TRV
Translation
King James Version
Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD.
Complete Jewish Bible
You are afraid of the sword, but I will bring the sword upon you," says Adonai ELOHIM.
Berean Standard Bible
You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you, declares the Lord GOD.
American Standard Version
Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring the sword upon you, saith the Lord Jehovah.
World English Bible Messianic
You have feared the sword; and I will bring the sword on you, says the Lord GOD.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Ye haue feared the sworde, and I wil bring a sworde vpon you, saith the Lord God.
Young's Literal Translation
A sword ye have feared, And a sword I bring in against you, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.
In the KJVVerse 20,664 of 31,102
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Commentary on Ezekiel 11 verses 1–13
1 ¶ Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD'S house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
2 Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city:
3 Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.
4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.
5 And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.
6 Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.
7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.
8 Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD.
9 And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.
10 Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
11 This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel:
12 And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.
13 And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?
We have here,
I. The great security of the prince's of Jerusalem, notwithstanding the judgements of God that were upon them, The prophet was brought, in vision, to the gate of the temple where these princes sat in council upon the present arduous affairs of the city: The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me to the east gate of the Lord's house, and behold twenty-five men were there. See how obsequious the prophet was to the Spirit's orders and how observant of all the discoveries that were made to him. It should seem, these twenty-five men were not the same with those twenty-five whom we saw at the door of the temple, worshipping towards the east (Eze 8:16); those seen to have been priests or Levites, for they were between the porch and the altar, but these were princes sitting in the gate of the Lord's house, to try causes (Jer 26:10), and they are here charged, not with corruptions in worship, but with mal-administration in the government; two of them are named, because they were the most active leading men, and perhaps because the prophet knew them, though he had been some years absent - Pelatiah and Jaazaniah, not that mentioned Eze 8:11, for he was the son of Shaphan, this is the son of Azur. Some tell us that Jerusalem was divided into twenty-four wards, and that these were the governors or aldermen of those wards, with their mayor or president. Now observe, 1. The general character which God gives of these men to the prophet (Eze 11:2): "These are the men that devise mischief; under pretence of concerting measures for the public safety they harden people in their sins, and take off their fear of God's judgements which they are threatened with by the prophets; they gave wicked counsel in this city, counselling them to restrain and silence the prophets, to rebel against the king of Babylon, and to resolve upon holding the city out to the last extremity." Note, It is bad with a people when the things that belong to their peace are hidden from the eyes of those who are entrusted with their counsels. And, when mischief is done, God knows at whose door to lay it, and, in the day of discovery and recompence, will be sure to lay it at the right door, and will say, These are the men that devised it, though they are great men, and pass for wise men, and must not now be contradicted or controlled. 2. The particular charge exhibited against them in proof of this character. They are indicted for words spoken at their council-board, which he that stands in the congregation of the mighty would take cognizance of (Eze 11:3); they said to this effect, "It is not near; the destruction of our city, that has been so often threatened by the prophets, is not near, not so near as they talk of." They are conscious to themselves of such an enmity to reformation that they cannot but conclude it will come at last; but they have such an opinion of God's patience (though they have long abused it) that they are willing to hope it will not come this great while. Note, Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgement to come as a thing doubtful and uncertain, yet he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as a thing at a distance, so that it loses its force: if it be sure, yet it is not near; whereas, in truth, the Judge stands before the door. Now, if the destruction is not near, they conclude, Let us build houses; let us count upon a continuance, for this city is the caldron and we are the flesh. This seems to be a proverbial expression, signifying no more than this, "We are as safe in this city as flesh in a boiling pot; the walls of the city shall be to us as walls of brass, and shall receive no more damage from the besiegers about it than the cauldron does from the fire under it. Those that think to force us out of our city into captivity shall find it to be as much at their peril as it would be to take the flesh out of a boiling pot with their hands." This appears to be the meaning of it, by the answer God gives to it (Eze 11:9): "I will bring you out of the midst of the city, where you think yourselves safe, and then it will appear (Eze 11:11) that this is not your caldron, neither are you the flesh." Perhaps it has a particular reference to the flesh of the peace-offerings, which it was so great an offence for the priests themselves to take out of the caldron while it was in seething (as we find Sa1 2:13, Sa1 2:14), and then it intimates that they were the more secure because Jerusalem was the holy city, and they thought themselves a holy people in it, not to be meddled with. Some think this was a banter upon Jeremiah, who in one of his first visions saw Jerusalem represented by a seething pot, Jer 1:13. "Now," say they, in a way of jest and ridicule, "if it be a seething pot, we are as the flesh in it, and who dares meddle with us?" Thus they continued mocking the messengers of the Lord, even while they suffered for so doing; but be you not mockers, lest your bands be made strong. Those hearts are indeed which are made more secure by those words of God which were designed for warning to them.
