Yechezkel 9:9

9 Then He said unto me, The avon Bais Yisroel and Yehudah is exceeding great, and HaAretz is full of damim, and the Ir full of injustice; for they say, Hashem hath forsaken Ha’Aretz, and Hashem seeth not.

Yechezkel 9:9 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 9:9

Then he said unto me
In order to satisfy the prophet, and make him easy, and show the equity and justice of the divine proceedings: the iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah [is] exceeding great;
it cannot be well conceived or expressed how great it is; it abounded and superabounded: this is the answer in general, but in particular it follows: and the land is full of blood;
of murders, as the Targum interprets it; of shedding of innocent blood; and even of all atrocious and capital crimes: and the city full of perverseness;
or of perversion of judgment, as the Targum; the city of Jerusalem, where was the highest court of judicature, where the sanhedrim of seventy one sat to do justice and judgment, have nothing but perversion and injustice: for they say, the Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not;
does not concern himself with human affairs, and takes no notice of what is done below; and, having imbibed such atheistical principles, were hardened in sin, and gave themselves over to all iniquity; having no restraints upon them from the consideration of the providence of God, and his government of the world: or else the sense is, that the Lord had withheld his mercy and favours from them; and therefore they showed no regard to him, and looked upon all their evils and calamities as fortuitous events, and not as ordered by him as punishments for their sins.

Yechezkel 9:9 In-Context

7 And He said unto them, Make the Beis [HaMikdash] tameh, and fill the khatzerot (coutyards) with chalalim (slain ones); go ye forth. And they went forth, and slaughtered in the Ir.

8 And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried out, and said, Ah, Adonoi Hashem! Wilt Thou destroy kol She’erit Yisroel in Thy pouring out of Thy chemah (wrath, fury) upon Yerushalayim?

9 Then He said unto me, The avon Bais Yisroel and Yehudah is exceeding great, and HaAretz is full of damim, and the Ir full of injustice; for they say, Hashem hath forsaken Ha’Aretz, and Hashem seeth not.

10 And as for Me, Mine eye shall show no pity, neither will I spare, but I will recompense their derech upon their rosh.

11 And, hinei, the ish clothed with linen, which had the keset ([writing] case) at his side, reported, saying, I have done as Thou hast commanded me.