Ezekiel 21 · Verse 4

Ezekiel 21:4

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:
Ezekiel 21:4, King James Version

Ezekiel 21:4 in other translations

BSBBecause I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.
WEBSeeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore my sword will go out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north.
ASVSeeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:
YLTBecause that I have cut off from thee righteous and wicked, Therefore go out doth My sword from its scabbard, Unto all flesh, from south to north.
DARBYSeeing that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh, from the south to the north;
BBEBecause I am going to have the upright and the evil cut off from you, for this cause my sword will go out from its cover against all flesh from the south to the north:
WebsterSeeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth from its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:

What does Ezekiel 21:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. The "sword" did not, literally, slay all; but the judgments of God by the foe swept through the land "from the south to the north."

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 From the south to the north - The whole land shall be ravaged from one end to the other.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ezekiel 21:1-17

The ruin of Judah under the emblem of a sharp sword. (Ezek 21:1-17) The approach of the king of Babylon described. (Ezek 21:18-27) The destruction of the Ammonites. (Ezek 21:28-32) Verses 1-17 Here is an explanation of the parable in the last chapter. It is declared that the Lord was about to cut off Jerusalem and the whole land, that all might know it was his decree against a wicked and rebellious people. It…

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 21:1-17 →

Ezekiel 21:4 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.

יַ֛עַןYa.'anbecauseH3282
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-thatH834
הִכְרַ֥תִּיhikh.Ra.tiI have cut offH3772
מִמֵּ֖ךְmi.Mekhfrom youH4480
צַדִּ֣יקtza.Dik[the] righteousH6662
וְרָשָׁ֑עve.ra.Sha'and [the] wickedH7563
לָ֠כֵןLa.khen<to> thereforeH3651
תֵּצֵ֨אte.Tze'it will go forthH3318
חַרְבִּ֧יchar.Bisword myH2719
מִתַּעְרָ֛הּmi.ta'.Rahfrom sheath itsH8593
אֶל\־'el-againstH413
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
בָּשָׂ֖רba.SarfleshH1320
מִנֶּ֥גֶבmi.Ne.gevfrom [the] southH5045
צָפֽוֹן\׃tza.Fon[the] northH6828

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

Cross references for Ezekiel 21:4

  • 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 7:2

    Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land.

  • Ezekiel 6:11-14

    Thus saith the Lord God; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish my fury upon them. Then shall ye know that I am the Lord, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols. So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
against.
6:11-14; 7:2; 20:47

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

Context

  • Ezekiel 21:3

    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.

  • Ezekiel 21:4

    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:

  • Ezekiel 21:5

    That all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more.

Read all of Ezekiel 21

Ezekiel 21:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y por cuanto he de talar de ti al justo y al impío, por tanto, mi espada saldrá de su vaina contra toda carne, desde el mediodía hasta el aquilón:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et toute chair verra que moi, l’ Éternel, je l’ai allumé; il ne sera pas éteint.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und alles Fleisch soll sehen, daß ich, Jehova, es angezündet habe; es wird nicht erlöschen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Pro eo autem quod occidi in te justum et impium, idcirco egredietur gladius meus de vagina sua ad omnem carnem, ab austro usque ad aquilonem: