“Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails?’ Tell them therefore, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “I will make this proverb to cease, and they will no more use it as a proverb in Israel;” ’ but tell them, ‘ “The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision. For there will be no more any false vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I am Yahweh. I will speak, and the word that I speak will be performed. It will be no more deferred; for in your days, rebellious house, I will speak the word, and will perform it,” says the Lord Yahweh.’ ”
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Ezekiel 12:22-25 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails?’ Tell them therefore, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “I will make this proverb to cease, and they will no more use it as a proverb in Israel;” ’ but tell them, ‘ “The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision. For there will be no more any false vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I am Yahweh. I will speak, and the word that I speak will be performed. It will be no more deferred; for in your days, rebellious house, I will speak the word, and will perform it,” says the Lord Yahweh.’ ”
Parallel Translations
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“Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails?’
Tell them therefore, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “I will make this proverb to cease, and they will no more use it as a proverb in Israel;” ’ but tell them, ‘ “The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision.
For there will be no more any false vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.
For I am Yahweh. I will speak, and the word that I speak will be performed. It will be no more deferred; for in your days, rebellious house, I will speak the word, and will perform it,” says the Lord Yahweh.’ ”
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Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?
Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.
For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.
For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD.
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'Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying: The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?
Tell them therefore: Thus saith the Lord GOD: I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them: The days are at hand, and the word of every vision.
For there shall be no more any vain vision nor smooth divination within the house of Israel.
For I am the LORD; I will speak, what word soever it be that I shall speak, and it shall be performed; it shall be no more delayed; for in your days, O rebellious house, will I speak the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD.'
Cross-references (48)
- Isaiah 55:11 (v25) so is my word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in…
- Habakkuk 1:5 (v25) “Look among the nations, watch, and wonder marvelously; for I am working a work in your days, which you will not believe though it is told…
- Isaiah 14:24 (v25) Yahweh of Armies has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so shall it happen; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:
- Ezekiel 12:28 (v25) “Therefore tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “None of my words will be deferred any more, but the word which I speak will be performed,”…
- Matthew 24:35 (v25) Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Show all 48 cross-references
- Ezekiel 12:1-2 (v25) Yahweh’s word also came to me, saying, “Son of man, you dwell in the middle of the rebellious house, who have eyes to see, and don’t see,…
- Ezekiel 18:2-3 (v22) “What do you mean, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s…
- Luke 21:33 (v25) Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.
- Ezekiel 6:10 (v25) They will know that I am Yahweh. I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them.” ’
- Jeremiah 16:9 (v25) For Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place, before your eyes and in your days, the…
- Ezekiel 11:3 (v22) who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. This is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’
- Joel 2:1 (v23) Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of Yahweh comes,…
- Jeremiah 14:13-16 (v24) Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! Behold, the prophets tell them, ‘You will not see the sword, neither will you have famine; but I will give…
- Lamentations 2:17 (v25) Yahweh has done that which he planned. He has fulfilled his word that he commanded in the days of old. He has thrown down, and has not…
- Ezekiel 7:5-7 (v23) “The Lord Yahweh says: ‘An evil! A unique evil! Behold, it comes. An end has come. The end has come! It awakes against you. Behold, it…
- Ezekiel 12:27 (v22) “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days to come, and he prophesies of times that…
- Ezekiel 13:23 (v24) Therefore you shall no more see false visions, nor practice divination. I will deliver my people out of your hand. Then you will know that…
- Ezekiel 18:3 (v23) “As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “you shall not use this proverb any more in Israel.
- Daniel 9:12 (v25) He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us, and against our judges who judged us, by bringing on us a great evil; for under the…
- Zephaniah 1:14 (v23) The great day of Yahweh is near. It is near, and hurries greatly, the voice of the day of Yahweh. The mighty man cries there bitterly.
- Zechariah 1:6 (v25) But my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, didn’t they overtake your fathers? “Then they repented and said,…
- Zechariah 13:2-4 (v24) It will come to pass in that day, says Yahweh of Armies, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they will be…
- Matthew 24:34 (v23) Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all these things are accomplished.
- Mark 13:30-31 (v25) Most certainly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my…
- Isaiah 5:19 (v22) who say, “Let him make haste, let him hasten his work, that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come,…
- Jeremiah 5:12-13 (v22) They have denied Yahweh, and said, “It is not he. Evil will won’t come on us. We won’t see sword or famine. The prophets will become wind,…
- Jeremiah 23:33-40 (v22) “When this people, or the prophet, or a priest, asks you, saying, ‘What is the message from Yahweh?’ Then you shall tell them, ‘ “What…
- Amos 6:3 (v22) Those who put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;
- Luke 21:13 (v25) It will turn out as a testimony for you.
