King James Version
Ezekiel 11
25 verses with commentary
Judgment on Israel's Leaders
Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD'S house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Spirit lifting Ezekiel and bringing him to the east gate represents divine transportation in prophetic vision. The Hebrew <em>ruach</em> (רוּחַ, 'Spirit' or 'wind') indicates God's power enabling the vision. The east gate faced toward the rising sun, symbolically important as the direction of God's glory (Ezekiel 43:1-5) and also the direction from which Babylonian invaders would come.<br><br>...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **Brought me unto the east gate of the Lord’s house.**—This is the same place, the main outer entrance to the whole Temple enclosure, to which the prophet had seen the cherubim go (Ezekiel 10:19). It is not expressly said where he was brought from; but the last place mentioned was the court of the priests (Ezekiel 8:16), and so far the vision appears to be consecutive. Standing in that innermo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. present ... supplication--**literally, "supplication shall fall"; alluding to the prostrate attitude of the supplicants (De 9:25; Mt 26:39), as petitioners fall at the feet of a king in the East. So Hebrew, Jr 38:26; Da 9:18, Margin.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem. (Ezek 11:1-13) Divine favour towards those in captivity. (Ezek 11:14-21) The Divine presence forsakes the city. (Ezek 11:22-25)
**Verses 1-13** Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We...
Read full commentary →Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city:
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KJV Study Commentary
God's words to Ezekiel—'these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city'—indict Jerusalem's leadership for active evil. The Hebrew <em>chashav</em> (חָשַׁב, 'devise') indicates intentional planning and scheming. The <em>aven</em> (אָוֶן, 'mischief' or 'iniquity') they devise is not accidental sin but calculated wickedness. Their 'wicked counsel' (<em>etsah ra'ah</em>, ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem. (Ezek 11:1-13) Divine favour towards those in captivity. (Ezek 11:14-21) The Divine presence forsakes the city. (Ezek 11:22-25)
**Verses 1-13** Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We...
Read full commentary →Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh. It is: or, It is not for us to build houses near
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KJV Study Commentary
The wicked counsel is quoted: 'It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we are the flesh.' This reveals the leaders' false security and denial of imminent judgment. 'It is not near' contradicts prophetic warnings from Jeremiah and Ezekiel that judgment was imminent. Encouraging people to 'build houses' promoted normalcy bias—life will continue as usual, so invest in long-...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **It is not near; let us build houses. **-Neither the text nor the marginal reading of the Authorised Version quite accurately represent the original. The expression is literally *not near to build houses; *and it is to be explained by the prophecy and narrative of Jeremiah 29. After the 10,000 (among whom was Ezekiel) had been carried captive—and apparently shortly after—Jeremiah had sent wor...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. they proclaimed ... to all the people ... to all, &c.--**rather, "all the people ... all the people proclaimed a fast" [Michaelis]. The chiefs appointed the fast by the wish of the people. In either version the ungodly king had no share in appointing the fast.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem. (Ezek 11:1-13) Divine favour towards those in captivity. (Ezek 11:14-21) The Divine presence forsakes the city. (Ezek 11:22-25)
**Verses 1-13** Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We...
Read full commentary →Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.
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KJV Study Commentary
God's command to Ezekiel—'Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man'—emphasizes the prophet's duty despite opposition. The repetition 'prophesy... prophesy' intensifies the command, indicating both urgency and the difficulty of the task. The title 'son of man' (<em>ben-adam</em>, בֶּן־אָדָם) occurs over ninety times in Ezekiel, emphasizing the prophet's humanity in contrast to God's ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. chamber--**Baruch read from the window or balcony of the chamber looking into the court where the people were assembled. However, some of the chambers were large enough to contain a considerable number (Ne 13:5).
**Gemariah--**distinct from the Gemariah, son of Hilkiah, in Jr 29:3.
**Shaphan--**the same person as in 2Ki 22:3.
**scribe--**secretary of state, or he who presided over the ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem. (Ezek 11:1-13) Divine favour towards those in captivity. (Ezek 11:14-21) The Divine presence forsakes the city. (Ezek 11:22-25)
**Verses 1-13** Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We...
Read full commentary →And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.
