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Bishop's Bible

Ezekiel 9:4

And the Lorde sayde vnto hym, Go through the citie, euen through Hierusalem, & set a marke vpon the foreheades of them that mourne, and are sory for all the abhominations that be done therin.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Judgment;   Zeal, Religious;   Thompson Chain Reference - Righteous, the;   Righteous-Wicked;   Saints;   Sealed, Saints;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Head;   Sins, National;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Forehead;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Cutting;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Forehead;   Writing;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ezekiel;   Forehead;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Marks;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Forehead;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Cherubim;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Mark;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Forehead;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Cry, Crying;   Forehead;   Groan;   Horn;   Ink-Horn;   Mark;   Print;   Scrabble;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Akiba ben Joseph, Alphabet of;   Alphabet, the Hebrew;   Anointing;   Book of Life;   Cross;   Gabriel;   Ink;   Job;   Phylacteries;   Recording Angel;   Totemism;  

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
And the Lord said to him, "Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Lord said vnto him, Goe through the middes of the citie, euen through the middes of Ierusalem and set a marke vpon the foreheads of them that mourne, and cry for all the abominations that be done in the middes thereof.
Christian Standard Bible®
“Pass throughout the city of Jerusalem,” the Lord said to him, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the detestable practices committed in it.”
Hebrew Names Version
The LORD said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Yerushalayim, and set a mark on the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst of it.
Darby Translation
and Jehovah said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then the Lord said to him, "Go through the city of Jerusalem. Put a mark on the forehead of everyone who feels sad and upset about all the terrible things people are doing in this city."
Amplified Bible
The LORD said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, throughout all of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh [in distress] and grieve over all the repulsive acts which are being committed in it."
American Standard Version
And Jehovah said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof.
Berean Standard Bible
"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."
Contemporary English Version
"Walk through the city of Jerusalem and mark the forehead of anyone who is truly upset and sad about the disgusting things that are being done here."
Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai said to him, "Go throughout the city, through all Yerushalayim, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who are sighing and crying over all the disgusting practices that are being committed in it."
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD said unto him: 'Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof.'
King James Version (1611)
And the Lord sayd vnto him, Goe through the middest of the citie, through the middest of Ierusalem, and set a marke vpon the foreheads of the men that sigh, and that cry for all the abominations, that bee done in the middest thereof.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And said to him, Go through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark on the foreheads of the men that groan and that grieve for all the iniquities that are done in the midst of them.
English Revised Version
And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
Lexham English Bible
And Yahweh said to him, "Go through in the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem, and you must place a mark on the foreheads of the men who are groaning and lamenting about all of the detestable things that are being done in the midst of her."
Literal Translation
And Jehovah said to him, Pass through in the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem, and mark a mark on the foreheads of the men who are groaning and are mourning over all the abominations that are done in her midst.
New Century Version
He said to the man, "Go through Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the people who groan and cry about all the hateful things being done among them."
New English Translation
The Lord said to him, "Go through the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the people who moan and groan over all the abominations practiced in it."
New King James Version
and the LORD said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it."
New Living Translation
He said to him, "Walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of all who weep and sigh because of the detestable sins being committed in their city."
New Life Bible
The Lord said to him, "Go through the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who cry inside themselves over all the hated sins which are being done among them."
New Revised Standard
and said to him, "Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of those who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Yahweh unto him. Pass along through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, - and set thou a mark upon the foreheads of the men who are sighing and crying over all the abominations that are being done in her midst.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord said to him: Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem: and mark Thau upon the foreheads of the men that sigh, and mourn for all the abominations that are committed in the midst thereof.
George Lamsa Translation
And the LORD said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and who are tormented on account of all the abominations and evil things that are done in the midst thereof.
Good News Translation
"Go through the whole city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the forehead of everyone who is distressed and troubled because of all the disgusting things being done in the city."
New American Standard Bible
And the LORD said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and make a mark on the foreheads of the people who groan and sigh over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst."
Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst of it.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the Lord seide to hym, Passe thou bi the myddis of the citee, in the myddis of Jerusalem, and marke thou Thau on the forhedis of men weilynge and sorewynge on alle abhomynaciouns that ben doon in the myddis therof.
Young's Literal Translation
And He calleth unto the man who is clothed with linen, who hath the scribe's inkhorn at his loins, and Jehovah saith unto him, `Pass on into the midst of the city, into the midst of Jerusalem, and thou hast made a mark on the foreheads of the men who are sighing and who are groaning for all the abominations that are done in its midst.'
World English Bible
Yahweh said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark on the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst of it.
Revised Standard Version
And the LORD said to him, "Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it."
Update Bible Version
And Yahweh said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark on the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the disgusting things that are done in the midst thereof.
Bible in Basic English
The Lord said to him, Go through the town, through the middle of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the brows of the men who are sorrowing and crying for all the disgusting things which are done in it.
King James Version
And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and the LORDE sayde vnto him: Go thy waye thorow the cite of Ierusalem, and set this marck [Hebrew: t] Thau vpo the foreheades of them, that mourne, and are sory for all the abhominacions, that be done therin.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The LORD said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst."
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being done in its midst."

