וַתִּשָּׂא אֹתִי רוּחַ וַתָּבֵא אֹתִי אֶל־שַׁעַר בֵּית־יְהוָה הַקַּדְמֹונִי הַפֹּונֶה קָדִימָה וְהִנֵּה בְּפֶתַח הַשַּׁעַר 11:1 עֶשְׂרִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה אִישׁ וָאֶרְאֶה בְתֹוכָם אֶת־יַאֲזַנְיָה בֶן־עַזֻּר וְאֶת־פְּלַטְיָהוּ בֶן־בְּנָיָהוּ שָׂרֵי הָעָם׃
Ezek. 11:1 Then a spirit lifted me up and brought me to the eastern gate of the house of the Lord, looking to the east, and behold, in the doorway of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, princes of the people, in their midst.
The vision continues. The twenty-five men mentioned here are presumed to be the same men who worshiped the sun as described in Ezek. 8:16.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָי בֶּן־אָדָם אֵלֶּה הָאֲנָשִׁים הַחֹשְׁבִים אָוֶן וְהַיֹּעֲצִים עֲצַת־רָע בָּעִיר הַזֹּאת׃ 11:2
Ezek. 11:2 And He said to me, “Human, these are the men making judgments of wickedness and giving evil counsel in this city,
הָאֹמְרִים לֹא בְקָרֹוב בְּנֹות בָּתִּים הִיא הַסִּיר וַאֲנַחְנוּ הַבָּשָׂר׃ 11:3
Ezek. 11:3 saying, ‘To build houses is not near; this is the pot and we are the flesh.’”
There are numerous interpretations of the first part of this verse, which is cryptic What do the leaders mean when they say that? Some conclude that they were urging fighting the Babylonians, so it was time to build weapons, not houses. Others translate the words as something like “It is near, no building of houses.” In other words, the men imagine the imminence of defeat, so it is not appropriate to build houses. I don’t believe the first part has to be mistranslated; the verse speaks for itself. I believe the second part of the verse has to be a clue as to the meaning of the first part. Some say the pot protects the flesh within it from the fire. But v. 11:7 below contradicts that idea. Jerusalem is the pot and the flesh cooking in it represents the slain, not the survivors. No, to me it sounds like they are urging surrender or simply expressing a defeatist attitude. So why is this evil counsel? The way I see it, the God Figure is exposing these men as disobeying the Lord’s instructions by not urging going over to the Chaldeans. In Jere. 21:9 the Lord tells the people of Jerusalem to fall down by the Chaldeans and they will live. So the God Figure is “disappointed” that these men did not listen and many more than necessary will die. Verse 11:6 below provides support for my conclusion.
לָכֵן הִנָּבֵא עֲלֵיהֶם הִנָּבֵא בֶּן־אָדָם׃ 11:4
Ezek. 11:4 “Therefore prophesy against them. Prophesy, human!”
וַתִּפֹּל עָלַי רוּחַ יְהוָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי אֱמֹר כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה כֵּן אֲמַרְתֶּם בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמַעֲלֹות רוּחֲכֶם 11:5 יְדַעְתִּיהָ׃
Ezek. 11:5 And the spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and He said to me, “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord: So you had said, house of Israel, but the thoughts of your mind, I know of it.’
הִרְבֵּיתֶם חַלְלֵיכֶם בָּעִיר הַזֹּאת וּמִלֵּאתֶם חוּצֹתֶיהָ חָלָל׃ 11:6
Ezek. 11:6 ‘You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you will have filled her streets of slain.’
לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה חַלְלֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתֶּם בְּתֹוכָהּ הֵמָּה הַבָּשָׂר וְהִיא הַסִּיר וְאֶתְכֶם הֹוצִיא 11:7 מִתֹּוכָהּ׃
Ezek. 11:7 ‘Therefore, thus says the Master, the Lord: Your slain that you have produced in her midst, they are the flesh, and she, the pot.’” (but you He is extracting from her midst).
חֶרֶב יְרֵאתֶם וְחֶרֶב אָבִיא עֲלֵיכֶם נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃ 11:8
Ezek. 11:8 “’The sword you have feared, so the sword I will bring against you, declares the Master, the Lord.’
וְהֹוצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מִתֹּוכָהּ וְנָתַתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּיַד־זָרִים וְעָשִׂיתִי בָכֶם שְׁפָטִים׃ 11:9
Ezek. 11:9 ‘Thus I will extract you from her midst and deliver you into the hand of strangers and will execute judgments among you.’
בַּחֶרֶב תִּפֹּלוּ עַל־גְּבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶשְׁפֹּוט אֶתְכֶם וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה׃ 11:10
Ezek. 11:10 ‘By the sword you shall fall; beyond the territory of Israel I shall judge you, so you may know that I am the Lord.’
הִיא לֹא־תִהְיֶה לָכֶם לְסִיר וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ בְתֹוכָהּ לְבָשָׂר אֶל־גְּבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶשְׁפֹּט אֶתְכֶם׃ 11:11
Ezek. 11:11 ‘She shall not be for a pot for you, but you shall be in her midst for flesh; by the border of Israel I shall judge you.’
וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר בְּחֻקַּי לֹא הֲלַכְתֶּם וּמִשְׁפָּטַי לֹא עֲשִׂיתֶם וּכְמִשְׁפְּטֵי הַגֹּויִם אֲשֶׁר 11:12 סְבִיבֹותֵיכֶם עֲשִׂיתֶם׃
Ezek. 11:12 ‘Then you may know that I am the Lord, that you did not walk in My statutes and you did not observe My ordinances, but according to the ordinances of the nations that surround you, you have acted.’”
