Ezekiel 20 · Verse 47

Ezekiel 20:47

And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
Ezekiel 20:47, King James Version

Ezekiel 20:47 in other translations

BSBSay to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: I am about to ignite in you a fire, and it will devour all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by it every face from south to north will be scorched.
WEBTell the forest of the south, ‘Hear the LORD’s word: The Lord GOD says, “Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it will devour every green tree in you, and every dry tree. The burning flame will not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north will be burned by it.
ASVand say to the forest of the South, Hear the word of Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burnt thereby.
YLTand thou hast said to the forest of the south: Hear a word of Jehovah: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am kindling in thee a fire, And it hath devoured in thee every moist tree, and every dry tree, Not quenched is the glowing flames, And burnt by it have been all faces from south to north.
DARBYand say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of Jehovah. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flashing flame shall not be quenched; and all that it meets from the south to the north shall be burned thereby.
BBEAnd say to the woodland of the South, Give ear to the words of the Lord: this is what the Lord has said: See, I will have a fire lighted in you, for the destruction of every green tree in you and every dry tree: the flaming flame will not be put out, and all faces from the south to the north will be burned by it.
WebsterAnd say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

What does Ezekiel 20:47 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 20:45-49

45-49. An introductory brief description in enigma of the destruction by fire and sword, detailed more explicitly in Eze 21:1-32.

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 20:45-49 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 47 I will kindle a fire - I will send war, "and it shall devour every green tree," the most eminent and substantial of the inhabitants; and every dry tree, the lowest and meanest also. The flaming flame shall not be quenched - The fierce ravages of Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans shall not be stopped till the whole land is ruined. All faces from the south to the north shalt be burned - From the one end of the land to the other there shall be nothing but fear, dismay, terror, and confusion, occasioned by the wide-wasting violence of the Chaldeans. Judea lay in length from north to south.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ezekiel 20:45-49

Judah and Jerusalem had been full of people, as a forest of trees, but empty of fruit. God's word prophesies against those who bring not forth the fruits of righteousness. When He will ruin a nation, who or what can save it? The plainest truths were as parables to the people. It is common for those who will not be wrought upon by the word, to blame it.

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 20:45-49 →

Ezekiel 20:47 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֙ve.'a.mar.Taand you will sayH559
לְיַ֣עַרle.Ya.'arto [the] forest ofH3293
הַנֶּ֔גֶבha.Ne.gevthe southH5045
שְׁמַ֖עshe.Ma'hearH8085
דְּבַר\־de.var-[the] word ofH1697
יְהוָ֑הYah.wehYahwehH3068
כֹּֽה\־koh-thusH3541
אָמַ֣ר'a.Marhe saysH559
אֲדֹנָ֣י'a.do.Nai[the] LordH136
יְהוִ֡הYah.wehYahwehH3069
הִנְנִ֣יhi.Nihere IH2005
מַֽצִּית\־ma.tzit-[am] about to kindleH3341
בְּךָ֣\׀be.Khain you
אֵ֡שׁ'esha fireH784
וְאָכְלָ֣הve.'a.khe.Lahand it will consumeH398
בְךָ֣ve.Khain you
כָל\־khol-everyH3605
עֵֽץ\־'etz-treeH6086
לַח֩lachmoistH3892
וְכָל\־ve.kholand everyH3605
עֵ֨ץ'etztreeH6086
יָבֵ֤שׁya.VeshdryH3002
לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
תִכְבֶּה֙tikh.Behit will be extinguishedH3518
לַהֶ֣בֶתla.He.vet[the] flame ofH3852
שַׁלְהֶ֔בֶתshal.He.vetflameH7957
וְנִצְרְבוּ\־ve.nitz.re.vu-and they will be scorchedH6866
בָ֥הּvahby it
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
פָּנִ֖יםpa.NimfacesH6440
מִנֶּ֥גֶבmi.Ne.gevfrom [the] southH5045
צָפֽוֹנָה\׃tza.Fo.nah[the] north towardsH6828

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ezekiel 20:47

  • Jeremiah 21:14

    But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the Lord: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.

  • Isaiah 9:18-19

    For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.

  • Luke 23:31

    For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

  • Ezekiel 17:24

    And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the Lord have spoken and have done it.

  • Isaiah 24:1-6

    Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. …

  • Isaiah 13:8

    And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

  • Ezekiel 22:20-21

    As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.

  • Ezekiel 19:14

    And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

  • Isaiah 30:33

    For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

  • Isaiah 66:24

    And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

  • Ezekiel 21:3-4

    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. Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:

  • Mark 9:43-49

    And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I will kindle.I will send war; and it shall destroy all ranks and characters of the people.
15:6,7; 19:14; 22:20,21; De 32:22; Isa 9:18,19; 30:33; Jer 21:14
green.
17:24; Lu 23:31
the flaming.
Isa 66:24; Mr 9:43-49
from the south.
21:3,4; Isa 24:1-6

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ezekiel 20:46

    Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;

  • Ezekiel 20:47

    And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

  • Ezekiel 20:48

    And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.

Read all of Ezekiel 20

Ezekiel 20:47 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y dirás al bosque del mediodía: Oye palabra de Jehová: Así ha dicho el Señor Jehová: He aquí que yo enciendo en ti fuego, el cual consumirá en ti todo árbol verde, y todo árbol seco: no se apagará la llama del fuego; y serán quemados en ella todos rostros, desde el mediodía hasta el norte.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et dices saltui meridiano: Audi verbum Domini: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Ecce ego succendam in te ignem, et comburam in te omne lignum viride, et omne lignum aridum: non extinguetur flamma succensionis: et comburetur in ea omnis facies ab austro usque ad aquilonem,