The Meaning of Ezekiel 14:21 Explained

Ezekiel 14:21

KJV: For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

YLT: For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Although My four sore judgments -- sword, and famine, and wild beast, and pestilence -- I have sent unto Jerusalem, to cut off from it man and beast,

Darby: For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!

ASV: For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For thus saith  the Lord  GOD;  How much more when I send  my four  sore  judgments  upon Jerusalem,  the sword,  and the famine,  and the noisome  beast,  and the pestilence,  to cut off  from it man  and beast? 

What does Ezekiel 14:21 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord promised to send judgment by these four agents against Jerusalem: war, famine, wild animals, and disease (cf. Leviticus 26:22-26). Four agents of divine judgment would overcome even the influence of three extremely righteous individuals, super-saints.
"The number four conveys the idea of completeness with an allusion to the four quarters of the earth. The logic is this: If there would be no sparing in one judgment, how much more certain would the universal judgment be in the case of four devastating judgments?" [1]

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 14:21 mean?

For thus says the Lord GOD how much more it shall be when four My judgments severe the sword and famine and beast wild and pestilence I send on Jerusalem to cut off from it man and beasts
כִּי֩ כֹ֨ה אָמַ֜ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהֹוִ֗ה אַ֣ף כִּֽי־ אַרְבַּ֣עַת שְׁפָטַ֣י ׀ הָרָעִ֡ים חֶ֠רֶב וְרָעָ֞ב וְחַיָּ֤ה רָעָה֙ וָדֶ֔בֶר שִׁלַּ֖חְתִּי אֶל־ יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם לְהַכְרִ֥ית מִמֶּ֖נָּה אָדָ֥ם ؟ וּבְהֵמָֽה

כֹ֨ה  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֜ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲדֹנָ֣י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יְהֹוִ֗ה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
אַ֣ף  how  much  more  it  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אַף  
Sense: also, yea, though, so much the more adv.
אַרְבַּ֣עַת  four 
Parse: Number, masculine singular construct
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.
שְׁפָטַ֣י ׀  My  judgments 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: שֶׁפֶט  
Sense: judgment, act of judgment.
הָרָעִ֡ים  severe 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
חֶ֠רֶב  the  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
וְרָעָ֞ב  and  famine 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רָעָב  
Sense: famine, hunger.
וְחַיָּ֤ה  and  beast 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
רָעָה֙  wild 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
וָדֶ֔בֶר  and  pestilence 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דֶּבֶר 
Sense: pestilence, plague.
שִׁלַּ֖חְתִּי  I  send 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
לְהַכְרִ֥ית  to  cut  off 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: כָּרַת  
Sense: to cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, kill, cut a covenant.
מִמֶּ֖נָּה  from  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
אָדָ֥ם  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
؟ וּבְהֵמָֽה  and  beasts 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בְּהֵמָה  
Sense: beast, cattle, animal.