Ezekiel 22:24

24 "Human, say to the land, 'You are a land that has not had rain or showers when God is angry.'

Ezekiel 22:24 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 22:24

Son of man, say unto her, thou land
Thou land of Israel, as the Targum: thou art not cleansed;
from filthiness, by the fire of divine judgments; or reformed from sins, by the instructions, cautions, and exhortations of the prophets; none of these things had any effect upon her to make her wiser and better. So the Targum,

``a land not cleansed it is, and good works are not done in it, to protect it in the day of cursing:''
nor rained upon in the day of indignation;
no cooling shower to quench the fire of divine wrath; nothing to avert or stop the judgments of God; no refreshment and comfort from the doctrines of the prophets, which fell like rain: it is a judgment upon a people to have no rain, either in a temporal or spiritual sense; see ( Zechariah 14:17 Zechariah 14:18 ) . In the Talmud F8, this text is brought to prove that the flood did not come upon the land of Israel.
FOOTNOTES:

F8 T. Bab. Zebachim, fol. 113. 1.

Ezekiel 22:24 In-Context

22 As silver is melted in a furnace, you will be melted inside the city. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my anger on you.'"
23 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying:
24 "Human, say to the land, 'You are a land that has not had rain or showers when God is angry.'
25 Like a roaring lion that tears the animal it has caught, Israel's rulers make evil plans. They have destroyed lives and have taken treasure and valuable things. They have caused many women to become widows.
26 Israel's priests do cruel things to my teachings and do not honor my holy things. They make no difference between holy and unholy things, and they teach there is no difference between clean and unclean things. They do not remember my Sabbaths, so I am dishonored by them.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.