“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Wail, ‘Woe for the 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!
- BSB “Son of man, prophesy and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Wail, ‘Alas for that day!’
- NKJV “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Wail, ‘Woe to 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 Yahweh is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
- Joel 1:11Be confounded, you farmers! Wail, you vineyard keepers; for the wheat and for the barley; for the harvest of the field has perished.
- Ezek 21:12Cry and wail, son of man; for it is on my people. It is on all the princes of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with my people. Therefore beat your thigh.
- Joel 1:5Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
- Isa 15:2They have gone up to Bayith, and to Dibon, to the high places, to weep. Moab wails over Nebo and over Medeba. Baldness is on all of their heads. Every beard is cut off.
- Zeph 1:11Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the people of Canaan are undone! All those who were loaded with silver are cut off.
- Isa 16:7Therefore Moab will wail for Moab. Everyone will wail. You will mourn for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth, utterly stricken.
- Isa 23:1The burden of Tyre. Howl, you ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in. From the land of Kittim it is revealed to them.
- Jer 47:2Yahweh says: “Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and will become an overflowing stream, and will overflow the land and all that is therein, the city and those who dwell therein. The men will cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall wail.
- Jer 4:8For this clothe yourself with sackcloth, lament and wail; for the fierce anger of Yahweh hasn’t turned back from us.
- Jas 5:1Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you.
- Isa 14:31Howl, gate! Cry, city! You are melted away, Philistia, all of you; for smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks.
- Rev 18:10standing far away for the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For your judgment has come in one hour.’
- Zech 11:2Wail, cypress tree, for the cedar has fallen, because the stately ones are destroyed. Wail, you oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest has come down.
- Isa 65:14Behold, my servants will sing for joy of heart, but you will cry for sorrow of heart, and will wail for anguish of spirit.
- Isa 23:6Pass over to Tarshish! Wail, you inhabitants of the coast!
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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 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.