Yechezkel 22:14

14 Can thine lev stand firm, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I Hashem have spoken it, and will do it.

Yechezkel 22:14 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 22:14

Can thine heart endure
Or "stand" ^F4: surely it must fall within thee; become like water, and melt as wax, be it ever so hard and adamantine: or can thine hands be strong in the days that I shall deal with thee?
surely they must become weak, and drop, and not be able to hold a weapon for defence: and, if this would be the case, when God should deal with the Jews for their sins, by sending the Chaldean army to besiege their city, and take it; how will it be with sinners at the day of judgment, and to all eternity, when the awful sentence shall be pronounced, "go ye cursed"; when the wrath of God shall be poured out upon them; when they shall be cast into hell, where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched? this will be intolerable by the most stout hearted sinner; no heart will be strong enough to stand up under it, or hands to keep it off: I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it;
he who is the mighty God, the eternal and unchangeable Jehovah; he has said it, that he will deal with impenitent sinners in a way of wrath, and he will be as good as his word; he will certainly accomplish it; it is in vain for men to flatter themselves to the contrary; or to put away the evil day far from them; it shall surely be. The Targum is,

``I have decreed by my word, and I will establish it.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 (dmeyh) "num quid stabit cor tuum?" Paginus, Montanus; "consistet" Munster, Vatablus, Piscator; "perstabit", Junius and Tremellius, Polanus; "constabit", Coeccius, Starckius.

Yechezkel 22:14 In-Context

12 In thee have they taken shochad (bribe) for shefach dahm; thou hast taken neshekh (usury) and tarbit (interest), and thou hast unjustly profited from thy neighbors by oshek (opression, extortion), and hast forgotten Me, saith Adonoi Hashem.

13 Hinei, therefore I have struck Mine palm at thy betza (dishonest gain) which thou hast made, and at thy bloodshed which hath been in the midst of thee.

14 Can thine lev stand firm, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I Hashem have spoken it, and will do it.

15 And I will scatter thee among the Goyim, and disperse thee throughout the countries, and will remove thy tum’a (uncleanness) out of thee.

16 And thou shalt defile thyself in the sight of the Goyim, and thou shalt know that I am Hashem.