Ezekiel 14:17

17 vel si gladium induxero super terram illam et dixero gladio transi per terram et interfecero de ea hominem et iumentum

Ezekiel 14:17 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 14:17

Or [if] I bring a sword upon that land
The land which had grievously sinned; the same land into which a famine should come, and through which evil beasts should pass; to which, if the Lord should add, as he would, a third judgment, the sword; suffer a foreign enemy to come in among them, and destroy them. So the Targum,

``or if those that slay with the sword I should bring upon that land;''

the Chaldean army, as he did; the sword has its commission from God; war is not by chance; the invasion of a foreign enemy is from the Lord; and all the mischiefs and ravages of a tumultuous army are all by divine order: and say, sword, go through the land;
not only enter the borders of it, or proceed far in it, but even go through it; which is terrible indeed! but if the Lord bids it go, it must go, and does; it is a servant of his, and punctually obeys his commands; that is, such are those that use it, however profane and wicked they may be in themselves, as generally armies consist of dissolute persons; yet these are under a divine direction, and are obedient to the will of God, though they may know it not. So the Targum,

``and I say that they that kill with the sword pass through the land:''

so that I cut off man and beast from it;
by the sword; the one being destroyed as an enemy, the other for food.

Ezekiel 14:17 In-Context

15 quod si et bestias pessimas induxero super terram ut vastem eam et fuerit invia eo quod non sit pertransiens propter bestias

16 tres viri isti qui fuerint in ea vivo ego dicit Dominus Deus quia nec filios nec filias liberabunt sed ipsi soli liberabuntur terra autem desolabitur

17 vel si gladium induxero super terram illam et dixero gladio transi per terram et interfecero de ea hominem et iumentum

18 et tres viri isti fuerint in medio eius vivo ego dicit Dominus Deus non liberabunt filios neque filias sed ipsi soli liberabuntur

19 si autem et pestilentiam inmisero super terram illam et effudero indignationem meam super eam in sanguine ut auferam ex ea hominem et iumentum