Getting Wet

Ezekiel 7:14-17
(14) "They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but none goes to battle, for my wrath is upon all their multitude.
(15) The sword is without; pestilence and famine are within. He who is in the field dies by the sword, and him who is in the city famine and pestilence devour.
(16) And if any survivors escape, they will be on the mountains, like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, each one over his iniquity.
(17) All hands are feeble, and all knees turn to water.

This passage describes how the people will react to the wrath of the Lord. As you can see, the description is not very pretty. Most will be destroyed and those who survive will be terrified.

My ESV Study Bible had an interesting note about verse 17. Apparently the Septuagint understood this to be that their thighs would become wet. In other words, they would be so terrified that they would wet themselves in fear. I do understand that most modern translations put an understood "as" or "like" in there so that the idea is that they would become so terrified that their knees would become weak.

I don't want to devolve into 10 year-old boy potty humor here. However, I do want to make the point that this shows just how real the Bible is. The language of the King James tends to give a very lofty air to the Bible because of how our ears hear 17th century speech with all the "thees" and "thous." I would submit that the Bible is actually very real and should be understood in language we can understand. Of course, the trick is to do that in a way that is also faithful to the text.

Oh, and lest this be a purely academic post, I would like to use this opportunity to remind you that you do not want to be on the receiving end of God's wrath. However, apart from the saving work of Jesus Christ that is just what you have coming to you. Repent and believe now before it is too late.