*THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
EZEKIEL

Ezekiel 22

1A catalogue of sins committed in Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jews because of them. 17God will burn them as dross in the furnace. 23The general corruption of all orders of men, for which God's wrath is poured out upon them.


1MOREOVER the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou 1judgea the 2bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations.

1 See Ezek. 20 on verse 4.

a Ezek. 20:4; 23:36.

2 That is, which is full of slaughter and murder. Hebr. city of bloods. Also Ezek. 24:6, 9; Nahum 3:1. See Gen. 37 on verse 26.

3Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD, The 3city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her 4time may come, and maketh 5idols 6against herself to defile herself.

3 That is, whose inhabitants shed blood, or, in which men shed blood; and so in the sequel.

4 Of her punishment and destruction; their end which by their sins they draw upon themselves, and justly determined by God to come upon them. See Ezek. 7:7, 10, with the annotations; so in the sequel days and years. One and the same thing is declared in different words. Compare further Ezek. 12:23, 24, 25, 27; Micah 6 on verse 16.

5 See Lev. 26 on verse 30.

6 Or, by herself, in herself, for herself.

4Thou art become guilty in 7thy blood that thou hast shed;b and hast defiledc thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy 8days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I 9made thee a reproachd unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.

7 This is expounded by the words adjoined. Also verse 13.

b 2 Kings 21:16.

c Ezek. 20:30, 31.

8 See on the previous verse.

9 Or, appointed, delivered, a reproach by or for, under, etc. (see Deut. 28:37), that is, I will surely do it, as I have already begun to do it.

d Ezek. 5:14.

5Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art 10infamous and 11much vexed.

10 That is, those who have a base ignominious name. Being everywhere infamous by reason of the wickedness which is committed in thee.

11 Or, abundant in stirring, commotion; within which there is such a continual stir to commit all manner of horrible wickedness, wherewith thou gettest shame and disgrace everywhere. This is explained in the sequel.

6Behold, the princes of Israel, every one 12were in thee to their 13power to shed blood.

12 Or, are (and so in the sequel). That is, they are or have been bent to it, they give their mind to shed blood; they make it their work, their whole business to commit murder, and to shed innocent blood, instead that they ought to have punished it.

13 Hebr. arm, that is, according to his ability, everyone strives to be foremost; he who does it not, it is for want of power, not for want of will. See Job 22 on verse 8.

7In thee 14have they set 15light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by 16oppression with the stranger: in thee have they 17vexed the fatherless and the widow.

14 That is, one has, and so on.

15 That is, vilified, despised, disdained.

16 Oppressing him either by violence and cruelty, or by deceit and subtlety.

17 Or, spoiled.

8Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths.

9In thee are men 18that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they 19eat upon the mountains:e in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.

18 Hebr. men of backbiting, who by their running up and down and tale-bearing and informing have brought their neighbor into trouble, and to destruction. See Lev. 19 on verse 16.

19 See Ezek. 18 on verse 6; that is, there have been such in thee, and there are such still, who do this.

e Ezek. 18:6, 11.

10In thee have they discoveredf their fathers’ 20nakedness: in thee have they 21humbled her that was set 22apart for pollution.g

f Lev. 18:8.

20 That is, committed horrible incest. See Lev. 18 on verse 6.

21 Or, disgraced, lain with her. Hebr. humbled. Also in the next verse.

22 See Lev. 15 on verse 24.

g Lev. 18:19; Ezek. 18:6.

11And one hath committed abominationh with his neighbour’s wife;i and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law;j and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father’sk daughter.

h Lev. 18:20.

i Jer. 5:8.

j Lev. 18:15.

k Lev. 18:9.

12In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken 23usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by 24extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.

23 See of usury and increase Lev. 25 on verse 36.

24 By forcing, extorting from him unlawful gain, or prejudicing him by crafty and subtle devices; for the Hebrew word is used of both.

13¶Behold, therefore I have smittenl mine 25hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy 26blood 27which hath been in the midst of thee.

l Ezek. 21:17.

25 Namely, one hand against or in the other; a sign of distemper and abhorring of this wickedness, a purpose to punish and instigating the enemy. Compare Ezek. 21:14 with the annotation there.

26 As verse 4.

27 Greediness and murder.

14Can thine heart 28endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall 29deal with thee? I the LORD have spoken it, and will domit.

