): God speaks of sharpening a flashing sword and his hand taking hold of judgment — language and imagery of a divinely wielded sword closely parallel to Ezek 21:16's giving the sword into the hand of the slayer.
- Isaiah 10:5-6 (thematic): God characterizes Assyria as the rod/‘sword’ of his anger, an instrument handed over to execute judgment — resonates with Ezekiel's motif of God handing a sword to an agent of destruction.
- Ezekiel 21:3-9 (structural): Immediate context within the same chapter develops the sharpened and polished sword motif and explicitly appoints the ‘slaughterer’ (v.9), forming the direct narrative and thematic background to v.16.
- Ezekiel 5:1 (thematic): Ezekiel is commanded to take a sharp sword as a symbolic enactment of judgment against Jerusalem — parallels the prophetic use of a sword as God's instrument of punishment in Ezek 21:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- And you shall give it to the sharper to grasp with the palm; it is the sharpened sword; it is polished to be given into the hand of the slayer.
- Give it to the one who handles the slaughter— the sharpened, the polished sword— to be delivered into the hand of the slayer.
Eze.21.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- זעק: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- והילל: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- היתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בעמי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,poss,1
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נשיאי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מגורי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- אל: NEG
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- היו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- לכן: ADV
- ספק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- ירך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:12 (structural): Nearly identical prophetic summons — “Cry and howl, son of man” — repeated within the same oracle condemning the people and princes, showing a deliberate rhetorical intensification of judgment in the chapter.
- Isaiah 13:6 (verbal): An explicit command to howl because the day of the LORD (judgment) is near; parallels the imperative lament in Ezekiel as a common prophetic response to imminent divine wrath.
- Joel 1:13 (verbal): “Gird yourselves and lament; wail” — a direct call to mourning and sackcloth in response to catastrophe, echoing Ezekiel’s command to cry over God’s people under judgment.
- Zephaniah 1:14–16 (thematic): Language of the approaching day of the LORD, trumpet/alarm imagery and widespread terror; thematically parallels Ezekiel’s announcement that doom has come upon the people and their leaders.
Alternative generated candidates
- Cry aloud and wail, son of man; for it has been prepared against my people—it is against all the princes of Israel. Their dwellings have been for the sword among my people; therefore make ready your loins.
- Cry out and wail, son of man; for it has come upon my people. It falls upon the rulers of Israel; their dwellings are for the sword. Therefore gird you on sackcloth.
Eze.21.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- בחן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ומה: CONJ+PRON,int
- אם: CONJ
- גם: ADV
- שבט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מאסת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 17:10 (structural): Uses a staff/rod as a concrete sign of authority and divine decision; parallels Ezekiel’s imagery where a staff (shebet) signifies leadership or legitimacy whose status is being judged or withdrawn.
- Zechariah 11:10-14 (verbal): Describes taking and breaking staffs (named 'Favor' and 'Union') as symbolic acts of rejecting leadership/covenant—closely parallels Ezekiel’s theme of a staff being rejected and its symbolic removal.
- Isaiah 10:5-7 (thematic): Speaks of the 'rod' (staff) of God’s anger (Assyria) as an instrument of judgment and then reflects on the consequences for the wielder; thematically connects to Ezekiel’s concern with a staff/rod and divine judgment over rulership.
- Psalm 2:9 (thematic): Portrays a rod as the instrument of authority and punitive power ('break them with a rod of iron'), resonating with Ezekiel’s use of staff/rod imagery to indicate loss or exercise of authority and judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- For when I examine them, will the rod of my anger be lacking?—declares the Lord GOD.
- For it is a testing; and what if even the scepter be rejected?—declares the Lord GOD.
Eze.21.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואתה: CONJ+PRON,2,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנבא: VERB,hitp,imp,2,m,sg
- והך: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- כף: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- אל: NEG
- כף: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- ותכפל: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שלישתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3f
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חללים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חלל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הגדול: ADJ,m,sg,def
- החדרת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 5:1-4 (structural): Another Ezekiel passage where the prophet is commanded to perform a physical sign-act (striking and scattering hair) to symbolize coming judgment—same prophetic mode of enactment as the commanded ‘strikings’ in 21:19.
