Lectionary Calendar
Friday, September 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Amplified Bible

Ezekiel 39:14

"They will elect men who will constantly go through the land, [men commissioned] to bury those who were passing through, those bodies that lie unburied on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will do a search.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- The Topic Concordance - Israel/jews;   Last Days;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Burial;  

Dictionaries:

- Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Gog;   Thessalonians, Second Epistle to the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Burial;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Gog and Magog;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Burial;   Cremation;   Face;   Pass;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“‘They will appoint men on a full-time basis to pass through the land and bury the invaders who remain on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. They will make their search at the end of the seven months.
Hebrew Names Version
They shall set apart men of continual employment, who shall pass through the land, and, with those who pass through, those who bury those who remain on the surface of the land, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
King James Version
And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
English Standard Version
They will set apart men to travel through the land regularly and bury those travelers remaining on the face of the land, so as to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make their search.
New American Standard Bible
"They will also select men who will constantly pass through the land, burying those who were passing through, those left on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will conduct a search.
New Century Version
"‘The people of Israel will choose men to work through the land to make it clean. Along with others, they will bury Gog's soldiers still lying dead on the ground. After the seven months are finished, they will still search.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they shall chuse out men to goe continually through the lande with them that trauaile, to bury those that remaine vpon ye ground, and clense it: they shall search to the ende of seuen moneths.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"They will set apart men who will constantly pass through the land, burying those who were passing through, even those left on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search.
Legacy Standard Bible
"Now they will set apart men who will continually pass through the land, burying those who were passing through, even those left on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search.
Berean Standard Bible
And men will be employed to continually pass through the land to cleanse it by burying the invaders who remain on the ground. At the end of the seven months they will begin their search.
Contemporary English Version
After those seven months, the people will appoint a group of men to look for any dead bodies left unburied. This must be done for seven months to make sure that the land is no longer unclean.
Complete Jewish Bible
‘They will then pick men for the continual duty of going through the land and burying with the travelers the corpses still lying out on the ground, in order to cleanse it; they will begin their search after the seven months.
Darby Translation
And they shall sever out men of continual employment to go through the land, who, with the passers-by, shall bury those that remain upon the face of the land, to cleanse it: at the end of seven months shall they make a search.
Easy-to-Read Version
"Workers will be given a full-time job burying the dead soldiers to make the land pure. The workers will work for seven months. They will go around looking for dead bodies.
George Lamsa Translation
Even seven months after, there shall be men who will travel continually through the land burying those who are left lying on the face of the land, to cleanse it.
Good News Translation
After the seven months are over, men will be chosen to travel through the land in order to find and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, so that they can make the land clean.
Lexham English Bible
ʻ"And they will set apart men to continually go through the land burying the travelers, the ones left over on the surface of the land to cleanse it; for the whole of seven months they will explore it.
Literal Translation
And they shall separate men who continually pass through the land, burying those who passed through, who remain on the face of the earth, to cleanse it. At the end of seven months, they shall make a search.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They shal ordene men also to be deedburiers, euer goinge thorow the lode, and appoynte them certayne places to bury those in, which remayne vpon the felde, that the londe maye be clensed. From ende to ende shal they seke, and that vij monethes loge.
American Standard Version
And they shall set apart men of continual employment, that shall pass through the land, and, with them that pass through, those that bury them that remain upon the face of the land, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
Bible in Basic English
And they will put on one side men to do no other work but to go through the land and put in the earth the rest of those who are still on the face of the land, to make it clean: after seven months are ended they are to make a search.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they shall set apart men of continual employment, that shall pass through the land to bury with them that pass through those that remain upon the face of the land, to cleanse it; after the end of seven months shall they search.
King James Version (1611)
And they shall seuer out men of continual emploiment, passing through the land, to burie with the passengers those that remaine vpon the face of the earth to clense it: after the end of seuen moneths shall they search.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
They shall chose out men to go continually thorowe the lande, to burie as they passe through those that remayne vpon the ground, to cleanse it: after the end of seuen monethes, shall they make their searche.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they shall appoint men continually to go over the land, to bury them that have been left on the face of the earth, to cleanse it after the space of seven months, and they shall seek them out.
English Revised Version
And they shall sever out men of continual employment, that shall pass through the land to bury them that pass through, that remain upon the face of the land, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
World English Bible
They shall set apart men of continual employment, who shall pass through the land, and, with those who pass through, those who bury those who remain on the surface of the land, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei schulen ordeyne bisili men cumpassynge the lond, that schulen birie and seke hem that weren left on the face of the lond, that thei clense it. Forsothe aftir seuene monethis thei schulen bigynne to seke,
Update Bible Version
And they shall set apart men of continual employment, that shall pass through the land, and, with those that pass through, those that bury those that remain on the face of the land, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months they shall search.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
New English Translation
They will designate men to scout continually through the land, burying those who remain on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. They will search for seven full months.
New King James Version
They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party, [fn] to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search.
New Living Translation
"After seven months, teams of men will be appointed to search the land for skeletons to bury, so the land will be made clean again.
New Life Bible
"At the end of seven months, they will choose men to pass through the land to look for bodies that may be left on the ground. And the bodies will be buried to make the land clean.
New Revised Standard
They will set apart men to pass through the land regularly and bury any invaders who remain on the face of the land, so as to cleanse it; for seven months they shall make their search.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And men to keep at it constantly, shall they tell of Men to pass throughout the land, who with the passer-by, shall continue burying, them who have been left on the face of the land to cleanse it, - At the end of seven months, shall they make search.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they shall appoint men to go continually about the land, to bury and to seek out them that were remaining upon the face of the earth, that they may cleanse it: and after seven months they shall begin to seek.
Revised Standard Version
They will set apart men to pass through the land continually and bury those remaining upon the face of the land, so as to cleanse it; at the end of seven months they will make their search.
Young's Literal Translation
And men for continual employment they separate, passing on through the land, burying with those passing by those who are left on the face of the earth, to cleanse it: at the end of seven months they search.

