“Son of man, prophesy and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Wail, ‘Alas for that day!’
Parallel translations
- WEB Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Wail, Alas for the day!
- KJV Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day!
- NKJV “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Wail, ‘Woe to the day!’
- NASB “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Wail, ‘Woe for the day!’
- NLT “Son of man, prophesy and give this message from the Sovereign Lord: “Weep and wail for that day,
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
Ezekiel is to wail and cry "Alas for the day!" announcing imminent judgment. The lament heralds the coming day of the Lord against Egypt.
Overview
The prophet is commanded to raise a mournful cry signaling that disaster is near. Such laments dramatize the seriousness and certainty of the judgment to come. The "day" theme connects Egypt's downfall to the broader biblical motif of the day of the Lord, when God acts decisively in judgment and salvation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Isa 13:6Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
- Joel 1:11Be dismayed, O farmers, wail, O vinedressers, over the wheat and barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.
- Ezek 21:12Cry out and wail, O son of man, for the sword is wielded against My people; it is against all the princes of Israel! They are tossed to the sword with My people; therefore strike your thigh.
- Joel 1:5Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it has been cut off from your mouth.
- Isa 15:2Dibon goes up to its temple to weep at its high places. Moab wails over Nebo, as well as over Medeba. Every head is shaved, every beard is cut off.
- Zeph 1:11Wail, O dwellers of the Hollow, for all your merchants will be silenced; all who weigh out silver will be cut off.
- Isa 16:7Therefore let Moab wail; let them wail together for Moab. Moan for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth, you who are utterly stricken.
- Isa 23:1This is the burden against Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.
- Jer 47:2This is what the LORD says: “See how the waters are rising from the north and becoming an overflowing torrent. They will overflow the land and its fullness, the cities and their inhabitants. The people will cry out, and all who dwell in the land will wail
- Jer 4:8So put on sackcloth, mourn and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us.”
- Jas 5:1Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
- Isa 14:31Wail, O gate! Cry out, O city! Melt away, all you Philistines! For a cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there are no stragglers in its ranks.
- Rev 18:10In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”
- Zech 11:2Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down!
- Isa 65:14My servants will shout for joy with a glad heart, but you will cry out with a heavy heart and wail with a broken spirit.
- Isa 23:6Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O inhabitants of the coastland!
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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 30:2 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.