- Ezekiel 4:4-8 (structural): Ezekiel lies on his side for an extended period as a symbolic action representing siege and punishment. Like 21:19, it uses dramatic, embodied prophecy to portray impending destruction.
- Isaiah 10:5-6 (thematic): Describes Assyria as the rod/sword of God’s anger sent to punish nations—parallels the theme of a divinely‑wielded sword executing slaughter in Ezek.21:19.
- Isaiah 34:5-6 (verbal): Speaks of the Lord’s sword being bathed/filled with blood and used for vengeance—language closely echoes the ‘sword of slaughter’ imagery of Ezek.21:19.
- Zechariah 13:7 (allusion): Calls for the sword to awake against the shepherd (’smite the shepherd’), invoking the image of a sword that brings deadly judgment—an analogous motif of violent, ordained slaughter.
Alternative generated candidates
- And you, son of man, take a sword in your hand—hand to hand—make the third of it many; it is a sword of the slain, a great sword to be used against them.
- And you, son of man, strike hand to hand; and cause the sword to be divided into parts— a sword of slaughter, a great sword I have made ready for them.
Eze.21.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- למען: PREP
- למוג: VERB,qal,inf
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והרבה: VERB,hif,perf,3,m,sg,pref_vav
- המכשלים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- על: PREP
- כל: DET
- שעריהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- נתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- אבחת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עשויה: ADJ,f,sg
- לברק: VERB,qal,inf
- מעטה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לטבח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:9 (verbal): Same chapter/personification: the sword is sharpened and made to gleam — closely parallels the language of a flashing, sharpened blade sent for slaughter.
- Ezekiel 5:1-2 (thematic): Uses a sharp knife/sword as a prophetic emblem of judgment against Jerusalem — similar motif of a cutting instrument appointed to slaughter and purge.
- Deuteronomy 32:41 (verbal): ’If I sharpen my flashing sword…’ — Moses’ song employs the same image of God’s flashing/sharpened sword as the means of divine vengeance.
- Isaiah 34:5-6 (thematic): Depicts God’s sword bathed in heaven and made fat with blood — a parallel theme of the sword as the instrument of divine slaughter and punishment.
Alternative generated candidates
- To make the heart fail and to increase those who stumble at every gate—I have given the flashing of the sword; one blow ready to glitter, for slaughter and for display.
- That the heart may melt and the multitude that stumble at every gate; I have given the stroke of the sword—one ready to flash, polished for slaughter.
Eze.21.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- התאחדי: VERB,hitpael,impv,2,f,sg
- הימני: ADJ,m,sg,def
- השימי: ADJ,m,sg,def
- השמילי: ADJ,m,sg,def
- אנה: ADV,interrog
- פניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- מעדות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:20 (structural): Immediate literary parallel—v.20 describes the king’s inquiry and the sword being readied; v.21 issues the directional command (‘set right, set left’) as the divine sign for the attacking army.
- Isaiah 13:2 (thematic): Both texts use the image of raising a signal/banner to marshal forces for judgment on a city/nation (here, the advance of an army summoned against Babylon).
- Isaiah 5:26 (thematic): Isaiah’s ‘he lifts up a signal’ motif parallels Ezekiel’s instruction to set a sign for the attacker—both depict God (or his instrument) raising a signal to direct invading nations.
- Jeremiah 51:27 (thematic): Jeremiah’s call to ‘lift up a banner in the land’ to gather nations against Babylon echoes Ezekiel’s scene of signaling and directing an attacking force against a target of divine judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Gird on the right, set on the left; wherever your face is turned in the assemblies.
- Turn to the right! Set to the right! Turn to the left! Where will your face be turned? Toward the joining of the roads.
Eze.21.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וגם: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- אכה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- כפי: PREP
- אל: NEG
- כפי: PREP
- והנחתי: VERB,hiph,perf,1,_,sg
- חמתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1s
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- דברתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:7 (structural): Same prophetic section; another first‑person divine announcement of imminent smiting/pouring out of God’s wrath—continues the same judgment motif and wording patterns.
- Ezekiel 6:14 (verbal): Uses the imagery of God’s hand stretched out to smite and make the land desolate—verbal parallel in describing divine action of striking/judgment.
- Jeremiah 25:30 (thematic): A prophetic pronouncement of coming divine punishment with the same final, authoritative tone (“thus says the LORD”)—theme of impending divine smiting and inevitability.
