The Execution of Jerusalem's Wicked and the Marked Few
Ezekiel 9:1-11
Eze.9.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- באזני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cstr
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- קרבו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- פקדות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כלי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- משחתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,m,sg
- בידו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 9:2-6 (structural): Immediate continuation of the scene: the executioners (men with slaughtering weapons) enter the city and carry out the killings first announced in 9:1.
- Ezekiel 8:18 (thematic): Gives the reason for the summons in 9:1 — the elders' idolatry and abominations that provoke the LORD to bring judgment on Jerusalem.
- Exodus 12:7,13 (allusion): The practice of marking (protecting) the faithful from impending divine judgment (Passover blood on doorposts) parallels the later marking of the righteous in Ezek 9 that distinguishes those spared from the executioners.
- Revelation 7:3 (verbal): A heavenly command to seal/mark God's servants on the forehead to protect them from coming wrath echoes Ezekiel's marking of the faithful before the executioners proceed.
- Jeremiah 25:15 (thematic): God's directive to take the 'cup of fury' and make the nations drink parallels the motif of God commissioning agents to administer divine judgment, as in Ezek 9:1.
Alternative generated candidates
- And a great voice called to me, saying, "Draw near, executioners of the city—each with his destroying weapon in his hand."
- And a loud voice called in my hearing, saying, "Draw near, executioners of the city; each man with his destroying weapon in his hand."
Eze.9.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והנה: ADV
- ששה: NUM,card,m,pl
- אנשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- באים: VERB,qal,part,3,m,pl
- מדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- העליון: ADJ,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- מפנה: VERB,hif,ptcp,.,m,sg
- צפונה: ADV
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כלי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- מפצו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בידו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- בתוכם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לבש: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- בדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וקסת: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הספר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- במתניו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,poss:3,m,abs
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ויעמדו: CONJ+VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אצל: PREP
- מזבח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנחשת: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Ezekiel 9:3 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same scene — the man clothed in linen acts to mark/identify the righteous while the six men execute judgment.
- Ezekiel 10:2 (verbal): The same expression and figure ('man clothed with linen') appears in Ezekiel 10, where the linen-clad man again appears in a temple/vision context, linking the priestly/angelic agent across visions.
- Daniel 10:5–6 (verbal): A heavenly figure described as a man clothed in linen with striking, priestly-like imagery; parallels in terminology and majestic/angelic appearance.
- Revelation 7:3–4 (thematic): Both passages feature a divine agent sealing or marking the faithful on the forehead to protect them from coming judgment.
- Leviticus 16:4 (structural): The association of linen garments with cultic/priestly service (Aaron putting on linen when entering the holy place) provides a background for understanding the linen-clad figure as a priestly or cultic agent.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate that faces north; each had his slaughtering weapon in his hand. And one man among them was clothed in linen, with a scribe's case at his waist. They came and stood beside the bronze altar.
- And behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which faces north; and each had his slaughtering weapon in his hand. And among them was one man clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn at his loins. They came and stood beside the bronze altar.
Eze.9.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וכבוד: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נעלה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- מעל: PREP
- הכרוב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- מפתן: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- הבית: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- האיש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הלבש: PART,qal,ptc,ms,sg,def
- הבדים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- קסת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- הספר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- במתניו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,poss:3,m,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 10:4-5 (structural): The glory of the LORD moves from above the cherubim toward the threshold of the temple—continuation of the same movement of divine presence described in 9:3.
- Ezekiel 10:18-19 (thematic): Later stage in the Ezekiel temple vision where the glory departs from the temple entirely; parallels 9:3’s motif of the glory leaving its former place.
- Ezekiel 1:26-28 (verbal): Earlier vision language describing the appearance and majesty of God's glory above the living creatures/cherubim, providing the visionary backdrop for 9:3.
- Daniel 10:5 (verbal): The figure 'clothed in linen' appears in Daniel’s vision too; parallels the description of the man in linen with a writing case who is summoned in 9:3.
