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Selected Verse: Ezekiel 9:4 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Eze 9:4	Strong Concordance	And the LORD [03068] said [0559] unto him, Go through [05674] the midst [08432] of the city [05892], through the midst [08432] of Jerusalem [03389], and set [08427] a mark [08420] upon the foreheads [04696] of the men [0582] that sigh [0584] and that cry [0602] for all the abominations [08441] that be done [06213] in the midst [08432] thereof.
	King James	And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
midst of . . . city . . . midst of Jerusalem--This twofold designation marks more emphatically the scene of the divine judgments. a mark--literally, the Hebrew letter Tau, the last in the alphabet, used as a mark ("my sign," Job 31:35, Margin); literally, Tau; originally written in the form of a cross, which TERTULLIAN explains as referring to the badge and only means of salvation, the cross of Christ. But nowhere in Scripture are the words which are now employed as names of letters used to denote the letters themselves or their figures [VITRINGA]. The noun here is cognate to the verb, "mark a mark." So in Rev 7:3 no particular mark is specified. We seal what we wish to guard securely. When all things else on earth are confounded, God will secure His people from the common ruin. God gives the first charge as to their safety before He orders the punishment of the rest (Psa 31:20; Isa 26:20-21). So in the case of Lot and Sodom (Gen 19:22); also the Egyptian first-born were not slain till Israel had time to sprinkle the blood-mark, ensuring their safety (compare Rev 7:3; Amo 9:9). So the early Christians had Pella provided as a refuge for them, before the destruction of Jerusalem. upon the foreheads--the most conspicuous part of the person, to imply how their safety would be manifested to all (compare Jer 15:11; Jer 39:11-18). It was customary thus to mark worshippers (Rev 13:16; Rev 14:1, Rev 14:9) and servants. So the Church of England marks the forehead with the sign of the cross in baptizing. At the exodus the mark was on the houses, for then it was families; here, it is on the foreheads, for it is individuals whose safety is guaranteed. sigh and . . . cry--similarly sounding verbs in Hebrew, as in English Version, expressing the prolonged sound of their grief. "Sigh" implies their inward grief ("groanings which cannot be uttered," Rom 8:26); "cry," the outward expression of it. So Lot (Pe2 2:7-8). Tenderness should characterize the man of God, not harsh sternness in opposing the ungodly (Psa 119:53, Psa 119:136; Jer 13:17; Co2 12:21); at the same time zeal for the honor of God (Psa 69:9-10; Jo1 5:19).

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

midst of . . . city . . . midst of Jerusalem--This twofold designation marks more emphatically the scene of the divine judgments.

a mark--literally, the Hebrew letter Tau, the last in the alphabet, used as a mark ("my sign," Job 31:35, Margin); literally, Tau; originally written in the form of a cross, which TERTULLIAN explains as referring to the badge and only means of salvation, the cross of Christ. But nowhere in Scripture are the words which are now employed as names of letters used to denote the letters themselves or their figures [VITRINGA]. The noun here is cognate to the verb, "mark a mark." So in Rev 7:3 no particular mark is specified. We seal what we wish to guard securely. When all things else on earth are confounded, God will secure His people from the common ruin. God gives the first charge as to their safety before He orders the punishment of the rest (Psa 31:20; Isa 26:20-21). So in the case of Lot and Sodom (Gen 19:22); also the Egyptian first-born were not slain till Israel had time to sprinkle the blood-mark, ensuring their safety (compare Rev 7:3; Amo 9:9). So the early Christians had Pella provided as a refuge for them, before the destruction of Jerusalem.

upon the foreheads--the most conspicuous part of the person, to imply how their safety would be manifested to all (compare Jer 15:11; Jer 39:11-18). It was customary thus to mark worshippers (Rev 13:16; Rev 14:1, Rev 14:9) and servants. So the Church of England marks the forehead with the sign of the cross in baptizing. At the exodus the mark was on the houses, for then it was families; here, it is on the foreheads, for it is individuals whose safety is guaranteed.

sigh and . . . cry--similarly sounding verbs in Hebrew, as in English Version, expressing the prolonged sound of their grief. "Sigh" implies their inward grief ("groanings which cannot be uttered," Rom 8:26); "cry," the outward expression of it. So Lot (Pe2 2:7-8). Tenderness should characterize the man of God, not harsh sternness in opposing the ungodly (Psa 119:53, Psa 119:136; Jer 13:17; Co2 12:21); at the same time zeal for the honor of God (Psa 69:9-10; Jo1 5:19).

