An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse uses a powerful wordplay: the "end" itself is depicted as awakening. It's not just an event arriving, but a long-slumbering doom now rousing itself specifically to come against you. This highlights that God's judgment isn't random, but a deliberate, active force finally stirring to its appointed task.
An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Ezekiel has just declared that an overwhelming "end" is coming to Jerusalem and its people, repeating the phrase for emphasis. This isn't just any end; it's a decisive, final judgment that has finally "awakened" and is now actively coming for them. The verses immediately following will detail the utter devastation and chaos that this impending doom will bring.
The verse repeats 'an end has come' – why the urgency? It's not just a date on a calendar, but something alive and active.
The prophet Ezekiel uses powerful language to describe the impending judgment. The repetition of 'an end has come' emphasizes its absolute certainty and the swiftness with which it will arrive.
A Vengeance Stirring
The original Hebrew carries a clever wordplay between the word for 'end' and 'awakens'. This isn't a passive end; it's personified as a force that has been dormant, but is now stirring and rousing itself specifically against the people.
The Unseen Watcher
Imagine divine justice, like an executioner, awakening from a deep sleep, ready to carry out its appointed task. This awakened judgment is actively 'watching' or 'awakening' for its moment to strike. It highlights that God's patience, though long, is not endless, and His justice, though sometimes slow, is sure.
Ezekiel speaks of an 'end' that is an 'only evil'. What does that mean for a people facing judgment?
The concept of an 'only evil' points to a judgment so complete and final that it leaves no room for mitigation or comfort.
No Silver Linings
Often, even in judgment, there are aspects of God's mercy intertwined. However, this 'end' signifies a point where the consequences are absolute. It's the finality of the destructive outcome, stripping away all possibility of escape or reprieve.
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A Stark Warning
This phrase underscores the severity of the situation for those facing this specific judgment. It's a complete and unmitigated disaster, a stark warning about the ultimate cost of rejecting God's covenant and justice.
Understand the original words
qets · Hebrew Noun
The definitive conclusion of a period of time, event, or state of being; in biblical prophecy, it often refers to God's final judgment upon a nation or the world.
The repeated emphasis on the 'end' coming in Ezekiel 7:6 highlights the imminent and inescapable judgment facing Jerusalem. This isn't just a distant threat; it's God's vengeance, personified, rousing itself to act against a people who have repeatedly ignored His warnings, culminating in the Babylonian destruction.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon captures Jerusalem and deports some of the Judean nobility, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon. This event marks the beginning of Judah's subjugation to Babylon.
c. 597 BC— this verse
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar again besieges Jerusalem. He deports King Jehoiachin and thousands more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon.
c. 587/586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
After a prolonged siege and further rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar's armies breach Jerusalem's walls, destroy the city and the Holy Temple, and deport the remaining significant population to Babylon. This is the culmination of the prophecies of judgment.
c. 580 BC
Ezekiel's Ministry Continues in Exile
Ezekiel continues to prophesy in Babylon, offering messages of judgment to those still in Jerusalem and messages of hope and restoration to the exiles. His prophecies focus on God's justice and faithfulness.
This passage shows God's prophetic word also 'awakening' to come to pass, like the end that 'awakens' against Jerusalem. The almond tree, signifying watchfulness, connects to the idea of judgment that is no longer slumbering but actively coming.
2 Peter 2:3This verse speaks of a judgment that 'will not delay' and whose 'destruction has not been slumbering,' echoing the sense in Ezekiel that the end is not only imminent but actively roused and coming against the people.
Psalm 78:65-66This Psalm describes the Lord 'awaking as from sleep' and striking His enemies, paralleling the personified 'end' in Ezekiel that 'awakens' against Judah after a period of perceived divine inaction.
Amos 8:1-2Similar to Ezekiel's 'end' and its 'awakening,' Amos sees a vision of 'summer fruit' (which sounds like 'end' in Hebrew) and the Lord declaring 'the end has come upon my people,' highlighting the consistent prophetic theme of impending, final judgment.
barnesEzekiel 7:6: "An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come."
The end is come: it watcheth for thee - The end (personified) so long slumbering now awakes and comes upon thee.
pulpitEzekiel 7:6: "An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come."
Verse 6. - It watcheth for thee; better, with the Revised Version, it awaketh against thee. So the LXX., Vulgate, Luther. The Hebrew presents a paronomasia between the noun and verb - hakketz, hekitz - which cannot be reproduced in English. The destined doom is thought of as rousing itself to its appointed work. The word is cognate with that rendered "awaketh" in Psalm 78:65.
This verse uses a powerful wordplay: the "end" itself is depicted as awakening. It's not just an event arriving, but a long-slumbering doom now rousing itself specifically to come against you. This highlights that God's judgment isn't random, but a deliberate, active force finally stirring to its appointed task.
The prophet Ezekiel has just declared that an overwhelming "end" is coming to Jerusalem and its people, repeating the phrase for emphasis. This isn't just any end; it's a decisive, final judgment that has finally "awakened" and is now actively coming for them. The verses immediately following will detail the utter devastation and chaos that this impending doom will bring.
The prophet Ezekiel has just declared that an overwhelming "end" is coming to Jerusalem and its people, repeating the phrase for emphasis. This isn't just any end; it's a decisive, final judgment that has finally "awakened" and is now actively coming for them. The verses immediately following will detail the utter devastation and chaos that this impending doom will bring.
"An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes." — This verse uses a powerful wordplay: the "end" itself is depicted as awakening. It's not just an event arriving, but a long-slumbering doom now rousing itself specifically to come against you. This…
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Last reviewed October 2026