Ezekiel 21:4
New International Version
Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.

New Living Translation
Yes, I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked! I will draw my sword against everyone in the land from south to north.

English Standard Version
Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north.

Berean Standard Bible
Because I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.

King James Bible
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:

New King James Version
Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north,

New American Standard Bible
Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go out from its sheath against humanity from south to north.

NASB 1995
“Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go forth from its sheath against all flesh from south to north.

NASB 1977
“Because I shall cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword shall go forth from its sheath against all flesh from south to north.

Legacy Standard Bible
Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go out from its sheath against all flesh from south to north.

Amplified Bible
Because I will cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go from its sheath against all flesh from south to north,

Christian Standard Bible
Since I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will therefore come out of its sheath against all humanity from the south to the north.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Since I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will therefore come out of its sheath against everyone from the south to the north.

American Standard Version
Seeing 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:

Contemporary English Version
From south to north, people will die,

English Revised Version
Seeing 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:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I'm going to kill the righteous people and the wicked people among you. That is why my sword will come out of its scabbard to be used against everyone from the south to the north.

Good News Translation
I will use my sword against everyone from south to north.

International Standard Version
Since I'm going to kill both the righteous and the wicked among you, I'll be unsheathing my sword against everyone from south to north.

Majority Standard Bible
Because I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.

NET Bible
Because I will cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will go out from its sheath against everyone from the south to the north.

New Heart English Bible
Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the Negev to the north:

Webster's Bible Translation
Seeing 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:

World English Bible
Seeing 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.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Because that I have cut off righteous and wicked from you, "" Therefore My sword goes out from its scabbard, "" To all flesh, from south to north.

Young's Literal Translation
Because 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.

Smith's Literal Translation
Because that I cut off from thee the just and the unjust, for this my sword shall go forth from its sheath against all flesh, from south to north.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And forasmuch as I have cut off in thee the just, and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh, from the south even to the north.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But in as much as I have slain among you the just and the impious, for this reason my sword will go forth from its sheath against all flesh, from the south even to the north.

New American Bible
Thus my sword shall come out from its scabbard against all flesh from south to north

New Revised Standard Version
Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Seeing then that I will destroy from you the righteous and the sinner, therefore my sword shall go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And because I have destroyed from you righteous and sinner, therefore my sword shall go out from its sheath against everybody from the south, and unto the north
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Seeing 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;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Because I will destroy out of thee the unrighteous and the transgressor, therefore so shall my sword come forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The LORD's Sword of Judgment
3and tell her that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am against you, and I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. 4Because I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north. 5Then all flesh will know that I, the LORD, have taken My sword from its sheath, not to return it again.’…

Cross References
Jeremiah 25:29
For behold, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears My Name, so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the LORD of Hosts.’

Isaiah 66:16
For by fire and by His sword, the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD.

Jeremiah 21:14
I will punish you as your deeds deserve, declares the LORD. I will kindle a fire in your forest that will consume everything around you.’”

Jeremiah 25:18-19
to make them a ruin, an object of horror and contempt and cursing, as they are to this day—Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials; / Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officials, his leaders, and all his people;

Isaiah 34:5-6
When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. / The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood. It drips with fat—with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

Jeremiah 9:25-26
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh— / Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all the inhabitants of the desert who clip the hair of their temples. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”

Amos 9:10
All the sinners among My people will die by the sword—all those who say, ‘Disaster will never draw near or confront us.’”

Zephaniah 1:3
“I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and the idols with their wicked worshipers. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 12:12
Over all the barren heights in the wilderness the destroyers have come, for the sword of the LORD devours from one end of the earth to the other. No flesh has peace.

Isaiah 3:25-26
Your men will fall by the sword, and your warriors in battle. / And the gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground.

Matthew 10:34
Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

Luke 12:49-53
I have come to ignite a fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! / But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! / Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division. ...