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
mercy precedes judgment. So in the case of Sodom Gen. 19, and in the last day Luk 21:18, Luk 21:28; Rev 7:1. This accords with the eschatological character of the predictions in this chapter (see the introduction of Ezekiel). A mark - literally, "Tau," the name of the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The old form of the letter was that of a cross. The Jews have interpreted this sign variously, some considering that "Tau," being the last of the Hebrew letters, and so closing the alphabet, denoted completeness, and thus the mark indicated the completeness of the sorrow for sin in those upon whom it was placed. Others again observed that "Tau" was the first letter of Torah ("the Law") and that the foreheads were marked as of men obedient to the Law. Christians, noting the resemblance of this letter in its most ancient form to a cross, have seen herein a reference to the cross with which Christians were signed. The custom for pagan gods and their votaries to bear certain marks furnishes instances, in which God was pleased to employ symbolism, generally in use, to express higher and more divine truth. The sign of the cross in baptism is an outward sign of the designation of God's elect, who at the last day shall be exempted from the destruction of the ungodly Mat 24:22, Mat 24:31.

The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917]
set a mark (See Scofield) - (Jer 15:21).

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
The Divine Command Eze 9:4. And Jehovah said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and mark a cross upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which take place in their midst. Eze 9:5. And to those he said in my ears: Go through the city behind him, and smite. Let not your eye look compassionately, and do not spare. Eze 9:6. Old men, young men, and maidens, and children, and women, slay to destruction: but ye shall not touch any one who has the cross upon him; and begin at my sanctuary. And they began with the old men, who were before the house. Eze 9:7. And He said to them, defile the house, and fill the courts with slain; go ye out. And they went out, and smote in the city. - God commands the man provided with the writing materials to mark on the forehead with a cross all the persons in Jerusalem who mourn over the abominations of the nation, in order that they may be spared in the time of the judgment. תּו, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, had the form of a cross in the earlier writing. התוה תּו, to mark a ת, is therefore the same as to make a mark in the form of a cross; although there was at first no other purpose in this sign than to enable the servants employed in inflicting the judgment of God to distinguish those who were so marked, so that they might do them no harm. Eze 9:6. And this was the reason why the תּו was to be marked upon the forehead, the most visible portion of the body; the early Christians, according to a statement in Origen, looked upon the sign itself as significant, and saw therein a prophetic allusion to the sign of the cross as the distinctive mark of Christians. A direct prophecy of the cross of Christ is certainly not to be found here, since the form of the letter Tâv was the one generally adopted as a sign, and, according to Job 31:35, might supply the place of a signature. Nevertheless, as Schmieder has correctly observed, there is something remarkable in this coincidence to the thoughtful observer of the ways of God, whose counsel has carefully considered all before hand, especially when we bear in mind that in the counterpart to this passage (Rev 7:3) the seal of the living God is stamped upon the foreheads of the servants of God, who are to be exempted from the judgment, and that according to Rev 14:1 they had the name of God written upon their foreheads. So much, at any rate, is perfectly obvious from this, namely, that the sign was not arbitrarily chosen, but was inwardly connected with the fact which it indicated; just as in the event upon which our vision is based (Exo 12:13, Exo 12:22.) the distinctive mark placed upon the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, in order that the destroying angel might pass them by, namely, the smearing of the doorposts with the blood of the paschal lamb that had been slain, was selected on account of its significance and its corresponding to the thing signified. The execution of this command is passed over as being self-evident; and it is not till Eze 9:11 that it is even indirectly referred to again. In Eze 9:5, Eze 9:6 there follows, first of all, the command given to the other six men. They are to go through the city, behind the man clothed in white linen, and to smite without mercy all the inhabitants of whatever age or sex, with this exception, that they are not to touch those who are marked with the cross. The על for אל before