Go throughout the city of Jerusalem,This command is given to a divine messenger, indicating a specific action to be taken within Jerusalem, the central city of Israel and the location of the Temple. Jerusalem holds significant religious and historical importance as the spiritual heart of the Jewish people. The city is often depicted as a place of both divine presence and judgment. The context here is a vision of impending judgment due to widespread sin and idolatry.
said the LORD,
The speaker is the LORD, emphasizing divine authority and the seriousness of the command. This phrase underscores that the actions to follow are not arbitrary but are directed by God Himself. It reflects the biblical theme of God’s sovereignty and His active role in the affairs of humanity, particularly in matters of judgment and redemption.
and put a mark on the foreheads
The act of marking signifies protection and identification. In biblical times, a mark could denote ownership or divine favor. This mark serves as a sign of exemption from the coming judgment, similar to the blood on the doorposts during the Passover inExodus 12. It also prefigures the sealing of the 144,000 inRevelation 7, where God’s servants are marked for protection.
of the men sighing and groaning
These individuals are characterized by their response to the sin around them. Their sighing and groaning indicate a deep spiritual distress and a rejection of the abominations occurring in Jerusalem. This reflects a remnant theology, where a faithful few remain true to God amidst widespread apostasy. Their reaction is akin to Lot’s distress in Sodom (2 Peter 2:7-8).
over all the abominations committed there.
The abominations refer to the idolatry and moral corruption prevalent in Jerusalem at the time. These acts are detestable to God and are the reason for the impending judgment. The term "abominations" is often used in the Old Testament to describe practices that are particularly offensive to God, such as idol worship and moral depravity. This highlights the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The LORDThe sovereign God who commands the marking of the faithful in Jerusalem.
2.
The Man with the Writing KitA divine messenger tasked with marking the foreheads of the righteous.
3.
The Faithful RemnantThose in Jerusalem who mourn over the city's abominations and are marked for protection.
4.
JerusalemThe city where the events take place, representing the center of religious and moral decay.
5.
AbominationsThe sinful acts and idolatry committed by the inhabitants of Jerusalem, prompting divine judgment.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty in JudgmentGod is just and sovereign, discerning the hearts of individuals and distinguishing between the righteous and the wicked.
The Importance of Grieving Over SinTrue followers of God are marked by their sorrow over sin and abominations, reflecting a heart aligned with God's holiness.
Divine Protection for the FaithfulGod provides protection and deliverance for those who remain faithful amidst widespread corruption.
The Call to Stand ApartBelievers are called to stand apart from the world, mourning over sin and living lives that honor God.
The Assurance of God's KnowledgeGod knows those who are His, and His mark signifies His ownership and care for His people.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Ezekiel 9:4?
2.What does the "mark on the foreheads" symbolize in Ezekiel 9:4?
3.How can we "sigh and groan" over today's abominations in our society?
4.What parallels exist between Ezekiel 9:4 and Revelation 7:3 regarding divine protection?
5.How does Ezekiel 9:4 challenge us to live righteously amidst wickedness?
6.In what ways can we ensure we are marked as God's faithful today?
7.What is the significance of the mark in Ezekiel 9:4 for believers today?
8.How does Ezekiel 9:4 reflect God's justice and mercy?
9.Why were only those who grieved over sin marked in Ezekiel 9:4?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Ezekiel 9?
11.Why would a supernatural mark (Ezekiel 9:4) be necessary if God is omniscient and already knows who is righteous?
12.Could Ezekiel 9 be interpreted as a purely symbolic vision rather than a literal event, and if so, why include graphic details?
13.How does the judgment in Ezekiel 9 align with other biblical passages emphasizing mercy and forgiveness?
14.What constitutes the Seal of God?What Does Ezekiel 9:4 Mean
Go throughout the city of JerusalemThe scene is not symbolic only of some vague moral lesson; it is a real vision of God’s decisive action in the literal city.
• God sends heavenly agents on an actual mission, underscoring His intimate knowledge of every street and household (Psalm 139:1-3).
