Ezekiel9

God commands six executioners to approach Jerusalem, one of whom is to mark the foreheads of the righteous who lament the city's abominations. The other five are then ordered to utterly slay all inhabitants without the mark, beginning at the sanctuary. Ezekiel intercedes, but God justifies the judgment due to Israel's great iniquity and their belief that God has forsaken them.

Listen to this chapter

The Executioners Are Summoned

Then I heard Him call out in a loud voice, saying, “Draw near, O executioners of the city, each with a weapon of destruction in hand.”

And I saw six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with a weapon of slaughter in his hand. With them was another man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. And they came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

The Mark of Preservation

Then the glory of the God of Israel rose from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side.

“Go throughout the city of Jerusalem,” said the LORD, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men sighing and groaning over all the abominations committed there.”

The Judgment Commences

And as I listened, He said to the others, “Follow him through the city and start killing; do not show pity or spare anyone!

Slaughter the old men, the young men and maidens, the women and children; but do not go near anyone who has the mark. Now begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple.

Then He told them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go forth!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city.

Ezekiel Intercedes for Israel

While they were killing, I was left alone. And I fell facedown and cried out, “Oh, Lord GOD, when You pour out Your wrath on Jerusalem, will You destroy the entire remnant of Israel?”

He replied, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of perversity. For they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.’

But as for Me, I will not look on them with pity, nor will I spare them. I will bring their deeds down upon their own heads.”

Then the man clothed in linen with the writing kit at his side reported back, “I have done as You commanded.”

Study Notes for Ezekiel 9

Verse 1

The 'charge over the city' refers to the six divine agents of destruction, highlighting that the coming judgment upon Jerusalem is divinely mandated, not merely a political or military accident.

Verse 2

The six men represent the instruments of God's wrath. The seventh man, clothed in linen, is distinct; he holds the writer’s inkhorn, symbolizing his role in preservation and record-keeping, separating the righteous from the wicked.

Verse 3

The movement of the Glory of God (the *kavod*) from the inner sanctuary to the Temple threshold foreshadows its complete departure (Ch. 10), leaving the structure undefended and vulnerable to destruction.

Verse 4

The mark (*tav* in Hebrew, originally shaped like a cross or 'X') identifies the faithful remnant—those who mourn the rampant idolatry and injustice in Jerusalem—thereby separating them from those appointed for judgment.

Verse 5

The command is absolute and severe, emphasizing that God’s patience has ended. This non-discriminating judgment reflects the total corruption of the city, where judgment is required for the entire populace.

Verse 6

Judgment beginning 'at my sanctuary' (compare 1 Pet. 4:17) signifies that those closest to God, who should have maintained holiness (the elders and priests), were the most responsible for the nation’s spiritual failure.

Verse 7

The command to defile the Temple with corpses is the ultimate sign of God’s rejection. Since the Lord’s presence has departed (v. 3), the building is stripped of its holiness and treated as common ground.

Verse 8

Ezekiel’s intercession echoes the pleas of Moses (Ex. 32:11). Despite witnessing the terrible sins, he remains deeply concerned for the covenant people, pleading that God not utterly destroy the 'residue' or small remnant.

Verse 9

God justifies the severity of the judgment by citing two primary sins: widespread bloodshed (violence and murder) and the cynical rejection of divine authority, captured in the belief that 'The LORD seeth not.'

Verse 10

This verse reiterates the divine commitment to justice, confirming that God will not compromise his holiness by overlooking the extreme wickedness and idolatry committed by his people.

Verse 11

The final report confirms the successful execution of the divine decree, concluding the vision of immediate judgment and signaling the irreversible nature of Jerusalem's fate.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate

Ezekiel9

The Executioners Are Summoned

The Mark of Preservation

The Judgment Commences

Ezekiel Intercedes for Israel

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options