· Translation: KJV

Ezekiel 14:17Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off from it man and animal;

The setting

Tel Abib, Iraq ~593 BC. Ezekiel sees visions of sword judgment while exiles still hope Jerusalem will survive the Babylonian siege...

The emotion here: anguished at having to pronounce destruction

The original word

ḥereb (חרב) — sword, but also drought, famine, the cutting edge of destruction

Why it matters

Nebuchadnezzar's army used iron weapons against Jerusalem's bronze defenses - technological superiority

Read with care

What most readers miss in Ezekiel 14:17

God personifies the sword - it has its own mission and will not return empty

Common misconceptionPeople think this is about random violence, but it's about God using even warfare as His instrument of justice when all other warnings fail.

Bible Genome reading

Ezekiel 14:17 — Bible Genome reading

EraExile
Primary emotionanxious
Literary typeteaching
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability40%
Memorability50%
Crisis relevance70%
Standalone30%
Themes:warfaredestruction

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Ezekiel 14

Ezekiel 14:17 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 warfare, destruction. Notable phrases: bring a sword; sword, go through the land; cut off man and animal. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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