Ezekiel 21:28

Bishop's Bible

And thou O sonne of man, prophecie and speake, Thus saith the Lorde God to the children of Ammon, and to their blasphemie, speake thou: The sworde, the sworde is drawen foorth alredy to slaughter, and furbished to consume because of the glitteryng:

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
"Son of man, speak to the people for me. Say this, ‘This is what the Lord God says to the people of Ammon and their shameful god: "‘Look, a sword! The sword is out of its sheath. It has been polished. The sword is ready to kill. It was polished to flash like lightning!

New Living Translation
"And now, son of man, prophesy concerning the Ammonites and their mockery. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord : "A sword, a sword is drawn for your slaughter. It is polished to destroy, flashing like lightning!

New American Standard Bible
"And you, son of man, prophesy and say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says concerning the sons of Ammon and their taunting,' and say: 'A sword, a sword is drawn, sharpened for the slaughter, to make it consume, so that it may be like lightning—

New Century Version
"And you, human, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Lord God says about the people of Ammon and their insults: A sword, a sword is pulled out of its holder. It is polished to kill and destroy, to flash like lightning!

New English Translation
"As for you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says concerning the Ammonites and their coming humiliation; say: "‘A sword, a sword drawn for slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning—

Update Bible Version
And you, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh concerning the sons of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and say, A sword, a sword is drawn, for the slaughter it is furbished, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning;

Webster's Bible Translation
And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword [is] drawn: for the slaughter [it is] furbished, to consume because of the glittering:

Amplified Bible
"And you, son of man, prophesy and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the sons of Ammon and concerning their reproach (disgrace),' and say: 'A sword, a sword is drawn for the slaughter; it is sharpened and polished to put an end [to everything], and to flash like lightning,

English Standard Version
"And you, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach; say, A sword, a sword is drawn for the slaughter. It is polished to consume and to flash like lightning—

World English Bible
You, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and say you, A sword, a sword is drawn, for the slaughter it is furbished, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thou, sone of man, profesie, and seie, The Lord God seith these thingis to the sones of Amon, and to the schenschipe of hem; and thou schalt seie, A! thou swerd, A! thou swerd, drawun out to sle, maad briyte, that thou sle and schyne,

English Revised Version
And thou, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and say thou, A sword, a sword is drawn, for the slaughter it is furbished, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning:

Berean Standard Bible
Now prophesy, son of man, and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt: 'A sword! A sword is drawn for slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning.

Contemporary English Version
The Lord God said: Ezekiel, son of man, the Ammonites have insulted Israel, so condemn them and tell them I am saying: A sword is drawn, ready to slaughter; it is polished and prepared to kill as fast as lightning.

American Standard Version
And thou, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and say thou, A sword, a sword is drawn, for the slaughter it is furbished, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning;

Bible in Basic English
And you, son of man, say as a prophet, This is what the Lord has said about the children of Ammon and about their shame: Say, A sword, even a sword let loose, polished for death, to make it shining so that it may be like a flame:

Complete Jewish Bible
The inhabitants will believe this is a false divination because of the oaths upon oaths [that their false prophets have sworn to the contrary]. But it will cause [God] to remember their guilt and thus insure their capture.

Darby Translation
And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus speaketh the Lord Jehovah concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and thou shalt say, A sword, a sword is drawn; for the slaughter is it furbished, that it may consume, that it may glitter:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, who have weeks upon weeks! but it bringeth iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.

King James Version (1611)
And thou sonne of man, prophecie, and say, Thus saith the Lord God concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproch: Euen say thou; The sword, the sword is drawen, for the slaughter it is fourbished, to consume because of the glittering:

New Life Bible
"And you, son of man, speak in My name and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says about the sons of Ammon and about their shame.' Tell them, ‘A sword is pulled out ready to kill! It is made to shine like lightning!

New Revised Standard
As for you, mortal, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; say: A sword, a sword! Drawn for slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And thou, sonne of man, prophecie, and say, Thus saith the Lorde God to the children of Ammon, and to their blasphemie: say thou, I say, The sword, the sword is drawen foorth, and fourbished to the slaughter, to consume, because of the glittering:

George Lamsa Translation
And you, Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the LORD God concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach: even say, The sword, the sword is drawn for the slaughter; it is sharpened and it glitters;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou, therefore, son of man Prophesy and say, thus, saith My Lord. Yahweh, As to the sons of Ammon and as to their reproach Yea thou shalt say. A sword! a sword! Drawn for slaughter, Furbished, that when it beginneth, it may flash like lightning;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus saith the Lord God concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach, and thou shalt say: O sword, O sword, come out of the scabbard to kill, be furbished to destroy, and to glitter,

Revised Standard Version
"And you, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; say, A sword, a sword is drawn for the slaughter, it is polished to glitter and to flash like lightning--

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And thou, son of man, prophesy, and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord, concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and thou shalt say, O sword, sword, drawn for slaughter, and drawn for destruction, awake, that thou mayest gleam.

