Ezekiel 7:14

14 "'The trumpet signals the call to battle: "Present arms!" But no one marches into battle. My wrath has them paralyzed!

Ezekiel 7:14 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 7:14

They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready
That is, the Jews, when they understood that the enemy was approaching, blew the trumpet, to give the inhabitants of their several cities and towns warning of it; that they might gather together, provide themselves with armour, and put themselves in a posture of defence, or go forth to meet the enemy, and stop his progress: or, "blow ye the trumpet", so the Septuagint and Arabic versions; and so may be considered as an irony or sarcasm; blow the trumpet, as an alarm of war, and see what will be the effect of it: but none goeth to the battle:
not having courage enough to face the enemy, but instead of that find to the fortified cities, and particularly to Jerusalem: the reason of this timidity and cowardice was, for my wrath [is] upon all the multitude thereof;
the intention of God was to destroy them all by one means or another; and therefore a heart was not given them to defend themselves, or oppose the enemy.

Ezekiel 7:14 In-Context

12 Time's up. Countdown: five, four, three, two . . . Buyer, don't crow; seller, don't worry: Judgment wrath has turned the world topsy-turvy.
13 The bottom has dropped out of buying and selling. It will never be the same again. But don't fantasize an upturn in the market. The country is bankrupt because of its sins, and it's not going to get any better.
14 "'The trumpet signals the call to battle: "Present arms!" But no one marches into battle. My wrath has them paralyzed!
15 On the open roads you're killed, or else you go home and die of hunger and disease. Either get murdered out in the country or die of sickness or hunger in town.
16 Survivors run for the hills. They moan like doves in the valleys, Each one moaning for his own sins.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.