II. The method taken to awaken them out of their security. One would think that the providences of God which related to them were enough to startle them; but, to help them to understand and improve those, the word of God is sent to them to give them warning (Eze 11:4): Therefore prophesy against them, and try to undeceive them; prophesy, O son of man! upon these dead and dry bones. Note, The greatest kindness ministers can do to secure sinners is to preach against them, and to show them their misery and danger, though they are ever so unwilling to see them. We then act most for them when we appear most against them. But the prophet, being at a loss what to say to men that were hardened in sin, and that bade defiance to the judgments of God, the Spirit of the Lord fell upon him, to make him full of power and courage, and said unto him, Speak. Note, When sinners are flattering themselves into their own ruin it is time to speak, and to tell them that they shall have no peace if they go on. Ministers are sometimes so bashful and timorous, and so much at a loss, that they must be put on to speak, and to speak boldly. But he that commands the prophet to speak gives him instructions what to say; and he must address himself to them as the house of Israel (Eze 11:5), for not the princes only, but all the people, were concerned to know the truth of their cause, to know the worst of it. They are the house of Israel, and therefore the God of Israel is concerned, in kindness to them, to give them warning; and they are concerned in duty to him to take the warning. And what is it that the must say to them in God's name? 1. Let them know that the God of heaven takes notice of the vain confidences with which they support themselves (Eze 11:5): "I know the things which come into your minds every one of them, what secret reasons you have for these resolutions, and what you aim at in putting so good a face upon a matter you know to be bad." Note, God perfectly knows not only the things that come out of our mouths, but the things that come into our minds, not only all we say, but all we think; even those thoughts that are most suddenly darted into our minds, and that as suddenly slip out of them again, so that we ourselves are scarcely aware of them, yet God knows them. He knows us better than we know ourselves; he understands our thoughts afar off. The consideration of this should oblige us to keep our hearts with all diligence, that no vain thoughts come into them or lodge within them. 2. Let them know that those who advised the people to stand it out should be accounted before God the murderers of all who had fallen, or should yet fall, in Jerusalem, by the sword of the Chaldeans; and those slain were the only ones that should remain in the city, as the flesh in the caldron. "You have multiplied your slain in the city, not only those whom you have by the sword of justice unjustly put to death under colour of law, but those whom you have by your wilfulness and pride unwisely exposed to the sword of war, though you were told by the prophets that you should certainly go by the worst. Thus you, with your stubborn humour, have filled the streets of Jerusalem with the slain," Eze 11:6. Note, Those who are either unrighteous or imprudent in beginning or carrying on a war bring upon themselves a great deal of the guilt of blood; and those who are slain in the battles or sieges which they, by such a reasonable peace as the war aimed at, might have prevented, will be called their slain. Now these slain are the only flesh that shall be left in this caldron, Eze 11:7. There shall none remain to keep possession of the city but those that are buried in it. There shall be no inhabitants of Jerusalem but the inhabitants of the graves there, no freemen of the city but the free among the dead. 3. Let them know that, how impregnable soever they thought their city to be, they should be forced out of it, either driven to flight or dragged into captivity: I will bring you forth out of the midst of it, whether you will or no, Eze 11:7, Eze 11:9. They had provoked God to forsake the city, and thought they should do well enough by their own policy and strength when he was gone; but God will make them know that there is no peace to those that have left their God. If they have by their sins driven God from his house, he will soon by his judgments drive them from theirs; and it will be found that those are least safe that are most secure: "This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall you be the flesh; you shall not soak away in it as you promise yourselves, and die in your nest; you think yourself safe in the midst thereof, but you shall not be long there." 