The Meaning of Ezekiel 14:14 Explained

Ezekiel 14:14

KJV: Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

YLT: and these three men have been in its midst, Noah, Daniel, and Job -- they by their righteousness deliver their own soul -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

Darby: though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, should be in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord Jehovah.

ASV: though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Though these three  men,  Noah,  Daniel,  and Job,  were in it,  they should deliver  [but] their own souls  by their righteousness,  saith  the Lord  GOD. 

What does Ezekiel 14:14 Mean?

Study Notes

though
Important contemporaneous testimony to the character and historicity of Daniel who was yet living. Cf. Jeremiah 15:1 ; Ezekiel 14:16 ,; Ezekiel 14:18 ; Ezekiel 14:20 ; Jeremiah 7:16 ; Jeremiah 11:14 ; Jeremiah 14:11 .

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 14

1  God answers idolaters according to their own heart
6  They are exhorted to repent, for fear of judgments, by means of seduced prophets
12  God's irrevocable sentence of famine
15  of wild beasts
17  of the sword
19  and of pestilence
22  A remnant shall be reserved for example of others

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 14:14 mean?

And Even [if] were three men these in it Noah Daniel Daniel and Job they by their righteousness would deliver [only] themselves says the Lord GOD
וְ֠הָיוּ שְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙ בְּתוֹכָ֔הּ נֹ֖חַ [דנאל] (דָּנִיֵּ֣אל‪‬) וְאִיּ֑וֹב הֵ֤מָּה בְצִדְקָתָם֙ יְנַצְּל֣וּ נַפְשָׁ֔ם נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה

וְ֠הָיוּ  And  Even  [if]  were 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
שְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת  three 
Parse: Number, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ 
Sense: three, triad.
הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
בְּתוֹכָ֔הּ  in  it 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
נֹ֖חַ  Noah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נׄחַ  
Sense: son of Lamech, father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth; builder of the ark which saved his family from the destruction of the world which God sent on the world by the flood; became the new seminal head of the human race because his family were the only survivors of the flood.
[דנאל]  Daniel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
(דָּנִיֵּ֣אל‪‬)  Daniel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּנִאֵל 
Sense: the 2nd son of David, by Abigail the Carmelitess.
וְאִיּ֑וֹב  and  Job 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִיּׄוב  
Sense: a patriarch, the subject of the book of Job.
בְצִדְקָתָם֙  by  their  righteousness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: צְדָקָה  
Sense: justice, righteousness.
יְנַצְּל֣וּ  would  deliver 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָצַל  
Sense: to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder.
נַפְשָׁ֔ם  [only]  themselves 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
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: the proper name of the one true God.