This verse uses powerful, ancient imagery: God calls birds and beasts to a "sacrificial feast." This isn't a literal invitation to a meal in our sense, but a vivid, almost grotesque picture of total destruction, where the slain enemies become sustenance for the natural world, showcasing the magnitude of God's judgment.
“As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field: ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse comes right after God describes how He will defeat Gog and his vast army on the mountains of Israel, leaving none of his forces alive. The Lord then commands Ezekiel to issue a stark invitation to birds and beasts of the field to gather for a gruesome "sacrificial feast" of the fallen enemy soldiers' flesh and blood. This graphic imagery emphasizes the immense scale of God's judgment and the complete destruction of those who oppose Him.
Imagine an invitation unlike any other: God Himself calls for scavengers to a feast! This isn't a scene of gentle mercy, but one of radical judgment.
God commands Ezekiel to speak to birds and beasts, inviting them to a 'great sacrificial feast' on Israel's mountains. This feast is the aftermath of God's judgment on the enemies who attacked His people.
A Feast of Fury
The imagery is stark: 'eat flesh and drink blood.' This isn't a literal meal for God's people, but a picture of total consumption by wild animals. It highlights the complete and utter destruction of God's enemies, leaving nothing but ruin. God uses this graphic image to show the overwhelming scale of His victory and the finality of His judgment.
Why would God call the destruction of His enemies a 'sacrifice'? It sounds unsettling, but this powerful metaphor reveals a deeper theological truth about divine justice.
The text refers to the complete defeat of Gog and his armies as a 'sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you.' This might seem strange, but in ancient Near Eastern culture, sacrifices often involved communal feasts where the offerer and invited guests would eat from the offering.
Satisfying Divine Justice
Here, God frames the judgment as a 'sacrifice' offered to satisfy His justice. It's a demonstration of His power and righteousness against those who oppose Him and threaten His people. This 'feast' for the birds and beasts is the divine payment for sin and rebellion, a profound display that God will not let injustice stand.
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Understand the original words
ben-adam · Hebrew Noun phrase
A term of address used throughout Ezekiel to highlight the prophet's humanity and frailty in contrast to the majesty and holiness of God. It emphasizes that Ezekiel is merely a mortal man receiving divine revelation.
Adonai YHWH · Hebrew Noun phrase
The covenant name of the God of Israel (YHWH), often coupled with Adonai (Lord). It signifies God’s eternal existence, His faithfulness to His covenant promises, and His supreme authority over all creation.
zebach · Hebrew Noun
An act of ritual worship or a divine judgment metaphor where the sacrifice is provided by God to execute His wrath. It symbolizes the inevitable defeat of those who oppose God and His people.
dam · Hebrew Noun
An animal or human victim whose life is forfeit. In a sacrificial context, it represents the penalty for sin or the catastrophic consequence of rebellion against God's sovereign rule.
This prophecy of a great feast for birds and beasts of prey isn't just about carrion; it's God vividly illustrating the utter annihilation of His enemies through the imagery of a gruesome, divinely orchestrated sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, promising His people a complete victory and restoration.
c. 597 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Jehoiachin and a significant portion of Jerusalem's elite, including the prophet Ezekiel, are exiled to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Destruction of the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar conquers Jerusalem, destroying the city and the Temple. A further wave of exiles is sent to Babylon, leaving only the poorest behind.
c. 585-571 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Ministry in Babylon
During the exile, Ezekiel delivers powerful prophecies, including visions of God's glory departing and returning to the Temple, and pronouncements of judgment and future restoration for Israel.
c. 550 BC
Rise of Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great begins his rise to power in Persia, eventually conquering the Babylonian Empire.
539 BC
Fall of Babylon
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon, paving the way for the return of the Jewish exiles.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish people to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.
This passage echoes Ezekiel's imagery, also inviting birds of prey to a great 'feast of God' to consume the flesh of kings and armies after a divine judgment.
Isaiah 34:6Isaiah describes God preparing a sacrifice for His chosen, inviting beasts of prey to consume the flesh of His enemies, mirroring the imagery and theme of divine judgment found in Ezekiel.
Zephaniah 1:7This verse also speaks of a sacrificial feast prepared by the Lord for His guests, highlighting the devastating judgment that will fall upon the unfaithful.
Jeremiah 46:10Jeremiah uses similar language, calling the day of the Lord's judgment upon Egypt a 'sacrifice,' where the slain will be plentiful for the birds and beasts.
clarkeEzekiel 39:17: "And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood."
Gather yourselves - to my sacrifice - This is an allusion to a custom common in the east: when a sacrifice is made, the friends and neighbors of the party sacrificing a…
jfbEzekiel 39:17: "And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood."
- (Re 19:17).sacrifice—Anciently worshippers feasted on the sacrifices. The birds and beasts of prey are invited to the sacrificial feast provided by God (compare Isa…
This verse uses powerful, ancient imagery: God calls birds and beasts to a "sacrificial feast." This isn't a literal invitation to a meal in our sense, but a vivid, almost grotesque picture of total destruction, where the slain enemies become sustenance for the natural world, showcasing the magnitude of God's judgment.
This verse comes right after God describes how He will defeat Gog and his vast army on the mountains of Israel, leaving none of his forces alive. The Lord then commands Ezekiel to issue a stark invitation to birds and beasts of the field to gather for a gruesome "sacrificial feast" of the fallen enemy soldiers' flesh and blood. This graphic imagery emphasizes the immense scale of God's judgment and the complete destruction of those who oppose Him.
This verse comes right after God describes how He will defeat Gog and his vast army on the mountains of Israel, leaving none of his forces alive. The Lord then commands Ezekiel to issue a stark invitation to birds and beasts of the field to gather for a gruesome "sacrificial feast" of the fallen enemy soldiers' flesh and blood. This graphic imagery emphasizes the immense scale of God's judgment and the complete destruction of those who oppose Him.
"“As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field: ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on…" — This verse uses powerful, ancient imagery: God calls birds and beasts to a "sacrificial feast." This isn't a literal invitation to a meal in our sense, but a vivid, almost grotesque picture of total…
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Last reviewed October 2026
