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‘Returnit to its sheath. I will judge you In the place where you were created, In the land of your nativity.
Ezekiel 21:30 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Cause it to return into its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your birth, will I judge you.
  • KJV Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity.
  • BSB Return the sword to its sheath! In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you.
  • NASB Return it to its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you.
  • NLT “Now return the sword to its sheath, for in your own country, the land of your birth, I will pass judgment upon you.

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

God tells Ammon to return the sword to its sheath, for He will judge them in their own homeland. Their judgment will be on their native soil.

Overview

After the sword's terror, the Lord declares Ammon will be judged 'in the place where you were created,' meaning their own land. This shows that God's justice reaches each nation in its own territory, not only Judah. The certainty of the verdict rests on God's word, not human strength.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 7

  • Ezek 16:38I will judge you, as women who break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of wrath and jealousy.
  • Jer 47:6–7“‘You sword of Yahweh, how long will it be before you are quiet? Put yourself back into your scabbard; rest, and be still.’
  • Gen 15:14I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth,
  • Ezek 28:15You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you.
  • Ezek 28:13You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, emerald, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and beryl. Gold work of tambourines and of pipes was in you. In the day that you were created they were prepared.
  • Ezek 21:4–5Seeing 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.
  • Ezek 16:3–4and say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh to Jerusalem: “Your origin and your birth is of the land of the Canaanite. An Amorite was your father, and your mother was a Hittite.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

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 21:30YouTube · 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 21:30 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.