- Revelation 7:3-4 (thematic): Sealing of the righteous before impending divine judgment echoes the man with the writer’s inkhorn marking those to be spared in Ezekiel 9.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherub that was on it to the threshold of the house, and he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the scribe's case at his waist.
- And the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherub where it had been, to the threshold of the house; and he called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing case at his loins.
Eze.9.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- עבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בתוך: PREP
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בתוך: PREP
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- והתוית: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- תו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- מצחות: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- האנשים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- הנאנחים: VERB,qal,ptc,pl,m,def
- והנאנקים: VERB,qal,ptc,pl,m,def
- על: PREP
- כל: DET
- התועבות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- הנעשות: VERB,niphal,ptc,pl,f,def
- בתוכה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,fs
Parallels
- Revelation 7:3-4 (allusion): Sealing on the forehead to protect God’s servants from coming judgment — echoes Ezekiel’s mark as a sign of preservation for those who lament the city’s abominations.
- Revelation 13:16-17 (thematic): Use of a mark on the hand or forehead as a sign of identification and inclusion/exclusion in eschatological judgment; provides a contrastive motif to Ezekiel’s protective mark.
- Exodus 12:7, 13 (thematic): The Passover blood on doorposts as a protective sign that spares households from divine wrath — a prior Israelite precedent for marking to avert judgment.
- Ezekiel 9:6 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same scene: the slain of those in the city who do not bear the mark, showing the mark’s function in the narrative judgment sequence.
- Ezekiel 8:12 (verbal): Describes the abominations committed in Jerusalem that provoke divine anger — provides the moral reason why those who 'sigh and cry' are singled out for the protective mark in 9:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the Lord GOD said to him, "Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations committed in it."
- And the LORD said to him, "Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and mark a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are done in it."
Eze.9.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולאלה: CONJ+PREP+DEM,pl,abs
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- באזני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cstr
- עברו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אחריו: PREP,3,m,sg
- והכו: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- תחס: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- עינכם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2mp
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- תחמלו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 8:18 (verbal): Same vision of divine judgment—language of 'mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity' occurs earlier in Ezekiel as the basis for imminent, merciless punishment.
- Deuteronomy 13:12-16 (structural): Law concerning an apostate city: the community is to be put to the sword and utterly destroyed for idolatry—a legal precedent for merciless communal judgment.
- Isaiah 13:15-16 (thematic): Oracles against Babylon describing indiscriminate slaughter—'whoever is found will be thrust through'—reflect the motif of relentless, no‑pity destruction.
- 2 Samuel 12:31 (thematic): David's harsh treatment of the captured Ammonites (execution and brutal punishment) parallels the motif of commanded, uncompassionate slaughter by agents of judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- To the others he said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye spare, do not have compassion."
- And to the others he said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him and strike; spare your eyes not, and have no pity.
Eze.9.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- זקן: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- בחור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובתולה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וטף: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ונשים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- תהרגו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- למשחית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- כל: DET
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- התו: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אל: NEG
- תגשו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- וממקדשי: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss=1s
- תחלו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- ויחלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- באנשים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הזקנים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לפני: PREP
- הבית: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Ezekiel 9:4 (verbal): Same narrative scene — a mark is placed on the foreheads of certain persons and the executioners are commanded not to touch anyone bearing the mark; v.6 continues the execution order that begins in v.4.
- Exodus 12:7,13 (thematic): Passover blood on doorposts functions as a sign that causes the destroying angel to pass over those houses; thematically parallels marking as a means by which God spares some amid judgment.
- Revelation 7:3-4 (allusion): Angelic command to refrain from harming the earth until God’s servants are sealed on their foreheads echoes Ezekiel’s mark as a divine seal that identifies and protects the righteous before a coming judgment.
- Revelation 9:4 (verbal): Demons/locusts are instructed not to harm those who have the seal of God on their foreheads—explicitly parallels Ezekiel’s motif of a protective mark distinguishing those exempt from destruction.
Alternative generated candidates
- Slay old men, young men and maidens, little children and women; but do not touch any man on whom is the mark. Begin at my sanctuary. So they began with the elders who were before the house.
- Old men, young men, virgins, children, women—put to the sword; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary." So they began with the elders who were before the house.
Eze.9.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- טמאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- הבית: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ומלאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- החצרות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- חללים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- צאו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- ויצאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- והכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 9:4 (verbal): Immediate narrative parallel: the preceding command to mark the righteous on the forehead—provides the counterpart (preservation) to the slaughter ordered in 9:7.
- Ezekiel 9:5-6 (verbal): Direct continuation of the same scene: the executioners are commissioned to go through the city and slay without pity, which 9:7 describes as they carry out the command.
- Ezekiel 8:17-18 (thematic): Earlier vision that exposes Jerusalem’s abominations and announces coming divine judgment—gives the theological cause for the slaughter pictured in 9:7.
- Psalm 79:1-3 (thematic): Laments the defilement of the sanctuary and the bodies of God’s servants given over in the city—echoes the image of the courts filled with the slain in Ezek. 9:7.
- 2 Chronicles 36:17-19 (thematic): Historical description of Jerusalem’s fall and the temple’s destruction by Babylon—parallels the motif of violent destruction and profanation of the house reflected in Ezek. 9:7.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to them, "Defile the house and fill the courts with the slain; go forth." So they went forth and struck in the city.
- And he said to them, "Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go forth!" So they went forth and struck in the city.
Eze.9.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- כהכותם: ADV+PRON,2,m,pl
- ונאשאר: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- ואפלה: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- על: PREP
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ואזעק: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אהה: INTJ
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- המשחית: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- שארית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בשפכך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- חמתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 9:6 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: 9:6 gives the command to slay the wicked in the city; 9:8 records the prophet's personal reaction (falling on his face and crying) as the slaughter is executed.
- Ezekiel 8:18 (verbal): Shares the language and theme of God 'pouring out his fury' on Jerusalem because of its abominations; 9:8 echoes this judgment motif and the rationale for the coming punishment.
- Ezekiel 14:12-16 (thematic): Treats the tension between judgment on the nation and the fate of any righteous remnant; 9:8 expresses grief at the prospect that 'all the residue of Israel' might be destroyed by divine wrath.
- Jeremiah 7:14-15 (thematic): Jeremiah warns of a foreign nation's coming and God's wrath poured out on the city for its sins; parallels Ezekiel's complaint and the threatened comprehensive destruction of Jerusalem.
Alternative generated candidates
- As they were striking the people I alone remained; and I fell on my face and cried, "Ah, Lord GOD! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel by pouring out your wrath on Jerusalem?"
- And as they were striking, I was left; and I fell upon my face, and I cried, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! Are you destroying utterly the remnant of Israel by pouring out your fury on Jerusalem?"
Eze.9.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- עון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויהודה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- במאד: PREP+ADV
- מאד: ADV
- ותמלא: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- דמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- והעיר: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- מלאה: ADV
- מטה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עזב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ראה: VERB,qal,imperat,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 10:11 (verbal): Uses the same idea/phrase that God has abandoned or hidden his face: “He says to himself, ‘God has forgotten; he hides his face; he will never see’,” paralleling Ezek.9:9’s “they say, The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see.”
- Isaiah 1:4-7 (thematic): Laments widespread corruption of Judah (‘they have forsaken the LORD’), social violence and bloodshed, and the land’s desolation—themes echoed in Ezek.9:9’s charge of great iniquity and a land/city filled with blood and violence.
- Hosea 4:1-3 (thematic): Declares that lack of knowledge/truth has produced swearing, lying, murder and bloodshed so that ‘the land mourns’—a close thematic parallel to Ezekiel’s indictment of pervasive violence and blood filling the land.