- Isaiah 10:12 (allusion): God declares he will complete his work of judgment by punishing the proud—parallels the vow to execute decisive divine smiting as an instrument of justice.
- Nahum 1:2 (thematic): Portrays the LORD as jealous and avenging, powerful to mete out wrath—echoes the theme of God striking decisively and the inevitability of his anger.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I will smite my hands together, and I will satisfy my wrath; I the LORD have spoken it.
- And I will strike my hands together, and I will cause my wrath to rest; I the LORD have spoken it.
Eze.21.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:4 (quotation): Uses the same prophetic introductory formula “Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,” introducing a direct divine address to the prophet (call/commission context).
- Hosea 1:1 (verbal): Begins with the formula “The word of the LORD that came to Hosea,” a close verbal parallel for how prophetic speech from YHWH is introduced in the prophetic books.
- Micah 1:1 (verbal): Opens with “The word of the LORD that came to Micah,” another verbal instance of the conventional prophetic prefatory formula.
- Ezekiel 3:16 (structural): Within Ezekiel the same formula recurs (“the word of the LORD came to me, saying”), showing the book’s recurring pattern of divine messages addressed to Ezekiel.
- 1 Kings 17:2 (thematic): “And the word of the LORD came unto Elijah, saying” — a similar introductory formula in the Deuteronomistic history that thematically parallels prophetic reception of YHWH’s command.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
- And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Eze.21.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואתה: CONJ+PRON,2,m,sg
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שים: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- שנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- דרכים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לבוא: VERB,qal,inf
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,prop,sg,abs
- מארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- יצאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- שניהם: PRON,3,m,pl
- ויד: CONJ
- ברא: VERB,qal,perf,3,ms
- בראש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cstr
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עיר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ברא: VERB,qal,perf,3,ms
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:21-22 (verbal): Same scene and imagery: the king of Babylon at the fork/‘two ways’ deciding which route the sword will take; continuation of the immediate context and wording about routes and the sword.
- Jeremiah 39:1-2 (thematic): Narrative account of Nebuchadnezzar’s army besieging and attacking Jerusalem—parallels the prophecy’s warning about the Babylonian sword approaching the city by specific routes.
- 2 Kings 25:1-3 (thematic): Historical report of the siege and breach of Jerusalem in Zedekiah’s ninth year; parallels Ezekiel’s prediction of the Babylonian sword coming against the city and its ultimate capture.
- Jeremiah 21:9 (allusion): Prophetic declaration that the city will be handed over to the king of Babylon—echoes Ezekiel’s message that the sword of the Babylonian king will come against the city.
Alternative generated candidates
- And you, son of man, set for yourself two roads for the coming of the sword of the king of Babylon from the land—both shall proceed from one land; and his arm shall be at the head of the two roads.
- And you, son of man, set two ways before you, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come— from one land they shall issue, both of them; his hand shall be at the head of the way.
Eze.21.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תשים: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לבוא: VERB,qal,inf
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- רבת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- עמון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואת: CONJ
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- בירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בצורה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:9-10 (verbal): Same chapter and close context: the repeated formula about 'setting the way of the sword' and preparing the sword for the attack (verbal and structural parallel).
- Jeremiah 49:1-2 (thematic): Prophecy against Ammon (Rabbah) announcing judgment and a coming sword — thematically parallel to Ezekiel’s pronouncement against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon.
- Amos 1:13-15 (thematic): Amos pronounces destruction on Rabbah of the Ammonites (fire and ruin); parallels Ezekiel’s declaration of sword and judgment on Rabbah.
- 2 Kings 25:21-22 (structural): Historical account of the siege and capture of Rabbah by the king of Babylon — a narrative fulfillment/contextual parallel to Ezekiel’s oracle against Rabbah.
- Jeremiah 21:8-10 (thematic): Jeremiah’s prophecy of sword, famine and pestilence coming upon Judah and Jerusalem mirrors Ezekiel’s threat of the sword against Judah in Jerusalem.
Alternative generated candidates
- Make your face to the right toward Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and to the left toward Judah in Jerusalem, the fortified.
- Make the road for the sword to come to Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and to Judah at Jerusalem, the fortified.