Contextual Overview

1 He cryed also with a loude voyce in mine eares, saying: Drawe neare ye visitations of the citie, euery man with a destroying weapon in his hande. 2 And beholde, then came there sixe men out of the streete of the vpper gate towarde the north, and euery man a slaughter weapon in his hande: There was one amongest them that had on hym lynnen rayment, and a writers inckhorne by his syde: these went in and stoode besyde the brasen aulter. 3 And the glorie of the Lorde of Israel was gone from the Cherub whervpon it was, to the doore of the house: and he called to the man that had the lynnen rayment vpon hym, and the writers inckhorne by his syde, 4 And the Lorde sayde vnto hym, Go through the citie, euen through Hierusalem, & set a marke vpon the foreheades of them that mourne, and are sory for all the abhominations that be done therin.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

set a mark: Heb. mark a mark, Exodus 12:7, Exodus 12:13, Malachi 3:16, 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 4:30, 2 Timothy 2:19, Revelation 7:2, Revelation 7:3, Revelation 9:4, Revelation 13:6, Revelation 13:7, Revelation 14:1, Revelation 20:4

that sigh: Ezekiel 6:11, 2 Kings 22:13, 2 Kings 22:19, 2 Kings 22:20, Psalms 119:53, Psalms 119:136, Isaiah 57:15, Jeremiah 13:17, 2 Corinthians 12:21, 2 Peter 2:8, 2 Peter 2:9

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:15 - set a mark Genesis 7:1 - Come Exodus 12:23 - and will not Numbers 25:6 - weeping Deuteronomy 4:4 - General Joshua 2:12 - give me 2 Chronicles 34:27 - thine heart Ezra 9:4 - trembled Ezra 10:3 - of those that Psalms 51:17 - a broken spirit Psalms 55:10 - mischief Psalms 87:6 - when Psalms 119:158 - General Isaiah 3:10 - Say ye Isaiah 24:13 - there Isaiah 66:2 - to this Isaiah 66:10 - that mourn Jeremiah 23:9 - heart Jeremiah 44:10 - humbled Ezekiel 13:22 - with lies Ezekiel 21:6 - Sigh Joel 2:13 - rend Habakkuk 3:16 - that I Matthew 5:4 - General Luke 4:18 - to heal Luke 6:21 - ye that weep Luke 17:34 - two Luke 24:17 - and are John 11:38 - groaning Romans 7:24 - wretched Romans 9:2 - General 1 Corinthians 5:2 - mourned Revelation 13:16 - or

Cross-References

Genesis 9:10
And with euery liuing creature that is with you, in foule, in cattell, in euery beast of the earth whiche is with you, of all that go out of the arke, whatsoeuer liuing thyng of the earth it be.
Genesis 9:14
And it shall come to passe, that when I bryng a cloude vpon the earth, the bowe also shalbe seene in ye same cloude.
Leviticus 3:17
Let it be a perpetuall statute for your generations throughout your dwellynges, yt ye eate neither fat nor blood.
Leviticus 7:26
Moreouer, ye shall eate no maner of blood, whether it be of foule or of beast, in any your dwellynges.
Leviticus 19:26
Ye shall not eate vpon blood, neither shall ye vse witchcraft, nor obserue tymes.
Deuteronomy 12:16
Only ye shall not eate the blood, but powre it vpon the earth as water.
Deuteronomy 12:23
But be strong, that thou eate not the blood: for the blood is the life, and thou mayest not eate the life with the fleshe.
Deuteronomy 14:21
Ye shall eate of nothyng that dyeth alone: But thou shalt geue it vnto the straunger that is in thy citie, that he eate it, or thou mayest sell it vnto a straunger: For thou art an holy people vnto the Lorde thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mothers milke.
Deuteronomy 15:23
Only eate not the blood therof: but powre it vpon the grounde as water.
Acts 15:20
But that we write vnto them, that they absteyne themselues from fylthynesse of idols, and fro fornication, and from strangled, and from blood.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Lord said unto him,.... This shows that a divine Person is meant by the glory of the God of Israel:

go through the midst of the city; that is, as it is next explained,

through the midst of Jerusalem; the city the six men had the charge over or against, Ezekiel 9:1;

