Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, August 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Ezekiel 39:14

"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.

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.
Amplified Bible
"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.
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 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 That day of judgment will come, says the Sovereign Lord . Everything will happen just as I have declared it. 9 "Then the people in the towns of Israel will go out and pick up your small and large shields, bows and arrows, javelins and spears, and they will use them for fuel. There will be enough to last them seven years! 10 They won't need to cut wood from the fields or forests, for these weapons will give them all the fuel they need. They will plunder those who planned to plunder them, and they will rob those who planned to rob them, says the Sovereign Lord . 11 "And I will make a vast graveyard for Gog and his hordes in the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Dead Sea. It will block the way of those who travel there, and they will change the name of the place to the Valley of Gog's Hordes. 12 It will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury the bodies and cleanse the land. 13 Everyone in Israel will help, for it will be a glorious victory for Israel when I demonstrate my glory on that day, says the Sovereign Lord . 14 "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. 15 Whenever bones are found, a marker will be set up so the burial crews will take them to be buried in the Valley of Gog's Hordes. 16 (There will be a town there named Hamonah, which means ‘horde.') And so the land will finally be cleansed. 17 "And now, son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Call all the birds and wild animals. Say to them: Gather together for my great sacrificial feast. Come from far and near to the mountains of Israel, and there 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
Sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth. Shem was the ancestor of all the descendants of Eber.
Genesis 14:13
But one of Lot's men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram's allies.
Genesis 39:7
and Potiphar's wife soon began to look at him lustfully. "Come and sleep with me," she demanded.
Genesis 39:14
she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. "Look!" she said. "My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed.
Genesis 39:17
Then she told him her story. "That Hebrew slave you've brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me," she said.
Genesis 39:18
"But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!"
Genesis 39:19
Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife's story about how Joseph had treated her.
Genesis 40:15
For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I'm here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it."
Psalms 35:11
Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
Psalms 55:3
My enemies shout at me, making loud and wicked threats. They bring trouble on me and angrily hunt me down.

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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