- Jeremiah 12:7-13 (allusion): God speaks of having ‘forsaken my house’ and depicts the land made desolate and overrun by enemies because of wickedness—resonant imagery with Ezek.9:9’s charge that people claim God has left the land while violence and blood abound.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to me, "The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is very great. The land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of violence, for they say, 'The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.'"
- And the LORD said to me, "The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is very great; the land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of violence, for they say, 'The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see.'"
Eze.9.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וגם: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- תחוס: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms
- עיני: NOUN,f,pl,cons+1s
- ולא: CONJ
- אחמל: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- דרכם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- בראשם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,suf3mp
- נתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 9:6 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: the command to slay those without the mark—9:10 states God will not pity or spare them, explaining the execution ordered in 9:6.
- Ezekiel 9:4-5 (structural): Contrasts the marking of the righteous (to be spared) with the execution of the others; 9:10’s refusal to pity explains why only the unmarked are destroyed.
- Ezekiel 5:11 (verbal): A parallel pronouncement of severe judgment against Jerusalem for defiling the sanctuary; uses similar language about not sparing and bringing punishment on the people.
- Nahum 1:2-3 (thematic): A prophetic declaration of God as an avenger who will not acquit the guilty—thematic kinship with Ezekiel 9:10’s emphasis that God will show no pity in executing justice.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I also will not spare my eye, nor will I have compassion; their way I will repay upon their heads.
- And I also will not spare my eye, nor will I have pity; their ways I will lay upon their own heads.
Eze.9.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והנה: ADV
- האיש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לבש: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- הבדים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הקסת: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- במתניו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,poss:3,m,abs
- משיב: VERB,hif,ptc,2,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- ככל: PREP
- אשר: PRON,rel
- צויתני: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg+1,com,sg(obj)
Parallels
- Ezekiel 9:2-5 (structural): Immediate context: the same vision introduces ‘the man clothed in linen’ with the writer’s inkhorn who is commanded to mark the righteous and then acts — the figure and his commissioning are described earlier in the chapter.
- Ezekiel 10:2 (verbal): Repetition of the same figure later in Ezekiel: again ‘a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his side’ appears, linking the actor in 9:11 to a continuing heavenly function and reporting role.
- Daniel 10:5 (verbal): Apocalyptic parallel: Daniel’s vision likewise features ‘a man clothed in linen,’ an otherworldly messenger whose clothing language echoes Ezekiel’s portrayal of a heavenly attendant.
- Daniel 12:6 (allusion): Another Daniel passage where figures address ‘the man clothed in linen’ in a heavenly court setting; echoes the motif of a linen‑clad heavenly official who receives and executes divine orders.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, the man clothed in linen who had the scribe's case at his waist returned and reported, saying, "I have done as you commanded me."
- And behold, the man clothed in linen who had the writer's inkhorn at his loins brought back word, saying, "I have done as you commanded me."
A great voice called in my hearing, saying, "Draw near, executioners of the city—each with his weapon of destruction in his hand."
Behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate that faces north; each had his destroying weapon in his hand. And one man among them was clothed in linen, with a scribe's writing case at his waist. They came and stood beside the bronze altar.
Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherub where it had been, to the threshold of the house; and he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist. And the LORD said to him, "Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and mark a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry for all the abominations done within it." And to the others he said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him, and strike; do not spare your eyes, do not show pity."
Old men and young men, maidens, little children and women—put to death; but do not come near any one upon whom is the mark. Begin at my sanctuary. So they began with the elders who were before the house. And he said to them, "Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain; go forth." So they went forth and struck in the city.
As they were striking, I alone remained; and I fell upon my face and cried, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel by pouring out your wrath upon Jerusalem?"
He said to me, "The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is very great, very great; the land is full of blood, and the city is full of corruption, for they say, 'The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.'" And he said, "Yet I will not spare, I will not have pity; I will repay their ways upon their heads."
Behold, the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist, reported, saying, "I have done as you commanded me."