Limitless Word
And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.
Ezekiel 20:48 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB All flesh shall see that I, Yahweh, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.”’”
  • BSB Then all people will see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; it will not be quenched.”
  • NKJV All flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” ’ ”
  • NASB And all mankind will see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it will not go out.” ’ ”
  • NLT And everyone in the world will see that I, the Lord, have set this fire. It will not be put out.’”

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

All flesh will see that the Lord has kindled this fire, and it will not be quenched. The judgment will unmistakably reveal God's hand.

Overview

God declares that the coming catastrophe is His own work, not mere chance or human conflict. The visibility 'to all flesh' means the nations will recognize the Lord acting in judgment. The verse drives home that God's judgments serve to make Him known, vindicating His holiness before all people.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Jer 40:2–3And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place.
  • Lam 2:16–17All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.
  • Jer 7:20Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
  • 2 Chr 7:20–22Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.
  • Isa 26:11LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.
  • Deut 29:24–28Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Ezekiel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Ezekiel 20:48YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on EzekielMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 20:48 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.