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KJV Study Commentary
God declares: "I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them." The Hebrew yada (יָדַע, "know") indicates intimate, comprehensive knowledge. Nothing escapes divine omniscience—thoughts, motives, and secret counsels all lie open before God (Hebrews 4:13). This knowledge isn't merely informational but judicial; God judges not just actions but heart attitudes. The phrase warns against ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem. (Ezek 11:1-13) Divine favour towards those in captivity. (Ezek 11:14-21) The Divine presence forsakes the city. (Ezek 11:22-25)
**Verses 1-13** Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We...
Read full commentary →Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.
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KJV Study Commentary
God indicts the leaders: 'Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.' This accuses them of violence and bloodshed, likely referring to both judicial murders and oppression. The Hebrew <em>chalal</em> (חָלָל, 'slain') indicates those violently killed. The multiplication and filling language suggests systematic, widespread violence under these ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Ye have multiplied your slain.**—Crimes of violence, as well as of licentiousness, are always the fruit of defection from God. In this case the apostacy of the people had produced its natural result; and the abundant crimes against life formed a prominent feature of the terrible indictment against the city.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. scribe's chamber--**an apartment in the palace occupied by the secretary of state.
**princes--**holding a counsel of state at the time.
**Elnathan--**who had already been an instrument of evil in Jehoiakim's hand (Jr 26:22, 23).
**Hananiah--**the false prophet (Jr 28:10-17).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem. (Ezek 11:1-13) Divine favour towards those in captivity. (Ezek 11:14-21) The Divine presence forsakes the city. (Ezek 11:22-25)
**Verses 1-13** Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We...
Read full commentary →Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.
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KJV Study Commentary
God announces judgment using the leaders' own metaphor: 'Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron; but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.' This represents prophetic irony—God takes their confident proverb and inverts it. Yes, Jerusalem is a caldron, but they won't be protected; they'll be remove...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Your slain . . . they are the flesh.**—They had boasted of the protection of their strong city: it should be a security only to the dead who had fallen by their own violence. The living who vainly trusted in its strength should be brought out of it, and delivered as captives to the stranger. The prophecy here takes up their own simile of Ezekiel 11:3, and shows that it shall not avail them. ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem. (Ezek 11:1-13) Divine favour towards those in captivity. (Ezek 11:14-21) The Divine presence forsakes the city. (Ezek 11:22-25)
**Verses 1-13** Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We...
Read full commentary →Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD.
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KJV Study Commentary
God continues: 'Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD.' The leaders' fear of military conquest will be realized, but not in the way they hoped to avoid it. Despite their confident words about protection (v. 3), their actions revealed underlying fear. God declares He will bring the very thing they fear—not as random occurrence but as divine judgment ('I wil...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. Jehudi--**of a good family, as appears from his pedigree being given so fully, but in a subordinate position.
**come--**Instead of requiring Baruch to come to them, they ought to have gone to the temple, and there professed their penitence. But pride forbade it [Calvin].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem. (Ezek 11:1-13) Divine favour towards those in captivity. (Ezek 11:14-21) The Divine presence forsakes the city. (Ezek 11:22-25)
**Verses 1-13** Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We...
Read full commentary →And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.
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KJV Study Commentary
God declares 'I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.' This announces exile and foreign conquest. The Hebrew <em>natan</em> (נָתַן, 'deliver' or 'give') indicates God actively handing Jerusalem's leaders over to Babylon. God uses 'strangers' (<em>zarim</em>, זָרִים)—foreign nations—to execute His covenant curses....
