'Sword' in the Bible

He has left His den like a lion,for their land has become a desolationbecause of the sword of the oppressor,because of His burning anger.

They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who executed him with the sword and threw his corpse into the burial place of the common people.

“As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and does not place its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish by sword, famine, and plague”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“until through him I have destroyed it.

Why should you and your people die by the sword, famine, or plague as the Lord has threatened against any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon?

This is what the Lord of Hosts says: “I am about to send against them sword, famine, and plague and will make them like rotten figs that are inedible because they are so bad.

I will pursue them with sword, famine, and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth—a curse and a desolation, an object of scorn and a disgrace among all the nations where I have banished them.

This is what the Lord says:They found favor in the wilderness—the people who survived the sword.When Israel went to find rest,

Look! Siege ramps have come against the city to capture it, and the city, as a result of the sword, famine, and plague, has been handed over to the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What You have spoken has happened. Look, You can see it!

“Now therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to this city about which you said, ‘It has been handed over to Babylon’s king through sword, famine, and plague’:

For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the houses of this city and the palaces of Judah’s kings, the ones torn down for defense against the siege ramps and the sword:

“Yet hear the Lord’s word, Zedekiah, king of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword;

“Therefore, this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed Me by proclaiming freedom, each man for his brother and for his neighbor. I hereby proclaim freedom for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“to the sword, to plague, and to famine! I will make you a horror to all the earth’s kingdoms.

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live. He will keep his life like the spoils of war and will live.’

Indeed, I will certainly deliver you so that you do not fall by the sword. Because you have trusted in Me, you will keep your life like the spoils of war.” This is the Lord’s declaration.

but then Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the 10 men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with the sword; he killed the one the king of Babylon had appointed in the land.

then the sword you fear will overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine you are worried about will follow on your heels there to Egypt, and you will die there.

All who resolve to go to Egypt to live there for a while will die by the sword, famine, and plague. They will have no one escape or survive from the disaster I will bring on them.’

Now therefore, know for certain that by the sword, famine, and plague you will die in the place where you desired to go to live for a while.”

He will come and strike down the land of Egypt—those destined for death, to death; those destined for captivity, to captivity; and those destined for the sword, to the sword.

And I will take away the remnant of Judah, those who have resolved to go to the land of Egypt to live there for a while; they will meet their end. All of them in the land of Egypt will fall by the sword; they will meet their end by famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by the sword and by famine. Then they will become an object of cursing, scorn, execration, and disgrace.

I will punish those living in the land of Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem by sword, famine, and plague.

but from the time we ceased to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to offer her drink offerings, we have lacked everything, and through sword and famine we have met our end.”

I am watching over them for disaster and not for good, and every man of Judah who is in the land of Egypt will meet his end by sword or famine until they are finished off.

Those who escape the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah only few in number, and the whole remnant of Judah, the ones going to the land of Egypt to live there for a while, will know whose word stands, Mine or theirs!

That day belongs to the Lord, the God of Hosts,a day of vengeance to avenge Himselfagainst His adversaries.The sword will devour and be satisfied;it will drink its fill of their blood,because it will be a sacrifice to the Lord, the God of Hosts,in the northern land by the Euphrates River.

Announce it in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol!Proclaim it in Memphis and in Tahpanhes!Say: Take positions! Prepare yourself,for the sword devours all around you.

He continues to stumble.Indeed, each falls over the other.They say, “Get up! Let’s return to our peopleand to the land of our birth,away from the sword that oppresses.”

Oh, sword of the Lord!How long will you be restless?Go back to your sheath;be still; be silent!

There is no longer praise for Moab;they plan harm against her in Heshbon:Come, let’s cut her off from nationhood.Also, Madmen, you will be silenced;the sword will pursue you.

The one who doesthe Lord’s business deceitfully is cursed,and the one who withholdshis sword from bloodshed is cursed.

I will devastate Elam before their enemies,before those who want to take their lives.I will bring disaster on them,My burning anger.This is the Lord’s declaration.I will send the sword after themuntil I finish them off.

Cut off the sower from Babylonas well as him who wields the sickle at harvest time.Because of the oppressor’s sword,each will turn to his own people,each will flee to his own land.

Put all her young bulls to the sword;let them go down to the slaughter.Woe to them, because their day has come,the time of their punishment.

A sword is against the diviners,and they will act foolishly.A sword is against her heroic warriors,and they will be terrified.

A sword is against his horses and chariotsand against all the foreigners among them,and they will be like women.A sword is against her treasuries,and they will be plundered.

You who have escaped the sword,go and do not stand still!Remember the Lord from far away,and let Jerusalem come to your mind.

ר ReshLord, see how I am in distress.I am churning within;my heart is broken,for I have been very rebellious.Outside, the sword takes the children;inside, there is death.

שׁ ShinBoth young and oldare lying on the ground in the streets.My young men and womenhave fallen by the sword.You have killed them in the day of Your anger,slaughtering without compassion.

ט TetThose slain by the sword are better offthan those slain by hunger,who waste away, pierced with painbecause the fields lack produce.

We secure our food at the risk of our livesbecause of the sword in the wilderness.

“Now you, son of man, take a sharp sword, use it as you would a barber’s razor, and shave your head and beard. Then take a set of scales and divide the hair.

You are to burn up a third of it in the city when the days of the siege have ended; you are 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 draw a sword to chase after them.

A third of your people will die by plague and be consumed by famine within you; a third will fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter a third to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase after them.

I will send famine and dangerous animals against you. They will leave you childless, Jerusalem. Plague and bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring a sword against you. I, Yahweh, have spoken.”

You are to say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! This is what the Lord God says to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.

“Yet I will leave a remnant when you are scattered among the nations, for throughout the countries there will be some of you who will escape the sword.