תּחוס is either a slip of the pen, or, as the continued transmission of so striking an error is very improbable, is to be accounted for from the change of א into ע, which is so common in Aramaean. The Chetib עיניכם is the unusual form grammatically considered, and the singular, which is more correct, has been substituted as Keri. תּהרגוּ is followed by למשׁחית, to increase the force of the words and show the impossibility of any life being saved. They are to make a commencement at the sanctuary, because it has been desecrated by the worship of idols, and therefore has ceased to be the house of the Lord. To this command the execution is immediately appended; they began with the old men who were before the house, i.e., they began to slay them. האנשׁים הזּקנים are neither the twenty-five priests (Eze 8:16) nor the seventy elders (Eze 8:11). The latter were not לפני הבּית, but in a chamber by the outer temple gate; whereas לפני הבּית, in front of the temple house, points to the inner court. This locality makes it natural to think of priests, and consequently the lxx rendered ממּקדּשּׁי by ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων μου. But the expression אנשׁים זקנים is an unsuitable one for the priests. We have therefore no doubt to think of men advanced in years, who had come into the court possibly to offer sacrifice, and thereby had become liable to the judgment. In Eze 9:7 the command, which was interrupted in Eze 9:6, is once more resumed. They are to defile the house, i.e., the temple, namely, by filling the courts with slain. It is in this way that we are to connect together, so far as the sense is concerned, the two clauses, "defile...and fill." This is required by the facts of the case. For those slain "before the house" could only have been slain in the courts, as there was no space between the temple house and the courts in which men could have been found and slain. But לפני cannot be understood as signifying "in the neighbourhood of the temple," as Kliefoth supposes, for the simple reason that the progressive order of events would thereby be completely destroyed. The angels who were standing before the altar of burnt-offering could not begin their work by going out of the court to smite the sinners who happened to be in the neighbourhood of the temple, and then returning to the court to do the same there, and then again going out into the city to finish their work there. They could only begin by slaying the sinners who happened to be in the courts, and after having defiled the temple by their corpses, by going out into the city to slay all the ungodly there, as is related in the second clause of the verse (Eze 9:7).

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
That sigh - Out of grief for other mens sins and sorrows. Cry - Who dare openly bewail the abominations of this wicked city, and so bear their testimony against it.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh - This is in allusion to the ancient every-where-used custom of setting marks on servants and slaves, to distinguish them from others. It was also common for the worshippers of particular idols to have their idol's mark upon their foreheads, arms, etc. These are called sectarian marks to the present day among the Hindoos and others in India. Hence by this mark we can easily know who is a follower of Vishnoo, who of Siva, who of Bramah, etc. The original words, והתוית תו vehithvitha tau, have been translated by the Vulgate, et signa thau, "and mark thou tau on the foreheads," etc. St. Jerome and many others have thought that the letter tau was that which was ordered to be placed on the foreheads of those mourners; and Jerome says, that this Hebrew letter ת tau was formerly written like a cross. So then the people were to be signed with the sign of the cross! It is certain that on the ancient Samaritan coins, which are yet extant, the letter ת tau is in the form +, which is what we term St. Andrew's cross. The sense derived from this by many commentators is, that God, having ordered those penitents to be marked with this figure, which is the sign of the cross, intimated that there is no redemption nor saving of life but by the cross of Christ, and that this will avail none but the real penitent. All this is true in itself, but it is not true in respect to this place. The Hebrew words signify literally, thou shalt make a mark, or sign a sign, but give no intimation what that mark or sign was. It was intended here to be what the sprinkling of the blood of the paschal lamb on the lintels and door-posts of the Israelites was, namely, a notice to the destroying angel what house he should spare. As the whole of this matter only passed in vision we are bound to neither letter, nor any other kind of figure. The symbolical action teaches us that God, in general judgments, will make a distinction between the innocent and the guilty, between the penitent and the hardened sinner.

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¹⁹ And we know [1492] that [3754] we are [2070] of [1537] God [2316], and [2532] the whole [3650] world [2889] lieth [2749] in [1722] wickedness [4190].

⁹ For the zeal [07068] of thine house [01004] hath eaten me up [0398]; and the reproaches [02781] of them that reproached [02778] thee are fallen [05307] upon me.
¹⁰ When I wept [01058], and chastened my soul [05315] with fasting [06685], that was to my reproach [02781].

²¹ And lest [3361], when I come [2064] again [3825], my [3450] God [2316] will humble [5013] me [3165] among [4314] you [5209], and [2532] that I shall bewail [3996] many [4183] which [3588] have sinned already [4258], and [2532] have [3340] not [3361] repented [3340] of [1909] the uncleanness [167] and [2532] fornication [4202] and [2532] lasciviousness [766] which [3739] they have committed [4238].

¹⁷ But if ye will not hear [08085] it, my soul [05315] shall weep [01058] in secret places [04565] for [06440] your pride [01466]; and mine eye [05869] shall weep [01830] sore [01830], and run down [03381] with tears [01832], because the LORD'S [03068] flock [05739] is carried away captive [07617].

¹³⁶ Rivers [06388] of waters [04325] run down [03381] mine eyes [05869], because they keep [08104] not thy law [08451].

⁵³ Horror [02152] hath taken hold [0270] upon me because of the wicked [07563] that forsake [05800] thy law [08451].

⁷ And [2532] delivered [4506] just [1342] Lot [3091], vexed [2669] with [5259] the filthy [766] conversation [391] of [1722] the wicked [113]:
⁸ (For [1063] that righteous man [1342] dwelling [1460] among [1722] them [846], in seeing [990] and [2532] hearing [189], vexed [928] his righteous [1342] soul [5590] from day [2250] to [1537] day [2250] with their unlawful [459] deeds [2041];)

²⁶ [1161] Likewise [5615] the Spirit [4151] also [2532] helpeth [4878] our [2257] infirmities [769]: for [1063] we know [1492] not [3756] what [5101] we should pray for [4336] as [2526] we ought [1163]: but [235] the Spirit [4151] itself [846] maketh intercession [5241] for [5228] us [2257] with groanings [4726] which cannot be uttered [215].

⁹ And [2532] the third [5154] angel [32] followed [190] them [846], saying [3004] with [1722] a loud [3173] voice [5456], If any man [1536] worship [4352] the beast [2342] and [2532] his [846] image [1504], and [2532] receive [2983] his mark [5480] in [1909] his [846] forehead [3359], or [2228] in [1909] his [846] hand [5495],

¹ And [2532] I looked [1492], and [2532], lo [2400], a Lamb [721] stood [2476] on [1909] the mount [3735] Sion [4622], and [2532] with [3326] him [846] an hundred [1540] forty [5062] and four [5064] thousand [5505], having [2192] his [846] Father's [3962] name [3686] written [1125] in [1909] their [846] foreheads [3359].

¹⁶ And [2532] he causeth [4160] all [3956], both small [3398] and [2532] great [3173], [2532] rich [4145] and [2532] poor [4434], [2532] free [1658] and [2532] bond [1401], to [2443] [846] receive [1325] a mark [5480] in [1909] their [846] right hand [1188] [5495], or [2228] in [1909] their [846] foreheads [3359]:

