Ezekiel 33:6
in Ezekiel 33But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword come, and take any person from among them; he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.
KJV
But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.
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This verse in Ezekiel 33
Commentary
9 notes on this verseCommentary on Chapter XXXIII 6. Is taken away - Punished by the Lord for his sin. Our sins - The unpardoned guilt, and the unsupportable punishment of our sins, in the wasting of our country, burning our city, abolishing the publick worship of God; we shall pine away, 'tis too late to hope.
This site's exposition
the word of the LORD came to me
on Ezekiel 33:1-6
If the watchman blows the horn, the hearer who ignores it answers for himself, since “his blood will be on his own head”. If the watchman keeps silent, the Lord says, “I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood”. Gill notes the balance of the wording.
This site's exposition
taken away in his iniquity
Even the unwarned man dies for his own sin. The watchman's guilt is added to it, and the LORD requires the blood of him, language that recalls Genesis 9:5. Two parties answer for one death.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
(Chapter XXXIII, Verse 1 and following) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, speak to the children of your people and say to them: When I bring a sword upon a land and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
For this reason, overseers or rulers are set over the churches to reprimand sin, not to spare it. Nor is a person fully free from blame who is not in authority but who notices in those persons he meets in social life many faults he should censure and admonish. He is blameworthy if he fails to do this out of fear of hurting feelings or of losing such things as he may rightfully enjoy in his life but to which he is unduly attached.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The substance of this we had before, ch. iii. He must let them know upon what terms they stand with God, that they are upon their trial, upon their good behaviour, that if a wicked man repent he shall not perish, but that if a righteous man apostatize he shall perish,
), cut off suddenly, without having time to cry, Lord, have mercy upon me, time to repent and make their peace with God (which makes the matter much the worse, that the poor creature is taken away in his iniquity ), his blood shall be required at the watchman's hand; he shall be found guilty of his death, because he did not give him warning of his danger.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
But if the watchman see the sword come,....
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
his iniquity--his negligence in not maintaining constant watchfulness, as they who are in warfare ought to do. The thing signified here appears from under the image.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְ֠הַצֹּפֶה | vehatzofeh | and the watchman | H6822 → | 36 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | if | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יִרְאֶ֨ה | yireh | he will see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַחֶ֜רֶב | hacherev | the sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| בָּאָ֗ה | baah | coming | H935 → | 2568 times |
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תָקַ֤ע | taka' | he will give a blast | H8628 → | 69 times |
| בַּשּׁוֹפָר֙ | bashofar | on the trumpet | H7782 → | 72 times |
| וְהָעָ֣ם | vehaam | and the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| נִזְהָ֔ר | nizhar | it was warned | H2094 → | 22 times |
| וַתָּב֣וֹא | vatavo' | and it came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| חֶ֔רֶב | cherev | [the] sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| וַתִּקַּ֥ח | vatikach | and it took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| מֵהֶ֖ם | mehem | of them | ||
| נָ֑פֶשׁ | nafesh | anyone | H5315 → | 754 times |
| ה֚וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| בַּעֲוֹנ֣וֹ | baavono | in iniquity his | H5771 → | 233 times |
| נִלְקָ֔ח | nilkach | he was taken | H3947 → | 966 times |
| וְדָמ֖וֹ | vedamo | and blood his | H1818 → | 360 times |
| מִיַּֽד־ | miyad- | from [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| הַצֹּפֶ֥ה | hatzopeh | the watchman | H6822 → | 36 times |
| אֶדְרֹֽשׁ׃ ס | ʾedrosh | I will require | H1875 → | 164 times |
וְ֠הַצֹּפֶהand the watchman
vehatzofehH6822 →36 times
כִּֽי־if
ki-H3588 →4482 times
יִרְאֶ֨הhe will see
yirehH7200 →1300 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַחֶ֜רֶבthe sword
hacherevH2719 →413 times
בָּאָ֗הcoming
baahH935 →2568 times
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
תָקַ֤עhe will give a blast
taka'H8628 →69 times
בַּשּׁוֹפָר֙on the trumpet
bashofarH7782 →72 times
וְהָעָ֣םand the people
vehaamH5971 →1873 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
נִזְהָ֔רit was warned
nizharH2094 →22 times
וַתָּב֣וֹאand it came
vatavo'H935 →2568 times
חֶ֔רֶב[the] sword
cherevH2719 →413 times
וַתִּקַּ֥חand it took
vatikachH3947 →966 times
מֵהֶ֖םof them
mehem
נָ֑פֶשׁanyone
nafeshH5315 →754 times
ה֚וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
בַּעֲוֹנ֣וֹin iniquity his
baavonoH5771 →233 times
נִלְקָ֔חhe was taken
nilkachH3947 →966 times
וְדָמ֖וֹand blood his
vedamoH1818 →360 times
מִיַּֽד־from [the] hand of
miyad-H3027 →1618 times
הַצֹּפֶ֥הthe watchman
hatzopehH6822 →36 times
אֶדְרֹֽשׁ׃ סI will require
ʾedroshH1875 →164 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
Ezekiel 18:20The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of…
it leads to
- 2 Kings 14:6
Yet he did not put the sons of the murderers to death, but acted according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not…
- Deuteronomy 24:16
Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.
- Ezekiel 18:4
Behold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.
- Jeremiah 31:29–30
“In those days, it will no longer be said: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.’
- 2 Chronicles 25:4
Yet he did not put their sons to death, but acted according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be put to…
- 2 Kings 14:6
Through
Genesis 42:22And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”
it leads to
- Psalms 9:12
For the Avenger of bloodshed remembers; He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Chronicles 24:22
Thus King Joash failed to remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him. Instead, Joash killed Jehoiada’s son. As he lay dying, Zechariah said, “May the LORD see this and call…
- 1 Kings 2:32
The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to…
- Psalms 9:12
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ezekiel

This page draws on Augustine of Hippo, City of God 1.9; Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Ezekiel; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
