Ezekiel 14:1

Idolatrous Elders Condemned

1 Then some ¹elders of Israel came to me and ²sat down before me.

Ezekiel 14:1 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 14:1

Then came certain, of the elders of Israel unto me
The Syriac version adds, "to consult the Lord"; by the prophet. These, according to Kimchi, were the elders of the captivity, the heads of the captives that were now in Babylon with Ezekiel: but there are others that think they were some that came from Jerusalem to Babylon on some business or another; and having heard much of the prophet, came to visit him, and to hear his prophecies, and inquire of the Lord by him: and sat before me;
silent and pensive, as persons in anxiety and distress; or as hearers of him, for sitting is a hearing gesture; they sat and heard with great attention, gravity, and seriousness, with seeming affection and reverence; and all this was not in a visionary way, but was a real fact; see ( Ezekiel 33:31 Ezekiel 33:32 ) .

Ezekiel 14:1 In-Context

1 Then some elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me.

2 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

3 "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at all?

4 "Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will be brought to give him an answer in the matter in view of the multitude of his idols,

5 in order to lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel who are estranged from Me through all their idols."'

Cross References

• 1. 2 Kings 6:32; Ezekiel 8:1; Ezekiel 20:1
• 2. Isaiah 29:13; Ezekiel 33:31, 32