Reference

Ezekiel 20:47

Destruction / Perishing Language Literal Fulfillment Fire Imagery Prophetic Methods of Communication

“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.”

Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;

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.

And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.

Then said I, Ah Lord God! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Destruction / Perishing Language

Keyword Match

80% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Literal Fulfillment

Keyword Match

80% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Fire Imagery

Keyword Match

100% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Prophetic Methods of Communication

Keyword Match

90% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Destruction / Perishing Language

While the verse doesn't explicitly use the word "wicked," the broader context of Ezekiel's prophecies consistently links divine judgment and destruction with the unfaithfulness and sin of Israel, implying that the "forest" represents the people facing judgment.

Literal Fulfillment

While the language is concrete, the "forest of the south" and the "fire" could be interpreted metaphorically as a judgment upon a people or nation, rather than a literal conflagration of trees.

Fire Imagery

This verse explicitly mentions "fire," "kindle a fire," "flaming flame," and "burned," all in the context of a destructive judgment, directly aligning with the theme's definition.

Prophetic Methods of Communication

The verse describes the content of a prophetic message, not the method by which Ezekiel received it. The phrase "say to the forest" indicates the prophet's action of delivering the message, not God's action of communicating it to him.

Destruction / Perishing Language

Related Verses

Ezekiel 15:6

“Therefore thus saith the Lord God; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”

Ezekiel 15:7

“And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them.”

Ezekiel 5:4

“Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.”

Ezekiel 23:47

“And the company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire.”

Ezekiel 21:4

“Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:”

Thematic Connections

Destruction / Perishing Language Literal Fulfillment Fire Imagery Prophetic Methods of Communication

Private Study Note

Add your own reflections or cross-references for this verse.