4. Let them know that when God has got them out of the midst of Jerusalem he will pursue them with his judgments wherever he finds them, the judgments which they thought to shelter themselves from by keeping close in Jerusalem. They feared the sword if they should go out to the Chaldeans, and therefore would abide in their caldron, but, says God, I will bring a sword upon you (Eze 11:8) and you shall fall by the sword, Eze 11:10. Note, The fear of the wicked shall come upon him. And there is no fence against the judgments of God when they come with commission, no, not in walls of brass. They were afraid of trusting to the mercy of strangers. "But," says God, "I will deliver you into the hands of strangers, whose resentments you shall feel, since you were not willing to lie at their mercy." See Jer 38:17, Jer 38:18. They thought to escape the judgments of God, but God says that he will execute judgments upon them; and whereas they resolved, if they must be judged, that it should be in Jerusalem, God tells them (Eze 11:10 and again Eze 11:11) that he will judge them in the borders of Israel, which was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar slew all the nobles of Judah at Riblah in the land of Hamath, on the utmost border of the land of Canaan. Note, Those who have taken ever so deep root in the place where they live cannot be sure that in that place they shall die. 5. Let them know that all this is the due punishment of their sin, and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God against them: You shall know that I am the Lord, Eze 11:10 and again Eze 11:12. Those shall be made to know by the sword of the Lord who would not be taught by his word what a hatred he has to sin, and what a fearful thing it is for impenitent sinners to fall into his hands. I will execute judgments, and then you shall know that I am the Lord, for the Lord is known by the judgments which he executes upon those that have not walked in his statutes. Hereby it is known that he made the law, because he punishes the breach of it. I will execute judgments among you (says God) because you have not executed my judgments, Eze 11:12. Note, The executing of the judgments of God's mouth by us, in a uniform steady course of obedience to his law, is the only way to prevent the executing of the judgments of his hand upon us in our ruin and confusion. One way or other. God's judgments will be executed; the law will take place either in its precept or in its penalty. If we do not give honour to God by executing his judgments as he has commanded, he will get him honour upon us by executing his judgments as he has threatened; and thus we shall know that he is the Lord, the sovereign Lord of all, that will not be mocked. And observe, When they cast off God's statutes, and walked not in them, they did after the manners of the heathen that were round about them, and introduced into their worship all their impure, ridiculous, and barbarous usages. When men leave the settled rule of divine institutions, they wander endlessly. Justly therefore was this made the reason why they should keep God's ordinances, that they might not commit the abominable customs of the heathen, Lev 18:30.
III. This awakening word is here immediately followed by an awakening providence, Eze 11:13. Here we may observe, 1. With what power Ezekiel prophesied, or, rather, what a divine power went along with it: It came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died; he was mentioned (Eze 11:1) as a principal man among the twenty-five princes that made all the mischief in Jerusalem. It should seem, this was done in vision now, as the slaying of the ancient men (Eze 9:6) upon occasion of which Ezekiel prayed (Eze 11:8) as he did here; but it was an assurance that when this prophecy should be published it should be done in fact. The death of Pelatiah was an earnest of the complete accomplishment of this prophecy. Note, God is pleased often-times to single out some sinners, and to make them monuments of his justice, for warning to others of what is coming; and some that thought themselves very safe and snatched away suddenly, and drop down dead in an instant, as Ananias and Sapphira at Peter's feet when he prophesied. 2. With what pity Ezekiel prayed. Thought the sudden death of Pelatiah was a confirmation of Ezekiel's prophecy, and really an honour to him, yet he was in deep concern about it, and laid it to heart as if he had been his relation or friend: He fell on his face and cried with a loud voice, as one in earnest, "Ah! Lord God, wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel? Many are swept away by the judgments we have been under; and shall the remnant which have escaped the sword die thus by the immediate hand of heaven? Then thou wilt indeed make a full end." Perhaps it was Ezekiel's infirmity to bewail the death of this wicked prince thus, as it was Samuel's to mourn so long for Saul; but thus he showed how far he was from desiring the woeful day he foretold. David lamented the sickness of those that hated and persecuted him. And we ought to be much affected with the sudden death of others, yea, though they are wicked.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–13. Public domain.
