Ezekiel 21:6 · Bible study
Ezekiel 21:6 Commentary: The Sigh of Judgment
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does God command Ezekiel to sigh bitterly? This study explores the prophetic sign-act that visualizes coming judgment and its meaning for faith.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God commands the prophet to perform a public sigh of bitter grief as a sign-act that foreshadows the people’s own coming anguish.
- Key words: “Sigh” (commanded public lament), “breaking of loins/broken heart” (loss of strength, like childbirth or prostration), “bitterness” (intense sorrow).
- Main debate: Whether the sigh is primarily symbolic or also reflects the prophet’s genuine emotional breakdown; the consensus is both, a commanded sign that the prophet authenticates.
- Theological theme: The prophet as a walking parable, the messenger embodies the message, and grief over judgment reveals God’s own heart.
- Best use: Teaching on prophetic signs, the cost of delivering hard truth, and the role of emotion in faithful ministry.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But you, son of man, groan! Groan before their eyes with a broken heart and bitter grief.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“Therefore sigh, you son of man. You shall sigh before their eyes with a broken heart and with bitterness.
KJV King James Version 1769
Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Sigh therefore, thou son of man; with the breaking of thy loins and with bitterness shalt thou sigh before their eyes.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And thou, son of man, sigh with breaking of loins, yea, with bitterness thou dost sigh before their eyes,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Sigh then, thou son of man; with breaking of the loins, and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And thou, son of man, mourn with the breaking of thy loins, and with bitterness sigh before them.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y tú, hijo del hombre, gime con quebrantamiento de lomos, y con amargura; gime delante de los ojos de ellos.
Porém tu, filho do homem, suspira com quebrantamento de lombos, e com amargura; suspira diante dos olhos deles.
Et la parole de l’ Éternel me fut adressée, en ces mots:
Und du, Menschenkind, sollst seufzen, bis dir die Lenden weh tun, ja, bitterlich sollst du seufzen, daß sie es sehen.
Maar gij, mensenkind, zucht; zucht voor hun ogen met verbreking der lenden en met bitterheid.
(H21-11) E tu, figliuol d’uomo, gemi! Coi lombi rotti e con dolore amaro, gemi dinanzi agli occhi loro.
A ty, synu człowieczy! wzdychaj, jakobyś miał biodro złamane, a w gorzkości wzdychaj przed oczyma ich.
Ты же, сын человеческий, стенай, сокрушая бедра твои, и в горести стенай перед глазами их.
人 子啊，你 要歎息，在他們眼前 彎著 腰，苦苦地 歎息。
Make sounds of grief, son of man; with body bent and a bitter heart make sounds of grief before their eyes.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse commands a sign-act, a public, physical demonstration of the coming judgment. The prophet is to sigh with such visible, wrenching grief that the people stop and ask its meaning (Barnes, Cambridge). The phrase “breaking of thy loins” (or “broken heart” in some translations) points to the prostration of strength; the loins are the seat of physical power, and their breaking signals utter collapse (Barnes, Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown). Multiple commentators compare the gesture to a woman in labor, grasping the waist, heaving with pain (Clarke, Wesley, JFB). The sighing “with bitterness” intensifies the message: it is not a quiet sigh but a loud, bitter lament that mirrors the anguish soon to overwhelm the people (Gill). The public nature of the act provokes the question of verse 7, allowing the prophet to explain that the sigh foreshadows the news of Jerusalem’s fall (Cambridge, Gill). No commentator sees the sigh as an optional emotion; it is a commanded, purposeful sign that embodies the weight of the oracle.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God commands the prophet to perform a public sign of grief, which serves as an acted prophecy of the coming judgment on Jerusalem.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Symbolism of the sigh | All commentators see the sigh as a deliberate prophetic sign to visualize the coming judgment, not an optional emotional outburst. | Some (Gill, Barnes) emphasize that the sigh is a commanded act, while others (Cambridge, Clarke) highlight the prophet’s genuine anguish as part of the sign. All agree the sign is both real and symbolic. |
| Imagery of 'breaking of loins' | All understand it as a depiction of total physical collapse, the loss of strength that leaves a person helpless. | Clarke, Wesley, and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown specifically compare it to a woman in labor. Barnes and Cambridge keep it as a general symbol of prostration. The difference is one of emphasis, not substance. |
| Righteous and wicked cut off together (v.3-4) | The passage clearly states that both righteous and wicked will fall in the coming judgment, this is a historical fact of war. | Keil and Delitzsch argue this describes only the ‘outer side’ of judgment, not a denial of God’s ultimate distinction between the two (cf. Ezekiel 9). Others (Matthew Henry, Poole) wrestle with how God’s justice allows righteous suffering in this way. The traditions agree that God’s final preservation of the righteous is not contradicted, but how the historical and final judgments relate is nuanced. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Ezekiel prophesied from Babylon among the exiles taken in 597 BC, while Jerusalem still stood, a city under threat but not yet destroyed. The surrounding passage (Ezekiel 21:2, 5) delivers an oracle of the Lord’s sword drawn against Jerusalem, a judgment that would cut off even the righteous. The prophet’s sigh is an acted prophecy, a genre Ezekiel uses repeatedly (chapters 4, 12, 24). Such signs made the message inescapable: the people could dismiss words, but they could not ignore a grieving prophet in their midst.