Contextual Overview

8"Behold, it is coming and it will be done," says the Lord GOD. "That is the day of which I have spoken. 9"And [when you, Gog, no longer exist] those who live in the cities of Israel will go out and make fires with the weapons and burn them, both the [large] shields and the bucklers (small shields), the bows and the arrows, the war clubs and the spears; and for seven years they will burn them. 10"They will not take any wood from the field or cut down and gather [any] firewood from the forests, because they will make their fires using the weapons. And they will take the spoil from those who despoiled them and seize the plunder of those who plundered them," says the Lord GOD. 11"And on that day I will give Gog a place for burial there in Israel, the valley of those who pass through east of the sea, and it will block the way of those who would pass through. So they will bury Gog there with all his hordes, and they will call it the Valley of Hamon-gog (the multitude of Gog). 12"For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. 13"Yes, all the people of the land will bury them; and it will be to their renown on the day that I appear in My glory and brilliance," says the Lord GOD. 14"They will elect men who will constantly go through the land, [men commissioned] to bury those who were passing through, those bodies that lie unburied on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will do a search.15"As those who pass through the land pass through and anyone sees a human bone, he will set up a marker beside it, until the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog. 16"And even the name of the city will be Hamonah. In this manner they shall cleanse the land."' 17"As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Say to every kind of bird and to every animal of the field, "Assemble and come, gather from every side to My sacrifice that I am slaughtering for you, as a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you will eat flesh and drink blood.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they shall: Numbers 19:11-19

continual employment: Heb. continuance

to cleanse: Ezekiel 39:12

Cross-References

Genesis 10:21
Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber [including the Hebrews], the older brother of Japheth, children were born.
Genesis 14:13
Then a survivor who had escaped [from the invading forces on the other side of the Jordan] came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the terebinths (oaks) of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner—they were allies of Abram.
Genesis 39:7
Then after a time his master's wife looked at Joseph with desire, and she said, "Lie with me."
Genesis 39:14
she called to the men of her household and said to them, "Look at this, your master has brought a Hebrew [into the household] to mock and insult us; he came to me to lie with me, and I screamed.
Genesis 39:17
Then she told her husband the same story, saying, "The Hebrew servant, whom you brought among us, came to me to mock and insult me;
Genesis 39:18
then as soon as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his robe with me and ran outside [the house]."
Genesis 39:19
And when Joseph's master heard the words of his wife, saying, "This is the way your servant treated me," his anger burned.
Genesis 40:15
"For in fact I was taken (stolen) from the land of the Hebrews by [unlawful] force, and even here I have done nothing for which they should put me in the dungeon."
Psalms 35:11
Malicious witnesses rise up; They ask me of things that I do not know.
Psalms 55:3
Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the pressure of the wicked; For they bring down trouble on me, And in anger they persecute me.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they shall sever out men of continual employment,.... That is, the principal of the house of Israel, their magistrates and governors, shall select certain persons, to be daily employed in the following work, till ended:

passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it; these men will be appointed to go through the land of Israel, to gather up such carcasses and bones of dead men as remain anywhere after the seven months' burial before observed; and all passengers or travellers shall be assisting to them in it, both in directing where any such carcasses and bones may lie, and in bringing them to the common place of burial; that so the land may he thoroughly cleansed from such disagreeable objects:

after the end of seven months shall they search or begin to search, as the Targum; when seven months are ended, in which the people in general will be employed in burying the dead; these men before mentioned will be sent out into each part of the land, to search in caves, and dens and ditches; among thickets, thorns, and briers, where the slain may fall; or where soldiers, being wounded, might betake themselves and die; or their carcasses or bones be dragged and left by beasts and fowls; to find them out, and bring them to the place of interment.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Men of continual employment - literally, as margin, i. e., men regularly appointed to this business. As the land of Israel represents figuratively the Church of Christ, the purification of that land is a proper part of the figure to indicate such a sanctification and cleansing of His Church, as Paul describes Ephesians 5:26-27.


 
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