Ezekiel 14:12-23

Jerusalem Will Not Be Spared

12 And the word of the LORD came to me:
13 1"Son of man, when a land sins against me 2by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and 3break its supply[a] of bread and send famine upon it, and 4cut off from it man and beast,
14 5even if these three men, 6Noah, 7Daniel, and 8Job, were in it, 9they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord GOD.
15 10"If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, 11and it be made desolate, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts,
16 even if these three men were in it, 12as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters. They alone would be delivered, but 13the land would be desolate.
17 "Or 14if I bring a sword upon that land and say, Let a sword pass through the land, 15and I cut off from it man and beast,
18 16though these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be delivered.
19 "Or 17if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast,
20 even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness.
21 "For thus says the Lord GOD: How much more 18when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, 19sword, 20famine, 21wild beasts, and 22pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!
22 But behold, 23some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out; behold, when they come out to you, and 24you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it.
23 They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord GOD."

Ezekiel 14:12-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 14

In this chapter are contained the displeasure of God at hypocritical idolaters that sought unto him, and at the false prophets; the judgments that should come upon them, and which should not be averted by the intercession of the best of men; and yet a promise that a remnant should be saved. The elders of Israel are said to sit before the prophet, Eze 14:1; to whom the Lord gives an account of them, Eze 14:2,3; and orders the prophet what he should say to them, that the Lord would answer them himself, Eze 14:4,5; and that he should bid the house of Israel repent and turn from their idols, or else the Lord would set his face against them, and cut them off, both them and the false prophets they sought unto; and this is threatened in order to reform them, and continue them his covenant people, Eze 14:6-11; and then the judgment of famine is particularly threatened; to avert which, the prayers of the best of men would be of no effect, Eze 14:12-14; and next the judgment of noisome beasts, with the same intimation, Eze 14:15,16; likewise the sword, Eze 14:17,18; and also the pestilence, Eze 14:19,20; and much less when they should be all sent together, Eze 14:21; and the chapter is concluded with a promise that a remnant should be saved; which would be a comfort to the captives of Babylon, and accounts for what the Lord had done, or would do, in Jerusalem, Eze 14:22,23.

Cross References 24

  • 1. See Ezekiel 2:1
  • 2. Ezekiel 15:8; Ezekiel 17:20; Ezekiel 18:24; Ezekiel 20:27; 2 Chronicles 36:14
  • 3. See Ezekiel 4:16
  • 4. ver. 17, 19, 21
  • 5. [Jeremiah 15:1]
  • 6. See Genesis 6:9
  • 7. Ezekiel 28:3; Daniel 9:23
  • 8. Job 1:1
  • 9. Ezekiel 3:19
  • 10. See Ezekiel 5:17
  • 11. Ezekiel 6:6; Ezekiel 12:20
  • 12. See Ezekiel 5:11
  • 13. Ezekiel 6:14
  • 14. Ezekiel 21:3, 4, 9; Leviticus 26:25; [Jeremiah 47:6, 7]
  • 15. ver. 13
  • 16. [See ver. 14 above]
  • 17. Ezekiel 38:22; [2 Samuel 24:15]
  • 18. Ezekiel 5:17; Revelation 6:8; [Ezekiel 33:27]
  • 19. ver. 17
  • 20. ver. 13
  • 21. ver. 15
  • 22. ver. 19
  • 23. Ezekiel 6:8; Ezekiel 12:16
  • 24. ver. 23; Ezekiel 20:43; [Ezekiel 16:54]

Footnotes 1

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.