Good News Translation
"Mortal man, prophesy. Announce what I, the Sovereign Lord , am saying to the Ammonites, who are insulting Israel. Say to them: ‘A sword is ready to destroy; It is polished to kill, to flash like lightning.

Christian Standard Bible®
“Now you, son of man, prophesy, and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt.’ You are to proclaim,

Hebrew Names Version
You, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the children of `Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and say you, A sword, a sword is drawn, for the slaughter it is furbished, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning;

King James Version
And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the glittering:

Lexham English Bible
And you, son of man, prophesy, and you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh to the Ammonites and concerning their disgrace,' and you must say, ‘A sword, a sword is drawn for slaughtering; it is polished for holding, for flashing like lightning,

Literal Translation
And you, son of man, prophesy and say, So says the Lord Jehovah concerning the sons of Ammon, and as to their reproach, even say, The sword, the sword is loosened. It is polished for slaughter to make an end, so that it may be likelightning.

Young's Literal Translation
And thou, son of man, prophesy, and thou hast said: Thus said the Lord Jehovah concerning the sons of Ammon, and concerning their reproach: and thou hast said: A sword, a sword, open for slaughter, Polished to the utmost for brightness!

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And thou (o sonne of man) prophecy, & speake: Thus saieth the LORDE God to the children of Ammon, & to their blasphemy, speake thou: The swearde, the swearde, is drawen forth alredy to the slaughter, & scoured that it glistreth

THE MESSAGE
"But, son of man, your job is to prophesy. Tell them, ‘This is the Message from God , the Master, against the Ammonites and against their cruel taunts: "‘A sword! A sword! Bared to kill, Sharp as a razor, flashing like lightning. Despite false sword propaganda circulated in Ammon, The sword will sever Ammonite necks, for whom it's punishment payday. Return the sword to the sheath! I'll judge you in your home country, in the land where you grew up. I'll empty out my wrath on you, breathe hot anger down your neck. I'll give you to vicious men skilled in torture. You'll end up as stove-wood. Corpses will litter your land. Not so much as a memory will be left of you. I, God , have said so.'"

New King James Version
"And you, son of man, prophesy and say, "Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach,' and say: "A sword, a sword is drawn, Polished for slaughter, For consuming, for flashing--

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And you, son of man, prophesy and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the sons of Ammon and concerning their reproach,' and say: 'A sword, a sword is drawn, polished for the slaughter, to cause it to consume, that it may be like lightning—

Legacy Standard Bible
"Now as for you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh concerning the sons of Ammon and concerning their reproach,' and say: ‘A sword, a sword is drawn, polished for the slaughter, to cause it to consume, that it may be like lightning—

Contextual Overview

²⁸ And thou O sonne of man, prophecie and speake, Thus saith the Lorde God to the children of Ammon, and to their blasphemie, speake thou: The sworde, the sworde is drawen foorth alredy to slaughter, and furbished to consume because of the glitteryng: ²⁹ Whiles they see vnto thee vanitie, and deuine a lye vnto thee, to put thee with the neckes of the wicked that be slayne, whose day is come when their iniquitie shall haue an ende. ³⁰ Shoulde I cause it to returne into his sheath? In the place where thou wast created, in the lande of thine habitation wyll I iudge thee: ³¹ And I wyll powre mine indignation vpon thee, and wyll blowe vpon thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliuer thee into the handes of desperate people, which are skilfull to destroy. ³² Thou shalt feede the fire, and thy blood shalbe shed in the lande: thou shalt be put out of remembraunce, for I the Lorde haue spoken it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

concerning the: Ezekiel 21:20, Ezekiel 25:2-7, Jeremiah 49:1-5, Amos 1:13-15, Zephaniah 2:8-10

The sword: Ezekiel 21:9, Ezekiel 21:10

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 46:4 - furbish Ezekiel 21:15 - it is made Ezekiel 22:4 - have I Zechariah 13:7 - O sword Matthew 24:6 - ye shall hear

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And thou, son of man, prophesy, and say,.... Here begins a new prophecy, or rather an enlargement on part of the former; two ways being marked out for the sword of the Chaldeans to come in; the one leading to Jerusalem, the other to Rabbath of the Ammonites; the prophecy being finished concerning the former, here an account is given of the latter; how the sword should move that way, and what execution it would do:

thus saith the Lord God concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; Nebuchadnezzar, agreeably to the above prophecy, having taken his route to Jerusalem, as his divination directed him, and destroyed that, returned to Babylon, without making any attempt upon the Ammonites; which so flushed them, that they insulted the Jews, and laughed at their destruction, as if their God whom they served could not save them; attributing their safety and prosperity to the idols they worshipped; see Ezekiel 25:1:

even say thou, the sword, the sword is drawn for the slaughter; the same sword of the Chaldeans, which was drawn for the slaughter of the Jews, is now drawn for the slaughter of the Ammonites; and which is repeated for the certainty of it, and to inject terror; and this, as Josephus u says, was accomplished five years after the destruction of Jerusalem, in the twenty third year of Nebuchadnezzar:

it is furbished, to consume because of the glittering; being brightened and made sharp, it not only terrified with its glittering, but was more fit and prepared to cut and destroy; see Ezekiel 21:9.

u Antiqu. Jud. l. 10. c. 9. sect. 7.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The third word of judgment. The king of Babylon’s march upon Judaea and upon the Ammonites. Destruction is to go forth not on Judah only, but also on such neighboring tribes as the Ammonites (compare Jeremiah 27:2-3).

