Ezekiel7
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
2And thou, son of man, thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto the land of Israel, An end: the end is come upon the four corners of the land.
3Now is the end upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations.
4And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity; but I will bring thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
5Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: An evil, an only evil; behold, it cometh.
6An end is come, the end is come; it awaketh against thee; behold, it cometh.
7Thy doom is come unto thee, O inhabitant of the land: the time is come, the day is near, a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting, upon the mountains.
8Now will I shortly pour out my wrath upon thee, and accomplish mine anger against thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations.
9And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will bring upon thee according to thy ways; and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, do smite.
10Behold, the day, behold, it cometh: thy doom is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded.
11Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness; none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of their wealth: neither shall there be eminency among them.
12The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
13For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they be yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, none shall return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life.
14They have blown the trumpet, and have made all ready; but none goeth to the battle; for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
15The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.
16But those of them that escape shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, every one in his iniquity.
17All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.
18They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.
19They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be as an unclean thing; their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of Jehovah: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels; because it hath been the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
20As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty; but they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things therein: therefore have I made it unto them as an unclean thing.
21And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall profane it.
22My face will I turn also from them, and they shall profane my secret place; and robbers shall enter into it, and profane it.
23Make the chain; for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.
24Wherefore I will bring the worst of the nations, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pride of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be profaned.
25Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.
26Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumor shall be upon rumor; and they shall seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.
27The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Ezekiel 7.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The desolation of the land. (1-15). The distress of the few who should escape. (16-22). The captivity. (23-27).
vv1-15
The abruptness of this prophecy, and the many repetitions, show that the prophet was deeply affected by the prospect of these calamities. Such will the destruction of sinners be; for none can avoid it. Oh that the wickedness of the wicked might end before it bring them to an end! Trouble is to the impenitent only an evil, it hardens their hearts, and stirs up their corruptions; but there are those to whom it is sanctified by the grace of God, and made a means of much good. The day of real trouble is near, not a mere echo or rumour of troubles. Whatever are the fruits of God's judgments, our sin is the root of them. These judgments shall be universal. And God will be glorified in all. Now is the day of the Lord's patience and mercy, but the time of the sinner's trouble is at hand.
vv16-22
Sooner or later, sin will cause sorrow; and those who will not repent of their sin, may justly be left to pine away in it. There are many whose wealth is their snare and ruin; and the gaining the world is the losing of their souls. Riches profit not in the day of wrath. The wealth of this world has not that in it which will answer the desires of the soul, or be any satisfaction to it in a day of distress. God's temple shall stand them in no stead. Those are unworthy to be honoured with the form of godliness, who will not be governed by its power.
vv23-27
Whoever break the bands of God's law, will find themselves bound and held by the chains of his judgments. Since they encouraged one another to sin, God would dishearten them. All must needs be in trouble, when God comes to judge them according to their deserts. May the Lord enable us to seek that good part which shall not be taken away.
Key Words
דָּבָר: a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
אַתָּה: thou and thee, or (plural) ye and you
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
אָדָם: ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)
כֹּה: properly, like this, i.e. by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now
אֲדֹנָי: the Lord (used as a proper name of God only)
אֲדָמָה: soil (from its general redness)
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
קֵץ: an extremity; adverbially (with prepositional prefix) after
Cross References
Ezekiel 7Amos's 'the end is come upon my people' directly parallels Ezekiel's announcement of Israel's end.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The rod of God's anger refers to the foreign instrument of judgment (Assyria/Babylon).
Supported by JFB
Paul's warning that buyers and rejoicers must live detached echoes Ezekiel's pre-exilic economic disruption.
Supported by JFB
The Jubilee law allowed land return, which exile now prevents for both buyer and seller.
Supported by JFB
Zephaniah echoes the warning that silver and gold cannot deliver in the Lord's wrath.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Establishes that wealth provides no security or soul-satisfaction in the day of wrath.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels the day of trouble, crying, and tumult in the valley of vision.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The great day of the Lord is near and hastens quickly, bringing trouble.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The Lord casts off His altar and abandons His sanctuary to polluting enemies.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Contrast between Aaron's life-giving rod that budded and the rod of pride/punishment.
Supported by JFB
The classic covenant curse: sword without and terror within, alongside famine and pestilence.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Lamentations mourning the loss of the law and visions from the prophets.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Repeats God's solemn declaration that His eye will not spare or have pity.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Connects violence and wicked works to the growing rod of judgment.
Supported by JFB
Descriptions of extreme mourning, baldness, and wearing of sackcloth during destruction.
Supported by Matthew Poole