Ezekiel 21:11
in Ezekiel 21The sword is appointed to be polished, to be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened and polished, to be placed in the hand of the slayer.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it is given to be furbished, that it may be handled: the sword, it is sharpened, yea, it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.
KJV
And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.
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This verse in Ezekiel 21
Commentary
6 notes on this verseAnd he hath given it to be furbished, that it might be handled,.... Either Nebuchadnezzar, or rather God, or the Son of God, prepared and brightened the sword, that it might be handled and made use of, either by the Chaldeans or Romans, to the destruction of the Jews. The Targum is, "he gave their vengeance to be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.'' The sword is sharpened and furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer; either the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar; or the Roman emperor, Titus Vespasian.
This site's exposition
Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying
on Ezekiel 21:8-11
A poem of a sword follows, sharpened to make a sore slaughter and furbished that it may glitter, the weapon itself given voice. Keil reads it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree as the sword's contempt for every human defense, sceptre and timber both.
This site's exposition
the hand of the slayer
God polishes the sword, and another grips it. Gill read the slayer as the king of Babylon, and the Targum renders the verse as vengeance handed over to that king. The instrument is foreign, and the appointment is the LORD's.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Vers. 8 et seq.) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord God, speak: A sword, a sharp sword, has been sharpened and polished, to slaughter victims; it has been sharpened, and polished, to shine: you who move the scepter of my son, you have cut down every tree. And I have given him to be polished, to be held in hand: this sword has been sharpened, and this sword has been polished, to be in the hand of the one who kills.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
), that it may be made use of for the end for which it was drawn. It is given into the hand, not of the fencer to be played with, but of the slayer to do execution with. The sword of war my Son makes use of as a sword of justice, and to him all judgment is committed.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
This sword is sharpened - It is prepared for the slaughter, it is furbished; from the French, foubir, to polish, brighten. He shall have splendid victories every where. Some complain of corruption in the original in this place; but I think without sufficient reason.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
And all flesh will know that I, Hashem, have drawn My sword from its sheath; it will not return again.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּתֵּ֥ן | vaiyiten | and someone gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֹתָ֛הּ | ʾotah | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לְמָרְטָ֖ה | lemaretah | to polish [it] | H4803 → | 14 times |
| לִתְפֹּ֣שׂ | litpos | to grasp [it] | H8610 → | 65 times |
| בַּכָּ֑ף | bakaf | in the palm | H3709 → | 192 times |
| הִֽיא־ | hi'- | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| הוּחַ֤דָּה | huchadah | it has been sharpened | H2300 → | 6 times |
| חֶ֙רֶב֙ | cherev | a sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| וְהִ֣יא | vehi' | and it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| מֹרָ֔טָּה | moratah | it has been polished | H4803 → | 14 times |
| לָתֵ֥ת | latet | to put | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אוֹתָ֖הּ | ʾotah | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּיַד־ | beyad- | in [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| הוֹרֵֽג׃ | horeg | [one who] slays | H2026 → | 167 times |
וַיִּתֵּ֥ןand someone gave
vaiyitenH5414 →2011 times
אֹתָ֛הּ<obj.> it
ʾotahH853 →10935 times
לְמָרְטָ֖הto polish [it]
lemaretahH4803 →14 times
לִתְפֹּ֣שׂto grasp [it]
litposH8610 →65 times
בַּכָּ֑ףin the palm
bakafH3709 →192 times
הִֽיא־it
hi'-H1931 →1879 times
הוּחַ֤דָּהit has been sharpened
huchadahH2300 →6 times
חֶ֙רֶב֙a sword
cherevH2719 →413 times
וְהִ֣יאand it
vehi'H1931 →1879 times
מֹרָ֔טָּהit has been polished
moratahH4803 →14 times
לָתֵ֥תto put
latetH5414 →2011 times
אוֹתָ֖הּ<obj.> it
ʾotahH853 →10935 times
בְּיַד־in [the] hand of
beyad-H3027 →1618 times
הוֹרֵֽג׃[one who] slays
horegH2026 →167 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
Jeremiah 25:33Those slain by the LORD on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung lying…
it leads to
- Isaiah 66:16
For by fire and by His sword, the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD.
- 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,…
- Psalms 79:3
They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.
- Isaiah 66:16
Through
Jeremiah 25:9behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents,…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 1:15
For I am about to summon all the clans and kingdoms of the north,” declares the LORD. “Their kings will come and set up their thrones at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem.…
- Jeremiah 18:16
They have made their land a desolation, a perpetual object of scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and shake their heads.
- Isaiah 13:3
I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have even summoned My warriors to execute My wrath and exult in My triumph.
- Habakkuk 1:6–10
For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans—that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own.
- Ezekiel 29:18–20
“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre. Every head was made bald and every shoulder made raw. But he and his army received no wages from…
- Jeremiah 1:15
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.