TRV
See on the biblical-era map
Study This Verse
Commentary on Ezekiel 21 verses 1–7
The prophet had faithfully delivered the message he was entrusted with, in the close of the foregoing chapter, in the terms wherein he received it, not daring to add his own comment upon it; but, when he complained that the people found fault with him for speaking parables, the word of the Lord came to him again, and gave him a key to that figurative discourse, that with it he might let the people into the meaning of it and so silence that objection. For all men shall be rendered inexcusable at God's bar and every mouth shall be stopped. Note, He that speaks with tongues should pray that he may interpret, Co1 14:13. When we speak to people about their souls we should study plainness, and express ourselves as we may be the best understood. Christ expounded his parables to his disciples, Mar 4:34. 1. The prophet is here more plainly directed against whom to level the arrow of this prophecy. He must drop his word towards the holy places (Eze 21:2), towards Canaan the holy land, Jerusalem the holy city, the temple the holy house. These were highly dignified above other places; but, when they polluted them, that word which used to drop in the holy places shall now drop against them: Prophesy against the land of Israel. It was the honour of Israel that it had prophets and prophecy; but these, being despised by them, are turned against them. And justly is Zion battered with her own artillery, which used to be employed against her adversaries, seeing she knew not how to value it. 2. He is instructed, and is to instruct the people, in the meaning of the fire that was threatened to consume the forest of the south: it signified a sword drawn, the sword of war which should make the land desolate (Eze 21:3): Behold, I am against thee, O land of Israel! There needs no more to make a people miserable than to have God against them; for as, if he be for us, we need not fear, whoever are against us, so, if he be against us, we cannot hope, whoever are for us. And God's professing people, when they revolt from him, set him against them, who used to be for them. Was the fire there of God's kindling? The sword here is his sword, which he has prepared, and which he will give commission to; it is he that will draw it out of its sheath, where it had laid quiet and threatened no harm. Note, When the sword is unsheathed among the nations God's hand must be eyed and owned in it. Did the fire devour every green tree and every dry tree? The sword in like manner shall cut off the righteous and the wicked. Good and bad were involved in the common calamities of the nation; the righteous were cut off from the land of Israel when they were sent captives in Babylon, though perhaps few or none of them were cut off from the land of the living; and it was a threatening omen to the land of Israel that in the beginning of its troubles such excellent men as Daniel and his fellows, and Ezekiel, were cut off from it and conveyed to Babylon. But though the sword cut off the righteous and the wicked (for it devours one as well as another, Sa2 11:25), yet far be it from us to think that the righteous are as the wicked, Gen 18:25. No; God's graces and comforts make a great difference when his providence seems to make none. The good figs are sent into Babylon for their good, Jer 24:5, Jer 24:6. It is only in outward appearance that there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked, Ecc 9:2. But it speaks the greatness of God's displeasure against the land of Israel. Well might it be said, His eye shall not spare, when it shall not spare, no, not the righteous in it. Since there are not righteous men sufficient to save the land, to make the justice of God the more illustrious the few that there are shall suffer with it, and God's mercy shall make it up to them some other way. Did the fire burn up all faces from the south to the north? The sword shall go forth against all flesh from the south to the north, shall go forth, as God's sword, with a commission that cannot be contested, with a force that cannot be resisted. Were all flesh made to know that God kindled the fire? They shall be made to know that he has drawn forth the sword, Eze 21:5. And, lastly, Shall the fire that is kindled never be quenched? So when this sword of the Lord is drawn against Judah and Jerusalem the scabbard is thrown away, and it shall never be sheathed: It shall not return any more, till it has made a full end. 3. The prophet is ordered, by expressions of his own grief and concern for these calamities that were coming on, to try to make impressions of the like upon the people. When he has delivered his message he must sigh (Eze 21:6), must fetch many deep sighs, with the breaking of his loins; he must sign as if his heart would burst, sigh with bitterness, with other expressions of bitter sorrow, and this publicly, in the sight of those to whom he delivered the foregoing message, that this might be a sermon to their eyes as that was to their ears; and it was well if both would work upon them. The prophet must sign, though it was painful to himself and made his breast sore, and though it is probable that the profane among the people would ridicule him for it and call him a whining canting preacher. But, if we be beside ourselves it is to God; and, if this be to be vile, we will be yet more so. Note, Ministers, if they would affect others with the things they speak of, must show that they are themselves in the greatest sincerity affected with them, and must submit to that which may create uneasiness to themselves, so that it will promote the ends of their ministry. The people, observing the prophet to sigh so much and seeing no visible occasion for it, would ask, "Wherefore sighest thou? These sighs have some mystical meaning; let us know what it is." And he must answer them (Eze 21:7): "It is for the tidings, the heavy tidings, that we shall hear shortly; the tidings come (the judgments come which we hear the tidings of), they come apace, and then you will all sigh; nay, that will not serve. every heart shall melt and every spirit fail; your courage will all be gone and you will have no animating considerations to support yourselves with. And, when heart and spirit fail, it will follow of course that all hands will be feeble and unable to fight, and all knees will be weak as water and unable to flee or to stand their ground." Those who have God for them when flesh and heart fail have him to be the strength of their heart; but those who have God against them have no cordial for a fainting spirit, but are as Belshazzar when his thoughts troubled him, Dan 5:6. But some people are worse frightened than hurt; may not the case be so here and the event prove better than likely? No: Behold it cometh, and shall be brought to pass. It is not a bugbear that they are frightened with, but according to the fear so is the wrath, and more grievous than is feared.
(Vers. 6, 7.) And you, son of man, groan in the breaking of your loins, and groan bitterly before them. And when they say to you, 'Why do you groan?' you shall say, 'Because of the news, for it is coming, and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be loosened, and every spirit shall faint, and water shall flow from all knees. Behold, it is coming, and it shall be,' says the Lord (Vulgate adds 'God'). LXX: And you, son of man, groan in the breaking of your loins, and groan in pains before them. And it shall come to pass, if they shall say unto thee: Wherefore dost thou mourn? and thou shalt say: Because of the tidings, for it cometh, and every heart shall be taken and all hands shall be weakened, and every spirit shall faint, and all thighs shall be filled with moisture. Behold it cometh, and it shall be, saith the Lord God. First he had said: prophesy, or pour out upon the South, the African and the South wind, and upon the southern leap. And because it seemed obscure, and the people knew not the words of the prophet, it is set down more plainly the southern leap to be Jerusalem, and all unfruitful trees, by the roots of which the axe is laid (Matt. III, Luke III), are understood to be its inhabitants: and the sword is interpreted as fire. Thirdly, the prophet is commanded, while they are silent and not questioning, to do those things by which he may be interrogated, and to respond what the Lord has spoken. 'Groan,' he says, 'lament, not with a slight voice, nor with moderate pain, but with contrition of the loins, so that your groaning may come forth from the depths of your bowels and the bitterness of your soul. And you shall do this before them: that when they have asked you why you are broken by such groaning, and what evil has befallen you that you groan in this way, you may respond to them in my words: 'Therefore, I lament, and I am unable to hide the pain of my heart, because the prophecy that had always resounded in my ears is being fulfilled by deed and is coming to pass: namely, the impending army of the raging Babylonians.' When he comes and surrounds Jerusalem, then every heart will melt, and all hands will be dissolved, so that, with the fear of men overwhelming their minds, no one will dare to resist. For the spirit of all warriors will weaken, and such great trembling and fear will seize everyone, that limbs and organs will dissolve under the pressure of fear, and the bladder will not be able to hold urine: so that urine will soil the knees. For it is natural, when fear presses, for the bladder to relax, and for moisture to flow against the will of man. Indeed, this often happens in the severity of illnesses, that after the strength of the sick people has diminished, not only their knees, but also their beds are soiled. Look, he says, it is coming, which I have often predicted, and it is being accomplished and will happen, not by me, but the Lord has spoken. I know someone who, in the contrition of his loins and with flowing waters, has repeated many testimonies, so that the chastity of the prophets may be fulfilled, and the bitterness of his soul and the internal pain of his mind, which the waters of his seed pollute his knees. But this explanation does not pertain to the current place.
(Verse 35, 36, and following) And I will bring you into a desert of peoples, and there I will judge you face to face. Just as I contended with your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, says the Lord. And I will subject you to my scepter, and I will bring you into the bonds of the covenant, and I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked: from their place of residence I will bring them out, and they will not enter the land of Israel, and you will know that I am the Lord. Thus says the Lord: I will do for you who are in Babylon, and now serve idols, what I did for your ancestors in Egypt. I will lead you into the desert of the peoples, and there I will judge you face to face, just as I contended with them in judgment when they came out of Egypt. And after I have judged you, I will subject you to my scepter and rule, and I will make a covenant with you and bring you into your land with the bonds of love, so that bound by my love, you will never be able to depart from me. But I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked, who persist in the hardness of their hearts in evil deeds, not for possession, but for rejection. And I will indeed bring them out of the land of their dwelling, so that when they are brought out, they will not enter the land of Israel; but they will perish in various regions. And by the distinction between good and evil, you shall know that I am the Lord, who judges all things. The rest of the discourse hastens, and we briefly go through each point, in order to provide only the meaning to the readers.
(Ver. 23, 24 onwards) Again, I raised my hand against them in the wilderness, to scatter them among the nations and disperse them in the lands, because they had not performed my judgments, and had rejected my commandments, and had violated my Sabbaths, and their eyes had been after the idols (or thoughts) of their fathers. Therefore, I also gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments in which they would not live, and I defiled them in their offerings (or transgressions), as they offered (or led astray) everything that opens the womb because of their sins (for which the Septuagint translated, to destroy them and what they had overlooked): and they will know that I am the Lord. Where in the Old Testament, against their children, who fell in the wilderness, the Lord lifted up His hand to scatter them among the nations, Scripture does not say; but it is to be believed that this was done in accordance with what is reported here. Or he signifies by this, that after they entered the promised land, they were given over at various times, for many sins, to different nations and kings, and at that time the commandments of the Lord, which were good according to their nature, and the judgments by which believers could live, were made not good for them, since they were in no way able to keep the precepts of the law in captivity, and to do what the divine word commanded. He did not say, 'I gave them evil commandments,' but, 'not good commandments.' For it does not immediately follow that what is not good is evil, as the Apostle teaches, it is good for a man not to touch a woman; but because of incontinence, let each possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor (I Cor. VII). And if he does not do this, it is neither good nor evil. Therefore, God gave them, dispersed among the nations, not good commandments, that is, he allowed them to follow their own thoughts and desires, to do what is not appropriate. And he defiled them in his gifts: just as a Priest separates lepers from the people, and shows that they are defiled; while they offer to idols what they should offer to God. And they pass everything that opens the womb through the fire of Baal, that is, the firstborn; so that after they have deserted God and been handed over to the worship of idols, then they may understand that He is the Lord whom they have provoked to anger by their own fault. Symmachus interpreted this passage more explicitly, treating the future as past. Therefore, I will also give them bad precepts and judgments for which they will not live, and I will defile them because of their gifts, as they consecrate and offer everything that opens the womb, so that I may destroy them, and they will know that I am the Lord. And the meaning is this: because I have seen the sons of the fathers equaling the wickedness of their ancestors and doing the same things for which they offended God, I wanted to divide them into nations and disperse them throughout the whole world, and give them bad precepts and judgments in which they would not live, so that I may defile them with their gifts, for they consecrated everything that opens the womb to idols, and I may destroy them forever, and they will know that I am the Lord. Through which he showed that he had not given them good commandments who dwelt in the wilderness, but to those whom he wanted to scatter among the nations, and to make foreigners in the whole world, he gave them a desire for things that he did not give: so that there they would do good commandments of God, not good because of their own fault, while they exhibited to idols what God had commanded to be exhibited. This can also be said, that before the offense, they received only the Ten Commandments; but after idolatry and blasphemy, they received multiple ceremonies of the law, so that they would offer victims to God rather than to demons, and by comparison with sacrilege, what was not good in itself became lighter, and by no means evil, because it was offered to God, and yet not good, because they offended the author of good.
(Verse 27, 29 onwards) Therefore speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them: Thus says the Lord God: Moreover, your fathers have blasphemed against me and have treated me with contempt, even as they spurned me. And I brought them into the land that I had lifted my hand to give them ((Vulgate adds: that land)): they saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices and presented there the irritation of their offerings, and they placed there the fragrance of their sweetness, and they poured out their ((Vulgate is silent on this)) libations there. And I said to them, 'What is the high place to which you are going?' And its name was called the High Place until this day. Therefore speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: As for your fathers, they have provoked Me to anger by their iniquities, by the fact that they have fallen away from Me. So I brought them into the land that I had lifted My hand in an oath to give them.' They saw every high hill and every leafy tree, and there they offered their sacrifices. They also presented there the provocation of their gifts, and they set there their pleasing aroma, and they poured out there their drink offerings. And I said to them: What is abbana, because you enter there? And they called its name abbana until this day. I wanted, he said, to scatter them in the wilderness, and to give them not good precepts, so that they would sacrifice to idols what they should have offered to me, and consecrate all their first-fruits to them by fire, so that I might kill them and destroy them. But when he says, I wanted, he shows that he did not do what he wanted. And that which follows: 'And they shall know that I am the Lord,' is not found in the Septuagint. For it did not seem fitting to them to know after their destruction that he himself is the Lord. But you, son of man, speak again to them, that is, to the elders of the house of Israel, who have come to inquire of you: Your fathers, from whom you have descended, have also blasphemed against me and held me in contempt; after I brought them into the land which I had given them to possess, they turned against me to provoke me. For when they saw every high hill and leafy tree, they would sacrifice on the mountains and in the groves and thickets, and offer victims to the idols, and pour out libations. And when I saw this, I said to them: What is this, Bama? for it is called high: or why do you enter into such a place which you have chosen for yourselves in all the hills, so that even today these places are called Bamoth, and the ancient error retains its original name? Regarding Bama, which we translate as excelsum, there is an error in the Septuagint edition, where it is written as ἀββανὰ, which does not resonate in the Hebrew language. Bama can mean 'in which' if the two syllables are divided into two words, but in the present context, that sense does not fit. However, wherever it is written in the Books of Kings and Chronicles: 'The people still sacrificed and offered incense on the high places,' Bama in the singular and Bamoth in the plural mean 'high places.'
Continue studying Ezekiel 21:6 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Ezekiel 21:6 delivers a poignant divine directive to the prophet Ezekiel, commanding him to perform a public and intensely agonizing sigh. This dramatic, physical manifestation of profound sorrow, described as "with the breaking of thy loins" and "with bitterness," serves as a potent prophetic sign to the people of Israel, foreshadowing the immense suffering, destruction, and national anguish that is imminent due to God's impending judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is deeply embedded within the "Prophecy of the Sword" in Ezekiel 21, where God declares His intention to bring devastating judgment upon Jerusalem and the land of Israel through the Babylonian invasion. The preceding verses, particularly Ezekiel 21:3-5, vividly describe God's "drawn sword" against the land, emphasizing the inevitability and severity of the coming destruction. Ezekiel's commanded public lamentation in Ezekiel 21:6 is a direct, visceral response to this divine decree, designed to elicit inquiry from the bewildered populace, as explicitly stated in Ezekiel 21:7. This prophetic action sets the stage for the detailed explanation of the judgment that follows, making God's message tangible and unavoidable.
Historical & Cultural Context: The prophet Ezekiel ministered during a critical period of Judah's history, specifically during the Babylonian exile (c. 597-571 BC). Many of the Jewish people, including Ezekiel, had already been deported to Babylon, while Jerusalem still stood, albeit under Babylonian vassalage. There was a prevailing false hope among the remaining inhabitants of Judah and the exiles that Jerusalem would not fall, and that God would protect His temple and city. This optimism was often fueled by false prophets who preached peace and safety. God's command to Ezekiel to perform such a public, agonizing display was intended to shatter this dangerous complacency and demonstrate the absolute certainty of Jerusalem's impending destruction and the temple's desecration, a message that was culturally shocking and deeply unsettling to a people who believed in the inviolability of their holy city.
Key Themes: Ezekiel 21:6 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in the book of Ezekiel. First, it underscores the theme of Divine Judgment and God's unwavering justice against persistent sin and rebellion, particularly idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness, which are pervasive throughout the book of Ezekiel. Second, it highlights the theme of Prophetic Action and Embodiment, where Ezekiel is repeatedly commanded to perform symbolic acts that visually and viscerally communicate God's message, making him a living parable (e.g., Ezekiel 4). Third, the verse emphasizes the Profound Anguish and Suffering that accompanies divine judgment, not only for the people but also, paradoxically, for God Himself, who grieves over the necessity of such punishment. Finally, it serves as a stark Warning and Call to Repentance, demonstrating that the consequences of sin are severe and unavoidable, urging the people to turn from their wicked ways before it is too late.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 21:6 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its urgent message. The most prominent is Prophetic Action, where Ezekiel is commanded to perform a symbolic, public act—the deep, agonizing sigh—that serves as a visual and visceral sermon. This is not merely a personal expression of emotion but a divinely ordained performance intended to embody the future suffering of the nation. The phrase "breaking of thy loins" is a vivid example of Hyperbole and Idiom, exaggerating physical pain to convey an extreme, debilitating emotional and spiritual collapse. The loins, as the seat of strength, are symbolically "broken" to represent utter despair and loss of vitality. Furthermore, the entire verse functions as a form of Symbolism, where Ezekiel's personal anguish stands in for the collective national lamentation and destruction that is soon to befall Judah, making the abstract concept of divine judgment concrete and terrifyingly real for his audience. The repetition of "sigh" (Hebrew: ʼânach) also functions as Anaphora and Emphasis, underscoring the central action and its profound significance.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 21:6 profoundly illustrates the severity of God's judgment against unrepentant sin and the compassionate, yet resolute, nature of divine justice. The prophet's commanded anguish reflects not only the depth of the impending national suffering but also, implicitly, God's own sorrow over the necessity of bringing such calamity upon His people. This verse underscores that God's warnings are not empty threats but expressions of His righteous character and His desire for His people to turn back to Him, even when judgment is imminent. It highlights the principle that persistent rebellion against God's covenant leads to inevitable and severe consequences, demonstrating that God will ultimately uphold His holiness and justice, even if it means devastating His own chosen nation. The divine command to lament also reveals God's desire for His people to truly grasp the gravity of their situation, moving them from complacency to a posture of genuine understanding and, hopefully, repentance.