Ezekiel 20:34

And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.

And I will bring you out {H3318} from the people {H5971}, and will gather {H6908} you out of the countries {H776} wherein ye are scattered {H6327}, with a mighty {H2389} hand {H3027}, and with a stretched out {H5186} arm {H2220}, and with fury {H2534} poured out {H8210}.

I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you were scattered, with a mighty hand, with a stretched-out arm and with poured-out fury;

With a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands to which you have been scattered.

And I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out;

Commentary

Commentary on Ezekiel 20:34 (KJV)

Ezekiel 20:34 is a powerful declaration from the Lord God concerning His future dealings with the scattered people of Israel. It speaks to a divine intervention that is both forceful and purposeful, highlighting God's absolute sovereignty over His people's destiny, even in judgment.

Context

The prophet Ezekiel ministered to the Jewish exiles in Babylon during the Babylonian captivity. Chapter 20 of Ezekiel is a lengthy historical recounting of Israel's persistent rebellion and idolatry from the time of the Exodus through their history in the land. Despite God's repeated acts of grace and deliverance, Israel continually provoked Him. This verse comes after God declares that He will not allow them to continue in their idolatry or claim to be like the nations. God states that He will rule over them with a "mighty hand" (Ezekiel 20:33), leading into the declaration of their forced regathering.

Key Themes

  • Divine Sovereignty and Regathering: The verse emphasizes God's active role ("I will bring you out," "I will gather you"). It's not a voluntary return but a divinely orchestrated act of restoration, even if it begins with judgment. This promise of regathering is a recurring theme in prophetic literature, often linked to the ultimate restoration of Israel (Jeremiah 32:37).
  • God's Mighty Hand: The phrase "with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm" is a direct echo of the language used to describe God's powerful deliverance of Israel from Egypt (Exodus 6:6). Its use here signifies that this future regathering will be an act of comparable divine power and authority, demonstrating God's irresistible will.
  • Fury Poured Out: This crucial element distinguishes the regathering described here from purely benevolent returns. "With fury poured out" indicates that this act of gathering will be accompanied by God's righteous indignation and judgment against their past sins and idolatry. It implies a purging process, where those who persist in rebellion will face divine wrath, even as the nation is brought back to Himself. This is a severe mercy, where judgment serves a purifying purpose.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew phrase for "mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm" (yad ḥăzāqâ, zərôaʿ nĕṭûyâ) is consistently used throughout the Old Testament to denote God's overwhelming power, particularly in acts of salvation and judgment. The term for "fury" (ḥēmâ) denotes intense heat or wrath, emphasizing the severity of God's righteous anger against persistent disobedience. The act of "pouring out" (šāp̄ak) signifies a full and unreserved expression of this divine emotion, indicating a thorough and inescapable judgment.

Practical Application

For believers today, Ezekiel 20:34 underscores several important truths:

  • God's Unwavering Sovereignty: God remains in absolute control of history and the destinies of nations and individuals. His plans will be accomplished, regardless of human rebellion.
  • The Seriousness of Sin: God's "fury poured out" reminds us that while God is loving and merciful, He is also just. Persistent rebellion and idolatry provoke His righteous anger, and there are consequences for sin.
  • God's Purifying Love: Sometimes, God's "bringing out" or "gathering" involves a difficult, even painful, process. His discipline can be a means of purification, intended to bring His people back to Himself and into a right relationship, as seen in other passages on divine discipline (Hebrews 12:6).
  • Hope in God's Promises: Despite the severity, the ultimate goal is restoration. This verse, though stern, is part of a larger prophetic narrative concerning God's faithfulness to His covenant and His ultimate plan to restore His people, even through judgment, to a pure worship of Him.

Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • Ezekiel 20:38 (4 votes)

    And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.

  • Amos 9:9 (4 votes)

    For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as [corn] is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.

  • Amos 9:10 (4 votes)

    All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

  • Ezekiel 34:16 (3 votes)

    I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up [that which was] broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

  • Isaiah 27:9 (2 votes)

    By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this [is] all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.

  • Isaiah 27:13 (2 votes)

    And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

  • Jeremiah 44:6 (2 votes)

    Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted [and] desolate, as at this day.