Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:

EZEKIEL 14:19KJV
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Ezekiel 14:19 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 14:19 mean?

Ezekiel 14:19 describes God warning that He may send a deadly disease (pestilence) to a land as a sign of His anger, resulting in the death of both people and animals. The verse emphasizes the seriousness of God's judgment when a nation turns away from Him.

In this chapter, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the elders of Israel who have come to inquire of Him. The context is a series of warnings about different disasters—such as famine, wild beasts, and sword—that God might use to judge a land for its unfaithfulness. Here, pestilence is highlighted as one of the severe consequences of persistent rebellion.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 14:19

  • "send" (שָׁלַח, shalach): This word often means to actively dispatch or release something. Here, it shows that the pestilence is not random but purposefully allowed by God.
  • "pestilence" (דֶּבֶר, dever): This word refers to a deadly plague or epidemic. Its use signals a widespread, uncontrollable disease as a tool of judgment.
  • "fury" (חֵמָה, chemah): This word means intense anger or wrath. It highlights the emotional force behind God's actions, not just a mechanical punishment.
  • "blood" (דָּם, dam): In this context, "blood" points to violent death or widespread loss of life, not just the physical substance.

Why Ezekiel 14:19 matters

  • This verse clarifies that disasters like pestilence are not always random events but can be seen as deliberate acts of judgment in the biblical narrative.
  • The mention of both "man and beast" being cut off shows the total impact of such judgment, affecting all life in the land, not just people.
  • Ezekiel 14:19 fits into a larger pattern in the chapter, where God lists different forms of judgment to show that nothing can protect a nation from consequences if it persists in unfaithfulness.

Where else these words appear

“pestilence” Hebrew H1698 · used in 48 verses

  • Exodus 5:3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
  • Psalms 91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
  • Jeremiah 42:17 So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.

“out” Hebrew H8210 · used in 111 verses

  • Genesis 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
  • Job 30:16 And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
  • Ezekiel 16:36 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;

“fury” Hebrew H2534 · used in 117 verses

  • Genesis 27:44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;
  • Psalms 106:23 Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
  • Lamentations 2:4 He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.