Ezekiel 21:4

4 Since I will cut off^[a] [both] the righteous and the wicked, My sword will therefore come out of its sheath against everyone from the south to the north.

Ezekiel 21:4 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 21:4

Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the
wicked
Some by the sword, some by famine, some by pestilence, and others by captivity; and, upon the whole, none spared, but the land left desolate: therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh,
from the south to the north;
the Chaldean army shall go out of their own land against all the inhabitants of Judea, from Beersheba to Dan; this explains what is meant by all faces being burnt from the south to the north, ( Ezekiel 20:47 ) , namely, the general destruction of the Jews by the Chaldeans.

Ezekiel 21:4 In-Context

2 "Son of man, turn your face toward Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel,

3 and say to it: This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off both the righteous and the wicked from you.

4 Since I will cut off [both] the righteous and the wicked, My sword will therefore come out of its sheath against everyone from the south to the north.

5 So all the people will know that I, the Lord, have taken My sword from its sheath-it will not be sheathed again.

6 "But you, son of man, groan! Groan bitterly with a broken heart right before their eyes.

Footnotes

• [a] Lit off from you