“This is what the Lord God says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet, and cry out over all the evil and detestable practices of the house of Israel, who will fall by the sword, famine, and plague.

The one who is far off will die by plague; the one who is near will fall by the sword; and the one who remains and is spared will die of famine. In this way I will exhaust My wrath on them.

The sword is on the outside;plague and famine are on the inside.Whoever is in the field will die by the sword,and famine and plague will devourwhoever is in the city.

You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

You will fall by the sword, and I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

I will also scatter all the attendants who surround him and all his troops to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase after them.

But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine, and plague so they can tell about all their detestable practices among the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”

“Or if I bring a sword against that land and say: Let a sword pass through it, so that I wipe out both man and animal from it,

“For this is what the Lord God says: How much worse will it be when I send My four devastating judgments against Jerusalem—sword, famine, dangerous animals, and plague—in order to wipe out both man and animal from it!

All the fugitives among his troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every direction of the wind. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken.”

and say to it: This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off both the righteous and the wicked from you.

Since I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will therefore come out of its sheath against everyone from the south to the north.

So all the people will know that I, Yahweh, have taken My sword from its sheath—it will not be sheathed again.

“Son of man, prophesy: This is what the Lord says! You are to proclaim:A sword! A sword is sharpenedand also polished.

It is sharpened for slaughter,polished to flash like lightning!Should we rejoice?The scepter of My son,the sword despises every tree.

The sword is given to be polished,to be grasped in the hand.It is sharpened, and it is polished,to be put in the hand of the slayer.

Cry out and wail, son of man,for it is against My people.It is against all the princes of Israel!They are given over to the sword with My people.Therefore strike your thigh in grief.

Therefore, son of man, prophesyand clap your hands together.Let the sword strike two times, even three.It is a sword for massacre,a sword for great massacre—it surrounds them!

I have appointed a sword for slaughterat all their gates,so that their hearts may meltand many may stumble.Yes! It is ready to flash like lightning;it is drawn for slaughter.

“Now you, son of man, mark out two roads that the sword of Babylon’s king can take. Both of them should originate from the same land. And make a signpost at the fork in the road to each city.

Mark out a road that the sword can take to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem.

“Now prophesy, son of man, and say: This is what the Lord God says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt. You are to proclaim:A sword! A swordis drawn for slaughter,polished to consume, to flash like lightning.

They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. Since they executed judgment against her, she became notorious among women.

When I vent My jealous rage on you, they will deal with you in wrath. They will cut off your nose and ears, and your descendants will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your descendants will be consumed by fire.

‘Say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the desire of your heart. Also, the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.

therefore this is what the Lord God says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off both man and animal from it. I will make it a wasteland; they will fall by the sword from Teman to Dedan.

and her villages on the mainland will be slaughtered by the sword. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”

He will slaughter your villages on the mainland with the sword. He will set up siege works against you, and will build a ramp and raise a wall of shields against you.

He will trample all your streets with the hooves of his horses. He will slaughter your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground.

I will send a plague against herand bloodshed in her streets;the slain will fall within her,while the sword is against her on every side.Then they will know that I am Yahweh.

“Therefore this is what the Lord God says: I am going to bring a sword against you and wipe out man and animal from you.

A sword will come against Egypt,and there will be anguish in Cushwhen the slain fall in Egypt,and its wealth is taken away,and its foundations are torn down.

Cush, Put, and Lud,and all the various foreign troops,plus Libya and the men of the covenant landwill fall by the sword along with them.

The young men of On and Pi-besethwill fall by the sword,and those cities will go into captivity.

“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Look, it has not been bandaged—no medicine has been applied and no splint put on to bandage it so that it can grow strong enough to handle a sword.

Therefore this is what the Lord God says: Look! I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one already broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand.

I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place My sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him as a mortally wounded man.

I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall. They will know that I am Yahweh when I place My sword in the hand of Babylon’s king and he wields it against the land of Egypt.

They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies they had lived in its shade among the nations.

“Who then are you like in glory and greatness among Eden’s trees? You also will be brought down to the underworld to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his hordes”—the declaration of the Lord God.

I will cause many nations to be appalled at you,and their kings will shudder with fear because of youwhen I brandish My sword in front of them.On the day of your downfalleach of them will trembleevery moment for his life.

For this is what the Lord God says:The sword of Babylon’s kingwill come against you!

They will fall among those slain by the sword.A sword is appointed!They drag her and all her hordes away.

Warrior leaders will speakfrom the middle of Sheolabout him and his allies:They have come down;the uncircumcised lieslain by the sword.

Assyria is there with all her company;her graves are all around her.All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.

Her graves are set in the deepest regions of the Pit,and her company is all around her burial place.All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—those who once spread terrorin the land of the living.

Elam is therewith all her hordes around her grave.All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—those who went down to the underworld uncircumcised,who once spread their terrorin the land of the living.They bear their disgracewith those who descend to the Pit.

Among the slainthey prepare a resting place for Elamwith all her hordes.Her graves are all around her.All of them are uncircumcised,slain by the sword,although their terror was once spreadin the land of the living.They bear their disgracewith those who descend to the Pit.They are placed among the slain.

Meshech and Tubal are there,with all their hordes.Their graves are all around them.All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword,although their terror was once spreadin the land of the living.

But you will be shatteredand will lie down among the uncircumcised,with those slain by the sword.

Edom is there, her kings and all her princes,who, despite their strength, have been placedamong those slain by the sword.They lie down with the uncircumcised,with those who descend to the Pit.

All the leaders of the northand all the Sidonians are there.They went down in shame with the slain,despite the terror their strength inspired.They lie down uncircumcisedwith those slain by the sword.They bear their disgracewith those who descend to the Pit.

“Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land select a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman,

and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows his trumpet to warn the people.