Ezekiel 30:2 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 30:2 mean?

Ezekiel 30:2 is God’s command to Ezekiel to deliver a message of warning and grief, telling people to cry out in distress because a terrible day of judgment is coming. The verse uses strong language to signal that something disastrous is about to happen, and people should react with alarm.

In this verse, God addresses Ezekiel as “son of man” and instructs him to prophesy—a formal announcement from God—to the people. The phrase “Howl ye, Woe worth the day!” is a call for public mourning, signaling that the coming events will be so severe that people should wail in sorrow. This sets the stage for the rest of the chapter, which describes judgment coming against Egypt and its allies.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 30:2

• “Howl” (הֵילִילוּ, heylilu) means to wail or cry out loudly, often used in the Hebrew Bible to express deep grief or shock at disaster. Here, it emphasizes the seriousness of the coming judgment.
• “Woe worth the day!” uses the Hebrew word הַיּוֹם (hayyom, “the day”), highlighting a specific, significant time of trouble. The phrase is a way of saying, “Alas for the day!”—a lament for what is about to happen.
• “Prophesy” (נָבָא, nava) means to speak forth a message from God, not just to predict the future but to declare God’s word in a situation. This shows Ezekiel is not sharing his own thoughts but delivering a divine warning.

Why Ezekiel 30:2 matters

• This verse makes clear that the message is not Ezekiel’s own idea but a direct command from God, giving it authority and urgency.
• The call to “howl” shows that the coming judgment is not a small or private matter—it is a public disaster that should move everyone to mourn.
• Ezekiel 30:2 introduces a section where God’s judgment expands beyond Israel to other nations, showing that God’s concerns and actions reach all peoples, not just His own nation.