Ezekiel 21:19

Appoint thee - Set before thee.

Choose thou a place, choose it - Rather, “mark a spot, mark it,” as upon a map, at the head of the two roads, one leading to Jerusalem, the other to Ammon. These were the two roads by one or other of which an invading army must march from Babylon to Egypt.

Ezekiel 21:21

The Chaldaean king is depicted standing at the entrance of the holy land from the north, meditating his campaign, using rites of divination that really belonged to the Akkadians, a primitive race which originally occupied the plains of Mesopotamia. The Accadians and the Etruscans belong through the Finnish family to the Turanian stock; this passage therefore shows a characteristic mode of divination in use among two widely separated nations; and as the Romans acquired their divination from the conquered Etruscans, so the Chaldaeans acquired the same art from the races whose soil they had occupied as conquerors.

He made his arrows briqht - Rather, he shook his arrow; a mode of divination much in practice with the Arabians. It was usual to place in some vessel three arrows, on one of which was written, “My God orders me;” on the other, “My God forbids me;” on the third was no inscription. These three arrows were shaken together until one came out; if it was the first, the thing was to be done; if the second, it was to be avoided; if the third, the arrows were again shaken together, until one of the arrows bearing a decided answer should come forth.

Images - Teraphim (Genesis 31:19 note).

He looked in the liver - It was the practice both of the Greeks and the Romans (derived from the Etruscans) to take omens from the inspection of the entrails (especially the liver) of animals offered in sacrifice.

Ezekiel 21:22

The divination for Jerusalem - The lot fixing the campaign against Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 21:23

It shalt be unto them - The Jews in their vain confidence shall look upon the hopes gathered from the divinations by the Babylonians as false and groundless.

To them that have sworn oaths - According to some, “oaths of oaths are theirs;” i. e., they have the most solemn oaths sworn by God to His people, in these they trust, forgetful of the sin which broke the condition upon which these promises were given. More probably the allusion is to the oaths which the Jews had sworn to Nebuchadnezzar as vassals Ezekiel 17:18-19; therefore they trust he will not attack them, forgetting how imperfectly they had kept their oaths, and that Nebuchadnezzar knew this.

But he will call to remembrance the iniquity - The king of Babylon will by punishment remind them of their perjury 2 Kings 25:6-7; 2 Chronicles 36:17.

Ezekiel 21:25

Profane - Rather, “wounded,” - not dead but - having a death-wound. The prophet, turning from the general crowd, addresses Zedekiah.

When iniquity shall have an end - i. e., at the time when iniquity shall be closed with punishment. So in Ezekiel 21:29.

Ezekiel 21:26

The diadem (“the mitre,” the unique head-dress of the high priest) shall be removed, and the crown taken off (this shall not be as it is), the low exalted, and the high abased. Glory shall be removed alike from priest and king; the present glory and power attached to the government of God’s people shall be quite removed.

Ezekiel 21:27

It shall be no more - Or, “This also shall not be;” the present state of things shall not continue: all shall be confusion “until He come” to whom the dominion belongs of right. Not Zedekiah but Jeconiah and his descendants were the rightful heirs of David’s throne. Through the restoration of the true line was there hope for Judah (compare Genesis 49:10), the promised King in whom all power shall rest - the Son of David - Messiah the Prince. Thus the prophecy of destruction ends for Judah in the promise of restoration (as in Ezekiel 20:40 ff).

Ezekiel 21:28

The burden of the Song of the Sword, also in the form of poetry, is again taken up, directed now against the Ammonites, who, exulting in Judah’s destruction, fondly deemed that they were themselves to escape. For Judah there is yet hope, for Ammon irremediable ruin.

Their reproach - The scorn with which they reproach Judah (marginal references).

The sword ... the glittering - Or, “the sword is drawn for the slaughter; it is furbished that it may detour, in order that it may glitter.” In the Septuagint (and Vulgate) the sword is addressed; e. g., Septuagint, “Arise that thou mayest shine.”

Ezekiel 21:29

Whiles ... unto thee - A parenthesis. The Ammonites had their false diviners who deluded with vain hopes.

To bring thee upon the necks of them that are slain - To cast thee (Ammon) upon the heap of slaughtered men.

Shall have an end - Shall have its final doom.

Ezekiel 21:30

Shall I cause it to return ... - Or, Back to its sheath! The work of the sword is over.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 21:28. Concerning the Ammonites — They had reproached and insulted Judea in its low estate, see Ezekiel 25:3; Ezekiel 25:6. This prophecy against them was fulfilled about five years after the taking of Jerusalem. See Joseph. Ant. lib. x. c. 11; and Jeremiah 27:0, Jeremiah 48:0, Jeremiah 49:0; Ezekiel 25:0.