Since he heard the sound of the horn but failed to heed the warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life.
Parallel translations
- WEB He heard the sound of the trumpet, and didn’t take warning; his blood shall be on him; whereas if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul.
- KJV He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
- NKJV He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life.
- NASB He heard the sound of the horn but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have saved his life.
- NLT They heard the alarm but ignored it, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives.
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
The one who heard the trumpet and ignored it is guilty of his own death; heeding it would have saved his life. Warning offers genuine deliverance to those who respond.
Overview
The verse reinforces verse 4: the warned but unheeding person 'shall be on him,' yet 'if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul.' Salvation was truly available; refusal alone condemns him. This pattern reflects the gospel call—those who hear and heed God's warning find life, while those who reject it perish by their own choice.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Heb 11:7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
- Exod 9:19–21So give orders now to shelter your livestock and everything you have in the field. Every man or beast that remains in the field and is not brought inside will die when the hail comes down upon them.’”
- John 8:39“Abraham is our father,” they replied. “If you were children of Abraham,” said Jesus, “you would do the works of Abraham.
- Isa 51:2Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave you birth. When I called him, he was but one; then I blessed him and multiplied him.
- Acts 2:37–41When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
- Heb 2:1–3We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
- 2 Kgs 6:10So the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had pointed out. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.
- Ps 95:7For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you hear His voice,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 33:5 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.