Ezekiel 33:18-28

18 "When the righteous turns from his righteousness and 1commits iniquity, then he shall die in it.
19 "But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them.
20 "Yet you say, '2The way of the Lord is not right.' O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways."

Word of Jerusalem's Capture

21 Now 3in the 4twelfth * year of our exile, on the fifth of the tenth month, the refugees from Jerusalem came to me, saying, "5The city has been taken."
22 Now the 6hand of the LORD had been upon me in the evening, before the refugees came. And He 7opened my mouth at the time they came to me in the morning; so my mouth was 8opened and I was no longer speechless.
23 Then the word of the LORD came to me saying,
24 "Son of man, they who 9live in these waste places in the land of Israel are saying, '10Abraham was only one, yet he possessed the land; so to 11us who are many the land has been given as a possession.'
25 "Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "You eat meat with the 12blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols as you shed blood. 13Should you then possess the land?
26 "You 14rely on your sword, you commit abominations and each of you defiles his neighbor's wife. Should you then possess the land?"'
27 "Thus you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "As I live, surely * those who are in the waste places will 15fall by the sword, and whoever is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and in the 16caves will die of pestilence.
28 "I will 17make the land a desolation and a waste, and the 18pride of her power will cease; and the mountains of Israel will be desolate so that no one will pass through.

Ezekiel 33:18-28 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.

Cross References 18

  • 1. Ezekiel 3:20; Ezekiel 18:24; Ezekiel 33:12, 13
  • 2. Ezekiel 18:25
  • 3. Ezekiel 31:1; Ezekiel 32:1, 17
  • 4. Jeremiah 39:1, 2; Jeremiah 40:1; Jeremiah 52:4-7; Ezekiel 24:1, 2
  • 5. 2 Kings 25:10; Jeremiah 39:8
  • 6. Ezekiel 1:3; Ezekiel 8:1; Ezekiel 37:1
  • 7. Ezekiel 3:26, 27; Ezekiel 24:27
  • 8. Luke 1:64
  • 9. Jeremiah 39:10; Jeremiah 40:7; Ezekiel 33:27
  • 10. Isaiah 51:2; Luke 3:8; Acts 7:5; Romans 4:12
  • 11. Ezekiel 11:15
  • 12. Lev 17:10, 12, 14; Deuteronomy 12:16, 23; Deuteronomy 15:23
  • 13. Jeremiah 7:9, 10
  • 14. Micah 2:1, 2; Zephaniah 3:3
  • 15. Jeremiah 15:2, 3; Jeremiah 42:22; Ezekiel 5:12
  • 16. 1 Samuel 13:6; Isaiah 2:19
  • 17. Ezekiel 5:14; Ezekiel 6:14; Micah 7:13
  • 18. Ezekiel 7:24; Ezekiel 24:21; Ezekiel 30:6

Footnotes 8

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