· Translation: KJV

Ezekiel 14:15If I cause evil animals to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the animals;

The setting

Babylon, ~593 BC. Ezekiel describes what happens when civilization collapses — wild animals reclaim territory humans once controlled...

The emotion here: painting worst-case scenarios to shock people into repentance

The original word

ra'ah (רָעָה) — evil/harmful animals, predators that normally fear humans but now hunt them

Why it matters

When Assyria depopulated northern Israel, lions actually moved into abandoned cities and killed the few remaining people

Read with care

What most readers miss in Ezekiel 14:15

This isn't about zoo animals escaping — it's about what happens when human society breaks down so completely that predators lose their fear

Common misconceptionPeople think this is about literal animals, but it describes societal collapse where lawlessness makes normal life impossible — like modern failed states where warlords control territory.

Bible Genome reading

Ezekiel 14:15 — Bible Genome reading

EraExile
Primary emotionanxious
Literary typeteaching
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability30%
Memorability40%
Crisis relevance60%
Standalone30%
Themes:desolationjudgment

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Ezekiel 14

Ezekiel 14:15 comes from the book of Ezekiel, written during the Exile period. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the teaching genre of biblical literature. Key themes include desolation, judgment. Notable phrases: evil animals; ravage it; made desolate. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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