¹¹ Now Nebuchadrezzar [05019] king [04428] of Babylon [0894] gave charge [06680] concerning Jeremiah [03414] to [03027] Nebuzaradan [05018] the captain [07227] of the guard [02876], saying [0559],
¹² Take [03947] him, and look well [05869] [07760] to him, and do [06213] him no harm [03972] [07451]; but do [06213] unto him even as he shall say [01696] unto thee.
¹³ So Nebuzaradan [05018] the captain [07227] of the guard [02876] sent [07971], and Nebushasban [05021], Rabsaris [07249], and Nergalsharezer [05371], Rabmag [07248], and all the king [04428] of Babylon's [0894] princes [07227];
¹⁴ Even they sent [07971], and took [03947] Jeremiah [03414] out of the court [02691] of the prison [04307], and committed [05414] him unto Gedaliah [01436] the son [01121] of Ahikam [0296] the son [01121] of Shaphan [08227], that he should carry [03318] him home [01004]: so he dwelt [03427] among [08432] the people [05971].
¹⁵ Now the word [01697] of the LORD [03068] came unto Jeremiah [03414], while he was shut up [06113] in the court [02691] of the prison [04307], saying [0559],
¹⁶ Go [01980] and speak [0559] to Ebedmelech [05663] the Ethiopian [03569], saying [0559], Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635], the God [0430] of Israel [03478]; Behold, I will bring [0935] my words [01697] upon this city [05892] for evil [07451], and not for good [02896]; and they shall be accomplished in that day [03117] before [06440] thee.
¹⁷ But I will deliver [05337] thee in that day [03117], saith [05002] the LORD [03068]: and thou shalt not be given [05414] into the hand [03027] of the men [0582] of whom [06440] thou art afraid [03016].
¹⁸ For I will surely [04422] deliver [04422] thee, and thou shalt not fall [05307] by the sword [02719], but thy life [05315] shall be for a prey [07998] unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust [0982] in me, saith [05002] the LORD [03068].

¹¹ The LORD [03068] said [0559], Verily [03808] [0518] it shall be well [02896] with thy remnant [08281] [08293]; verily [0518] I will cause the enemy [0341] to entreat [06293] thee well in the time [06256] of evil [07451] and in the time [06256] of affliction [06869].

⁹ For, lo, I will command [06680], and I will sift [05128] the house [01004] of Israel [03478] among all nations [01471], like as corn is sifted [05128] in a sieve [03531], yet shall not the least grain [06872] fall [05307] upon the earth [0776].

³ Saying [3004], Hurt [91] not [3361] the earth [1093], neither [3383] the sea [2281], nor [3383] the trees [1186], till [891] [3739] we have sealed [4972] [4972] the servants [1401] of our [2257] God [2316] in [1909] their [846] foreheads [3359].

²² Haste [04116] thee, escape [04422] thither; for I cannot [03201] do [06213] any thing [01697] till thou be come [0935] thither. Therefore the name [08034] of the city [05892] was called [07121] Zoar [06820].

²⁰ Come [03212], my people [05971], enter [0935] thou into thy chambers [02315], and shut [05462] thy doors [01817] about thee: hide [02247] thyself as it were for a little [04592] moment [07281], until the indignation [02195] be overpast [05674].
²¹ For, behold, the LORD [03068] cometh out [03318] of his place [04725] to punish [06485] the inhabitants [03427] of the earth [0776] for their iniquity [05771]: the earth [0776] also shall disclose [01540] her blood [01818], and shall no more cover [03680] her slain [02026].

²⁰ Thou shalt hide [05641] them in the secret [05643] of thy presence [06440] from the pride [07407] of man [0376]: thou shalt keep them secretly [06845] in a pavilion [05521] from the strife [07379] of tongues [03956].

³⁵ Oh that [05414] one would hear [08085] me! behold, my desire [08420] is, that the Almighty [07706] would answer [06030] me, and that mine adversary [0376] [07379] had written [03789] a book [05612].

³¹ And [2532] he shall send [649] his [846] angels [32] with [3326] a great [3173] sound [5456] of a trumpet [4536], and [2532] they shall gather together [1996] his [846] elect [1588] from [1537] the four [5064] winds [417], from [575] one end [206] of heaven [3772] to [2193] the other [206] [846].