• Judgment is never haphazard. Just as the LORD inspected Sodom (Genesis 18:20-21) and passed through Egypt at the first Passover (Exodus 12:12), He now moves through Jerusalem to distinguish the faithful from the faithless.
• The directive reminds us that God’s concern begins with His own covenant people (1 Peter 4:17).
said the LORDThe command originates with the covenant-keeping God whose word is final and unfailing (Isaiah 55:11).
• His authority legitimizes the entire operation; human opinion cannot overturn what He decrees (Daniel 4:35).
• The phrase echoes the prophetic formula “Thus says the LORD,” anchoring the vision in divine, inerrant revelation rather than Ezekiel’s imagination (Jeremiah 1:4-9).
and put a markThe mark is a deliberate, visible sign of ownership and protection.
• Parallel protections appear inExodus 12:13 (blood on the doorposts) andRevelation 7:3-4 (the sealing of the 144,000).
• God distinguishes His true worshipers before judgment falls, assuring them that their lives are secure in His hands (Nahum 1:7).
• The act foreshadows the ultimate sealing of believers by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14).
on the foreheadsPlacement on the forehead makes loyalty unmistakable.
•Revelation 22:4 speaks of God’s name on the saints’ foreheads, whileRevelation 13:16-17 shows the enemy’s counterfeit mark.
• The forehead—front and center—illustrates public allegiance; no secret discipleship here (Matthew 10:32-33).
• The mark is not merely symbolic; it is God’s visible guarantee that He will spare the righteous in the coming calamity (Ezekiel 9:6).
of the men sighing and groaningThe qualifying trait is heartfelt distress over sin, not social status or ritual performance.
• Lot was “tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard” (2 Peter 2:7-8).
•Psalm 119:136: “Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for Your law is not obeyed.”
• Such lament shows alignment with God’s holiness; grief over evil is evidence of genuine faith (James 4:8-9).
over all the abominations committed thereGod’s people are appalled by what He calls abominable—idolatry, violence, injustice (Ezekiel 8).
• The verse underscores personal responsibility: each believer must reject the surrounding culture’s sin (Romans 12:2).
• True revival begins with sorrow over wickedness, leading to repentance and divine mercy (2 Chronicles 7:14).
• Judgment soon follows for those unmoved by sin, as chapters 10-11 reveal.
summaryEzekiel 9:4 shows the LORD personally commissioning angels to mark every individual in Jerusalem whose heart breaks over the city’s rampant sin. The mark, placed openly on the forehead, guarantees protection amid imminent judgment. God distinguishes authentic faith—expressed by grief over evil—from empty religion. Just as surely today, He knows those who are His, seals them by His Spirit, and calls them to stand apart from the abominations of their age while trusting His unfailing deliverance.
(4)
Set a mark upon the foreheads.--The word for mark is literally a
Tau,the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This, in many of the ancient alphabets, and especially in that in use among the Hebrews up to this time, and long retained upon their coins, was in the form of a cross--X or +. Much stress was laid upon this use of the sign of the cross as the mark for the Divine mercy by the older Christian writers, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, and Jerome. This marking was done, it is true, in vision, but the symbolism is taken from such passages as
Genesis 4:15;
Exodus 12:7;
Exodus 12:13;
Exodus 28:36; and it is used several times in the Apocalypse (
Ezekiel 7:3;
Ezekiel 9:4;
Ezekiel 14:1). Such marks may be necessary for the guidance of the angelic executors of God's commands, and at all events, the symbolism is of value to the human mind. It is with reference to such Scriptural instances of marking, doubtless, that the Church has provided for the signing of the baptized with the sign of the cross. It is to be observed here that the distinction of the marking has reference wholly and only to character. No regard is paid to birth or position; they and they only are marked who mourned for the prevailing sinfulness, and kept themselves apart from it. . . .
