The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

EZEKIEL 7:27KJV
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Ezekiel 7:27 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 7:27 mean?

Ezekiel 7:27 describes a time of great distress when the king will mourn, the prince will be overwhelmed by ruin, and the people will be deeply troubled, as God judges everyone according to their actions and makes His identity as the LORD unmistakable. The verse shows that no one, from rulers to ordinary people, will escape the consequences of their choices.

In this verse, the prophet Ezekiel is speaking God’s message to the people of Judah, warning them of coming judgment because of their persistent wrongdoing. The king and prince represent the nation’s leaders, while “the people of the land” refers to everyone else. The verse emphasizes that God’s judgment is fair—He responds to each person “after their way” and “according to their deserts”—and that this judgment will reveal to all that He is truly the LORD.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 7:27

  • “Mourn” (אָבַל, ’aval): This word means to grieve deeply, often used for public or intense sorrow. Here, it highlights the king’s helplessness and the seriousness of the coming disaster.
  • “Clothed with desolation” (לָבַשׁ שַׁמָּה, lavash shammah): The phrase uses the image of wearing ruin or devastation like clothing, showing how completely the prince will be surrounded and affected by disaster.
  • “Deserts” (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpat): This word means “judgment” or “justice.” The verse says God will judge them according to their mishpat, stressing that the consequences are not random but are a direct result of their own actions.
  • “Know” (יָדַע, yada‘): This verb means to recognize or understand deeply. The verse ends by saying that through these events, the people will come to truly recognize who the LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH) is.

Why Ezekiel 7:27 matters

  • The verse clarifies that God’s judgment is not arbitrary; it is a direct response to the way people have lived (“after their way”), which corrects the idea that suffering is always random or unfair.
  • By mentioning both the king and the prince, Ezekiel 7:27 shows that no one is exempt from accountability, whether they are leaders or ordinary citizens.
  • The verse ties the coming disaster to a larger purpose: making God’s identity and authority clear to everyone, which is a recurring theme throughout the book of Ezekiel.

Where else these words appear

“mourn” Hebrew H56 · used in 38 verses

  • Genesis 37:34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
  • Nehemiah 1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
  • Jeremiah 14:2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.

“troubled” Hebrew H926 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 45:3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.
  • Job 4:5 But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
  • Psalms 90:7 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

“desolation” Hebrew H8077 · used in 54 verses

  • Exodus 23:29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
  • Jeremiah 44:6 Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.
  • Ezekiel 35:3 And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.

“clothed” Hebrew H3847 · used in 103 verses

  • Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:18 Then the spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.
  • Isaiah 22:21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.