Ezekiel 23:47

47 Let the mob stone them and hack them to pieces - kill all their children, burn down their houses!

Ezekiel 23:47 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 23:47

And the company shall stone them with stones
Which was the punishment of adulterers and idolaters, ( Deuteronomy 13:10 ) ( 22:24 ) , this seems to refer to the Chaldean army casting out stones from their slings and engines into the city of Jerusalem, when they besieged it, by which they killed some, and beat down the houses, which fell upon others, and destroyed them. So the Targum,

``and the army shall stone them with the stones of a sling:''
and dispatch them with their swords;
cut them in pieces with them, such as sallied out of the city upon them, or they found without, or by any means fell into their hands: they shall slay their sons and their daughters;
when they broke into the city, and took it; or when they found them making their escape, and hiding themselves in secret places: and burn up their houses with fire;
as they did; the temple, the king's palace, the houses of noblemen, and all the houses in Jerusalem; see ( Jeremiah 52:13 ) .

Ezekiel 23:47 In-Context

45 "Righteous men will pronounce judgment on them, giving out sentences for adultery and murder. That was their lifework: adultery and murder."
46 "God says, 'Let a mob loose on them: Terror! Plunder!
47 Let the mob stone them and hack them to pieces - kill all their children, burn down their houses!
48 "'I'll put an end to sluttish sex in this country so that all women will be well warned and not copy you.
49 You'll pay the price for all your obsessive sex. You'll pay in full for your promiscuous affairs with idols. And you'll realize that I am God, the Master.'"
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.