Deuteronomy 32:25

32:25 The sword will make people childless outside,

and terror will do so inside;

they will destroy ¹  both the young man and the virgin,

the infant and the gray-haired man.

Deuteronomy 32:41

32:41 I will sharpen my lightning-like sword,

and my hand will grasp hold of the weapon of judgment; ² 

I will execute vengeance on my foes,

and repay those who hate me! ³ 

Jude 1:14-16

1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam, ⁴  even prophesied of them, ⁵  saying, “Look! The Lord is coming ⁶  with thousands and thousands ⁷  of his holy ones, 1:15 to execute judgment on ⁸  all, and to convict every person ⁹  of all their thoroughly ungodly deeds ¹⁰  that they have committed, ¹¹  and of all the harsh words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” ¹²  1:16 These people are grumblers and ¹³  fault-finders who go ¹⁴  wherever their desires lead them, ¹⁵  and they give bombastic speeches, ¹⁶  enchanting folks ¹⁷  for their own gain. ¹⁸ 

Psalms 78:62-64

78:62 He delivered his people over to the sword,

and was angry with his chosen nation. ¹⁹ 

78:63 Fire consumed their ²⁰  young men,

and their ²¹  virgins remained unmarried. ²² 

78:64 Their ²³  priests fell by the sword,

but their ²⁴  widows did not weep. ²⁵ 

Isaiah 34:5-6

34:5 He says, ²⁶  “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. ²⁷ 

Look, it now descends on Edom, ²⁸ 

on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”

34:6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,

it is covered ²⁹  with fat;

it drips ³⁰  with the blood of young rams and goats

and is covered ³¹  with the fat of rams’ kidneys.

For the Lord is holding a sacrifice ³²  in Bozrah, ³³ 

a bloody ³⁴  slaughter in the land of Edom.

Jeremiah 9:16

9:16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors ³⁵  have known anything about. I will send people chasing after them with swords ³⁶  until I have destroyed them.’” ³⁷ 

Jeremiah 14:12-13

14:12 Even if they fast, I will not hear their cries for help. Even if they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. ³⁸  Instead, I will kill them through wars, famines, and plagues.” ³⁹ 

14:13 Then I said, “Oh, Lord God, ⁴⁰  look! ⁴¹  The prophets are telling them that you said, ⁴²  ‘You will not experience war or suffer famine. ⁴³  I will give you lasting peace and prosperity in this land.’” ⁴⁴ 

Jeremiah 15:2-4

15:2 If they ask you, ‘Where should we go?’ tell them the Lord says this:

“Those who are destined to die of disease will go to death by disease.

Those who are destined to die in war will go to death in war.

Those who are destined to die of starvation will go to death by starvation.

Those who are destined to go into exile will go into exile.” ⁴⁵ 

15:3 “I will punish them in four different ways: I will have war kill them. I will have dogs drag off their dead bodies. I will have birds and wild beasts devour and destroy their corpses. ⁴⁶  15:4 I will make all the people in all the kingdoms of the world horrified at what has happened to them because of what Hezekiah’s son Manasseh, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem.” ⁴⁷ 

Lamentations 2:21

ש (Sin/Shin)

2:21 The young boys and old men

lie dead on the ground in the streets.

My young women ⁴⁸  and my young men

have fallen by the sword.

You killed them when you were angry; ⁴⁹ 

you slaughtered them without mercy. ⁵⁰ 

Ezekiel 5:17

5:17 I will send famine and wild beasts against you and they will take your children from you. ⁵¹  Plague and bloodshed will overwhelm you, ⁵²  and I will bring a sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Ezekiel 6:3

6:3 Say, ‘Mountains of Israel, ⁵³  Hear the word of the sovereign Lord! ⁵⁴  This is what the sovereign Lord says to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: I am bringing ⁵⁵  a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. ⁵⁶ 

Ezekiel 14:17

14:17 “Or suppose I were to bring a sword against that land and say, ‘Let a sword pass through the land,’ and I were to kill both people and animals.

Ezekiel 21:4-17

21:4 Because I will cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will go out from its sheath against everyone ⁵⁷  from the south ⁵⁸  to the north. 21:5 Then everyone will know that I am the Lord, who drew my sword from its sheath – it will not be sheathed again!’