The Hebrew idiom “breaking of the loins” (rendered “broken heart” in the WEB) pictures the body’s center of strength shattered, like a man doubled over in excruciating pain, or a woman in childbirth. In the ancient Near East, public displays of grief were culturally understood: mourning women were hired for funerals (Jeremiah 9:17), and prophets sometimes took on the posture of mourners to signal disaster. Ezekiel’s sigh, however, was no funeral for the dead but a preview of the living’s coming agony. Verse 7 supplies the explanation: the sigh responds to “the news” of a coming catastrophe that will melt every heart and turn knees to water. The sigh is therefore a diagnostic sign, it lets the people see their own future reaction before it happens. By embodying their coming terror, the prophet gives them a chance to ask why and to hear the warning while there is still time to repent, though the judgment itself is irreversible.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Ezekiel 21:6. The main translation difference lies in rendering the Hebrew idiom: “breaking of thy loins” (as in KJV, ASV, Darby, YLT) versus “broken heart” (as in WEB, BSB). The idiom points to the loss of physical strength (the loins as center of power) rather than emotional heartbreak per se, but translators vary in their choice of equivalent. This difference does not affect the core meaning of the sign-act.
Reception History
From the Reformation onward, this verse has been cited to illustrate the cost of prophetic ministry. The Geneva Bible notes connect the “breaking of loins” to pain in the reins (kidneys), an ancient understanding of deep emotional-physical distress. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century commentators (Clarke, Barnes, Gill) consistently used it as a model for ministers who must feel the weight of their message. In broader Christian tradition, the verse has been read typologically: as the prophet sighed over Jerusalem, so Christ wept over the city (Luke 19:41). It has also appeared in sermons on national lament, calling congregations to mirror the prophet’s grief over sin and judgment. Contemporary homiletics often draws on the sign-act as an example of embodied preaching.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The prophet’s grief is a command, not a choice. God does not ask Ezekiel to feel sad; he instructs him to display the sorrow publicly. The emotion is authentic but also crafted as a sign.
- The sigh shows the depth of the coming calamity. “Breaking of loins” and “bitterness” communicate the total loss of strength and joy that the people will experience when judgment falls.
- The sign opens a door for explanation. The people’s natural question, “Why do you sigh?”, gives Ezekiel the entry point to deliver the oracle (v. 7). Grief, when visible, invites inquiry.
Five-point outline
- Public embodiment of the message. The prophet’s body becomes a billboard. His sigh is louder than his words.
- The loss of strength as a symbol. The loins represent human power. Their breaking declares that no one can stand against this judgment.
- Bitterness as the flavor of judgment. The Hebrew concept of “bitterness” (as in bitter herbs, bitter tears) points to the inescapable pain of God’s discipline.
- The prophet’s vulnerability on display. Ezekiel is exposed, weeping before his captors. This is a high-risk act that could invite mockery, but it is necessary.
- From sign to sermon. The sigh creates a teachable moment. The congregation’s curiosity becomes the pulpit.
Illustration hooks
- Doctor’s face before a diagnosis. A physician who walks into the room with a grave expression and a heavy sigh communicates more than words can. The sigh itself is the first news.
- Parent waiting at the airport for a prodigal child. The silent, anxious posture, hands gripping the waist, face drawn, tells the story before any conversation begins.
- A coach’s reaction after a championship loss. When the leader sits alone, head down, shoulders shaking, the whole team feels the weight of the defeat. The emotion is shared before a single word is said.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Should I show grief over the judgment of others, or is that unspiritual?”
- “How can I genuinely mourn over sin without becoming emotionally manipulative?”
- “Is it possible to deliver a hard truth and still be compassionate?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse walks us into the raw side of prophecy. God does not merely have Ezekiel speak; he has him sigh. The prophet’s body becomes part of the sermon. What does it mean to communicate hard truth with visible, genuine grief? How do we embody the weight of what we believe before we explain it?
Discussion questions
- Observation: What exactly does God command the prophet to do in this verse? What are the physical descriptions used?
- Observation: Read verse 7. How do the people respond to the sigh? What do they ask?
- Interpretation: Why do you think God instructs Ezekiel to sigh “before their eyes” rather than simply delivering the message in words?
- Interpretation: The commentators compare the “breaking of loins” to a woman in labor. What does that image add to the meaning of the sign?
- Application: When might it be appropriate for believers today to visibly grieve over coming judgment, whether national, personal, or eternal?
- Application: How can we balance the need to speak hard truths with the need to show genuine tenderness? Does this verse give any guidelines?
- Application: Think of a time when someone’s unspoken grief communicated more than their words. How did that affect your response to their message?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Isaiah 16:11 | Therefore my heart sounds like a harp for Moab, and my inward parts for Kir Heres. |
| Isaiah 21:3 | Therefore my thighs are filled with anguish. Pains have seized me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am in so much pain that I can’t hear. I am so dismayed that I can’t see. |
| Isaiah 22:4 | Therefore I said, “Look away from me. I will weep bitterly. Don’t labor to comfort me for the destruction of the daughter of my people. |
| Jeremiah 4:19 | My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart! My heart trembles within me. I can’t hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. |
| Jeremiah 9:17 | Yahweh of Armies says, “Consider, and call for the mourning women, that they may come. Send for the skillful women, that they may come. |
| Jeremiah 9:21 | For death has come up into our windows. It has entered into our palaces to cut off the children from outside, and the young men from the streets. |
| Jeremiah 19:10 | “Then you shall break the container in the sight of the men who go with you, |
| Jeremiah 30:6 | Ask now, and see whether a man travails with child. Why do I see every man with his hands on his waist, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned pale? |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Sigh - with the breaking of thy loins - Let thy mourning for this sore calamity be like that of a woman in the pains of travail.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that the prophet's visible sighing and prostration were a deliberate sign to the people of the sorrow and weakness about to come. He explains "breaking of thy loins" as the collapse of strength, since the loins were understood as the seat of physical power.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
6, 7 . Agitation of the prophet at the tidings of the coming calamity. This agitation of his is only a symbol of the dismay and paralysis that shall overtake all when the calamity comes. On the figures in Eze_21:7 cf. Eze_7:17 .
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible note calls for mourning that is not merely outward but as intense as physical pain in the loins, urging the prophet to weep bitterly and deeply before the people. The sorrow must be visceral and heartfelt.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that the prophet’s sighing was to be a vivid physical performance—groaning with such intensity that it seemed his loins were breaking, like a woman in severe labor. This public display of bitter anguish was meant to make the captives in Babylon see and hear the coming disaster so they would warn Jerusalem.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB explains the phrase as a vivid picture of agonizing physical strain, comparing it to a person suffering pleurisy or a woman in hard labor who grips her waist and strains so violently that the belt around the loins snaps from the convulsive heaving.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch explain that God's sword of judgment cuts down both righteous and wicked in war, but they insist this does not erase the earlier distinction made in Ezekiel 9. The sword will not return to its scabbard until its work is finished, unlike previous chastisements where God pulled back.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that when the prophet complained about the people accusing him of speaking in parables, God gave him the key to interpret the figurative language. This shows that God ensures every mouth is stopped and no one is left without excuse, and that those who speak to souls should strive for plainness.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley explains that the command to "sigh" calls for expressing deep sorrow, while "breaking of thy loins" pictures a woman in childbirth—an image of intense, wrenching pain. The point is that the grief described is neither mild nor quiet, but visceral and overwhelming.