וַיְהִי כְּהִנָּבְאִי וּפְלַטְיָהוּ בֶן־בְּנָיָה מֵת וָאֶפֹּל עַל־פָּנַי וָאֶזְעַק קֹול־גָּדֹול וָאֹמַר אֲהָהּ אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה כָּלָה 11:13 אַתָּה עֹשֶׂה אֵת שְׁאֵרִית יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
Ezek. 11:13 And it was after my prophesying, that Pelatiah son of Banaiah died. Then I fell upon my face and cried out a loud sound and said, “Ah, Master, O Lord! Are You making a complete end of the remnant of Israel?”
וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃ 11:14
Ezek. 11:14 And the word of the Lord occurred to me saying,
בֶּן־אָדָם אַחֶיךָ אַחֶיךָ אַנְשֵׁי גְאֻלָּתֶךָ וְכָל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל כֻּלֹּה אֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ לָהֶם יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם רַחֲקו 11:15ּ מֵעַל יְהוָה לָנוּ הִיא נִתְּנָה הָאָרֶץ לְמֹורָשָׁה׃
Ezek. 11:15 “Human, your brethren, your family, the men of your kin, even all the house of Israel, the whole of it, to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem say, ‘Be far from the Lord! To us it has been given -- the land -- for a possession.’”
לָכֵן אֱמֹר כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה כִּי הִרְחַקְתִּים בַּגֹּויִם וְכִי הֲפִיצֹותִים בָּאֲרָצֹות וָאֱהִי לָהֶם לְמִקְדָּשׁ 11:16ׁ מְעַט בָּאֲרָצֹות אֲשֶׁר־בָּאוּ שָׁם׃
Ezek. 11:16 “To this, say, ‘Thus says the Master, the Lord: Though I have sent them far off among the nations, and though I have dispersed them throughout the countries, yet I have been for a small Sanctuary for them in the lands where they went.’”
לָכֵן אֱמֹר כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה וְקִבַּצְתִּי אֶתְכֶם מִן־הָעַמִּים וְאָסַפְתִּי אֶתְכֶם מִן־הָאֲרָצֹות אֲשֶׁר 11:17 נְפֹצֹותֶם בָּהֶם וְנָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת־אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
Ezek. 11:17 “Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Master, the Lord: And I will gather you from the nations and I will assemble you from the lands among which you were scattered, and I will give the soil of Israel to you.’”
וּבָאוּ־שָׁמָּה וְהֵסִירוּ אֶת־כָּל־שִׁקּוּצֶיהָ וְאֶת־כָּל־תֹּועֲבֹותֶיהָ מִמֶּנָּה׃ 11:18
Ezek. 11:18 “And they shall come here and they shall remove all her detestable things and all her abominations from her.”
וְנָתַתִּי לָהֶם לֵב אֶחָד וְרוּחַ חֲדָשָׁה אֶתֵּן בְּקִרְבְּכֶם וַהֲסִרֹתִי לֵב הָאֶבֶן מִבְּשָׂרָם וְנָתַתִּי לָהֶם לֵב 11:19
בָּשָׂר׃
Ezek. 11:19 “And I will give to them one heart, and I will put a new spirit inside you, and I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and I will give a heart of flesh to them,
This prophesy has not been fulfilled yet. Many of us still have a heart of stone and few, if any, of us have one heart or a new spirit. Ezekiel repeats this prophesy (with minor variations) later.
לְמַעַן בְּחֻקֹּתַי יֵלֵכוּ וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַי יִשְׁמְרוּ וְעָשׂוּ אֹתָם וְהָיוּ־לִי לְעָם וַאֲנִי אֶהְיֶה לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים׃ 11:20
Ezek. 11:20 so that they can walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and observe them, and they shall be for a people to Me and I shall be for God to them.”
וְאֶל־לֵב שִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם וְתֹועֲבֹותֵיהֶם לִבָּם הֹלֵךְ דַּרְכָּם בְּרֹאשָׁם נָתַתִּי נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃ 11:21
Ezek. 11:21 “But by the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, the heart of them who walked, I have brought their way on their head, declares the Master, the Lord.”
וַיִּשְׂאוּ הַכְּרוּבִים אֶת־כַּנְפֵיהֶם וְהָאֹופַנִּים לְעֻמָּתָם וּכְבֹוד אֱלֹהֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲלֵיהֶם מִלְמָעְלָה׃ 11:22
Ezek. 11:22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels close beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them from on high.
וַיַּעַל כְּבֹוד יְהוָה מֵעַל תֹּוךְ הָעִיר וַיַּעֲמֹד עַל־הָהָר אֲשֶׁר מִקֶּדֶם לָעִיר׃ 11:23
Ezek. 11:23 And the glory of the Lord arose from the midst of the city and hovered over the mountain that is on the city's east side.
וְרוּחַ נְשָׂאַתְנִי וַתְּבִיאֵנִי כַשְׂדִּימָה אֶל־הַגֹּולָה בַּמַּרְאֶה בְּרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים וַיַּעַל מֵעָלַי הַמַּרְאֶה אֲשֶׁר 11:24 רָאִיתִי׃
Ezek. 11:24 Then a spirit lifted me up and brought me to Chaldea, to the exiles, in a vision by the spirit of God, and the vision that I had seen departed from me.
We now know with certainty that this vision is finished. But see the next chapter -- maybe it isn’t.
וָאֲדַבֵּר אֶל־הַגֹּולָה אֵת כָּל־דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר הֶרְאָנִי׃ 11:25
Ezek. 11:25 And I spoke to the exiles all the things of the Lord that He had shown me.
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