28 Implying: by no means, but heart and courage shall then fail thee, and thine hands shall wax feeble.

29 According to My justice and thy deserts.

m Ezek. 17:24.

15And I will scattern thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will 30consume thy filthiness out of thee.

n Ezek. 12:14, 15.

30 Or, cause to perish, that is, I will make thine inhabitants leave that uncleanness when they shall be driven out of their own country, and be carried away captive. Compare Ezek. 23:37.

16And thou shalt take thine 31inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.

31 Being treated as a profane, vile, base contemptible city, in regard of thy desolation. Other, thou shalt give thyself for an inheritance, or be taken for an inheritance, that is, foreign nations shall possess thee, and bear the rule over thee.

17And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

18Son of man, the 32house of Israel is to me become 33dross:o all they are 34brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.

32 Hebr. the house of Israel are unto me, etc.

33 See Isa. 1:22; Jer. 6:28, 29, 30, with the annotations.

o Isa. 1:22.

34 Whereas they should be fine gold and silver, that is, upright, holy and godly.

19Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will 35gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

35 As into a furnace. This is declared in the sequel. Compare Ezek. 11:7.

20As they 36gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.

36 Hebr. according to the gathering of silver, etc.

21Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst 37thereof.

37 Of the city of Jerusalem; also in the next verse. Compare verse 19.

22As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you.

23¶And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

24Son of man, say unto 38her, Thou art the land that is not 39cleansed, 40nor rained upon in the day of 41indignation.

38 Jerusalem and the land of Judah, as follows.

39 From wicked men and wickedness; thou art not amended by My judgments and punishments.

40 Or, that hath not had her shower of rain, that is, which is not cleansed by My judgments; as a great shower of rain is wont to cleanse and wash away filth and dirt. Other, that shall not be rained upon, that is, thou shalt be consumed and destroyed by My judgments, and not be enlightened or refreshed.

41 That is, of My judgments.

25There is 42a conspiracy 43of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion raveningp the prey; they have devoured 44souls;q they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have 45made her many widows in the midst thereof.

42 Or, plot, strategy, that is conspiracy. The false prophets have combined together against the true prophets of God, and those who are attached to them, to ruin them. Compare Jer. 20:2; 26:8, 9; 29:25, 26; Lam. 4:13.

43 Of Jerusalem, etc.

p tearing in pieces*

44 That is, people (see Gen. 12 on verse 5), in making them bare and naked by their seducing prophecies, for which they wanted to be dearly rewarded; and they devour godly men’s estate by false accusations and evil practices. Compare Micah 3:11; Mat. 23:14.

q Mat. 23:14.

45 Robbing them of their husbands, whom, by their false accusations, they cause to be put to death.

26Her priests have 46violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no differencer between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have 47hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am 48profaned among them.

46 Fearlessly breaking it, and wresting it after their lusts. Compare Zeph. 3:3, 4.

r Lev. 10:10; Ezek. 44:23.

47 That is, they withdraw themselves from the observations of My sabbaths, as if they were altogether ignorant of Mine ordinance concerning the same.

48 That is, dishonored and accounted as nothing, as if I were not God; as such they deal with Me, and are the cause that others do the same.

27Her princess in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy 49souls, to get dishonest gain.

s Micah 3:11; Zeph. 3:3.

49 That is, people, as verse 25.

28And her prophets have 50daubedt them with untempered morter, seeingu51vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.

50 See Ezek. 13 on verse 10.

t Ezek. 13:10.

u Ezek. 21:29.

51 Or, falsehood; falsely pretending that God has revealed this and that thing unto them by visions. See Ezek. 13:6.

29The people of the land have 52used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have 53vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger 54wrongfully.

52 Hebr. oppress oppression, or with oppression, and rob robbery, that is, the entire land is full of deceit and violence.

53 Or, torment, plunder, rob.

54 Or, wrongfully, against all reason, without measure, or, so as that no right is done to him, namely, by the magistrate. Hebr. by or in or with not judgment, etc.

30And I sought for a man 55among them, that should make up the 56hedge, and stand in the gapv before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

55 Or, out of them, that is, among them.

56 See Ezek. 13:5, with the annotation.

v Psalm 106:23.

31Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their 57heads,w saith the Lord GOD.

57 See Ezek. 9 on verse 10.

w Ezek. 9:10; 11:21; 16:43.