Because I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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.
- KJV 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:
- NKJV 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,
- NASB 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.
- NLT 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.
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
Because God will cut off both righteous and wicked, His sword will go out against all flesh from south to north. None in the land will escape the coming judgment.
Overview
The sweeping reach of the sword underscores the totality of the judgment on Jerusalem and Judah. In the calamity of the siege, the entire population is engulfed, godly and ungodly together. While such temporal judgment falls broadly, Scripture assures that God ultimately distinguishes His own and that eternal salvation is secure in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Ezek 20:47Say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: I am about to ignite in you a fire, and it will devour all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by it every face from south to north will be scorched.
- Ezek 7:2“O son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says to the land of Israel: ‘The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.
- Ezek 6:11–14This is what the Lord GOD says: Clap your hands, stomp your feet, and cry out “Alas!” because of all the wicked abominations of the house of Israel, who will fall by sword and famine and plague.
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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 21:4 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.