Ezekiel 21:2

Young's Literal Translation

`Son of man, set thy face unto Jerusalem, and prophesy unto the holy places, and prophesy unto the ground of Israel;

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Son of man, face Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel,

Hebrew Names Version
Son of man, set your face toward Yerushalayim, and drop [your word] toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against Eretz-Yisra'el;

King James Version
Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,

English Standard Version
"Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel

New American Standard Bible
"Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem, and speak prophetically against the sanctuaries and prophesy against the land of Israel;

New Century Version
"Human, look toward Jerusalem and speak against the holy place. Prophesy against the land of Israel.

Amplified Bible
"Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and direct your [prophetic] word against the sanctuaries; prophesy against the land of Israel

World English Bible
Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and drop [your word] toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

Geneva Bible (1587)
Sonne of man, set thy face toward Ierusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophecie against the land of Israel.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and speak against the sanctuaries and prophesy against the land of Israel;

Legacy Standard Bible
"Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem and speak, dripping out words against the sanctuaries and prophesy against the land of Israel

Berean Standard Bible
"Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel

Contemporary English Version
Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the places in Jerusalem where people worship. Warn everyone in Israel

Complete Jewish Bible
"Human being, turn your face southward, preach to the south and prophesy to the scrublands of the Negev;

Darby Translation
Son of man, set thy face against Jerusalem, and drop [words] against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,

Easy-to-Read Version
"Son of man, look toward Jerusalem and speak against their holy places. Speak against the land of Israel for me.

George Lamsa Translation
Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem and look at their holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel.

Good News Translation
"Mortal man," he said, "denounce Jerusalem. Denounce the places where people worship. Warn the land of Israel

Lexham English Bible
"Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach to the sanctuaries, and prophesy to the land of Israel.

Literal Translation
Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and drop a word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou sonne of man, set thy face towarde Ierusalem, speake agaynst the Sanctuary, & prophecie agaynst the londe of Israel, saye to the lode of Israel:

American Standard Version
Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

Bible in Basic English
Son of man, let your face be turned to Jerusalem, let your words be dropped in the direction of her holy place, and be a prophet against the land of Israel;

JPS Old Testament (1917)
'Son of man, set thy face toward the South, and preach toward the South, and prophesy against the forest of the field in the South;

King James Version (1611)
Sonne of man, set thy face toward Ierusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophecie against the land of Israel,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou sonne of man, set thy face towarde Hierusalem, and drop [thy worde] towarde the holy places, and prophecie agaynst the lande of Israel.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Therefore prophesy, son of man, set thy face steadfastly toward Jerusalem, and look toward their holy places, and thou shalt prophesy against the land of Israel,

English Revised Version
Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he seide, Thou, sone of man, sette thi face to Jerusalem, and droppe thou to the seyntuaries, and profesie thou ayens the erthe of Israel.

Update Bible Version
Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and drop [your word] toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

Webster's Bible Translation
Son of man, set thy face towards Jerusalem, and drop [thy word] towards the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,

New English Translation
"Son of man, turn toward Jerusalem and speak out against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel

New King James Version
"Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

New Living Translation
"Son of man, turn and face Jerusalem and prophesy against Israel and her sanctuaries.

New Life Bible
"Son of man, look toward Jerusalem and speak against the holy places. Speak against the land of Israel.

New Revised Standard
Mortal, set your face toward Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries; prophesy against the land of Israel

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Son of man Set thy face against Jerusalem, And drop thy word against the holy places And prophesy against the so of Israel.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and let thy speech flow towards the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel:

Revised Standard Version
"Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries; prophesy against the land of Israel

