Ezekiel 20:47
And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
Study Note
Study Note
'And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree' — the allegory of the forest-fire (verses 46–48) initiates Ezekiel's sword-oracle sequence in chapter 21, using natural disaster as a vehicle for announcing the Babylonian invasion of Judah. The audience's complaint (verse 49: 'he speaks in parables') prompted God to replace the forest-fire allegory with the explicit 'sword of the Lord' oracle in chapter 21, illustrating how prophetic figures-of-speech function as mediating devices whose obscurity reflects the hearer's spiritual resistance as much as the prophet's obliqueness.
Other Translations
and say to the forest of the South, Hear the word of Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burnt thereby.
and thou hast said to the forest of the south: Hear a word of Jehovah: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am kindling in thee a fire, And it hath devoured in thee every moist tree, and every dry tree, Not quenched is the glowing flames, And burnt by it have been all faces from south to north.
And say to the woodland of the South, Give ear to the words of the Lord: this is what the Lord has said: See, I will have a fire lighted in you, for the destruction of every green tree in you and every dry tree: the flaming flame will not be put out, and all faces from the south to the north will be burned by it.
Cross References
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And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a …
Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel …
For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of …
But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the Lord: and I will kindle a …
Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted …