Ezekiel 7:15-17
The sword is without; pestilence and famine are within. He who is in the field dies by the sword, and him who is in the city famine and pestilence devour. And if any survivors escape, they will be on the mountains, like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, each one over his iniquity. All hands are feeble, and all knees turn to water.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse highlights the chilling reality that there's no escaping God's judgment, whether you're out in the open fields or trapped within the city walls. It's a stark picture showing that the sword outside will claim those trying to flee, while famine and disease inside will consume those seeking refuge, leaving no safe haven.
This verse describes the complete devastation facing Jerusalem, with no escape from the impending doom. The enemy's army, represented by the "sword," surrounds the city, while famine and pestilence ravage those trapped within. Whether trying to flee into the countryside or remaining in the city, destruction is inevitable, leaving no place safe for the unrepentant people.
When God’s judgment falls, it’s often not a single blow but a devastating combination of forces. Ezekiel paints a grim picture of these destructive powers.
In Ezekiel 7:15, the prophet describes three instruments of God's judgment working together: the sword, pestilence, and famine.
These are not random misfortunes but divine instruments, employed by God to bring consequence upon sin. They work in concert, leaving no room for evasion.
Where can people run when judgment comes? Ezekiel vividly illustrates that neither the open country nor the fortified city offers refuge.
The verse contrasts two locations to show the comprehensive nature of the impending doom:
There is no strategic retreat, no hiding place that can ultimately thwart God's decree when it is fully enacted. Both outward escape and inward safety become illusory.
Understand the original words
chereb · Hebrew Noun
A weapon of war; symbolically, it often represents the instrument of divine judgment, destruction, or the intervention of God in historical crises.
deber · Hebrew Noun
A destructive disease or plague that is often viewed in Scripture as a manifestation of divine judgment on a nation or people.
ra'ab · Hebrew Noun
A severe, widespread shortage of food; frequently interpreted in the prophetic tradition as a consequence of national sin and a tool of divine discipline.
avon · Hebrew Noun
A Hebrew term referring to moral perversity, guilt, or the consequences of sin. It describes not just the act of wrong-doing but the inward twisting of character and the resulting liability before God.
Ezekiel's vision describes the absolute horror of Jerusalem's final siege and destruction. The prophet paints a grim picture where escape is impossible, with death lurking both outside the walls by the sword of the besieging Babylonians and within the city by starvation and disease.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon captures Jerusalem and deports a number of prominent citizens, including Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's decline.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Judah's population, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon after a rebellion. Jerusalem is left under the rule of a puppet king.
588-587 BC— this verse
Siege and Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar lays siege to Jerusalem. The city endures a prolonged and brutal siege, leading to widespread famine and desperation within its walls.
587-586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's forces breach Jerusalem's walls. The city is utterly destroyed, the Temple is burned, and the remaining population is exiled to Babylon, fulfilling Ezekiel's prophecies.
This passage describes the 'sword' coming to avenge the covenant, echoing Ezekiel's imagery of external military threat that brings destruction and judgment.
Deuteronomy 32:25This verse explicitly states that destruction would come through the sword outside and terror within, mirroring Ezekiel's description of inescapable doom from both internal and external forces.
Jeremiah 14:12Jeremiah prophesied that a combination of sword, famine, and plague would consume his people, a thematic parallel to the multifaceted divine judgment described in Ezekiel 7.
Lamentations 1:20In the context of Jerusalem's destruction, Lamentations speaks of enemies within and without, and the consumption of people by sword and famine, resonating deeply with Ezekiel's vision of utter devastation.
Matthew 24:7Jesus uses the combination of famine and pestilence as signs of the end times, echoing the severe judgments God brought upon His people through these means, as foretold by Ezekiel.
pooleEzekiel 7:15: "The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him."
Without; in the countries. Within; in the besieged city. With the sword of the Chaldean soldier. Shall devour him; shall eat him up; you, O Jews! shall be food for unsatiable pestilence and famine. Heavy tidings to sinful Jerusalem!
clarkeEzekiel 7:15: "The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him."
The sword is without - War through all the country, and pestilence and famine within the city, shall destroy the whole, except a small remnant. He who endeavors to flee from the one shall fall by the other.
This verse highlights the chilling reality that there's no escaping God's judgment, whether you're out in the open fields or trapped within the city walls. It's a stark picture showing that the sword outside will claim those trying to flee, while famine and disease inside will consume those seeking refuge, leaving no safe haven.
This verse describes the complete devastation facing Jerusalem, with no escape from the impending doom. The enemy's army, represented by the "sword," surrounds the city, while famine and pestilence ravage those trapped within. Whether trying to flee into the countryside or remaining in the city, destruction is inevitable, leaving no place safe for the unrepentant people.
This verse describes the complete devastation facing Jerusalem, with no escape from the impending doom. The enemy's army, represented by the "sword," surrounds the city, while famine and pestilence ravage those trapped within. Whether trying to flee into the countryside or remaining in the city, destruction is inevitable, leaving no place safe for the unrepentant people.
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c. 571 BC
Ezekiel Completes His Ministry
Ezekiel's prophetic ministry likely concludes around this time, having delivered his messages of judgment and hope to the exiles in Babylon. His prophecies concerning Jerusalem's destruction were fully realized.
"The sword is without; pestilence and famine are within. He who is in the field dies by the sword, and him who is in the city famine and pestilence devour. And if any survivors escape, they will be on the mountains, like doves of the valley…" — This verse highlights the chilling reality that there's no escaping God's judgment, whether you're out in the open fields or trapped within the city walls. It's a stark picture showing that the sword…
