The Meaning of Ezekiel 12:20 Explained

Ezekiel 12:20

KJV: And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

YLT: And the cities that are inhabited are laid waste, and the land is a desolation, and ye have known that I am Jehovah.'

Darby: And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be a desolation; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.

ASV: And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be a desolation; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the cities  that are inhabited  shall be laid waste,  and the land  shall be desolate;  and ye shall know  that I [am] the LORD. 

What does Ezekiel 12:20 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 12

1  Under the type of Ezekiel's removing
8  is shown the captivity of Zedekiah
17  Ezekiel's trembling shows the Jews' desolation
21  The Jews' presumptuous proverb is reproved
26  The speediness of the vision

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 12:20 mean?

And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste and the land desolate shall become and you shall know that [am] I Yahweh -
וְהֶעָרִ֤ים הַנּֽוֹשָׁבוֹת֙ תֶּחֱרַ֔בְנָה וְהָאָ֖רֶץ שְׁמָמָ֣ה תִֽהְיֶ֑ה וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם כִּֽי־ אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה פ

וְהֶעָרִ֤ים  And  the  cities 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
הַנּֽוֹשָׁבוֹת֙  that  are  inhabited 
Parse: Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, feminine plural
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
תֶּחֱרַ֔בְנָה  shall  be  laid  waste 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: חָרֵב 
Sense: to be waste, lay waste, make desolate, be desolate, be in ruins.
וְהָאָ֖רֶץ  and  the  land 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
שְׁמָמָ֣ה  desolate 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁמָמָה 
Sense: devastation, waste, desolation.
תִֽהְיֶ֑ה  shall  become 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם  and  you  shall  know 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
כִּֽי־  that  [am] 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
יְהוָֽה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation