Ezekiel 9:1

Vision of Slaughter in Jerusalem

1 Then He called to me directly with a loud voice, "Come near, executioners of the city, each [of you] with a destructive weapon in his hand."

Ezekiel 9:1 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 9:1

He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice
That is, the glory of the Lord God of Israel, whom the prophet saw in the temple, and who directed him from place to place, and showed him all the abominations committed there: this loud voice of the Lord was not so much to excite the attention of the prophet, as to call together the ministers of his vengeance; and to show the greatness of his indignation, and the vehemence of his wrath, which was stirred up by the sins of the people: saying, cause them that have the charge over the city to draw near;
or,

``who were appointed over the city,''
as the Targum; that is, the city of Jerusalem; by whom are meant either the ministering angels, who had been the guardians of it, but now were to be employed another way; or the princes of the Chaldean army, who had a charge against the city to destroy it; see ( Isaiah 10:6 ) ( Jeremiah 34:21 ) . The Syriac version is, "draw near, ye avengers of the city"; and the Septuagint and Arabic versions are "the vengeance of the city draws nigh": even every man [with] his destroying weapon in his hand;
weapons of war, as bows and arrows, sword and spear; see ( Jeremiah 6:22 Jeremiah 6:23 ) .

Ezekiel 9:1 In-Context

1 Then He called to me directly with a loud voice, "Come near, executioners of the city, each [of you] with a destructive weapon in his hand."
2 And I saw six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with a war club in his hand. There was another man among them, clothed in linen, with writing equipment at his side. They came and stood beside the bronze altar.
3 Then the glory of the God of Israel rose from above the cherubim where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. He called to the man clothed in linen with the writing equipment at his side.
4 "Pass throughout the city of Jerusalem," the Lord said to him, "and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations committed in it."
5 To the others He said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him and start killing; do not show pity or spare [them]!
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