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Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 2 onwards) And behold, at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and in their midst I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, the princes of the people. And he said to me, Son of man, these men devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city, saying, 'The houses have been recently built. This is the pot, but we are the meat.' Therefore, prophesy against them, prophesy, son of man. And the spirit of the Lord rushed upon me, and he said to me, speak: Thus says the Lord: So you have spoken, O house of Israel, and I know the thoughts of your heart. You have killed many in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain. Therefore thus says the Lord God: Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of it, they are the meat, and this city is the pot, but you shall be brought out of the midst of it. You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, declares the Lord God. And I will bring you out of the midst of it, and give you into the hands of foreigners, and execute judgments upon you. I will judge you with the sword of the Chaldeans; you shall know that I am the Lord. This will not be a pot for you, and you shall not be in the midst of it as flesh. I will judge you at the borders of Israel, and you shall know that I am the Lord. The following is not found in the Septuagint, but is added from the Hebrew: Because you have not walked in my commandments and have not kept my judgments, but have acted according to the judgments of the nations that surround you. The prophet is assumed according to what is written: The Lord raises the meek (Ps. 146:6); whether he is lifted up from the earth and brought into the eastern gate of the Lord's house, so that he may know the oaths of the twenty-five men who were at the entrance of the gate, and the sons of Jezaniah the son of Azur, and Paltheiah the son of Benaiah, the princes of the people. Therefore, those who were at the entrance of the eastern gate of the Lord's house, despairing of salvation and prepared for destruction by the consciousness of their crimes, and not desiring to correct their sins through repentance, say: Although recently houses have been rebuilt that had fallen, yet we know that this city is like a pot, and we are like the flesh in it, to be consumed and burned, according to what is written in Isaiah: If a tempest passes by, it will not harm us (Isa. 28:15). While they were saying these things, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon the prophet; and for a second time he commanded him to prophesy and say: Because you have spoken these things and the secrets of your hearts are not hidden from me, I will interpret for you how the city will be transformed into a cauldron, and you yourselves will be considered as meat: not according to the sense in which you spoke, but according to another sense which you do not fear. Indeed, the city is like a cauldron, but it will not be filled with your flesh; rather with the flesh of those whom you have killed. But you, who consider yourselves to be dying in this city, I will bring out from the midst of the city and deliver into the hands of the enemy. I will execute judgments against you. And when you have fallen by the sword, you shall not be in the city, nor outside the boundaries of Israel, but rather in the borders of your own province, then you will know that I am the Lord. And it is furthermore said: In the borders of Israel I will judge you, and you will know that I am the Lord. But you will endure all these things because you have not walked in my commandments, and you have not observed my judgments, but have committed the abominations of the surrounding nations. And when it is clear according to the literal sense of what is said, omitting for a moment the names of Jezoniah, Azur, Phaltiah, and Benaiah, which we reserve for another time, it must be said that even to this day in the Church, which is the house of the Lord, and before the gate, and at the entrance, or at the way of the gate, which signifies the Savior, through whom we enter to the Father, there are twenty-five men who represent everything concerning the senses. And as far as my memory serves me, I have never been able to find this number in a positive sense; although in Leviticus twenty-five years are chosen for the priestly ministry; for in Hebrew it does not have this number, which is said in the Seventy, but thirty, which is contained in the beginning of this prophet and the age of the Lord, when He came to the banks of the Jordan and was baptized by John (Luke 3). But in the Gospel there are found five wise virgins and five foolish ones (Matthew 25), let us know that this number is placed in the middle and can be applied to either the good or the bad, depending on the users. Therefore, these men, who refer everything to the senses and have two principles, as we mentioned above, are contained in the dual number, which divides unity, and in the number of the second day, does not seem to be from the Lord, according to the Hebrew truth. And in Noah's Ark, two by two unclean animals are brought in (Genesis 6). But the Lord, restricting division into one, made both one, and broke down the middle wall, condemning enmities in His flesh (Ephesians 2). Therefore, He speaks more augustly and sublimely: I and the Father are one (John 10:30), so that He may bring us from the Judaic duality into the unity of the Christian faith. Finally, with the priesthood of the Jews being lost, the Lord suffered not under one ruler, but under two, Annas and Caiaphas, to show the dividedness of their religion (False). There are many at the entrance of this gate in front of the house of the Lord of the East, who are compared to their own nations in vices, and in the conscience of sins despair of salvation, and say: The city in which we live is a cauldron, and we are all flesh, and we will be consumed by the burning Babylon, whose fiery arrows are: unwilling to repent and despairing of salvation; therefore they hear that they themselves are not the flesh of the past and lost city, but those whom they have scandalized and killed. And so the sword is drawn against them, so that after they have been judged not among the nations, but among Christians in the land of Israel, they may then know that He Himself is the Lord, according to what is read in the Psalms: When He killed them, they sought Him (Psalm 77:34), so that by the torments they may come to know Him whom they did not recognize through His blessings.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Ezekiel 11:8 delivers a potent divine judgment against the rebellious leaders and inhabitants of Jerusalem, revealing that their misplaced fear of human adversaries will be ironically fulfilled by God Himself. The verse declares that the very "sword" they dreaded from earthly powers will be brought upon them by the Lord GOD, underscoring His absolute sovereignty over their fate and the inevitable consequences of their persistent sin and defiance.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 11:8 is rich with literary devices that amplify its powerful message. The most prominent is Irony, as the very thing the people feared (the sword of their enemies) is precisely what God declares He will bring upon them. Their human fear of a physical threat is dwarfed and ultimately fulfilled by a divine act of judgment, highlighting their spiritual blindness and the futility of fearing human power more than divine authority. Metonymy is evident in the use of "sword" to represent not just the weapon itself, but the entire destructive force of war, conquest, and divine judgment. The sword stands for the complete devastation and retribution God is about to unleash upon Jerusalem. Furthermore, the concluding phrase, "saith the Lord GOD," functions as a Divine Oracle Formula, a common prophetic device that authenticates the message as a direct, authoritative utterance from God Himself. This formula removes any doubt about the source or certainty of the prophecy, emphasizing God's absolute sovereignty and the inevitability of His spoken word.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 11:8 profoundly illustrates the principle of divine retribution and the consequences of spiritual rebellion. It reveals that God is not merely a passive observer of human history but an active, sovereign agent who orchestrates events to bring about His righteous judgment. The people of Jerusalem had feared human enemies and their weapons, yet their ultimate downfall came not from the strength of Babylon alone, but from the deliberate act of the Lord GOD, who used Babylon as His instrument. This underscores that true security lies not in fortifications or alliances, but in obedience and a reverent fear of God. The verse serves as a stark reminder that persistent sin and defiance of God's will inevitably lead to divine discipline and judgment, often through the very means or circumstances that humanity attempts to avoid through its own strength. It highlights God's justice in responding to human rebellion and His unwavering commitment to His covenant, even if it means bringing judgment upon His own people.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 11:8 challenges us to examine the true objects of our fear and trust. The people of Jerusalem feared the physical sword of Babylon, yet they failed to fear the righteous judgment of the Lord GOD, who was the ultimate orchestrator of their fate. This verse serves as a powerful call to spiritual introspection: Are our anxieties primarily focused on worldly threats, economic instability, health crises, or social pressures, while we neglect the spiritual state of our hearts before God? God's sovereignty means that even the difficulties and challenges we face can be instruments in His hand, whether for discipline, refinement, or the working out of His purposes. A healthy, reverent fear of God—a fear that leads to awe, obedience, and repentance—is far more vital than any earthly fear. It is this fear that leads to wisdom and life, protecting us from the ultimate consequences of rebellion and misplaced trust and guiding us toward genuine security found only in Him.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "saith the Lord GOD" signify in this verse?
Answer: The phrase "saith the Lord GOD" (Hebrew: nᵉʼum Adonai Yᵉhôvih) is a crucial prophetic formula that signifies a direct, authoritative, and undeniable declaration from God Himself. Adonai (Lord, H136) emphasizes God's absolute mastery and sovereignty, while Yᵉhôvih (GOD, H3069, a vocalization of YHWH) refers to His personal, covenantal name, highlighting His faithfulness and unchangeable character. Together, they underscore that the message is not merely a human prediction but a divine oracle, making the impending judgment certain and inescapable. It asserts God's ultimate control over all events, including the actions of nations like Babylon, as seen in Isaiah 45:7 where God declares His sovereignty over both good and calamity.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel 11:8, with its stark declaration of God bringing a "sword" of judgment, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus. While the Old Testament sword often represented God's wrath against sin, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, became the one upon whom the full weight of that divine judgment fell. He bore the "sword" of God's righteous wrath against sin on the cross, becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). Through His sacrifice, those who believe in Him are delivered from the condemnation of the law and the fear of God's judgment, as there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, Christ is also depicted as the ultimate Judge, who will wield the "sword" of His word to execute righteous judgment at His second coming (Revelation 19:15). Thus, the fear of the sword in Ezekiel is transformed: for believers, Christ has absorbed the judgment, offering peace and reconciliation; for those who reject Him, He is the one through whom the final, inescapable judgment will be rendered, fulfilling the prophetic warnings of divine retribution.