²² And [2532] except [1508] those [1565] days [2250] should be shortened [2856], there [3756] should [302] no [3956] flesh [4561] be saved [4982]: but [1161] for [1223] the elect's sake [1588] those [1565] days [2250] shall be shortened [2856].

¹ And [2532] after [3326] these things [5023] I saw [1492] four [5064] angels [32] standing [2476] on [1909] the four [5064] corners [1137] of the earth [1093], holding [2902] the four [5064] winds [417] of the earth [1093], that [3363] the wind [417] should [4154] not [3363] blow [4154] on [1909] the earth [1093], nor [3383] on [1909] the sea [2281], nor [3383] on [1909] any [3956] tree [1186].

²⁸ And [1161] when these things [5130] begin [756] to come to pass [1096], then look up [352], and [2532] lift up [1869] your [5216] heads [2776]; for [1360] your [5216] redemption [629] draweth nigh [1448].

¹⁸ But [2532] there shall not [3364] an hair [2359] of [1537] your [5216] head [2776] perish [622].

²¹ And I will deliver [05337] thee out of the hand [03027] of the wicked [07451], and I will redeem [06299] thee out of the hand [03709] of the terrible [06184].

⁷ And he said [0559] unto them, Defile [02930] the house [01004], and fill [04390] the courts [02691] with the slain [02491]: go ye forth [03318]. And they went forth [03318], and slew [05221] in the city [05892].

⁶ Slay [02026] utterly [04889] old [02205] and young [0970], both maids [01330], and little children [02945], and women [0802]: but come not near [05066] any man [0376] upon whom is the mark [08420]; and begin [02490] at my sanctuary [04720]. Then they began [02490] at the ancient [02205] men [0582] which were before [06440] the house [01004].

¹¹ And there stood [05975] before [06440] them seventy [07657] men [0376] of the ancients [02205] of the house [01004] of Israel [03478], and in the midst [08432] of them stood [05975] Jaazaniah [02970] the son [01121] of Shaphan [08227], with every man [0376] his censer [04730] in his hand [03027]; and a thick [06282] cloud [06051] of incense [07004] went up [05927].

¹⁶ And he brought [0935] me into the inner [06442] court [02691] of the LORD'S [03068] house [01004], and, behold, at the door [06607] of the temple [01964] of the LORD [03068], between the porch [0197] and the altar [04196], were about five [02568] and twenty [06242] men [0376], with their backs [0268] toward the temple [01964] of the LORD [03068], and their faces [06440] toward the east [06924]; and they worshipped [07812] the sun [08121] toward the east [06924].

⁵ And to the others [0428] he said [0559] in mine hearing [0241], Go [05674] ye after [0310] him through the city [05892], and smite [05221]: let not your eye [05869] spare [02347], neither have ye pity [02550]:

¹¹ And, behold, the man [0376] clothed [03847] with linen [0906], which had the inkhorn [07083] by his side [04975], reported [07725] the matter [01697], saying [0559], I have done [06213] as thou hast commanded [06680] me.

²² And ye shall take [03947] a bunch [092] of hyssop [0231], and dip [02881] it in the blood [01818] that is in the bason [05592], and strike [05060] the lintel [04947] and the two [08147] side posts [04201] with the blood [01818] that is in the bason [05592]; and none [0376] of you shall go out [03318] at the door [06607] of his house [01004] until the morning [01242].

¹³ And the blood [01818] shall be to you for a token [0226] upon the houses [01004] where ye are: and when I see [07200] the blood [01818], I will pass [06452] over you, and the plague [05063] shall not be upon you to destroy [04889] you, when I smite [05221] the land [0776] of Egypt [04714].

⁴ And the LORD [03068] said [0559] unto him, Go through [05674] the midst [08432] of the city [05892], through the midst [08432] of Jerusalem [03389], and set [08427] a mark [08420] upon the foreheads [04696] of the men [0582] that sigh [0584] and that cry [0602] for all the abominations [08441] that be done [06213] in the midst [08432] thereof.