Ezekiel 33:4
in Ezekiel 33Then if anyone hears the sound of the horn but fails to heed the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
KJV
Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
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This verse in Ezekiel 33
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThe 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,
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
his blood will be on his own
Blood on a man's own head is a legal formula for bearing the blame for his own death. Rahab's family hears it at Joshua 2:19, and Leviticus 20:9 uses it of capital crimes. The watchman who blew the horn is clear.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(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.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh no warning,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
blood . . . upon his own head--metaphor from sacrificial victims, on the heads of which they used to lay their hands, praying that their guilt should be upon the victims.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְשָׁמַ֨ע | veshama' | and he will hear | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| הַשֹּׁמֵ֜עַ | hashomea' | the [one who] hears | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| ק֤וֹל | kol | [the] sound of | H6963 → | 506 times |
| הַשּׁוֹפָר֙ | hashofar | the trumpet | H7782 → | 72 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| נִזְהָ֔ר | nizhar | he took warning | H2094 → | 22 times |
| וַתָּ֥בוֹא | vatavo' | and it came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| חֶ֖רֶב | cherev | [the] sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| וַתִּקָּחֵ֑הוּ | vatikachehu | and it took him | H3947 → | 966 times |
| דָּמ֥וֹ | damo | blood his | H1818 → | 360 times |
| בְרֹאשׁ֖וֹ | verosho | on head his | H7218 → | 599 times |
| יִֽהְיֶֽה׃ | yihyeh | it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
וְשָׁמַ֨עand he will hear
veshama'H8085 →1159 times
הַשֹּׁמֵ֜עַthe [one who] hears
hashomea'H8085 →1159 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
ק֤וֹל[the] sound of
kolH6963 →506 times
הַשּׁוֹפָר֙the trumpet
hashofarH7782 →72 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
נִזְהָ֔רhe took warning
nizharH2094 →22 times
וַתָּ֥בוֹאand it came
vatavo'H935 →2568 times
חֶ֖רֶב[the] sword
cherevH2719 →413 times
וַתִּקָּחֵ֑הוּand it took him
vatikachehuH3947 →966 times
דָּמ֥וֹblood his
damoH1818 →360 times
בְרֹאשׁ֖וֹon head his
veroshoH7218 →599 times
יִֽהְיֶֽה׃it will be
yihyehH1961 →3559 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
Acts 18:6But when they opposed and insulted him, he shook out his garments and told them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to…
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 1:16
For David had said to the Amalekite, “Your blood be on your own head because your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.’”
- Ezekiel 33:8–9
If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity,…
- Ezekiel 18:13
He engages in usury and takes excess interest. Will this son live? He will not! Since he has committed all these abominations, he will surely die; his blood will be on his own head.
- Acts 13:51
So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.
- Nehemiah 5:13
I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake out of His house and possession every man who does not keep this promise. May such a man be…
- 2 Samuel 1:16
Through
Jeremiah 6:17I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn.’ But they answered, ‘We will not listen!’
it leads to
- Jeremiah 25:4
And the LORD has sent all His servants the prophets to you again and again, but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear.
- Isaiah 58:1
“Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins.
- Jeremiah 25:4
Through
Ezekiel 33:9But if you warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from it, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 3:19
But if you warn a wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness and his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved yourself.
- Ezekiel 3:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
On this verse
On this chapter
About Ezekiel

This page draws on 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) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
