Ezekiel 22:1-9

1 And the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,

2 And thou, son of man, whether thou deemest not the city of bloods? And thou shalt show to it all his abominations, (And thou, son of man, judgest thou not this city of bloodshed, or this city of murder? And thou shalt show it all of its abominations,)

3 and thou shalt say, The Lord God saith these things, This is a city shedding out blood in the midst of itself, that the time thereof come; and which made idols against itself, that it should be defouled. (and thou shalt say, The Lord God saith these things, This is a city shedding out blood in the midst of itself, and its time hath come; yea, it made idols for itself to worship, so that it would be defiled.)

4 In thy blood which is shed out of thee, thou trespassedest, and thou art defouled in thine idols which thou madest; and thou madest thy days to nigh, and thou broughtest the time of thy years. Therefore I gave thee to be (a) shame to heathen men, and (a) scorning to all lands (In the blood which thou hast shed out, thou hast trespassed, and thou art defiled with thy idols which thou hast made; and thou madest thy days to come, and thou broughtest the time of thy years. And so I gave thee to be a shame to the heathen, and a mocking to all lands)

5 that be nigh thee, and that be far from thee; thou foul city, noble, great in perishing, they shall have victory of thee (they shall have the victory over thee).

6 Lo! [the] princes of Israel, all in their arm, were in thee, to shed out blood. (Lo! the leaders of Israel, all in their power, were in thee, to shed out blood.)

7 They punished with wrongs [the] father and (the) mother in thee, they challenged falsely a comeling in the midst of thee, they made sorry a fatherless child, and a widow at thee. (They treated wrongfully the father and the mother there with thee, they oppressed a newcomer in the midst of thee, they made sorrowful a fatherless child, and a widow there with thee.)

8 Ye despised my saintuaries, and ye defouled my sabbaths. (Ye despised my sanctuaries, and ye defiled my sabbaths.)

9 Men backbiters were in thee, to shed out blood, and eat on hills in thee (and to eat on thy hills); they wrought great trespass in the midst of thee.

Ezekiel 22:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 22

In this chapter a catalogue or list of the sins of the Jews is given; a comparison of them to dross is made, and they are dealt with accordingly; and a complaint is lodged against all ranks and orders of men for their sins; on account of which, there being no intercessor for them, they are threatened with captivity and destruction. The prophet is ordered to judge them, and lay before them their abominable sins, Eze 22:1,2, of which a long list is given, as murder, idolatry; contempt of parents; oppression of the stranger, fatherless, and widow; negligence of holy things; profanation of the sabbath; tale bearing, lewdness and uncleanness of various sorts; bribery, usury, extortion, and dishonest gain, Eze 22:3-13 for which the Lord threatens to deal with them in a manner that would be intolerable to them; that he would carry them captive, and scatter them among the Heathen, Eze 22:14-16, they are compared to dross, and as such should be gathered into a furnace, and melted down, Eze 22:17-21, all ranks and orders of men are complained of, because of their sins, and threatened, Eze 22:23,24, the prophets for their voraciousness, rapine, murder, and lies, Eze 22:25,28, the priests, for their violation of the law, neglect of holy things, and profanation of the sabbath, Eze 22:26, the princes, for their cruelty, murder, and dishonest gain, Eze 22:27, the people of the land, for their oppression and robbery, Eze 22:29, and there being none to stand in the gap for them, the Lord threatens to pour out his wrath upon them, and consume them, Eze 22:30,31.