Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them.

EZEKIEL 5:13KJV
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Ezekiel 5:13 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 5:13 mean?

Ezekiel 5:13 describes God declaring that His anger and fury against Jerusalem will be fully carried out, bringing Him a sense of completion or satisfaction, and making it clear to the people that He, the LORD, has acted out of passionate commitment. The verse emphasizes that when God’s judgment is finished, everyone will recognize it was truly His doing, driven by His zeal.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Jerusalem, warning them about the consequences of their unfaithfulness and rebellion. The setting is just before the destruction of Jerusalem, and God is explaining that His severe actions are not random but are a response to persistent disobedience. The verse highlights the seriousness of God’s judgment and the certainty that His words and actions are purposeful and just.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 5:13

  • "anger" (אַף, ʾaf): This word often refers to a strong, burning anger, sometimes even pictured as flaring nostrils. Here, it stresses the intensity of God’s response.
  • "accomplished" (כָּלָה, kalah): This verb means to bring something to an end or to completion. It shows that God’s anger is not endless but has a definite purpose and limit.
  • "fury" (חֵמָה, chemah): This word adds the sense of a fierce, consuming wrath, underlining the seriousness of the judgment.
  • "rest" (נוּחַ, nuach): This means to settle down or come to rest. It suggests that God’s fury will not continue forever but will reach a point where it is satisfied.
  • "comforted" (נָחַם, nacham): This word can mean to be comforted or to feel regret, but here it points to God feeling a sense of relief or satisfaction once justice is done.
  • "zeal" (קִנְאָה, qin’ah): This word means passionate commitment or jealousy. It highlights that God’s actions come from a deep, personal investment in His people and His promises.

Why Ezekiel 5:13 matters

  • Ezekiel 5:13 makes it clear that God’s judgment is not uncontrolled rage but a measured response with a clear end point, which corrects the idea that divine anger is endless or arbitrary.
  • The verse connects God’s actions to His "zeal," showing that His judgment comes from a place of deep care and commitment, not indifference or cruelty.
  • This verse helps the reader understand the seriousness of the situation in Jerusalem and why God’s actions are both just and necessary in the larger story of Israel’s relationship with Him.

Where else these words appear

“zeal” Hebrew H7068 · used in 41 verses

  • Numbers 5:14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:
  • Psalms 119:139 My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words.
  • Isaiah 63:15 Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?

“rest” Hebrew H5117 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
  • 2 Samuel 7:11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.
  • Isaiah 7:2 And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.

“comforted” Hebrew H5162 · used in 100 verses

  • Genesis 5:29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
  • Job 29:25 I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.
  • Jeremiah 18:8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do 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.