Ezekiel 33:21-33

21 {And then} it was in {the twelfth} year, in the tenth [month], on the fifth [day] of the month of our exile, a survivor from Jerusalem came to me, {saying}, "The city was destroyed!"

22 And the hand of Yahweh was on me on the evening {before} the coming of the survivor, and he opened my mouth {before the survivor came to me in the morning}, and my mouth was opened, and I was {no longer} dumb.

23 And the word of Yahweh {came} to me, {saying},

24 "Son of man, the inhabitants of these ruins on the soil of Israel [are] saying, 'Abraham was one [man], and he took possession of the land, and we [are] many; the land has been given for us as [a] possession.'

25 Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "You eat blood [in your meat], and you raise your eyes to your idols and you pour out blood, and [yet] you want to take possession of the land?

26 You rely on your sword, you do a detestable thing, and {each man defiles} the wife of his neighbor, and [yet] you want to take possession of the land?" '

27 "Thus you must say to them, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "{As I live}, {surely} whoever [is] in the ruins, by the sword they will fall, and whoever [is] on the surface of the open field, I will give him to the animals to eat him, and whoever [is] in the stronghold and in the cave, they will die by the plague.

28 And I will make the land [a] desolation and [a] wasteland, and the pride of its strength will come to an end, and the mountains of Israel will be desolate {with no one traveling through them}." '

29 And they will know that I [am] Yahweh when I make my land [a] desolation and [a] wasteland, because of all of their detestable things that they have done.

30 "And you, son of man, {your people}, the ones talking together concerning you beside the walls and in the doorways of the houses, each one with his brother {saying}, 'Please come and hear what [is] the word {that is going out from Yahweh}.'

31 And they come to you {as people do}, and they sit {before you}, and my people hear your words, and they do not do them, for they [are] showing passion in their mouth, but their heart [is] going after ill-gotten gain.

32 Now, look! You [are] to them like {a sensual song}, beautiful of voice and {played well on an instrument}, and they hear your words, {but they are not doing them}.

33 So {when it comes}, look! It is coming! And [then] they will know that a prophet was in the midst of them."

Read Chapter Compare

Ezekiel 33:21-33 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 33

This chapter treats of the prophet's duty, and the people's sins; contains a vindication of the justice of God; a threatening of destruction to those who remained in the land after the taking of the city; and a detection of the hypocrisy of the prophet's hearers. The duty of a watchman in general is declared, Eze 33:1-6, an application of this to the prophet, Eze 33:7: the sum of whose business is to warn the wicked man of his wickedness; and the consequence of doing, or not doing it, is expressed, Eze 33:8,9, an objection of the people, and the prophet's answer to it, Eze 33:10,11, who is bid to acquaint them, that a righteous man trusting to his righteousness, and sinning, should not live; and that a sinner repenting of his sins should not die, Eze 33:12-16, the people's charge of inequality in the ways of God is retorted upon them, and removed from the Lord, and proved against them, Eze 33:17-20, then follows a prophecy, delivered out after the news was brought of the taking of the city, threatening with ruin those that remained in the land, confident of safety, and that for their sins, which are particularly enumerated, Eze 33:21-29, and the chapter is closed with a discovery of the hypocrisy of those that attended the prophet's ministry, Eze 33:30-33.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Footnotes 30

[a]. Literally "and it happened"
[b]. Literally "two of ten"
[c]. Literally "to say"
[d]. Literally "to the face of"
[e]. Literally "until coming to me in the morning"
[f]. Literally "and not I was dumb still"
[g]. Or "silent" or "speechless"
[h]. Literally "was"
[i]. Literally "to say"
[j]. Or "mortal," or "son of humankind"
[k]. Or "to"
[l]. Or "you would take possession of"
[m]. Literally "a man the wife of neighbor you defile"
[n]. Or "you would take possession of the land"
[o]. Literally "I live"
[p]. Literally "if not"
[q]. Hebrew "animal"
[r]. Literally "from there is not [someone] going over"
[s]. Or "mortal," or "son of humankind"
[t]. Literally "the children of your people"
[u]. Literally "to say"
[v]. Literally "the going out from with Yahweh"
[w]. Literally "like [the] coming of a people"
[x]. Literally "to the face of you"
[y]. Or "expressing"
[z]. Literally "like a song of lust"
[aa]. Literally "doing good to play a music instrument"
[ab]. Literally "and/but doing there is not they them"
[ac]. Or "And"
[ad]. Literally "in/at her coming"

Ezekiel 33:21-33

Share

Settings

Ezekiel 33:21-33 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 33

Footnotes 30