Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:

EZEKIEL 21:9KJV
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Ezekiel 21:9 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 21:9 mean?

Ezekiel 21:9 is God’s command to Ezekiel to announce a message: the LORD is preparing a sword, making it sharp and polished, as a warning of coming judgment. The verse uses the image of a sword being readied to show that something serious and destructive is about to happen.

In this verse, God speaks to Ezekiel, calling him “son of man,” and tells him to prophesy to the people of Israel. The situation is one of warning—God is about to bring judgment, likely through invading armies, and the “sword” is a symbol of this threat. The sharpening and polishing of the sword stresses that the judgment will be swift and effective, not accidental or dull.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 21:9

  • “Sword” (חֶרֶב, cherev): This word is repeated twice for emphasis, highlighting the seriousness and certainty of the coming judgment. It is not just any weapon, but a specific symbol of war and destruction.
  • “Sharpened” (חָדוּד, chadud): This word means to make something sharp or ready for use. The sharpening shows that the threat is not distant or vague—it is being actively prepared.
  • “Furbished” (מָרוּט, marut): This means to polish or make something gleam. The sword is not only sharp but also polished, suggesting it is ready for immediate action and cannot be ignored.

Why Ezekiel 21:9 matters

  • The verse clears up that the coming danger is not random but is directly prepared by God, stressing divine intention behind the warning.
  • The repeated use of “sword” and the details about sharpening and polishing show that judgment is both certain and imminent, not just a distant possibility.
  • Understanding this verse helps set the tone for the rest of the chapter, where Ezekiel continues to describe the seriousness of God’s coming judgment on Jerusalem and its leaders.

Where else these words appear

“sharpened” Hebrew H2300 · used in 5 verses

  • Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
  • Ezekiel 21:10 It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree.
  • Ezekiel 21:11 And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.

“furbished” Hebrew H4803 · used in 9 verses

  • Leviticus 13:40 And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean.
  • Ezra 9:3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.
  • Ezekiel 21:11 And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.

“prophesy” Hebrew H5012 · used in 102 verses

  • Numbers 11:25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.
  • Jeremiah 20:1 Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.
  • Ezekiel 13:2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;