21:6 “And you, son of man, groan with an aching heart ⁵⁹  and bitterness; groan before their eyes. 21:7 When they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you will reply, ‘Because of the report that has come. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand will be limp; everyone ⁶⁰  will faint and every knee will be wet with urine.’ ⁶¹  Pay attention – it is coming and it will happen, declares the sovereign Lord.”

21:8 The word of the Lord came to me: 21:9 “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘A sword, a sword is sharpened,

and also polished.

21:10 It is sharpened for slaughter,

it is polished to flash like lightning!

“‘Should we rejoice in the scepter of my son? No! The sword despises every tree! ⁶² 

21:11 “‘He gave it to be polished,

to be grasped in the hand –

the sword is sharpened, it is polished –

giving it into the hand of the executioner.

21:12 Cry out and moan, son of man,

for it is wielded against my people;

against all the princes of Israel.

They are delivered up to the sword, along with my people.

Therefore, strike your thigh. ⁶³ 

21:13 “‘For testing will come, and what will happen when the scepter, which the sword despises, is no more? ⁶⁴  declares the sovereign Lord.’

21:14 “And you, son of man, prophesy,

and clap your hands together.

Let the sword strike twice, even three times!

It is a sword for slaughter,

a sword for the great slaughter surrounding them.

21:15 So hearts melt with fear and many stumble.

At all their gates I have stationed the sword for slaughter.

Ah! It is made to flash, it is drawn for slaughter!

21:16 Cut sharply on the right!

Swing to ⁶⁵  the left,

wherever your edge ⁶⁶  is appointed to strike.

21:17 I too will clap my hands together,

I will exhaust my rage;

I the Lord have spoken.”

Ezekiel 29:8

29:8 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will kill ⁶⁷  every person and every animal.

Ezekiel 33:2

33:2 “Son of man, speak to your people, ⁶⁸  and say to them, ‘Suppose I bring a sword against the land, and the people of the land take one man from their borders and make him their watchman.

[32:25]  ¹ tn A verb is omitted here in the Hebrew text; for purposes of English style one suitable to the context is supplied.

[32:41]  ² tn Heb “judgment.” This is a metonymy, a figure of speech in which the effect (judgment) is employed as an instrument (sword, spear, or the like), the means, by which it is brought about.

[32:41]  ³ tn The Hebrew term שָׂנֵא (sane’, “hate”) in this covenant context speaks of those who reject Yahweh’s covenant overtures, that is, who disobey its stipulations (see note on the word “rejecting” in Deut 5:9; also see Deut 7:10; 2 Chr 19:2; Ps 81:15; 139:20-21).

[1:14]  ⁴ tn Grk “the seventh from Adam.”

[1:14]  ⁵ tn Grk “against them.” The dative τούτοις (toutois) is a dativus incommodi (dative of disadvantage).

[1:14]  ⁶ tn Grk “has come,” a proleptic aorist.

[1:14]  ⁷ tn Grk “ten thousands.” The word μυριάς (muria"), from which the English myriad is derived, means “ten thousand.” In the plural it means “ten thousands.” This would mean, minimally, 20,000 (a multiple of ten thousand). At the same time, the term was often used in apocalyptic literature to represent simply a rather large number, without any attempt to be specific.

[1:15]  ⁸ tn Grk “against” (κατά [kata] + genitive). English usage is satisfied with “on” at this point, but the parallel is lost in the translation to some degree, for the end of v. 15 says that this judgment is meted out on these sinners because they spoke against him (κατά + genitive).

[1:15]  ⁹ tn Or “soul.”

[1:15]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “of all their works of ungodliness.” The adverb “thoroughly” is part of the following verb “have committed.” See note on verb “committed” later in this verse.

[1:15]  ¹¹ tn The verb in Greek does not simply mean “have committed,” but “have committed in an ungodly way.” The verb ἀσεβέω (asebew) is cognate to the noun ἀσέβεια (asebeia, “ungodliness”). There is no easy way to express this in English, since English does not have a single word that means the same thing. Nevertheless, the tenor of v. 15 is plainly seen, regardless of the translation.

