Bible Strands
Ezekiel 9:4
“Go throughout the city of Jerusalem,” said the LORD, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men sighing and groaning over all the abominations committed there.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh addresses the man clothed in linen holding the writing kit, immediately after the divine glory has moved from above the cherubim to the temple threshold (Ezekiel 9:3). The command precedes the slaughter that follows in verse 5.
The words — עָבֹר ('a.Vor, "pass through") is the operative verb: a thorough, sweeping traversal, not a single pass. The double use of בְּתוֹךְ (be./Tokh, "in the midst of") — "in the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem" — reinforces that no corner is skipped.
The thread — The protective mark echoes in Revelation 9:4, where a seal on the foreheads exempts from harm, and in 2 Corinthians 1:22, where God's seal and Spirit mark believers as His. Revelation 14:1 shifts the image to names written on the forehead of the 144,000 with the Lamb.
Why it lands — The mark is not for the morally clean but for those who grieve over sin: "sighing and groaning over all the abominations." It forces a question: do you feel the weight of the evil around you, or have you gone numb to it?
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
King James Version
And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
Cross-references
- Revelation 9:4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
- 2 Corinthians 1:22 placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.
- Revelation 14:1 Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.
- Revelation 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:
- Revelation 20:4 Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
- 2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”
- Psalms 119:136 My eyes shed streams of tears because Your law is not obeyed.
- Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
- Jeremiah 13:17 But if you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.
- Exodus 12:7 They are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.