And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

EZEKIEL 14:8KJV
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Ezekiel 14:8 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 14:8 mean?

Ezekiel 14:8 says that God will turn against anyone who turns away from Him, making that person an example and warning to others by cutting them off from the community. This is meant to show everyone that the LORD is truly God and takes faithfulness seriously.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Israel, warning them about the consequences of idolatry and unfaithfulness. The verse uses strong language to show that God’s response to persistent rebellion is not just personal but public, making the person a “sign and a proverb” so others will see and understand the seriousness of turning away from God.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 14:8

  • “Set” (נָתַן, nathan): This word means “to give” or “to set,” and here it describes God actively turning His attention against someone, not just passively allowing consequences.
  • “Face” (פָּנִים, panim): In Hebrew, “face” often means presence or attention. For God to “set His face against” someone means direct opposition and judgment.
  • “Sign” (אוֹת, oth): This word means a visible mark or signal. God is saying the person will become a warning sign to others.
  • “Proverb” (מָשָׁל, mashal): This means a saying or example, often used to illustrate a lesson. The person’s fate will become a story people tell as a warning.

Why Ezekiel 14:8 matters

  • This verse clears up the idea that God’s judgment is only private or spiritual; it shows that unfaithfulness can have visible, public consequences.
  • The verse emphasizes that God’s actions are meant to teach the whole community, not just punish the individual.
  • Ezekiel 14:8 connects to the wider passage, where God is calling out the elders of Israel for their hidden idolatry, showing that nothing is truly hidden from God.

Where else these words appear

“proverb” Hebrew H4912 · used in 39 verses

  • Numbers 23:7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.
  • 2 Chronicles 7:20 Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.
  • Proverbs 26:9 As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

“sign” Hebrew H226 · used in 77 verses

  • Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
  • Numbers 17:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
  • Job 21:29 Have ye not asked them that go by the way? and do ye not know their tokens,

“make” Hebrew H8074 · used in 87 verses

  • Leviticus 26:22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.
  • Isaiah 54:1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
  • Ezekiel 28:19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.