For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

EZEKIEL 14:21KJV
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Ezekiel 14:21 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 14:21 mean?

Ezekiel 14:21 means that God is warning Jerusalem about the severity of judgment coming upon it, describing four disastrous punishments: war (the sword), famine, dangerous wild animals, and disease. These are described as God’s “sore judgments” that will cut off both people and animals from the city.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Israel, specifically about Jerusalem. The context is a warning that if God brings these four harsh punishments, it shows just how serious the situation is. The verse emphasizes that these disasters are not random but are sent by God as judgments because of the people’s persistent unfaithfulness.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 14:21

  • "sore" (רָעָה, ra‘ah): This word means “evil” or “calamitous.” Here, it stresses the severity and harmful nature of the judgments, not just that they are unpleasant but that they are truly devastating.
  • "judgments" (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpat): This word means “decisions” or “acts of justice.” It highlights that these disasters are not accidental but are deliberate acts of justice from God.
  • "noisome beast" (חַיָּה, chayyah): The word simply means “living creature” or “beast,” but in this context, it refers to wild animals that become a danger when normal order breaks down, adding another layer of threat beyond war and famine.
  • "pestilence" (דֶּבֶר, dever): This word means “plague” or “disease.” It underscores that the judgment includes not just violence and hunger but also sickness that can sweep through a weakened population.

Why Ezekiel 14:21 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the disasters facing Jerusalem are not just natural misfortunes but are described as intentional judgments from God, each with a specific purpose.
  • Ezekiel 14:21 connects to the wider theme in Ezekiel of God’s justice and the seriousness of turning away from Him, showing that repeated warnings have real consequences.
  • The mention of both “man and beast” being cut off shows the total impact of these judgments, affecting all life in the city, not just the people.

Where else these words appear

“judgments” Hebrew H8201 · used in 16 verses

  • Exodus 6:6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
  • Proverbs 19:29 Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.
  • Ezekiel 25:11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

“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.

“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: