Ezekiel 11:6-16

6 ye killed full many men in this city, and ye filled the ways thereof with slain men. (ye killed a great many people in this city, and ye filled its ways with the slain.)

7 Therefore the Lord saith these things, Your slain men, which ye putted in the midst thereof, these be the fleshes, and this is the cauldron; and I shall lead you out of the midst thereof. (And so the Lord saith these things, Your slain, whom ye put in its midst, they be the meat, and this is the cauldron; but I shall lead you out of its midst.)

8 Ye dreaded sword, and I shall bring in a sword on you, saith the Lord God. (Ye feared the sword, and I shall bring in a sword upon you, saith the Lord God.)

9 And I shall cast you out of the midst thereof, and I shall give you into the hand of enemies, and I shall make dooms in you. (And I shall take you out of its midst, and I shall give you into the hands of your enemies, and I shall bring in judgements, or a sentence of death, upon you.)

10 By sword ye shall fall down, I shall deem you in the ends of Israel; and ye shall know, that I am the Lord. (Ye shall fall by the sword, yea, I shall judge you unto the ends of Israel; and ye shall know, that I am the Lord.)

11 This shall not be to you into a cauldron, and ye shall not be into fleshes in the midst thereof; I shall deem you in the ends of Israel, (And so this city shall not be like a cauldron for you, and ye shall not be like the meat in its midst; I shall judge you unto the ends of Israel,)

12 and ye shall know, that I am the Lord. For ye went not in my behests, and ye did not my dooms, but ye wrought by the dooms of heathen men, that be in your compass. (and ye shall know, that I am the Lord. For ye did not follow my commands, and ye did not follow my laws, or my judgements, but ye followed the laws of the heathen, who be all around you.)

13 And it was done, when I prophesied, Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, was dead (Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, fell down dead); and I fell down on my face, and I cried with great voice, and said, Alas! alas! alas! Lord God, thou makest [an] ending of the remnants of Israel.

14 And the word of the Lord was made to me, and said,

15 Son of man, thy brethren, thy brethren, thy kinsmen, and all the house of Israel, and all men, to whom the dwellers of Jerusalem said, Go ye away far from the Lord, the land is given to us into possession. (Son of man, thy brothers, thy brothers, yea, thy kinsmen, and all the house of Israel, and all the people, be to whom the present inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Go ye far away from the Lord, for the land is given to us as our possession.)

16 Therefore the Lord God saith these things, For I made them (to be) far (off) among heathen men, and for I scattered them in lands, I shall be to them into a little hallowing, in the lands to which they came (And so the Lord God saith these things, For I made them to be far away among the heathen, and for I scattered them into many lands, I shall be their sanctuary, in the lands to which they have gone.)

Ezekiel 11:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 11

This chapter contains an account of the sins of the princes of Judah; a prophecy of their destruction; some comfortable, promises respecting those of the captivity; and the chapter is closed with the finishing of the vision of the Lord's removing from Jerusalem; and the whole being ended, the prophet related it to the men of the captivity. In Eze 11:1; the prophet, is shown five and twenty men, among whom were two he knew, and are mentioned by name, and were princes of the people; and he is told that these men devised mischief, and gave bad advice to the people, Eze 11:2,3; wherefore he is bid to prophesy against them, Eze 11:4; which he accordingly did, the Spirit of the Lord falling upon him, Eze 11:5; declaring that their secret evils were known, as well as their public ones; and that, seeing they had multiplied their slain, and had feared the sword, the sword should come upon them; some should fall by it, and others should be carried captive; the consequence of which would be, that God would be known, and his justice acknowledged, it being what their sins deserved, Eze 11:6-12; upon this prophecy being delivered out, one of the princes before named died immediately; which filled the prophet with great concern, and put him upon expostulating with God, Eze 11:13; wherefore, for his comfort, he is told, that though the inhabitants of Jerusalem had insulted their brethren that were carried captive, and looked upon the land of Israel as their own possession, that God would be a little sanctuary to them; that he would gather them out of all lands, and give them the land of Israel; that they should come thither, and remove all idolatry from it, and should have regenerating and renewing grace given them, to walk in the statutes and ordinances of the Lord, by which they should appear to be his people, and he to be their God, Eze 11:14-20; but as for such that continued in their abominable idolatries, these should receive a just recompence of reward, Eze 11:21; after which follows an account of the entire removal of the glory of the Lord from the city of Jerusalem, Eze 11:22,23; and the prophet being, in vision, brought again to Chaldea, reports the whole he had seen to them of the captivity, Eze 11:24,25.