Ezekiel 22:12-22

12 They took gifts of thee, to shed out blood; thou tookest usury and overabundance, and thou challengedest greedily thy neighbours, and thou hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God. (They took gifts, or bribes, in thee to shed out blood; thou hast taken usury and overabundance, and thou hast oppressed thy neighbours for greed, and thou hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God.)

13 Lo! I have smitten together mine hands on thine avarice, [or greediness,] which thou didest, and on the blood which is shed out in the midst of thee. (Lo! I have struck my fist into my hand over thy greediness, and over the blood which is shed out in thy midst.)

14 Whether thine heart shall sustain, either thine hands shall have power, in the days which I shall make to thee? For I the Lord spake, and I shall do. (Shall thy heart be able to sustain thee, or shall thy hands have any power left, in the days when I shall deal with thee? For I the Lord spoke, and I shall do it.)

15 And I shall scatter thee into (the) nations, and I shall winnow, [or blow,] thee into (other) lands; and I shall make thine uncleanness to fail from thee,

16 and I shall wield thee in the sight of heathen men (and I shall be in possession of thee before the heathen); and thou shalt know, that I am the Lord.

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

18 Thou, son of man, the house of Israel is turned to me into dross, either filth of iron (Thou, son of man, to me the house of Israel is turned into dross, or slag, that is, the filth of iron); all these be brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they (even) be made the dross of silver.

19 Therefore the Lord God saith these things, For that all ye be turned into dross (Because ye all be turned into dross, or slag), lo! I shall gather you together in the midst of Jerusalem,

20 by the gathering together of silver (like the gathering together of silver), and of latten, and of iron, and of tin, and of lead, in the midst of a furnace; and I shall kindle therein a fire, to well together; so I shall gather you together in my strong vengeance, and in my wrath, and (then) I shall rest. And I shall well you together,

21 and I shall gather you together, and I shall set you afire in the fire of my strong vengeance, and ye shall be welled together in the midst thereof.

22 As silver is welled together in the midst of a furnace, so ye shall be in the midst thereof; and ye shall know, that I am the Lord, when I have shed out mine indignation [up]on you. (Like silver is welled together in the midst of a furnace, so ye shall be in its midst; and ye shall know, that I am the Lord, when I have poured out my indignation upon you.)

Ezekiel 22:12-22 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.