Ezekiel 9:1

1 Then he cried in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, "Draw near, you executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand."

Ezekiel 9:1 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 9:1

He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice
That is, the glory of the Lord God of Israel, whom the prophet saw in the temple, and who directed him from place to place, and showed him all the abominations committed there: this loud voice of the Lord was not so much to excite the attention of the prophet, as to call together the ministers of his vengeance; and to show the greatness of his indignation, and the vehemence of his wrath, which was stirred up by the sins of the people: saying, cause them that have the charge over the city to draw near;
or,

``who were appointed over the city,''

as the Targum; that is, the city of Jerusalem; by whom are meant either the ministering angels, who had been the guardians of it, but now were to be employed another way; or the princes of the Chaldean army, who had a charge against the city to destroy it; see ( Isaiah 10:6 ) ( Jeremiah 34:21 ) . The Syriac version is, "draw near, ye avengers of the city"; and the Septuagint and Arabic versions are "the vengeance of the city draws nigh": even every man [with] his destroying weapon in his hand;
weapons of war, as bows and arrows, sword and spear; see ( Jeremiah 6:22 Jeremiah 6:23 ) .

Ezekiel 9:1 In-Context

1 Then he cried in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, "Draw near, you executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand."

2 And six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand; among them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. The Lord called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his side;

4 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."

5 To the others he said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him, and kill; your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity.