Bible Strands
Ezekiel 9:5
And as I listened, He said to the others, “Follow him through the city and start killing; do not show pity or spare anyone!
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Lord addresses a group of executioners immediately after a marked man has identified the faithful in Jerusalem. This directive occurs during a prophetic vision of impending judgment on the city.
The words — The command עִבְר֥וּ ('iv.Ru) literally means "pass through," directing the men to move across Jerusalem. It is immediately paired with וְ/הַכּ֑וּ (ve./ha.Ku), meaning "and strike," establishing the action to follow.
The thread — Ezekiel 5:11 declares the Lord's judgment for defiling the sanctuary, while Exodus 32:27 records a command to fasten swords to sides. Numbers 25:7 notes Phinehas rising with a spear in hand.
Why it lands — The text commands a relentless purge of the city without restraint or exception. A reader must confront the severity of divine judgment and the distinction between the marked and the unmarked.
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 to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 5:11 Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable idols and abominations, I Myself will withdraw My favor; I will not look upon you with pity, nor will I spare you.
- Exodus 32:27 He told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each of you men is to fasten his sword to his side, go back and forth through the camp from gate to gate, and slay his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”
- Numbers 25:7 On seeing this, Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand,
- Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.
- 1 Samuel 9:15 Now on the day before Saul’s arrival, the LORD had revealed to Samuel,
- 1 Kings 18:40 Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.
- Isaiah 5:9 I heard the LORD of Hosts declare: “Surely many houses will become desolate, great mansions left unoccupied.
- Isaiah 22:14 The LORD of Hosts has revealed in my hearing: “Until your dying day, this sin of yours will never be atoned for,” says the Lord GOD of Hosts.
- Ezekiel 7:4 I will not look on you with pity, nor will I spare you, but I will punish you for your ways and for the abominations among you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’
- Ezekiel 7:9 I will not look on you with pity, nor will I spare you, but I will punish you for your ways and for the abominations among you. Then you will know that it is I, the LORD, who strikes the blow.