Revelation 19:15
And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

Matthew 24:21-22
For at that time there will be great tribulation, unseen from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again. / If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

Romans 2:9
There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Greek;


Treasury of Scripture

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

against

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…

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 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.

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Cause Cover Cut Evil Flesh Forth North Righteous Scabbard Sheath South Sword Upright Wicked
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Cause Cover Cut Evil Flesh Forth North Righteous Scabbard Sheath South Sword Upright Wicked
Ezekiel 21
1. Ezekiel prophesies against Jerusalem with a sign of sighing
8. The sharp and bright sword
18. against Jerusalem
25. against the kingdom
28. and against the Ammonites














Because I will cut off
The phrase "cut off" in Hebrew is "כרת" (karath), which often implies a decisive and complete action, such as making a covenant or executing judgment. In the context of Ezekiel, it signifies God's impending judgment that is both inevitable and thorough. This reflects the seriousness of God's justice, where His actions are not arbitrary but are a response to the people's persistent disobedience. The cutting off is a divine act that underscores the holiness and righteousness of God, who cannot tolerate sin indefinitely.

both the righteous and the wicked
This phrase is striking because it challenges the common expectation that only the wicked would face judgment. In Hebrew, "righteous" is "צדיק" (tzaddik) and "wicked" is "רשע" (rasha). The inclusion of both groups highlights the pervasive nature of the coming judgment. Historically, this can be understood in the context of the Babylonian exile, where both the faithful and unfaithful were affected by the national calamity. Spiritually, it serves as a sobering reminder that earthly consequences of sin can impact all, and it calls believers to a deeper reliance on God's ultimate justice and mercy.

My sword will be unsheathed
The imagery of a sword in biblical literature often symbolizes divine judgment and warfare. The Hebrew word for sword, "חרב" (chereb), conveys a sense of sharpness and decisiveness. The act of unsheathing the sword indicates readiness for action and the immediacy of God's intervention. This metaphor underscores the seriousness of the situation and the certainty of God's judgment. It serves as a call to repentance, urging the audience to recognize the gravity of their spiritual state and the need for divine intervention.

against everyone
The universality of the phrase "against everyone" emphasizes that no one is exempt from God's judgment. This reflects the biblical principle that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). It serves as a reminder of the impartiality of God's justice, where He does not show favoritism but judges each according to their deeds. This universality calls believers to humility and a recognition of their need for God's grace and redemption.

from south to north
This geographical reference indicates the comprehensive scope of the judgment. In the context of ancient Israel, "south to north" would encompass the entire land, symbolizing totality. Historically, this can be seen as a reference to the Babylonian invasion, which affected the entire nation. Spiritually, it serves as a reminder that God's sovereignty extends over all creation, and His judgments are all-encompassing. It calls believers to acknowledge God's omnipresence and omnipotence, trusting in His ultimate plan and purpose for the world.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Because
יַ֛עַן (ya·‘an)
Adverb
Strong's 3282: Heed, purpose, to indicate the reason, cause

I will cut off
הִכְרַ֥תִּי (hiḵ·rat·tî)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3772: To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant

both the righteous
צַדִּ֣יק (ṣad·dîq)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 6662: Just, righteous

and the wicked,
וְרָשָׁ֑ע (wə·rā·šā‘)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7563: Wrong, an, bad person

My sword
חַרְבִּ֧י (ḥar·bî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2719: Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, sword

will be
תֵּצֵ֨א (tê·ṣê)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

unsheathed
מִתַּעְרָ֛הּ (mit·ta‘·rāh)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 8593: A knife, razor, a scabbard

against
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

everyone
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

from south
מִנֶּ֥גֶב (min·ne·ḡeḇ)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5045: South country, the Negeb, south

to north.
צָפֽוֹן׃ (ṣā·p̄ō·wn)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6828: Hidden, dark, the north as a, quarter


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 21:4 Seeing then that I will cut off (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 21:3
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