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem. (Ezek 11:1-13) Divine favour towards those in captivity. (Ezek 11:14-21) The Divine presence forsakes the city. (Ezek 11:22-25)
**Verses 1-13** Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We...
Read full commentary →Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
God continues: 'Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.' The phrase 'fall by the sword' indicates death in battle or execution. 'Border of Israel' likely refers to Riblah in Syria, technically within Greater Israel's ideal boundaries (Numbers 34:7-9) but outside Judah proper. This geographical specificity would be precisely fulfil...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **In the border of Israel.**—The judgment should be cumulative: first, the sword should come upon them (Ezekiel 11:8); then they should be driven out of the city in which they trusted, and delivered into the hands of strangers (Ezekiel 11:9); and then, finally—what was most terrible to a Jew—they were to be arraigned and punished “in the border,” *i.e., *at the extremity or outside of the lan...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. afraid, both one and other--**Hebrew, "fear-stricken," they turned to one another (compare Ge 42:28). This showed, on their part, hesitancy, and some degree of fear of God, but not enough to make them willing to sacrifice the favor of an earthly king.
**We will surely tell the king--**not the language of threatening but implying that the matter is of such moment that the king ought to be m...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem. (Ezek 11:1-13) Divine favour towards those in captivity. (Ezek 11:14-21) The Divine presence forsakes the city. (Ezek 11:22-25)
**Verses 1-13** Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We...
Read full commentary →This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel:
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KJV Study Commentary
God inverts the leaders' metaphor: 'This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel.' Their confident proverb (v. 3) claimed Jerusalem would protect them like a pot protects meat from fire. God declares the opposite—Jerusalem won't protect, and they'll be judged outside the city at Israel's border (fulfilled at R...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17. What they wished to know was, whether what Baruch had read to them was written by him from memory after hearing Jeremiah repeating his prophecies continuously, or accurately from the prophet's own dictation.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem. (Ezek 11:1-13) Divine favour towards those in captivity. (Ezek 11:14-21) The Divine presence forsakes the city. (Ezek 11:22-25)
**Verses 1-13** Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We...
Read full commentary →And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you. for ye: or, which have not walked
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KJV Study Commentary
God explains judgment's basis: 'And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.' This verse provides the theological rationale for judgment—Israel adopted pagan practices rather than maintaining covenant distinctiveness. The Hebrew <em>chuqqim</em> (חֻקִּים, 'statute...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. his mouth--**Baruch replies it was by the oral dictation of the prophet; Jr 36:2 accords with this view, rather than with the notion that Jeremiah repeated his prophecies from manuscripts.
**ink--**his specification of the "ink" implies: I added nothing save the hand, pen, and ink.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem. (Ezek 11:1-13) Divine favour towards those in captivity. (Ezek 11:14-21) The Divine presence forsakes the city. (Ezek 11:22-25)
**Verses 1-13** Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?
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KJV Study Commentary
Ezekiel recounts a dramatic moment: 'And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?' Pelatiah, one of the twenty-five wicked leaders named in verse 1, dies during Ezekiel's prophecy. Whether this occurred in actual Jerusalem simultan...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Pelatiah . . . died.**—This Pelatiah was one of the “princes of the people” mentioned in Ezekiel 11:1-2 as “those that devise mischief and give wicked counsel.” The prophet’s mind is greatly affected by his sudden death, and he earnestly intercedes that in the judgments God will not “make a full end of the remnant.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19. Showing that they were not altogether without better feelings (compare Jr 36:16, 25).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem. (Ezek 11:1-13) Divine favour towards those in captivity. (Ezek 11:14-21) The Divine presence forsakes the city. (Ezek 11:22-25)
**Verses 1-13** Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We...
Read full commentary →Promise of Israel's Restoration
Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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KJV Study Commentary
God's response begins: 'Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is given in possession.' This reveals the contempt Jerusalem's remaining inhabitants felt toward the exiles. They claimed the exiles were distant from the LORD and forfeited the...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Again the word.**—This does not mark the beginning of a separate prophecy, but only the Divine answer to the prophet’s intercession. This answer differs entirely from the denunciations that have gone before, because it no longer relates to the people of Jerusalem (for whom intercession was in vain: Ezekiel 9:9-10), but turns to the exiles, and foretells God’s mercy and blessing upon them.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20. chamber--**There were chambers in the king's palace round the court or great hall, as in the temple (Jr 36:10). The roll was "laid up" there for safekeeping, with other public records.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21** The pious captives in Babylon were insulted by the Jews who continued in Jerusalem; but God made gracious promises to them. It is promised, that God will give them one heart; a heart firmly fixed for God, and not wavering. All who are made holy have a new spirit, a new temper and dispositions; they act from new principles, walk by new rules, and aim at new ends. A new name, or a n...