Contextual Overview

¹ And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, ² `Son of man, set thy face unto Jerusalem, and prophesy unto the holy places, and prophesy unto the ground of Israel; ³ and thou hast said unto the ground of Israel: Thus said Jehovah: Lo, I [am] against thee, And have brought out My sword from its scabbard, And have cut off from thee righteous and wicked. ⁴ Because that I have cut off from thee righteous and wicked, Therefore go out doth My sword from its scabbard, Unto all flesh, from south to north. ⁵ And known have all flesh that I, Jehovah, Have brought out My sword from its scabbard, It doth not turn back any more. ⁶ And thou, son of man, sigh with breaking of loins, yea, with bitterness thou dost sigh before their eyes, ⁷ and it hath come to pass, when they say unto thee, For what art thou sighing? that thou hast said: Because of the report, for it is coming, And melted hath every heart, And feeble hath been all hands, And weak is every spirit, And all knees go -- waters, Lo, it is coming, yea, it hath been, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

set: Ezekiel 4:3, Ezekiel 4:7, Ezekiel 20:46, Ezekiel 25:2, Ezekiel 28:21, Ezekiel 29:2, Ezekiel 38:2, Ephesians 6:19

and drop: Deuteronomy 32:2, Amos 7:16, Micah 2:6, Micah 2:11, *marg.

against: Ezekiel 4:7, Ezekiel 6:2, Ezekiel 20:46, Ezekiel 36:1, Jeremiah 26:11, Jeremiah 26:12, Acts 6:13, Acts 6:14

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 14:2 - General 2 Chronicles 8:11 - holy Ezekiel 7:2 - unto Ezekiel 7:24 - their holy places shall be defiled Ezekiel 11:4 - General Ezekiel 13:17 - set thy Ezekiel 35:2 - set

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
and God saith, `Sarah thy wife is certainly bearing a son to thee, and thou hast called his name Isaac, and I have established My covenant with him, for a covenant age-during, to his seed after him.

Genesis 17:21
and My covenant I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah doth bear to thee at this appointed time in the next year;'

Genesis 18:10
and he saith, `returning I return unto thee, about the time of life, and lo, to Sarah thy wife a son.'

Genesis 18:14
And Jehovah saith unto Abraham, `Why [is] this? Sarah hath laughed, saying, Is it true really -- I bear -- and I am aged? Is any thing too wonderful for Jehovah? at the appointed time I return unto thee, about the time of life, and Sarah hath a son.'

Genesis 21:16
And she goeth and sitteth by herself over-against, afar off, about a bow-shot, for she said, `Let me not look on the death of the lad;' and she sitteth over-against, and lifteth up her voice, and weepeth.

Genesis 21:17
And God heareth the voice of the youth; and the messenger of God calleth unto Hagar from the heavens, and saith to her, `What to thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath hearkened unto the voice of the youth where he [is];

Genesis 21:24
And Abraham saith, `I -- I do swear.'

Genesis 21:25
And Abraham reasoned with Abimelech concerning the matter of a well of water which Abimelech's servants have taken violently away,

Luke 1:36
and lo, Elisabeth, thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month to her who was called barren;

Acts 7:8
`And He gave to him a covenant of circumcision, and so he begat Isaac, and did circumcise him on the eighth day, and Isaac [begat] Jacob, and Jacob -- the twelve patriarchs;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem,.... Which shows that this city was meant by "the south", Ezekiel 20:46:

and drop thy word toward the holy places; which also are meant by the south in the passage referred to, even the holy land, holy city, and holy temple; or the temple itself is only meant, with the courts adjoining to it; or as consisting of three parts, as Kimchi, the porch, the temple, and the oracle; or the outward court, the holy place, and the holy of holies; and it may respect all other places for sacred worship, as their synagogues, both in city and country; which were not to be spared any more than the temple, nor were they, Psalms 74:7. Jarchi thinks that the destruction both of the first and second temple is here intended; and which sense Kimchi also mentions.

And prophesy against the land of Israel: by which it appears that this is intended by the "forest of the south field": even the numerous inhabitants of it in general, as well as the city of Jerusalem,

Ezekiel 20:46.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The first word of judgment Ezekiel 21:1-7. Ezekiel speaks first to the people of Israel, shows the universality of the coming destructions, and indicates by a sign (that of sighing) the sadness of the calamity.

The words and order of words are identical with Ezekiel 20:45-46, except that for “south,” there are substituted:

(1) “Jerusalem;”

(2) “the holy place,” i. e., the temple and its various parts;

(3) “the land of Israel.”

No subterfuge is left for the people to pretend misunderstanding.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 21:2. Set thy face toward Jerusalem — This is a continuation of the preceding prophecy; and in this chapter the prophet sets before them, in the plainest language, what the foregoing metaphors meant, so that they could not complain of his parables.