Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
God enumerates the people’s many sins and promises to punish them accordingly.
II. Photo
God promises to punish the people: “As silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are gathered into a crucible to blow the fire upon them, so as to melt them, so will I gather you in My fierce anger and cast you [into the fire] and melt you!” (v. 20)
III. Important Verses
6-12: Every one of the princes of Israel in your midst used his strength for the shedding of blood. Fathers and mothers have been humiliated within you; strangers have been cheated in your midst; orphans and widows have been wronged within you. You have despised My holy things and profaned My sabbaths. Base men in your midst were intent on shedding blood; in you they have eaten upon the mountains; and they have practiced depravity in your midst. In you they have uncovered their fathers’ nakedness; in you they have ravished women during their impurity. They have committed abhorrent acts with other men’s wives; in their depravity they have defiled their own daughters-in-law; in you they have ravished their own sisters, daughters of their fathers. They have taken bribes within you to shed blood. You have taken advance and accrued interest; you have defrauded your countrymen to your profit. You have forgotten Me — declares the Lord GOD.
18-20: O mortal, the House of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all copper, tin, iron, and lead. But in a crucible, the dross shall turn into silver. Assuredly, thus said the Lord GOD: Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem. As silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are gathered into a crucible to blow the fire upon them, so as to melt them, so will I gather you in My fierce anger and cast you [into the fire] and melt you.
25-27: Her gang of prophets are like roaring lions in her midst, rending prey. They devour human beings; they seize treasure and wealth; they have widowed many women in her midst. Her priests have violated My Teaching: they have profaned what is sacred to Me, they have not distinguished between the sacred and the profane, they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have closed their eyes to My sabbaths. I am profaned in their midst. Her officials are like wolves rending prey in her midst; they shed blood and destroy lives to win ill-gotten gain.
IV. Outline
1-16. Oracle #1
1. Introduction
2-4a. The city has become murderous and idolatrous
4b-5. God will destroy the city
6-. The city’s sins
6. Bloodshed
7. Social wrongs
8. Violation of holy days
9. Murder and idolatry
10. Incest and violation of niddah
11. Sexual sins
12. Monetary sins
13-16. God will smite the people and disperse them
17-22. Oracle #2
17. Introduction
18-22. God will treat Israel like metal in a crucible
23-31. Oracle #3
23. Introduction
24. The land is dirty
25. The prophets are like lions
26a. The priests have sinned
26b. The people have violated the holy days
27. The leaders are like wolves
28. False prophecies
29. Robbery
30. There are no righteous people
31. God will punish the people
V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.
VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Allen, Leslie C. “Ezekiel 1-19” Word Biblical Commentary vol. 28 (Waco, Texas: Wordbook, 1994).
Collins, John J. “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible,” (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004).
Hals, Ronald M. “Ezekiel” The forms of the Old Testament Literature vol. 19 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1989)
Photo taken from