Read full commentary →Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is this land given in possession.
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KJV Study Commentary
God continues His message to the exiles: 'Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.' This promise revolutionizes temple theology. Though physically distant from Jerusalem's temple, God promises to be 'a little...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Thy brethren—***i.e., *those who were with Ezekiel in the Captivity. The expression is made emphatic by repetition, and by the addition, “men of thy kindred.” The people remaining in Jerusalem, with arrogant confidence in themselves, and without sympathy for the exiles, had said to them, by words and by deeds, “We are holier than you; we dwell in the chosen city, we have the Temple, the app...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21. sent Jehudi--**Note how unbelievers flee from God, and yet seek Him through some kind of involuntary impulse [Calvin]. Jehudi seems to have been the king's ready tool for evil.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21** The pious captives in Babylon were insulted by the Jews who continued in Jerusalem; but God made gracious promises to them. It is promised, that God will give them one heart; a heart firmly fixed for God, and not wavering. All who are made holy have a new spirit, a new temper and dispositions; they act from new principles, walk by new rules, and aim at new ends. A new name, or a n...
Read full commentary →Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.
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KJV Study Commentary
God promises scattered Israel: "I will be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come." Despite losing the physical temple, exiles would experience God's presence in Babylon. The phrase "little sanctuary" (miqdash me'at, מִקְדָּשׁ מְעַט) can mean "sanctuary for a little while" or "small sanctuary"—both emphasizing temporary provision until restoration. This promise reveals...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Therefore say.**—These words, again repeated in Ezekiel 11:17, refer to what the people of Jerusalem had said in Ezekiel 11:15. Their saying these things was a reason, not for what God would do, but for His declaring His merciful purpose beforehand.
**As a little sanctuary.**—Rather, *as a sanctuary for a little. *The original word is to be taken as an adverb rather than an adjective, and i...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22. winter house--**(Am 3:15).
**ninth month--**namely, of the religious year, that is, November or December.
**fire on ... hearth--**rather, the stove was burning before him. In the East neither chimneys nor ovens are used, but, in cold weather, a brazen vessel containing burning charcoal; when the wood has burned to embers, a cover is placed over the pot to make it retain the heat.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21** The pious captives in Babylon were insulted by the Jews who continued in Jerusalem; but God made gracious promises to them. It is promised, that God will give them one heart; a heart firmly fixed for God, and not wavering. All who are made holy have a new spirit, a new temper and dispositions; they act from new principles, walk by new rules, and aim at new ends. A new name, or a n...
Read full commentary →Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
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KJV Study Commentary
God promises restoration: "I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel." This prophecy had partial fulfillment in the post-exilic return under Ezra and Nehemiah, but awaits complete fulfillment in Christ's millennial kingdom. The threefold promise—gathering, assembling, giving the land—emphasizes...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **I will give you the land of Israel.**—Again in contrast to the people of Jerusalem, who claimed the land as their own exclusive possession. They shall be cast out; the exiles whom they despised shall be gathered again and possess the land. (Comp. Numbers 14:3; Numbers 14:31-32, where when the people refused the Divine command to take possession of the land, and feared that their little ones...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23. three or four leaves--**not distinct leaves as in a book, but the consecutive spaces on the long roll in the shape of doors (whence the Hebrew name is derived), into which the writing is divided: as the books of Moses in the synagogue in the present day are written in a long parchment rolled round a stick, the writing divided into columns, like pages.
**pen-knife--**the writer's knife with...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21** The pious captives in Babylon were insulted by the Jews who continued in Jerusalem; but God made gracious promises to them. It is promised, that God will give them one heart; a heart firmly fixed for God, and not wavering. All who are made holy have a new spirit, a new temper and dispositions; they act from new principles, walk by new rules, and aim at new ends. A new name, or a n...
Read full commentary →And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.
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KJV Study Commentary
God promises: "they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof." The Hebrew shiqqutsim (שִׁקּוּצִים, "detestable things") refers to idols and abominable practices defiling the land. True restoration requires not just geographical return but spiritual reformation—removing idolatry and returning to exclusive worship of Yahweh. This principle appears throughout Scr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **They shall take away.—**Chastened and purified by their chastisement, they should return to the land to do away utterly with the abominations which had caused their exile. Historically, this was fully realised in the abomination in which idolatry, the great sin of the people, was ever after held among the Jews. The change of person from *you *to *they, *though so common as not necessarily t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
24. The king and his "servants" were more hardened than the "princes" and councillors (see on Jr 36:12; Jr 36:14; Jr 36:16). Contrast the humble fear exhibited by Josiah at the reading of the law (2Ki 22:11).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21** The pious captives in Babylon were insulted by the Jews who continued in Jerusalem; but God made gracious promises to them. It is promised, that God will give them one heart; a heart firmly fixed for God, and not wavering. All who are made holy have a new spirit, a new temper and dispositions; they act from new principles, walk by new rules, and aim at new ends. A new name, or a n...
Read full commentary →And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
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KJV Study Commentary
Amidst judgment oracles, God promises future restoration: 'I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh.' The 'one heart' (leb echad, לֵב אֶחָד) represents unified devotion replacing divided loyalty. The 'new spirit' (ruach chadashah, רוּחַ חֲדָשָׁה) anticipates the fuller revelation in ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19, 20) Here follows one of those germinant and ever developing prophetic promises which in fuller and fuller degree have formed from the very first, and still form, the hope of the future. True religion and a service acceptable to God must spring from a subjection of the affections of the heart to His will. Accordingly, the promise to Israel of old was: “The Lord thy God will circumcise thine he...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
25. (See on Jr 36:16). The "nevertheless" aggravates the king's sin; though God would have drawn him back through their intercession, he persisted: judicial blindness and reprobation!
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21** The pious captives in Babylon were insulted by the Jews who continued in Jerusalem; but God made gracious promises to them. It is promised, that God will give them one heart; a heart firmly fixed for God, and not wavering. All who are made holy have a new spirit, a new temper and dispositions; they act from new principles, walk by new rules, and aim at new ends. A new name, or a n...
Read full commentary →That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
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KJV Study Commentary
The new heart enables covenant obedience: "That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God." The purpose clause "that they may walk" reveals that heart transformation produces behavioral transformation. The Reformed ordo salutis (order of salvation) appears: regeneration precedes sanctification; the new heart enables ob...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26. Hammelech--**not as Margin, "of the king." Jehoiakim at this time (the fifth year of his reign) had no grown-up son: Jeconiah, his successor, was then a boy of eleven (compare 2Ki 23:36, with 2Ki 24:8).
**hid them--**(Psa 31:20; 83:3; Is 26:20).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21** The pious captives in Babylon were insulted by the Jews who continued in Jerusalem; but God made gracious promises to them. It is promised, that God will give them one heart; a heart firmly fixed for God, and not wavering. All who are made holy have a new spirit, a new temper and dispositions; they act from new principles, walk by new rules, and aim at new ends. A new name, or a n...
Read full commentary →But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.
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KJV Study Commentary
"But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD." God contrasts those receiving new hearts (verse 19) with those persisting in idolatry. The phrase "heart walketh after" indicates settled, chosen direction. Despite promised transformation, some refuse and persist in abominat...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **I will recompense their way.**—In striking contrast to the mercy granted to the repentant, is set forth here, as in Revelation 21:8, the Divine wrath upon the impenitent. It has never been promised that all men shall be brought to a true sense of their relations to God, for human responsibility, and consequently power of choice, is not removed; but God’s grace is never in vain, and if it do...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27. roll, and ... words--**that is, the roll of words.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21** The pious captives in Babylon were insulted by the Jews who continued in Jerusalem; but God made gracious promises to them. It is promised, that God will give them one heart; a heart firmly fixed for God, and not wavering. All who are made holy have a new spirit, a new temper and dispositions; they act from new principles, walk by new rules, and aim at new ends. A new name, or a n...
