Ezekiel 5:1
“As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword, use it as a barber’s razor, and shave your head and beard. Then take a set of scales and divide the hair.
2 When the days of the siege have ended, you are to burn up a third of the hair inside the city; you are also to take a third and slash it with the sword all around the city; and you are to scatter a third to the wind. For I will unleash a sword behind them.
3 But you are to take a few strands of hair and secure them in the folds of your garment.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- “As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword, use it as a barber’s razor, and shave your head and beard. Then take a set of scales and divide the hair.
- KJV
- And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.
- WEB
- “You, son of man, take a sharp sword. You shall take it as a barber’s razor to yourself, and shall cause it to pass over your head and over your beard. Then take balances to weigh and divide the hair.
- ASV
- And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp sword; [as] a barber`s razor shalt thou take it unto thee, and shalt cause it to pass upon thy head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.
- DARBY
- And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife; a barber's razor shalt thou take; and cause it to pass upon thy head and upon thy beard: and thou shalt take balances to weigh, and divide the [hair].
- BLB
- [“] And you, son of man, take for yourself a sharp sword; the razor of a barber take it to yourself and pass [it] over your head and over your beard; take for yourself scales of weighing, and you shall divide the hair.
- ÅB
- Og du menneskesønn, ta deg et skarpt sverd! Bruk det som en rakekniv og la det gå over ditt hode og skjegg, og ta deg så en skålvekt og del både hår og skjegg.
- OTB
- «Menneskesønn, ta et skarpt sverd og bruk det som en barberkniv til å barbere hodet og skjegget ditt. Ta deretter vektskåler og del håret.
- B1930
- Og du menneskesønn, ta dig et skarpt sverd! Bruk det som en rakekniv og la det gå over ditt hode og skjegg, og ta dig så en skålvekt og del både hår og skjegg.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Isaiah 7:20
On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates —the king of Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your beard as well.
Read in contextLeviticus 21:5
Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies.
Read in contextEzekiel 44:20
They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but must carefully trim their hair.
Read in contextDaniel 5:27
TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.
Read in context