The Meaning of Ezekiel 12:16 Explained

Ezekiel 12:16

KJV: But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

YLT: and I have left of them, a few in number, from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence, so that they recount all their abominations among the nations whither they have come, and they have known that I am Jehovah.'

Darby: But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the nations whither they shall come; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

ASV: But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the nations whither they come; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But I will leave  a few  men  of them from the sword,  from the famine,  and from the pestilence;  that they may declare  all their abominations  among the heathen  whither they come;  and they shall know  that I [am] the LORD. 

What does Ezekiel 12:16 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Yahweh would allow a few of them to escape so they could tell what had happened, including their sinfulness and God"s dealings with them as a nation.
"The deportations were designed to show the deportees that the Lord was the faithful, loving, and powerful God over Israel they should return to. Lest the foreign nations misunderstand Judah"s dispersion, God had the exiles testify that their abominations precipitated the deportations. In this way the nations would realize that the Lord was holy, righteous, and cared for his people, Israel. He was not one who allowed them to be conquered because he did not care. This latter notion was very common in the ancient Near East. Each nation was uniquely related to its patron deity. If a nation was defeated in battle or decimated by famine and disease, this meant its god was weak and incapable of protecting and caring for its people. To prevent such a misconception, the Lord would send a remnant of Jews among the nations to witness that they were in exile only because of their own iniquity, not because of the Lord"s failure." [1]
"What men fail to appreciate in prosperity, they will occasionally learn through adversity." [2]

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 12

1  Under the type of Ezekiel's removing
8  is shown the captivity of Zedekiah
17  Ezekiel's trembling shows the Jews' desolation
21  The Jews' presumptuous proverb is reproved
26  The speediness of the vision

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 12:16 mean?

But I will spare of their men a few from the sword from famine and from pestilence that they may declare - all their abominations among the Gentiles wherever they go there and they shall know that I [am] Yahweh -
וְהוֹתַרְתִּ֤י מֵהֶם֙ אַנְשֵׁ֣י מִסְפָּ֔ר מֵחֶ֖רֶב מֵרָעָ֣ב וּמִדָּ֑בֶר לְמַ֨עַן יְסַפְּר֜וּ אֶת־ כָּל־ תּוֹעֲבֽוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם בַּגּוֹיִם֙ אֲשֶׁר־ בָּ֣אוּ שָׁ֔ם וְיָדְע֖וּ כִּֽי־ אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה פ

וְהוֹתַרְתִּ֤י  But  I  will  spare 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַר  
Sense: to be left over, remain, remain over, leave.
מֵהֶם֙  of  their 
Parse: Preposition-m, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
אַנְשֵׁ֣י  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מִסְפָּ֔ר  a  few 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִסְפָּר  
Sense: number, tale.
מֵחֶ֖רֶב  from  the  sword 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
מֵרָעָ֣ב  from  famine 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רָעָב  
Sense: famine, hunger.
וּמִדָּ֑בֶר  and  from  pestilence 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דֶּבֶר 
Sense: pestilence, plague.
לְמַ֨עַן  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
יְסַפְּר֜וּ  they  may  declare 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: סָפַר 
Sense: to count, recount, relate.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
תּוֹעֲבֽוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם  their  abominations 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: תֹּועֵבָה  
Sense: a disgusting thing, abomination, abominable.
בַּגּוֹיִם֙  among  the  Gentiles 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
אֲשֶׁר־  wherever 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בָּ֣אוּ  they  go 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
וְיָדְע֖וּ  and  they  shall  know 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
כִּֽי־  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אֲנִ֥י  I  [am] 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
יְהוָֽה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation