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Ezekiel 33:27

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Ezekiel 33:27 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Thus shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As I live, surely they that are in the waste places shall fall by the sword; and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured; and they that are in the strongholds and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Thus shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As I live, surely they that are in the waste places shall fall by the sword; and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured; and they that are in the strongholds and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.
Ezekiel 33:27 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezekiel 33

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
24Son of man, they that inhabit those waste places in the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.
25Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes unto your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land?
26Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbor`s wife: and shall ye possess the land?
27Thus shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As I live, surely they that are in the waste places shall fall by the sword; and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured; and they that are in the strongholds and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.
28And I will make the land a desolation and an astonishment; and the pride of her power shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, so that none shall pass through.
29Then shall they know that I am Jehovah, when I have made the land a desolation and an astonishment, because of all their abominations which they have committed.
30And as for thee, son of man, the children of thy people talk of thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from Jehovah.
← Ezekiel 33:26Ezekiel 33:28 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Say thou thus unto them, thus saith the Lord God, &c.] Send or write unto them in the name of the Lord, after this manner, as I live, which is the form of an oath; the Lord swears by himself his life, because he could swear by no greater, and for the confirmation of what follows: surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword; by their own sword, falling out one with another; or by the sword of Ishmael (<244102>Jeremiah 41:2,3) or by the sword of the Chaldeans, who revenged the death of Gedaliah and others; even such who dwelt amidst the ruins of the city of Jerusalem, and other places, that were become desolate through the ravages of the enemy: and him that is in the open field…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“shall fall by the sword--The very object of their confidence would be the instrument of their destruction. Thinking to "stand" by it, by it they shall "fall." Just retribution! Some fell by the sword of Ishmael; others by the Chaldeans in revenge for the murder of Gedaliah (Jer. 40:1-44:30). caves-- (Jdg 6:2; Sa1 13:6). In the hilly parts of Judea there were caves almost inaccessible, as having only crooked and extremely narrow paths of ascent, with rock in front stretching down into the valleys beneath perpendicularly [JOSEPHUS, Wars of the Jews, 1.16.4].”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The exhortation to repentance. Ezekiel first addresses the remnant that still linger in their ancient home, and warns them against presumptuous hopes resting on false grounds Ezekiel 33:23-29; then he turns his eyes to those near him, and points out that their apparent attention to his words was illusory. Ezekiel 33:24 Those wastes - The places in the holy land devastated by the conqueror. Abraham - The argument is, Abraham was but one man, and he had the promise of the land, though he did not at once possess it; much more shall we, the descendants of Abraham, being many, retain this promise and possess the land, though for a time we are depressed and subject. Compare Matthew 3:9; John 8:33,…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“33:27-29 The rebels in Jerusalem would continue to inherit the curses of the Mosaic covenant—the sword, wild animals, and disease (see Lev 26:22-25)—until the mountains of Israel were desolate and these sinners were utterly destroyed.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“surely: Eze 33:24, Eze 5:12-17, Eze 6:11-14; Jer 15:2-4, Jer 42:22, Jer 44:12 will I: Eze 39:4 to be devoured: Heb. to devour him in the caves: Jdg 6:2; Sa1 13:6, Sa1 22:1, Sa1 23:14, Sa1 24:3; Jer 41:9 Ezekiel 33:28”
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Related study paths

Read Ezekiel 33 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification