Ezekiel 21:23
in Ezekiel 21It will seem like a false omen to the eyes of those who have sworn allegiance to him, but it will draw attention to their guilt and take them captive.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, who have sworn oaths unto them; but he bringeth iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.
KJV
And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.
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This verse in Ezekiel 21
Commentary
7 notes on this verseTo them that have sworn oaths - To Zedekiah and his ministers, who had bound themselves by the oath of the Lord to be faithful to the Chaldeans, and to pay them the promised tribute. The oaths may refer, farther, to the alliances formed with the Egyptians, Ammonites, and others. They will not believe that Nebuchadnezzar shall succeed against them, while they expect the powerful assistance of the Egyptians.
This site's exposition
the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way
on Ezekiel 21:21-23
The king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way to use divination, arrows shaken, images consulted, and the liver examined. At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem. Fairbairn reads it shall be unto them as a false divination as the irony the chapter intends.
This site's exposition
a false omen
The men of Jerusalem dismiss the omen as heathen guesswork. Clarke named them as Zedekiah and his ministers, who had sworn by the LORD to serve Babylon and then rebelled. The omen they scorned becomes the charge that takes them captive.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 18 and following) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: And you, son of man, set before yourself two ways, and let the sword of the king of Babylon come. From one land they will both go out, and by hand he will take a decision: he will cast lots at the head of the city's road. You shall set a road, so that the sword may come to Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and to Judah, and to Jerusalem, the fortified.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
): " You shall be taken with the hand that God had appointed to seize you and to hold you and out of which you cannot escape." Men are said to be God's hand when they are made use of as the ministers of his justice, Ps. xvii. Note, Those who will not be taken with the word of God's grace shall at last be taken by the hand of his wrath.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Turn yourselves which way you will, you show a black side." This is too true of every one of us; for not only there is none that lives and sins not, but there is not a must man upon earth that does good and sins not.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight,....
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָיָ֨ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לָהֶ֤ם | lahem | to them | ||
| כִּקְסָם | kiksom- | as divines | H7080 → | 20 times |
| שָׁוְא֙ | shav' | falsehood | H7723 → | 53 times |
| בְּעֵ֣ינֵיהֶ֔ם | beeineihem | in view their | H5869 → | 887 times |
| שְׁבֻעֵ֥י | shevuei | oaths of | H7650 → | |
| שְׁבֻע֖וֹת | shevuot | oaths | H7621 → | |
| לָהֶ֑ם | lahem | [belong] to them | ||
| וְהֽוּא־ | vehu'- | and it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| מַזְכִּ֥יר | mazkir | [will] bring to remembrance | H2142 → | 230 times |
| עָוֹ֖ן | ʾavon | iniquity | H5771 → | 233 times |
| לְהִתָּפֵֽשׂ׃ פ | lehitafes | to be seized | H8610 → | 65 times |
וְהָיָ֨הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
לָהֶ֤םto them
lahem
כִּקְסָםas divines
kiksom-H7080 →20 times
שָׁוְא֙falsehood
shav'H7723 →53 times
בְּעֵ֣ינֵיהֶ֔םin view their
beeineihemH5869 →887 times
שְׁבֻעֵ֥יoaths of
shevueiH7650 →
שְׁבֻע֖וֹתoaths
shevuotH7621 →
לָהֶ֑ם[belong] to them
lahem
וְהֽוּא־and it
vehu'-H1931 →1879 times
מַזְכִּ֥יר[will] bring to remembrance
mazkirH2142 →230 times
עָוֹ֖ןiniquity
ʾavonH5771 →233 times
לְהִתָּפֵֽשׂ׃ פto be seized
lehitafesH8610 →65 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 16:19The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And God remembered Babylon the great and gave her the cup of the wine of the fury of His…
it leads to
- Revelation 17:18
And the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
- Revelation 18:5
For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
- Revelation 18:21
Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never…
- Revelation 18:10
In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”
- Revelation 17:18
Through
1 Kings 17:18“O man of God,” said the woman to Elijah, “what have you done to me? Have you come to remind me of my iniquity and cause the death of my son?”
it leads to
Through
Numbers 5:15then he is to bring his wife to the priest. He must also bring for her an offering of a tenth of an ephah of barley flour. He is not to pour oil over…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 29:16
Egypt will never again be an object of trust for the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity in turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the…
- Ezekiel 29:16
Through
Ezekiel 29:16Egypt will never again be an object of trust for the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity in turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the…
it leads to
- Isaiah 20:5
Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.
- Isaiah 20:5
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Ezekiel; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Patrick Fairbairn, An Exposition of Ezekiel.