1 Moreover the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me to the east gate of Yahweh's house, which looks eastward: and see, at the door of the gate twenty-five men; and I saw in the midst of them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. 2 He said to me, Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity, and who give wicked counsel in this city; 3 who say, (The time) is not near to build houses: this (city) is the caldron, and we are the flesh. 4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, son of man. 5 The Spirit of Yahweh fell on me, and he said to me, Speak, Thus says Yahweh: Thus you have said, house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind. 6 You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain. 7 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the flesh, and this (city) is the caldron; but you shall be brought forth out of its midst. 8 You have feared the sword; and I will bring the sword on you, says the Lord Yahweh. 9 I will bring you forth out of its midst, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you. 10 You shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and you shall know that I am Yahweh. 11 This (city) shall not be your caldron, neither shall you be the flesh in its midst; I will judge you in the border of Israel; 12 and you shall know that I am Yahweh: for you have not walked in my statutes, neither have you executed my ordinances, but have done after the ordinances of the nations that are around you. 13 It happened, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down on my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord Yahweh! will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel? 14 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 15 Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, the men of your relatives, and all the house of Israel, all of them, (are they) to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Go far away from Yahweh. This land has been given to us for a possession. 16 Therefore say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Whereas I have removed them far off among the nations, and whereas I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them a sanctuary for a little while in the countries where they are come. 17 Therefore say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 18 They shall come there, and they shall take away all the detestable things of it and all its abominations from there. 19 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 a heart of flesh; 20 that they may walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for them whose heart walks after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their way on their own heads, says the Lord Yahweh. 22 Then did the cherubim lift up their wings, and the wheels were beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. 23 The glory of Yahweh went up from the midst of the city, and stood on the mountain which is on the east side of the city. 24 The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me. 25 Then I spoke to them of the captivity all the things that Yahweh had shown me.
This chapter denounces the judgments of God against those wicked persons who remained in Jerusalem and made a mock of the types and predictions of the prophets, Ezekiel 11:1-13; compare Ezekiel 11:3 with Jeremiah 1:13. God promises to favour those who were gone into captivity, and intimates their restoration from the Babylonish yoke, Ezekiel 11:14-21. Then the shechinah, or symbol of the Divine Presence, is represented forsaking the city, as in the foregoing chapter it did the temple, Ezekiel 11:22, Ezekiel 11:23; and the prophet returns in vision to the place from which he set out, (Ezekiel 8:1. etc.), in order to communicate his instructions to his brethren of the captivity, Ezekiel 11:24, Ezekiel 11:25.
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 Ezekiel 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, Ezekiel 11:2; wherefore he is bid to prophesy against them, Ezekiel 11:4; which he accordingly did, the Spirit of the Lord falling upon him, Ezekiel 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, Ezekiel 11:6; 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, Ezekiel 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, Ezekiel 11:14; but as for such that continued in their abominable idolatries, these should receive a just recompence of reward, Ezekiel 11:21; after which follows an account of the entire removal of the glory of the Lord from the city of Jerusalem, Ezekiel 11:22; and the prophet being, in vision, brought again to Chaldea, reports the whole he had seen to them of the captivity, Ezekiel 11:24.
(Ezekiel 11:1-13) Divine judgments against the wicked at Jerusalem.
(Ezekiel 11:14-21) Divine favour towards those in captivity.
(Ezekiel 11:22-25) The Divine presence forsakes the city.
Threatening of Judgment and Promise of Mercy. Conclusion of the Vision - Ezekiel 11:1-13
This chapter contains the concluding portion of the vision; namely, first, the prediction of the destruction of the ungodly rulers (Ezekiel 11:1-13); secondly, the consolatory and closing promise, that the Lord would gather to Himself a people out of those who had been carried away into exile, and would sanctify them by His Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 11:14-21); and, thirdly, the withdrawal of the gracious presence of God from the city of Jerusalem, and the transportation of the prophet back to Chaldea with the termination of his ecstasy (Ezekiel 11:22-25).
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.