Ezekiel 14:1

1 Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me; and sat before me.

Ezekiel 14:1 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 14:1

Then came certain, of the elders of Israel unto me
The Syriac version adds, "to consult the Lord"; by the prophet. These, according to Kimchi, were the elders of the captivity, the heads of the captives that were now in Babylon with Ezekiel: but there are others that think they were some that came from Jerusalem to Babylon on some business or another; and having heard much of the prophet, came to visit him, and to hear his prophecies, and inquire of the Lord by him: and sat before me;
silent and pensive, as persons in anxiety and distress; or as hearers of him, for sitting is a hearing gesture; they sat and heard with great attention, gravity, and seriousness, with seeming affection and reverence; and all this was not in a visionary way, but was a real fact; see ( Ezekiel 33:31 Ezekiel 33:32 ) .

Ezekiel 14:1 In-Context

1 Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me; and sat before me.

2 And the word of the LORD came to me:

3 "Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces; should I let myself be inquired of at all by them?

4 Therefore speak to them, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Any man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself because of the multitude of his idols,

5 that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.