The Meaning of Ezekiel 21:14 Explained

Ezekiel 21:14

KJV: Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy chambers.

YLT: And thou, son of man, prophesy, And smite hand on hand, And bent is the sword a third time, The sword of the wounded! It is the sword of the wounded -- the great one, That is entering the inner chamber to them.

Darby: And thou, son of man, prophesy, and smite thy hands together; for the strokes of the sword shall be doubled the third time: it is the sword of the slain, the sword that hath slain the great one, which encompasseth them privily.

ASV: Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thy hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the deadly wounded: it is the sword of the great one that is deadly wounded, which entereth into their chambers.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thou therefore, son  of man,  prophesy,  and smite  [thine] hands  together,  and let the sword  be doubled  the third  time, the sword  of the slain:  it [is] the sword  of the great  [men that are] slain,  which entereth into their privy chambers. 

What does Ezekiel 21:14 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 21

1  Ezekiel prophesies against Jerusalem with a sign of sighing
8  The sharp and bright sword
18  against Jerusalem
25  against the kingdom
28  and against the Ammonites

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 21:14 mean?

And therefore You son of man prophesy and strike - together [your] hands [together] and let do double [damage] the sword the third [time] the sword [that] slays It [is] that slays the great [men] that enters private chambers their
וְאַתָּ֣ה בֶן־ אָדָ֔ם הִנָּבֵ֕א וְהַ֖ךְ כַּ֣ף אֶל־ כָּ֑ף וְתִכָּפֵ֞ל חֶ֤רֶב שְׁלִישִׁ֙תָה֙ חֶ֣רֶב חֲלָלִ֔ים הִ֗יא חָלָ֣ל הַגָּד֔וֹל הַחֹדֶ֖רֶת לָהֶֽם

וְאַתָּ֣ה  And  therefore  You 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
בֶן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אָדָ֔ם  of  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
הִנָּבֵ֕א  prophesy 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: נָבָא  
Sense: to prophesy.
וְהַ֖ךְ  and  strike 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
כַּ֣ף  - 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.
אֶל־  together 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
כָּ֑ף  [your]  hands  [together] 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.
וְתִכָּפֵ֞ל  and  let  do  double  [damage] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: כָּפַל  
Sense: to double, fold double, double over.
חֶ֤רֶב  the  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
שְׁלִישִׁ֙תָה֙  the  third  [time] 
Parse: Number, ordinal feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: שְׁלִישִׁי 
Sense: third, one third, third part, third time.
חֶ֣רֶב  the  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
חֲלָלִ֔ים  [that]  slays 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חָלָל 
Sense: slain, fatally wounded, pierced.
הִ֗יא  It  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person feminine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
חָלָ֣ל  that  slays 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָלָל 
Sense: slain, fatally wounded, pierced.
הַגָּד֔וֹל  the  great  [men] 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
הַחֹדֶ֖רֶת  that  enters  private  chambers 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: חָדַר  
Sense: (Qal) to encompass, surround, enclose.