Verse 4. -
Set a mark upon the foreheads, etc. The command reminds us of that given to the destroying angel in
Exodus 12:13, and has its earlier and later analogues in the mark set upon Cain (
Genesis 4:15), and in the "sealing" of the servants of God in
Revelation 7:3. Here, as in the last example, the mark is set, not on the lintels of the doorposts, but upon the "foreheads" of the men. And the mark is the letter
tau, in old Hebrew, that of a cross + , and like the "mark" of mediaeval and (in the case of the illiterate) of modern usage, seems to have been used as a signature, and is rightly so translated in the Revised Version of
Job 31:35. Jewish writers have accounted for its being thus used, either
(1) from its being the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and thus denoting completeness, or
(2) from its being the first letter of the wordthorah (Law); or
(3) from its standing in the same position in the Hebrew word for "thou shalt live." Christian writers (Origen,in loc.; Tertullian, 'Adv. Marcion,' 3:22) have not unnaturally seen in it a quasi-prophetic reference to the sign of the cross as used by Christians, and it is possible that the use of that sign in baptism may have originated in this passage. That was to be the sign of the elect of God in the midst of a world lying in wickedness. Possibly in older as in later forms of idolatry (aseg. in the cultus of Mithras, Vishnu, Sehiva), the votaries of this or that deity may have been distinguished by some outward note of this kind; but of this, though suggested by Currey, I do not find any evidence. It is clear, however, that there could be no anticipation of the Christian symbolism in the minds of Ezeldel or of his hearers. The "mark" was to be placed on all who were still faithful to the worship of their fathers, though they could show their faithfulness only by lamentation of the national apostasy. Such, of course, were Jeremiah, and Baruch, and Ahikam, and Shaphan, and Gedaliah, and others, and such as these Ezekiel may have had present in his thoughts. Against all others (ver. 5) they were sent forth with unsparing severity.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
“Goעֲבֹר֙(‘ă·ḇōr)Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5674:To pass over, through, or by, pass onthroughoutבְּת֣וֹךְ(bə·ṯō·wḵ)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8432:A bisection, the centrethe cityהָעִ֔יר(hā·‘îr)Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892:Excitementofבְּת֖וֹךְ(bə·ṯō·wḵ)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8432:A bisection, the centreJerusalem,”יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם(yə·rū·šā·lim)Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3389:Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israelsaidוַיֹּ֤אמֶר(way·yō·mer)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559:To utter, saythe LORD,יְהוָה֙(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3069:YHWH“and putוְהִתְוִ֨יתָ(wə·hiṯ·wî·ṯā)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 8427:Put -- to make or set a marka markתָּ֜ו(tāw)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8420:A mark, a signatureonעַל־(‘al-)Preposition
Strong's 5921:Above, over, upon, againstthe foreheadsמִצְח֣וֹת(miṣ·ḥō·wṯ)Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 4696:Brow, foreheadof the menהָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים(hā·’ă·nā·šîm)Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 582:Man, mankindsighingהַנֶּֽאֱנָחִים֙(han·ne·’ĕ·nā·ḥîm)Article | Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 584:To sigh, groanand groaningוְהַנֶּ֣אֱנָקִ֔ים(wə·han·ne·’ĕ·nā·qîm)Conjunctive waw, Article | Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 602:To cry, groanoverעַ֚ל(‘al)Preposition
Strong's 5921:Above, over, upon, againstallכָּל־(kāl-)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605:The whole, all, any, everythe abominationsהַתּ֣וֹעֵב֔וֹת(hat·tō·w·‘ê·ḇō·wṯ)Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 8441:Something disgusting, an abhorrence, idolatry, an idolcommittedהַֽנַּעֲשׂ֖וֹת(han·na·‘ă·śō·wṯ)Article | Verb - Nifal - Participle - feminine plural
Strong's 6213:To do, makethere.”בְּתוֹכָֽהּ׃(bə·ṯō·w·ḵāh)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 8432:A bisection, the centre
Links
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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 9:4 Yahweh said to him Go through (Ezek. Eze Ezk) 
