He broke down their strongholds and devastated their cities. The land and everything in it shuddered at the sound of his roaring.
Parallel translations
- WEB He knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, with its fullness, because of the noise of his roaring.
- KJV And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring.
- NKJV He knew their desolate places, And laid waste their cities; The land with its fullness was desolated By the noise of his roaring.
- NASB ‘He destroyed their palaces And laid waste their cities; And the land and its fullness were appalled Because of the sound of his roaring.
- NLT He demolished fortresses and destroyed their towns and cities. Their farms were desolated, and their crops were destroyed. The land and its people trembled in fear when they heard him roar.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The lion-king lays waste cities and terrifies the land with his roaring. His reign brings desolation rather than security.
Overview
The king's roaring fills the land with dread, and his violence leaves palaces and cities in ruin. What should have been a shepherd-king's protection has become a source of terror and destruction. The verse underscores how corrupt leadership ravages the very people it was meant to guard, deepening the lament over Judah's failed monarchy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ezek 30:12I will make the streams dry up and sell the land to the wicked. By the hands of foreigners I will bring desolation upon the land and everything in it. I, the LORD, have spoken.
- Amos 6:8The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself—the LORD, the God of Hosts, has declared: “I abhor Jacob’s pride and detest his citadels, so I will deliver up the city and everything in it.”
- Prov 28:15–16Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
- Ezek 12:19Then tell the people of the land that this is what the Lord GOD says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: ‘They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in dread, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who dwell in it.
- Ezek 22:25The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.
- Prov 19:12A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
- Mic 1:2Hear, O peoples, all of you; listen, O earth, and everyone in it! May the Lord GOD bear witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple.
- Prov 28:3A destitute leader who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no food.
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Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 19:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.