Eze.21.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- עמד: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,prop,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אם: CONJ
- הדרך: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בראש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cstr
- שני: NUM,m,pl,construct
- הדרכים: NOUN,f,pl,def
- לקסם: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- קסם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קלקל: VERB,qal,inf
- בחצים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שאל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בתרפים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ראה: VERB,qal,imperat,2,m,sg
- בכבד: PREP+ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:21 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the same oracle — same scene of the king of Babylon at the fork using divination (casting arrows, consulting teraphim, inspecting the liver).
- Isaiah 47:13-14 (thematic): Condemns Babylon’s reliance on astrologers and diviners who cannot save her — thematically parallels Babylon’s use of divination to determine action in Ezek. 21.21–26.
- Deuteronomy 18:10 (thematic): Prohibits divination and soothsaying among Israel — provides legal/theological contrast to the Babylonian practice described in Ezekiel (arrows, teraphim, liver).
- Hosea 4:12 (thematic): Speaks of the people consulting a wooden idol/staff for counsel — parallels the use of teraphim and other oracular objects for guidance in Ezekiel 21:26.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to cast lots; he made his arrows bright, he consulted the teraphim, he looked at the liver.
- For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; he made his arrows bright, consulted with teraphim, and examined the liver.
Eze.21.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בימינו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הקסם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לשום: VERB,qal,inf
- כרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לפתח: PREP
- פה: ADV
- ברצח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- להרים: VERB,qal,inf
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בתרועה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לשום: VERB,qal,inf
- כרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- שערים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לשפך: PREP+INF,qal
- סללה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבנות: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- דיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 49:10 (allusion): The image of a transfer of rulership — 'until he comes whose right it is' — echoes Judah's scepter remaining 'until Shiloh comes,' a prophetic expectation of the rightful ruler.
- Psalm 2:7-9 (thematic): Both texts depict God vindicating and installing a rightful ruler who receives authority over nations, linking divine judgment with transfer of power to the anointed one.
- Daniel 2:44 (thematic): Daniel's motif of God setting up an everlasting kingdom that replaces human kingdoms parallels Ezekiel's overturning of thrones until the one with rightful claim arrives.
- Isaiah 22:22 (verbal): Isaiah's placing of the 'key of the house of David' and granting authority resonates with Ezekiel's notion of removing existing rule and giving authority to the rightful possessor.
- Zechariah 9:9-10 (thematic): Zechariah portrays a coming ruler whose reign and authority are established by God; this expectation of a divinely appointed ruler parallels Ezekiel's 'until he comes whose right it is.'
Alternative generated candidates
- In his days Jerusalem shall be set as a spoil; the doors shall be opened to violence, the cry shall be raised in the mid of the city: 'Set battering rams upon the gates, pour out a lamentation, lift up a siege-mound, build a siege-tower.'
- In his right hand was the decision for Jerusalem: To set battering rams at the entrance, to open the mouth for slaughter, to lift up a cry with the trumpet, to set battering rams against the gates, to pour down a mound and build a siege.
Eze.21.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כקסם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שוא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בעיניהם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,poss-3,m,pl
- שבעי: ADJ,m,sg
- שבעות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- מזכיר: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- עון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- להתפש: VERB,hitp,inf
Parallels
- Isaiah 28:7-8 (thematic): Uses the image of priests and prophets 'reeling' with wine—drunkenness as a metaphor for spiritual stupor and moral failure, paralleling Ezek.21:28's 'drunkenness' or delusion in the people's eyes.
- Isaiah 29:9-10 (thematic): Speaks of astonishment and a spirit of deep sleep poured out on the people so that they are 'drunk, but not with wine'—a close parallel to Ezekiel's language of deceptive appearances and a divinely‑given stupor that blinds and fills them.
- Jeremiah 51:7 (thematic): Describes Babylon as a golden cup that made the nations drunk; parallels Ezekiel's use of intoxication imagery to portray nations/people misled and overcome by a deceptive influence that precedes judgment.
- Isaiah 47:10-11 (verbal): Addresses deceptive sorceries and enchantments that will not save the practitioner when God brings judgment—echoing Ezek.21:28's 'as a deceiver/charms' motif and the idea that God remembers iniquity to punish.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it shall be a false divination in their eyes; they shall be satisfied with the sight, and he will rehearse sin to take hold.
