Ezekiel 11:16-19

16 "Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Though I had removed them far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a ¹sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where * they had gone."'

17 "Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "I will ²gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel."'

18 "When they come there, they will ³remove all its ⁴detestable things and all its abominations from it.

19 "And I will ⁵give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the ⁶heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a ⁷heart of flesh,

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Ezekiel 11:16-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 11

This chapter contains an account of the sins of the princes of Judah; a prophecy of their destruction; some comfortable, promises respecting those of the captivity; and the chapter is closed with the finishing of the vision of the Lord's removing from Jerusalem; and the whole being ended, the prophet related it to the men of the captivity. In Eze 11:1; the prophet, is shown five and twenty men, among whom were two he knew, and are mentioned by name, and were princes of the people; and he is told that these men devised mischief, and gave bad advice to the people, Eze 11:2,3; wherefore he is bid to prophesy against them, Eze 11:4; which he accordingly did, the Spirit of the Lord falling upon him, Eze 11:5; declaring that their secret evils were known, as well as their public ones; and that, seeing they had multiplied their slain, and had feared the sword, the sword should come upon them; some should fall by it, and others should be carried captive; the consequence of which would be, that God would be known, and his justice acknowledged, it being what their sins deserved, Eze 11:6-12; upon this prophecy being delivered out, one of the princes before named died immediately; which filled the prophet with great concern, and put him upon expostulating with God, Eze 11:13; wherefore, for his comfort, he is told, that though the inhabitants of Jerusalem had insulted their brethren that were carried captive, and looked upon the land of Israel as their own possession, that God would be a little sanctuary to them; that he would gather them out of all lands, and give them the land of Israel; that they should come thither, and remove all idolatry from it, and should have regenerating and renewing grace given them, to walk in the statutes and ordinances of the Lord, by which they should appear to be his people, and he to be their God, Eze 11:14-20; but as for such that continued in their abominable idolatries, these should receive a just recompence of reward, Eze 11:21; after which follows an account of the entire removal of the glory of the Lord from the city of Jerusalem, Eze 11:22,23; and the prophet being, in vision, brought again to Chaldea, reports the whole he had seen to them of the captivity, Eze 11:24,25.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 7

1. Psalms 31:20; Psalms 90:1; Psalms 91:9; Isaiah 8:14; Jeremiah 29:7, 11
2. Isaiah 11:11-16; Jeremiah 3:12, 18; Jeremiah 24:5; Ezekiel 20:41, 42; Ezekiel 28:25
3. Ezekiel 37:23
4. Ezekiel 5:11; Ezekiel 7:20
5. Jeremiah 24:7; Jeremiah 32:39; Ezekiel 18:31; Ezekiel 36:26
6. Zechariah 7:12; Romans 2:4, 5
7. 2 Corinthians 3:3

Footnotes 1

[a]. So with Gr and many mss; Heb "you"