and set a mark upon the foreheads; not the Hebrew letter ת, as some say, because in the form of a cross, and so signifying salvation by the cross of Christ; for this letter has no such form, neither in the characters used by the Jews, nor by the Samaritans, at least in the present character; though Origen and Jerom on the place say that the letter "tau" had the form of a cross in the letters the Samaritans used in their time; and this is defended by Walton t, who observes, that Azariah in his Hebrew alphabet gives a double figure, one like that which is in present use, and another in the form of a cross, called St. Andrew's cross, and as it appears in some shekels; and in the Vatican alphabet, which Angelus E Roccha published, the last letter has the form of a cross; as have the Ethiopic and Coptic alphabets, which, it is certain, sprung from the ancient Hebrew; and so Montfaucon says u, in some Samaritan coins, the letter "thau" has the form of a cross; which, if Scaliger had met with, he says he would never have opposed the testimonies of Origen and Jerom; though, after all, it seems to be no other than the form of the Greek "x"; and so the Talmudists say w the high priest, was anointed on his forehead in the same form: some think this letter was the mark, because it is the first letter of the word תורה, "the law"; as if it pointed out such who were obedient to it; or of the word תחיה "thou shall live". It is a Rabbinical fancy, mentioned by Kimchi x, that Gabriel had orders to write the letter ת in ink upon the foreheads of the righteous, and in blood upon the foreheads of the wicked; in the one it signified תחיה, "thou shall live", and in the other תמות, "thou shall die"; but, as Calvin observes, rather, if this letter could be thought to be meant, the reason of it was, because it is the last letter of the alphabet; and so may signify, that the Lord's people marked with it are the last among men, or the faith of the world; or that such who persevere to the end shall be saved: but the word signifies, not a letter, but a mark or sign; and so it is interpreted in the Septuagint version, and by the Targum, Jarchi, Kimchi, and others; and denotes the distinction the Lord had made by his grace between them and others; and now by his power and providence in the protection of them; for the, Lord knows them that are his, and will preserve them. The allusion is either to the marking of servants in their foreheads, by which they were known who they belonged to, Revelation 7:3; or to the sprinkling of the posts of the Israelites' houses with blood, when the firstborn of Egypt were destroyed, Exodus 12:22;

of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof; the abominations were those abominable idolatries mentioned in the preceding chapter, and those dreadful immoralities hinted at in Ezekiel 9:9; all which were grieving and distressing to godly minds, because they were contrary to the nature and will of God; transgressions, of his righteous law; and on account of which his name was dishonoured, and his ways blasphemed and evil spoken of; for these they sighed and groaned in private, and mourned and lamented in public; bearing their testimony against them with bitter expressions of grief and sorrow, by groans, words, and tears; and such as these are taken notice of by the Lord; he comforts those that mourn in Zion, and preserves them.

t Supplementum de Sicl. Formis, p. 37. 3. Prolegom. 3. de lingua Hebr. sect. 36. u Palaeograph. Graec. l. 2. c. 3. w T. Bab. Ceritot, c. 1. fol. 5. 2. x Vid. T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 55. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

mercy precedes judgment. So in the case of Sodom Genesis 19:0, and in the last day Luke 21:18, Luke 21:28; Revelation 7:1. This accords with the eschatological character of the predictions in this chapter (see the introduction of Ezekiel).

A mark - literally, “Tau,” the name of the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The old form of the letter was that of a cross. The Jews have interpreted this sign variously, some considering that “Tau,” being the last of the Hebrew letters, and so closing the alphabet, denoted completeness, and thus the mark indicated the completeness of the sorrow for sin in those upon whom it was placed. Others again observed that “Tau” was the first letter of Torah (“the Law”) and that the foreheads were marked as of men obedient to the Law. Christians, noting the resemblance of this letter in its most ancient form to a cross, have seen herein a reference to the cross with which Christians were signed. The custom for pagan gods and their votaries to bear certain marks furnishes instances, in which God was pleased to employ symbolism, generally in use, to express higher and more divine truth. The sign of the cross in baptism is an outward sign of the designation of God’s elect, who at the last day shall be exempted from the destruction of the ungodly Matthew 24:22, Matthew 24:31.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 9:4. Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh — This is in allusion to the ancient every-where-used custom of setting marks on servants and slaves, to distinguish them from others. It was also common for the worshippers of particular idols to have their idol's mark upon their foreheads, arms, c. These are called sectarian marks to the present day among the Hindoos and others in India. Hence by this mark we can easily know who is a follower of Vishnoo, who of Siva, who of Bramah, &c. The original words, והתוית תו vehithvitha tau, have been translated by the Vulgate, et signa thau, "and mark thou tau on the foreheads," &c. St. Jerome and many others have thought that the letter tau was that which was ordered to be placed on the foreheads of those mourners and Jerome says, that this Hebrew letter ת tau was formerly written like a cross. So then the people were to be signed with the sign of the cross! It is certain that on the ancient Samaritan coins, which are yet extant, the letter tau is in the form +, which is what we term St. Andrew's cross. The sense derived from this by many commentators is, that God, having ordered those penitents to be marked with this figure, which is the sign of the cross, intimated that there is no redemption nor saving of life but by the cross of Christ, and that this will avail none but the real penitent. All this is true in itself, but it is not true in respect to this place. The Hebrew words signify literally, thou shalt make a mark, or sign a sign, but give no intimation what that mark or sign was. It was intended here to be what the sprinkling of the blood of the paschal lamb on the lintels and door-posts of the Israelites was, namely, a notice to the destroying angel what house he should spare. As the whole of this matter only passed in vision we are bound to neither letter, nor any other kind of figure. The symbolical action teaches us that God, in general judgments, will make a distinction between the innocent and the guilty, between the penitent and the hardened sinner.


 
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