Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Ezekiel 21:7 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 7. 7And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The prophetic word through Ezekiel carries the next action, claim, image, or measurement through “And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the…” at Ezekiel 21:7 as part of “The Unsheathed Sword Targets Jerusalem.”
Set thy face toward Jerusalem
This verse is one part of that explanation in Ezekiel 21:1–7. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Ezekiel 21:1–7
Read Ezekiel 21:7 with 21:1–7. By itself, “And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, date, exilic horizon, visionary movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: The south-fire image becomes a sword against Jerusalem, holy places, righteous and wicked alike; Ezekiel sighs visibly as news melts courage.
Why This Verse Appears Here
This received unit develops “The Unsheathed Sword Targets Jerusalem” through its own speaker, addressee, date, vision, oracle, sign, lament, or measured space. Its non-interchangeable contribution is: The south-fire image becomes a sword against Jerusalem, holy places, righteous and wicked alike; Ezekiel sighs visibly as news melts courage. This verse's placement is specific: The prophetic word through Ezekiel carries the next action, claim, image, or measurement through “And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the…” at Ezekiel 21:7 as part of “The Unsheathed Sword Targets Jerusalem.”
What Remains True
Worship, public violence, economic exploitation, leadership, and treatment of vulnerable people cannot be separated from moral accountability. In Ezekiel 21:7, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The prophetic word through Ezekiel carries the next action, claim, image, or measurement through “And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the…” at Ezekiel 21:7 as part of “The Unsheathed Sword Targets Jerusalem.”
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Ezekiel 21:1–7 — The Unsheathed Sword Targets JerusalemSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Ezekiel 21:1–7, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Ezekiel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a critical apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ezek.xml, OSIS 21:1–7
Open the fixed Hebrew Ezekiel file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Ezekiel
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF
Supports: Verse-level controls for difficult Hebrew, syntax, older KJV language, dates, place names, textual issues, vision language, and material alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Ezekiel PDF, exact translator, study, and textual notes attached to Ezekiel 21:1–7
Open the official NET Ezekiel PDF ↗