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 21:6 serves as a powerful and sobering reminder of the gravity of sin and the certainty of God's judgment against it. It challenges us to consider the profound sorrow that sin brings, not only to the one who commits it but also to those who witness its consequences, and ultimately, to God Himself. The prophet's anguish compels us to examine our own lives for areas of rebellion or complacency, urging us to heed God's warnings and respond with genuine repentance before the consequences become unavoidable. It also calls believers to cultivate a deep empathy for a world suffering under the weight of sin, to lament over spiritual blindness, and to participate in God's mission of warning and reconciliation, even when it involves bearing a measure of the world's pain. Just as Ezekiel's sigh was a call to attention, our lives should reflect the seriousness of God's truth and the urgency of His call to salvation, prompting us to live in a manner that honors His holiness and seeks the restoration of others.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of "son of man" in this verse?
Answer: The address "son of man" (Hebrew: bên ʼâdâm) is God's frequent way of addressing Ezekiel throughout the book. It emphasizes Ezekiel's humanity and mortality, contrasting him with the divine speaker and highlighting his role as a mere mortal delivering a divine message. In Ezekiel 21:6, it underscores that Ezekiel, as a mortal human, is commanded to embody and experience the profound anguish that will soon befall his fellow human beings, making him a relatable figure through whom God's message of impending judgment is delivered. It highlights his unique role as a representative of humanity, bearing the burden of a divine message for his people.
What does "with the breaking of thy loins" mean?
Answer: This is a powerful Hebrew idiom indicating extreme, debilitating pain and despair. The "loins" (Hebrew: môthen) were considered the seat of physical strength, vitality, and inner resolve in ancient thought. Therefore, their "breaking" (Hebrew: shibrôwn) signifies a complete collapse of strength, a profound internal anguish that leaves one utterly weakened and unable to stand firm. It's a vivid image of overwhelming grief and the shattering of one's core being, foreshadowing the national collapse and despair that Judah would experience. This phrase is used elsewhere in scripture to denote severe distress, such as in Isaiah 21:3 where the prophet describes pangs like a woman in labor.
Why did God command Ezekiel to sigh publicly?
Answer: God commanded Ezekiel to sigh publicly as a prophetic action, a dramatic visual aid to communicate the severity and certainty of the impending judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem. In a culture where people often learned through dramatic performances and symbolic acts, Ezekiel's intense, public lamentation was designed to capture the attention of the complacent people, provoke their inquiry ("What meanest thou by this?" - Ezekiel 21:7), and then provide an opportunity for Ezekiel to deliver God's explicit message of judgment, shattering their false hopes and urging them toward repentance. It was a divine act of communication, making the abstract reality of judgment tangible and undeniable.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel's commanded sighing, marked by the "breaking of loins" and "bitterness," finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the profound anguish and suffering of Jesus Christ, who bore the weight of humanity's sin and the full wrath of God's judgment. While Ezekiel's sigh foreshadowed the judgment upon a rebellious nation, Christ's suffering was a substitutionary act that averted eternal judgment for all who believe. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus experienced an agony so intense that His sweat became like drops of blood (Luke 22:44), a spiritual "breaking of loins" far exceeding Ezekiel's physical demonstration, as He wrestled with the cup of God's wrath. He became the "man of sorrows" (Isaiah 53:3), tasting the full "bitterness" of sin's consequences, not for His own rebellion, but for ours. His cry on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46), represents the deepest sigh of separation and the ultimate bearing of the "sword" of divine justice that Ezekiel's prophecy foretold. Through Christ's voluntary suffering, the judgment due to us was absorbed, offering redemption and reconciliation instead of destruction (2 Corinthians 5:21). He sighed His last breath, not in despair, but in triumphant completion of the Father's will (John 19:30).