Ezekiel 5:4

Again, take a few of these, throw them into the fire, and burn them. From there a fire will spread to the whole house of Israel.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The Lord commands the prophet Ezekiel to perform a symbolic act directed toward the house of Israel, situated between the instruction to secure hair in his garment and the declaration that Jerusalem stands at the center of the nations.

The words — תִּקָּ֔ח (ti.Kach) = you will take and וְ/שָׂרַפְתָּ֥ (ve./sa.raf.Ta) = and you will burn, capturing the commanded sequence of seizing the hair and consuming it in the fire.

The thread — This action intersects with Jeremiah 4:4, which calls for spiritual circumcision in Jerusalem, while 2 Kings 25:25 and Jeremiah 41:1 record political violence occurring in the seventh month of the exile period.

Why it lands — The text states that burning a small portion of the hair will cause fire to spread to the whole house of Israel, demonstrating that localized judgment expands to the entire nation. It demands recognition that divine action begins with a specific, visible sign before affecting the whole community.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וּמֵהֶם֙u./me./Hemand/ some of/ themע֣וֹדodagain תִּקָּ֔חti.Kachyou will take וְהִשְׁלַכְתָּ֤ve./hish.lakh.Taand/ you will throw אוֹתָם֙'o.Ta/m<obj.>/ them אֶל־'el-into תּ֣וֹךְTokh[the] middle of הָאֵ֔שׁha./'Eshthe/ fire וְשָׂרַפְתָּ֥ve./sa.raf.Taand/ you will burn אֹתָ֖ם'o.Ta/m<obj.>/ them בָּאֵ֑שׁba./'Eshin the/ fire מִמֶּ֥נּוּmi.Me./nufrom/ it תֵצֵא־te.tze'-it will go out אֵ֖שׁ'esha fire אֶל־'el-to כָּל־kol-all בֵּ֥יתbeit[the] house of יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ פYis.ra.'ElIsrael

King James Version

Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.

Cross-references

2 Kings 25:25 In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and remove the foreskins of your hearts, O men of Judah and people of Jerusalem. Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it, because of your evil deeds.”
Jeremiah 41:1 In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family and one of the king’s chief officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and they ate a meal together there.
Jeremiah 48:45 “Those who flee will stand helpless in Heshbon’s shadow, because fire has gone forth from Heshbon and a flame from within Sihon. It devours the foreheads of Moab and the skulls of the sons of tumult.
Jeremiah 52:30 in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried away 745 Jews. So in all, 4,600 people were taken away.