The Meaning of Ezekiel 11:8 Explained

Ezekiel 11:8

KJV: Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD.

YLT: A sword ye have feared, And a sword I bring in against you, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

Darby: Ye have feared the sword, and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord Jehovah.

ASV: Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring the sword upon you, saith the Lord Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Ye have feared  the sword;  and I will bring  a sword  upon you, saith  the Lord  GOD. 

What does Ezekiel 11:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Ezekiel 11:5-25 - A New Heart Promised
The Spirit of God led the prophet to the East Gate of the Temple, where the Shekinah had settled, Ezekiel 10:19. There He uttered the divine verdict on the priesthood. They had ridiculed Jeremiah's letter to the captives, among whom Ezekiel lived, Jeremiah 29:5; and had made merry at his comparison between the city and a caldron, Jeremiah 1:13. It was to these scornful men that Ezekiel uttered the scathing denunciations of Ezekiel 11:7-18. The sudden death of Pelatiah, the ringleader of the scorners, gave terrible emphasis to the prophet's words. Ezekiel was told to look for his true kinsmen not among the doomed priesthood, but among his fellow-exiles whom they of Jerusalem despised. Spiritual ties must supersede natural ones, when the two clash. They might be far removed from the outer Temple, but God would be their asylum and sanctuary. What a sweet promise Ezekiel 11:16 provides for those who are compelled to go far from home! They may always meet their dear ones in God. Note the inclusive promise of Ezekiel 11:19 -unity, newness, and sensitiveness to the least touch of the divine nature. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 11

1  The presumption of the princes
4  Their sin and judgment
13  Ezekiel complaining, God shows him his purpose in saving a remnant
22  The glory of God leaves the city
24  Ezekiel is returned to the captivity

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 11:8 mean?

The sword You have feared and a sword I will bring upon you says the Lord GOD
חֶ֖רֶב יְרֵאתֶ֑ם וְחֶ֙רֶב֙ אָבִ֣יא עֲלֵיכֶ֔ם נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה

חֶ֖רֶב  The  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
יְרֵאתֶ֑ם  You  have  feared 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: יָרֵא 
Sense: to fear, revere, be afraid.
וְחֶ֙רֶב֙  and  a  sword 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
אָבִ֣יא  I  will  bring 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
עֲלֵיכֶ֔ם  upon  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
נְאֻ֖ם  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
אֲדֹנָ֥י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יְהוִֽה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.