[1:15]  ¹² sn An apparent quotation from 1 En. 1:9. There is some doubt as to whether Jude is actually quoting from the text of 1 Enoch; the text here in Jude differs in some respects from the extant text of this pseudepigraphic book. It is sometimes suggested that Jude may instead have been quoting from oral tradition which had roots older than the written text.

[1:16]  ¹³ tn “And” is not in Greek, but is supplied for the sake of English style.

[1:16]  ¹⁴ tn Or “going.” Though the participle is anarthrous, so also is the subject. Thus, the participle could be either adverbial or adjectival.

[1:16]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “(who go/going) according to their own lusts.”

[1:16]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “and their mouth speaks bombastic things.”

[1:16]  ¹⁷ sn Enchanting folks (Grk “awing faces”) refers to the fact that the speeches of these false teachers are powerful and seductive.

[1:16]  ¹⁸ tn Or “to their own advantage.”

[78:62]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “his inheritance.”

[78:63]  ²⁰ tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:63]  ²¹ tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:63]  ²² tn Heb “were not praised,” that is, in wedding songs. The young men died in masses, leaving no husbands for the young women.

[78:64]  ²³ tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:64]  ²⁴ tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).

[78:64]  ²⁵ sn Because of the invading army and the ensuing panic, the priests’ widows had no time to carry out the normal mourning rites.

[34:5]  ²⁶ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Lord speaks at this point.

[34:5]  ²⁷ tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] my sword is drenched in the heavens.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has תראה (“[my sword] appeared [in the heavens]”), but this is apparently an attempt to make sense out of a difficult metaphor. Cf. NIV “My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens.”

[34:5]  ²⁸ sn Edom is mentioned here as epitomizing the hostile nations that oppose God.

[34:6]  ²⁹ tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.

[34:6]  ³⁰ tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[34:6]  ³¹ tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[34:6]  ³² tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”

[34:6]  ³³ sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.

[34:6]  ³⁴ tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[9:16]  ³⁵ tn Heb “fathers.”

[9:16]  ³⁶ tn Heb “I will send the sword after them.” The sword here is probably not completely literal but refers to death by violent means, including death by the sword.

[9:16]  ³⁷ sn He will destroy them but not completely. See Jer 5:18; 30:11; 46:28.

[14:12]  ³⁸ sn See 6:16-20 for parallels.

[14:12]  ³⁹ tn Heb “through sword, starvation, and plague.”

[14:13]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” The translation follows the ancient Jewish tradition of substituting the Hebrew word for God for the proper name Yahweh.

[14:13]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “Behold.” See the translator’s note on usage of this particle in 1:6.

[14:13]  ⁴² tn The words “that you said” are not in the text but are implicit from the first person in the affirmation that follows. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[14:13]  ⁴³ tn Heb “You will not see sword and you will not have starvation [or hunger].”

[14:13]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “I will give you unfailing peace in this place.” The translation opts for “peace and prosperity” here for the word שָׁלוֹם (shalom) because in the context it refers both to peace from war and security from famine and plague. The word translated “lasting” (אֱמֶת, ’emet) is a difficult to render here because it has broad uses: “truth, reliability, stability, steadfastness,” etc. “Guaranteed” or “lasting” seem to fit the context the best.

[15:2]  ⁴⁵ tn It is difficult to render the rhetorical force of this passage in meaningful English. The text answers the question “Where should we go?” with four brief staccato-like expressions with a play on the preposition “to”: Heb “Who to the death, to the death and who to the sword, to the sword and who to the starvation, to the starvation and who to the captivity, to the captivity.” The word “death” here is commonly understood to be a poetic substitute for “plague” because of the standard trio of sword, famine, and plague (see, e.g., 14:12 and the notes there). This is likely here and in 18:21. For further support see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:440. The nuance “starvation” rather than “famine” has been chosen in the translation because the referents here are all things that accompany war.

[15:3]  ⁴⁶ tn The translation attempts to render in understandable English some rather unusual uses of terms here. The verb translated “punish” is often used that way (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.A.3 and compare usage in Jer 11:22, 13:21). However, here it is accompanied by a direct object and a preposition meaning “over” which is usually used in the sense of appointing someone over someone (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.B.1 and compare usage in Jer 51:27). Moreover the word translated “different ways” normally refers to “families,” “clans,” or “guilds” (cf. BDB 1046-47 s.v. מִשְׁפָּחָה for usage). Hence the four things mentioned are referred to figuratively as officers or agents into whose power the Lord consigns them. The Hebrew text reads: “I will appoint over them four guilds, the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the birds of the skies and the beasts of the earth to devour and to destroy.”

[15:4]  ⁴⁷ tn The length of this sentence runs contrary to the normal policy followed in the translation of breaking up long sentences. However, there does not seem any way to break it up here without losing the connections.

[2:21]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “virgins.” The term “virgin” probably functions as a metonymy of association for single young women.

[2:21]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “in the day of your anger.” The construction בָּיוֹם (bayom, “in the day of…”) is a common Hebrew idiom, meaning “when…” (e.g., Gen 2:4; Lev 7:35; Num 3:1; Deut 4:15; 2 Sam 22:1; Pss 18:1; 138:3; Zech 8:9). This temporal idiom refers to a general time period, but uses the term “day” as a forceful rhetorical device to emphasize the vividness and drama of the event, depicting it as occurring within a single day. In the ancient Near East, military minded kings often referred to a successful campaign as “the day of X” in order to portray themselves as powerful conquerors who, as it were, could inaugurate and complete a victory military campaign within the span of one day.

[2:21]  ⁵⁰ tc The MT reads לֹא חָמָלְתָּ (lo’ khamalta, “You showed no mercy”). However, many medieval Hebrew mss and most of the ancient versions (Aramaic Targum, Syriac Peshitta and Latin Vulgate) read וְלֹא חָמָלְתָּ (vÿlo’ khamalta, “and You showed no mercy”).

[5:17]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “will bereave you.”

[5:17]  ⁵² tn Heb “will pass through you.” This threat recalls the warning of Lev 26:22, 25 and Deut 32:24-25.

[6:3]  ⁵³ tn The phrase “mountains of Israel” occurs only in the book of Ezekiel (6:2, 3; 19:9; 33:28; 34:13, 14; 35:12; 36:1, 4, 8; 37:22; 38:8; 39:2, 4, 17). The expression refers to the whole land of Israel.

[6:3]  ⁵⁴ tn The introductory formula “Hear the word of the sovereign Lord” parallels a pronouncement delivered by the herald of a king (2 Kgs 18:28).

[6:3]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “Look I, I am bringing.” The repetition of the pronoun draws attention to the speaker. The construction also indicates that the action is soon to come; the Lord is “about to bring a sword against” them.

[6:3]  ⁵⁶ tn The Hebrew term refers to elevated platforms where pagan sacrifices were performed.

[21:4]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “all flesh” (also in the following verse).

[21:4]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “Negev.” The Negev is the south country.

[21:6]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “breaking loins.”

[21:7]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “every spirit will be dim.”

[21:7]  ⁶¹ sn This expression depicts in a very vivid way how they will be overcome with fear. See the note on the same phrase in 7:17.

[21:10]  ⁶² tn Heb “Or shall we rejoice, scepter of my son, it despises every tree.” The translation understands the subject of the verb “despises,” which is a feminine form in the Hebrew text, to be the sword (which is a feminine noun) mentioned just before this. Alternatively, the line may be understood as “let us not rejoice, O tribe of my son; it despises every tree.” The same word in Hebrew may be either “rod,” “scepter,” or “tribe.” The word sometimes translated as “or” or taken as an interrogative particle may be a negative particle. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:672, n. 79.

[21:12]  ⁶³ sn This physical action was part of an expression of grief. Cp. Jer. 31:19.

[21:13]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “For testing (will come) and what if also a scepter, it despises, will not be?” The translation understands the subject of the verb “despises,” which is a feminine form in the Hebrew text, to be the sword (which is a feminine noun) mentioned in the previous verses. The text is very difficult and any rendering is uncertain.

[21:16]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “Put to.”

[21:16]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “face.”

[29:8]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “I will cut off from you.”

[33:2]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “sons of your people.”