Ezekiel 14:17

17 Either if I bring in (a) sword on that land, and I say to the sword, Pass thou through the land, and I slay of it man and beast,

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 That if also I bring in worst beasts on the land, that I destroy it, and if it is without (a) way, for that no passer is for the beasts, (And if I should bring in evil, or wild, beasts on the land, so that I destroy it, and it is without a safe way, so that no one can pass through because of those beasts,)

16 and these three men that be before-said, be therein, I live, saith the Lord God, for they shall neither deliver sons, neither daughters, but they alone shall be delivered; forsooth the land shall be made desolate. (and if these three men who were spoken of before, were there, as I live, saith the Lord God, they would not be able to save even their own sons, or their own daughters, but they alone would be saved; and the land would be made desolate.)

17 Either if I bring in (a) sword on that land, and I say to the sword, Pass thou through the land, and I slay of it man and beast,

18 and these three men be in the midst thereof, I live, saith the Lord God, that they shall not deliver sons neither daughters, but they alone shall be delivered. (and if these three men were in its midst, as I live, saith the Lord God, they would not be able to save even their own sons, or their own daughters, but they alone would be saved.)

19 Forsooth if I bring in also pestilence on that land, and I shed out mine indignation on it in blood, that I do away from it man and beast, (And if I also bring in pestilence upon that land, and I pour out my indignation upon it in blood, so that I do away man and beast from it,)