Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:

EZEKIEL 14:13KJV
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Ezekiel 14:13 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 14:13 mean?

Ezekiel 14:13 says that when a nation turns away from God by committing serious wrongdoing, God will respond by bringing hardship, specifically by causing a famine that affects both people and animals. The verse describes a direct consequence for persistent, collective disobedience.

In this verse, God is speaking to Ezekiel, addressing him as "son of man," and explaining what happens when a whole land sins "grievously." The setting is during the Babylonian exile, and God is warning that judgment—here pictured as famine—will come as a result of the people's ongoing rebellion. The language is vivid, showing that the loss of "the staff of bread" means the basic support of life will be broken, affecting everyone in the land.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 14:13

  • "Sinneth" (חָטָא, ḥāṭā’): This word means to miss the mark or to do wrong, emphasizing that the land's people have strayed from what is right in a significant way.
  • "Trespassing grievously" (מַעַל, mā‘al): This carries the idea of acting unfaithfully or betraying trust, not just making a mistake but breaking a relationship or covenant with God.
  • "Staff" (מַטֶּה, matteh): The word for "staff" here refers to something that supports or sustains, so "breaking the staff of bread" is a picture of removing what people rely on for survival.
  • "Famine" (רָעָב, rā‘āb): This is a direct word for hunger or scarcity of food, underlining the seriousness of the consequence God is describing.

Why Ezekiel 14:13 matters

  • Ezekiel 14:13 clarifies that God's judgment is not random but is a response to persistent, collective wrongdoing, especially unfaithfulness.
  • The verse shows that consequences for sin can affect everyone in a society, not just individuals, and even animals suffer when the land is judged.
  • This warning fits into Ezekiel's larger message that God holds entire communities accountable, not just for isolated acts, but for ongoing rebellion against Him.

Where else these words appear

“grievously” Hebrew H4604 · used in 29 verses

  • Leviticus 5:15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
  • Joshua 22:20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.
  • Ezra 9:2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

“trespassing” Hebrew H4603 · used in 35 verses

  • Leviticus 5:15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
  • 1 Chronicles 2:7 And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.
  • Ezra 10:2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.

“famine” Hebrew H7458 · used in 88 verses

  • Genesis 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
  • 2 Kings 25:3 And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
  • Jeremiah 29:18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:

“break” Hebrew H7665 · used in 145 verses

  • Genesis 19:9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
  • Psalms 34:20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
  • Jeremiah 28:13 Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.