- And it shall be to them as an empty divination in his eyes— a deceitful omen which satisfies him; yet he will call to mind his iniquity to seize it.
Eze.21.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- יען: CONJ
- הזכרכם: NOUN,m,sg,def,poss2mp
- עונכם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss2mp
- בהגלות: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- פשעיכם: NOUN,m,pl,suf
- להראות: VERB,qal,inf
- חטאותיכם: NOUN,f,pl,abs,poss2mp
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עלילותיכם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2mp
- יען: CONJ
- הזכרכם: NOUN,m,sg,def,poss2mp
- בכף: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,construct
- תתפשו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 16:59-63 (thematic): God says he will remember his covenant and make known his righteousness when he executes judgment and exposes Jerusalem’s abominations—parallel theme of divine remembering and the public revealing of sin that leads to punishment.
- Ezekiel 9:4-6 (structural): A vision in which God marks those who mourn over the city’s sins and then brings slaughter on the rest—echoes the motif of sins being exposed in the city and immediate punitive seizure.
- Leviticus 26:40-42 (allusion): Promises that if the people confess their iniquity in the land of their captivity God will remember his covenant—relates the connection between confession/remembering sins in exile and divine response.
- Jeremiah 25:8-11 (thematic): Jeremiah pronounces exile as judgment because the people would not listen to God’s words; like Ezekiel 21:29 it links persistent sin, the time of remembering, and resultant captivity.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have remembered your guilt in the exile, and your iniquities were uncovered to show your transgressions in all your deeds—because you remembered your guilt, you have been taken by the hand.
- Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have remembered your guilt in the exile and have revealed your sins in all your deeds, because you have remembered them, you shall be taken in the palm of the hand.
Eze.21.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואתה: CONJ+PRON,2,m,sg
- חלל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רשע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נשיא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יומו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+prs3ms
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:25-27 (structural): Immediate context in the same chapter addressing princes of Israel and announcing the overturning of rulership — connects directly to the rebuke of a 'wicked prince' and the coming of his day.
- Ezekiel 7:2 (verbal): Uses the same theme and language of 'an end'/'the time of the end' (kets) — both passages declare that the day of judgment or the end has arrived for Israel.
- Jeremiah 22:24-30 (thematic): Prophecy against a king (Coniah/Jehoiachin) whose days are ended and whose line is judged — parallels Ezekiel's denunciation of a wicked Israelite prince whose day of doom has come.
- Ezekiel 34:2-10 (thematic): Earlier Ezekiel denunciation of Israel's leaders as wicked shepherds who have failed the people — thematically parallels the charge against the 'wicked prince' as responsible leadership deserving judgment.
- Psalm 2:10-12 (thematic): A royal/rulers' address warning princes to serve the Lord and fear judgment — echoes the motif of rulers facing divine reckoning when their day of punishment arrives.
Alternative generated candidates
- And you, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, the time of iniquity is at its end.
- And you, profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come— the time of your punishment, the end.
Eze.21.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הסיר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- המצנפת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- והרים: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- העטרה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- השפלה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הגבה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- והגבה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- השפיל: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 21:26 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same oracle: the command to 'remove the turban and take off the crown' and the reversal 'exalt the low, abase the high' is repeated verbatim/near‑verbatim.
- Psalm 75:6-7 (thematic): Speaks of divine reversal of status—'promotion comes not from man... God is the judge; he puts down one, and exalts another'—echoing Ezekiel's theme of humbling the high and lifting the low.
- 1 Samuel 2:7-8 (thematic): Hannah's song: 'The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and lifts up'—a close thematic parallel about God reversing fortunes and social ranks.
- Luke 1:52 (quotation): The Magnificat: 'He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree'—a New Testament echo of the OT motif of God's overturning the proud and exalting the humble, paralleling Ezekiel's command.
- Isaiah 13:11 (thematic): Proclaims judgment on arrogance—'I will punish the world... and lay low the haughtiness'—resonates with Ezekiel's decree to abase the high and exalt the low.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus says the Lord GOD: Remove the turban, and take off the crown; this shall not be as before—lift it up, then bring it low; the high shall be humbled and the low shall be exalted.
- Thus says the Lord GOD: Remove the turban and take off the crown. This shall not be as it was; the low shall be lifted up, and the high shall be humbled.
