Ezekiel 39:18
in Ezekiel 39You will eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all the fattened animals of Bashan.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
KJV
Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
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This verse in Ezekiel 39
Commentary
8 notes on this verseYe shall - drink the blood of the princes of the earth - I need not mention the custom of the Scandinavians: they were accustomed to drink the blood of their enemies out of the skulls of the dead. But this is spoken of fowls and beasts here - rams, lambs, and goats. The feast shall be as grateful and as plenteous to the fowls and beasts, as one made of the above animals, the fattest and best of their kind, (because fed in the fertile fields of Bashan), would be to the guests of him who makes a sacrifice.
This site's exposition
every kind of bird
on Ezekiel 39:17-20
God calls “every kind of bird” and “every beast of the field” to a sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel. Revelation 19:17-18 takes up the same summons to the birds. At God's table the “horses and riders” and the “mighty men and warriors of every kind” become the meal.
This site's exposition
the flesh of the mighty
The animals are the choice sacrificial beasts, and Bashan east of the Jordan was known for fat cattle, as Amos 4:1 and Psalm 22:12 assume. Adam Clarke explains that the birds and beasts eat as guests at such a sacrificial feast. Matthew Henry notes the humbling of royal blood.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 17 and following) 'Therefore, son of man, thus says the Lord God: Speak to every winged creature, to all the birds, and to all the beasts of the field or the countryside: Come together and hasten, gather from all around to my sacrifice that I have offered to you, a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, so that you may eat flesh and drink blood.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
What a mortification is this to the princes of the blood, as they call themselves, that God can make that blood, that royal blood, which swells their veins, a feast for the birds and beasts of prey! (3.) It is the flesh and blood of wicked men, the enemies of God's church and people, that they are invited to.
Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty,....
A declaration of God's gracious purposes concerning his people Israel, in this and his other providences concerning them, and a promise of further mercy that he had yet in store for them,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
rams . . . lambs . . . goats--By these various animal victims used in sacrifices are meant various ranks of men, princes, generals, and soldiers (compare Isa 34:6). fatlings of Bashan--ungodly men of might (Ps 22:12). Bashan, beyond Jordan, was famed for its fat cattle. Fat implies prosperity which often makes men refractory towards God (De 32:14, 15).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בְּשַׂ֤ר | besar | [the] flesh of | H1320 → | 270 times |
| גִּבּוֹרִים֙ | giborim | warriors | H1368 → | 158 times |
| תֹּאכֵ֔לוּ | tokhelu | you will eat | H398 → | 810 times |
| וְדַם־ | vedam- | and [the] blood of | H1818 → | 360 times |
| נְשִׂיאֵ֥י | nesiei | [the] princes of | H5387 → | 134 times |
| הָאָ֖רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| תִּשְׁתּ֑וּ | tishtu | you will drink | H8354 → | 217 times |
| אֵילִ֨ים | ʾeilim | rams | H352 → | 187 times |
| כָּרִ֤ים | karim | lambs | H3733 → | 16 times |
| וְעַתּוּדִים֙ | veatudim | and goats | H6260 → | 29 times |
| פָּרִ֔ים | parim | bulls | H6499 → | 132 times |
| מְרִיאֵ֥י | meriei | fatlings of | H4806 → | |
| בָשָׁ֖ן | vashan | Bashan | H1316 → | |
| כֻּלָּֽם׃ | kulam | all of them | H3605 → | 5413 times |
בְּשַׂ֤ר[the] flesh of
besarH1320 →270 times
גִּבּוֹרִים֙warriors
giborimH1368 →158 times
תֹּאכֵ֔לוּyou will eat
tokheluH398 →810 times
וְדַם־and [the] blood of
vedam-H1818 →360 times
נְשִׂיאֵ֥י[the] princes of
nesieiH5387 →134 times
הָאָ֖רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
תִּשְׁתּ֑וּyou will drink
tishtuH8354 →217 times
אֵילִ֨יםrams
ʾeilimH352 →187 times
כָּרִ֤יםlambs
karimH3733 →16 times
וְעַתּוּדִים֙and goats
veatudimH6260 →29 times
פָּרִ֔יםbulls
parimH6499 →132 times
מְרִיאֵ֥יfatlings of
merieiH4806 →
בָשָׁ֖ןBashan
vashanH1316 →
כֻּלָּֽם׃all of them
kulamH3605 →5413 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
Psalms 22:12Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
it leads to
- Amos 4:1–3
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, who say to your husbands, “Bring us more to drink.”
- Acts 4:27
In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed.
- Psalms 68:30
Rebuke the beast in the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations, until it submits, bringing bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.
- Matthew 27:1
When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.
- Amos 4:1–3
Through
Ezekiel 29:5I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open field and will not be taken away or gathered for burial. I have…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 34:20
I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
- Ezekiel 32:4–6
I will abandon you on the land and hurl you into the open field. I will cause all the birds of the air to settle upon you, and all the beasts of the earth…
- Jeremiah 8:2
They will be exposed to the sun and moon, and to all the host of heaven which they have loved, served, followed, consulted, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered up or buried,…
- Jeremiah 34:20
Through
Jeremiah 50:27Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter. Woe to them, for their day has come—the time of their punishment.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 46:21
Even the mercenaries among her are like fattened calves. They too will turn back; together they will flee, they will not stand their ground, for the day of calamity is coming upon them—the time…
- Jeremiah 46:21
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Ezekiel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; 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.