Read full commentary →Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
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KJV Study Commentary
After announcing restoration promises, Ezekiel sees the conclusion of the glory's departure: 'Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.' This describes the cherubim and wheels ready for departure, with God's glory positioned above them. The throne-chariot of God prepares to leave the temple entirely.<br><br>The p...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **And the wheels beside them.**—These are the wheels described as with the cherubim, and animated in their movements by one common impulse with them and, as all along, the Divine glory was above.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**28. all the former words--**It is in vain that the ungodly resist the power of Jehovah: not one of His words shall fall to the ground (Mt 5:18; Ac 9:5; 5:39).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-25** Here is the departure of God's presence from the city and temple. It was from the Mount of Olives that the vision went up, typifying the ascension of Christ to heaven from that very mountain. Though the Lord will not forsake his people, yet he may be driven away from any part of his visible church by their sins, and woe will be upon them when He withdraws his presence, glory, and ...
Read full commentary →And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.
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KJV Study Commentary
The glory of the LORD 'went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city'—the Mount of Olives. This completes the staged departure begun in 10:4, 10:18. The glory's final pause on the eastern mountain creates poignant foreshadowing. Zechariah 14:4 prophesies that when the LORD returns, 'his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives.' ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **Stood upon the mountain.**—This mountain, on the east of the city, is that which was afterwards known as the Mount of Olives. It is considerably higher than the city, and commands a view over its entire extent. Here the Divine glory rested after taking its departure from the Temple and the city in the vision of the prophet. Here, in the vision of a later prophet (Zechariah 14:4), the Lord i...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29. say to Jehoiakim--**not in person, as Jeremiah was "hidden" (Jr 36:26), but by the written word of prophecy.
**saying, Why--**This is what the king had desired to be said to Jeremiah if he should be found; kings often dislike the truth to be told them.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-25** Here is the departure of God's presence from the city and temple. It was from the Mount of Olives that the vision went up, typifying the ascension of Christ to heaven from that very mountain. Though the Lord will not forsake his people, yet he may be driven away from any part of his visible church by their sins, and woe will be upon them when He withdraws his presence, glory, and ...
Read full commentary →Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.
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KJV Study Commentary
God commands Ezekiel to communicate the vision: 'Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.' The Spirit returns Ezekiel from visionary experience to normal consciousness among the exiles in Babylon. The phrase 'vision...went up from me' indicates the prophetic experience's ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**30. He shall have none to sit upon the throne--**fulfilled (2Ki 24:8, &c.; 2Ki 25:1-30). He had successors, but not directly of his posterity, except his son Jeconiah, whose three months' reign is counted as nothing. Zedekiah was not the son, but the uncle of Jeconiah, and was raised to the throne in contempt of him and his father Jehoiakim (Jr 22:30).
**dead body ... cast out--**(Jr 22:18...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-25** Here is the departure of God's presence from the city and temple. It was from the Mount of Olives that the vision went up, typifying the ascension of Christ to heaven from that very mountain. Though the Lord will not forsake his people, yet he may be driven away from any part of his visible church by their sins, and woe will be upon them when He withdraws his presence, glory, and ...
Read full commentary →Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had shewed me.
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KJV Study Commentary
Ezekiel fulfills his commission: 'Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had shewed me.' Despite the message's difficulty—judgment on Jerusalem, glory's departure, leaders' condemnation—Ezekiel faithfully reports everything God revealed. The phrase 'all the things' emphasizes comprehensive communication. He doesn't soften, select, or suppress uncomfortable parts but d...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-25** Here is the departure of God's presence from the city and temple. It was from the Mount of Olives that the vision went up, typifying the ascension of Christ to heaven from that very mountain. Though the Lord will not forsake his people, yet he may be driven away from any part of his visible church by their sins, and woe will be upon them when He withdraws his presence, glory, and ...
Read full commentary →