Eze.21.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשימנה: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,sg
- גם: ADV
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- המשפט: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ונתתיו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
Parallels
- Revelation 8:13 (verbal): Uses the same triple 'Woe, woe, woe' formula in an apocalyptic context to announce imminent divine judgment on the earth, echoing Ezekiel's cry of impending disaster.
- Ezekiel 7:26-27 (structural): Within the same book, these verses employ repeated 'woe' language and an announcement of sudden, inescapable calamity—parallel in form and theme to 21:32's lament and judgment motif.
- Amos 5:18-20 (thematic): Pronounces 'woe' to those who desire the day of the LORD, warning that that day will be one of darkness and judgment rather than salvation—sharing Ezekiel's theme of unexpected divine wrath.
- Zephaniah 1:14-16 (thematic): Declares the 'day of the LORD' as a day of wrath, distress and doom with urgent, woe-like language, resonating with Ezekiel's prophetic announcement of impending punishment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Ah, ah! It shall be swept away; it shall not be—until he comes to whom judgment belongs; to him I will give it.'
- Woe, woe, woe! I will appoint it also— it shall be; there is none to escape until he comes to whom judgment belongs, and I will give it to him.
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Son of man, set your face toward the way of the south, and prophesy to the south; and prophesy against the forest of the field in the Negev. And say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree; the flame shall not be quenched, and every face from south to north shall be scorched by it. And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it; it shall not be quenched. And I said, Ah, Sovereign LORD! They are saying of me, Is not this a proverb? And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem and prophesy against the sanctuaries; prophesy against the land of Israel. And say to the land of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, and I will draw my sword out of its sheath and cut off from you both righteous and wicked.
Therefore, because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, my sword shall go forth from its sheath against all flesh; from south to north it shall go.
Then shall you know that I am the LORD, when my sword shall go forth from its sheath; it shall not return any more. And you, son of man, groan with the breaking of the loins; and bitterly sigh before their eyes. And when they say to you, Why are you groaning? you shall answer, Because of the report; the time has come, and every heart will melt, and every hand will be weakened; and every spirit will faint, and every knee will become like water. Behold, it comes—it shall be! declares the Lord GOD. And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: A sword, a sword! It is sharpened and polished—made ready.
For the slaughter it is sharpened; to make a thorough slaughter it has been whetted; it has been polished that it may flash like lightning—an instrument bent for slaughter and made sharp to be seen.
Give it to the one who wields it to seize; behold, it is a sharpened sword and is polished, to be placed in the hand of the slayer.
Cry and howl, son of man; for it has been against my people—it is against all the princes of Israel. It has come into their dwellings and into all their gates; against my people it is prepared. Therefore turn not aside nor spare.
When it is tried, what if even the scepter be despised? declares the Lord GOD. And you, son of man, thrust your hand to your thigh and strike it—twice; and make plain the third sword. It is a sword of slaughter; it is the sword of great slaughter, sharper and ready to pierce.
That it may strike to the heart and make many stumble at every one of their gates—I have given the stroke of the sword; it flashes like lightning to slaughter.
Sharpen the right, and set the left; where your face is directed toward the tribes—that is the place of the decision. And I will strike my hands together; I will bring down my wrath—I the LORD have spoken. And the word of the LORD came to me, saying: And you, son of man, set two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon from the land of the north; both of them shall go out from one land, and his hand shall be at the head of the roads to the city.
Make ready the way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and to Judah in Jerusalem by the highway.
For the king of Babylon stood at the fork of the road, at the head of the two ways, to make divination; he shook his arrows, he consulted the teraphim, and inspected the liver.
In his day his arm was lifted up against the gates of Jerusalem to set up battering rams, to raise a battle cry in the camp, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up a bank and to build a siege mound. And it shall be to them like a false divination; they have made their counsel certain—yet he remembers iniquity, that he may take hold.
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have remembered your guilt in the exile and your sins in all your deeds—your remembrance has become a snare to you, for in the palm of the hand you have been taken. And you, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, the time of your iniquity is at hand. Thus says the Lord GOD: Remove the turban, and take off the crown; this shall not be as before—high shall be low, and low shall be high.
Overturn, overturn, overturn it until he comes whose right it is; to him will I give it.