- James 5:8-9 (v23) You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Don’t grumble, brothers, against one another, so that…
- 2 Peter 3:3-4 (v22) knowing this first, that in the last days mockers will come, walking after their own lusts and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming?…
- Numbers 14:28-34 (v25) Tell them, ‘As I live, says Yahweh, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so I will do to you. Your dead bodies shall fall in this…
- 1 Kings 22:11-13 (v24) Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made himself horns of iron, and said, “Yahweh says, ‘With these you will push the Syrians, until they are…
- 1 Kings 22:17 (v24) He said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. Yahweh said, ‘These have no master. Let them each…
- Psalms 37:13 (v23) The Lord will laugh at him, for he sees that his day is coming.
- Proverbs 26:28 (v24) A lying tongue hates those it hurts; and a flattering mouth works ruin.
- Isaiah 28:22 (v23) Now therefore don’t be scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord, Yahweh of Armies,…
- Jeremiah 23:14-29 (v24) In the prophets of Jerusalem I have also seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of…
- Lamentations 2:14 (v24) Your prophets have seen false and foolish visions for you. They have not uncovered your iniquity, to reverse your captivity, but have seen…
- Ezekiel 7:2 (v23) “You, son of man, the Lord Yahweh says to the land of Israel, ‘An end! The end has come on the four corners of the land.
- Ezekiel 7:10-12 (v23) “ ‘Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has gone out. The rod has blossomed. Pride has budded. Violence has risen up into a rod of…
- Ezekiel 12:25 (v23) For I am Yahweh. I will speak, and the word that I speak will be performed. It will be no more deferred; for in your days, rebellious…
- Ezekiel 13:6 (v24) They have seen falsehood and lying divination, who say, ‘Yahweh says;’ but Yahweh has not sent them. They have made men to hope that the…
- Ezekiel 16:44 (v22) “ ‘ “Behold, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb against you, saying, ‘As is the mother, so is her daughter.’
- Malachi 4:1 (v23) “For, behold, the day comes, it burns as a furnace; and all the proud, and all who work wickedness, will be stubble; and the day that comes…
- Romans 16:18 (v24) For those who are such don’t serve our Lord, Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by their smooth and flattering speech, they deceive the…
- 1 Thessalonians 2:5 (v24) For neither were we at any time found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is witness),
- 2 Peter 2:2-3 (v24) Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned. In covetousness they will exploit you with…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (18 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv24–25 Here God deprives the Jews of another source of…
Here God deprives the Jews of another source of confidence; for they flattered themselves, and had their own agitators, that is false Prophets, who puffed them up with flatteries: hence when they heard prophecies of sadness they despised them, and afterwards hardened themselves as if the Prophets had frightened them needlessly. Every one was too much inclined to this besotted confidence, but, as I have said, enticements were added, by which the flatterers deceived them. For the false Prophets said, that God would not be so severe, and that those predictions about the destruction of the city and temple were at variance with many promises. We see then that the Prophets were despised by the voluntary contumacy of the people, and also by the perverse acts of the false Prophets. Afterwards God asserted, that the days approached: now he adds, that there should be no more vision of vanity, not that the false Prophets were altogether removed, but because their mouth was stopped, since the event had proved their wickedness. Since then the people were made ashamed by slaughter, in this sense and for this reason it is said, that prophecies of vanity must be taken away: afterwards, divination of flattery from the midst of the house of Israel For in ease and shade they promised themselves a prosperous delivery from their miseries. For when the people were dragged out of the city into exile, some were slain, others spoiled of their fortunes and treated ignominiously, then the character of those Prophets appeared who had nursed the perverse confidence of the people by their vain enticements. Now we understand the Prophet’s genuine sense. It follows —
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v22 Because they did not immediately see the prophecies accomplished,…
Because they did not immediately see the prophecies accomplished, they contemned them as though they should never be fulfilled.
Or, take none effect.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv22–25 Eze 12:22 Son of man, what [is] that proverb…
Eze 12:22 Son of man, what [is] that proverb [that] ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?
Ver. 22. What is that proverb.] We have also many profane proverbs common among us, as, Thought is free; Every man for himself, and God for us all; Words are but wind; In space comes grace; Fair and softly goes far, &c. The Greeks had many such ill proverbs, Chrysostom complaineth.
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The days are prolonged.] Ludibrium crassum: gross mockery, "Because judgment is not speedily executed," &c.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv22–25 After the manner of man God speaks with man,
After the manner of man God speaks with man,
What is? or it is a comely transition to a new subject of discourse.
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That proverb; that short saying taken up as undoubted truth, and in a very common manner used by all.
That ye have: he seems to include the prophet, as being one of the body of the people, though he used it not, nay, showed the falsehood and impiety of it.
In the land of Israel; in, so the prophet and those with him are reckoned as if they were in the land of Israel, for that is their country. Or rather, concerning, as the Hebrew צל here used.
The days of severe punishments, of wrath and vengeance, are to come a great while hence; let them fear who are like to feel them, these prophecies cannot be imagined to look to our times: thus atheists, and contemners of the prophets, hardened one another into sin and security.
Every vision, threatening vision, which Jeremiah at Jerusalem, and Ezekiel here in Chaldea, do dream of and would fright us with, comes to nothing, it is perished or dead in the nest.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv22–23 Again, the word of the Lord came to me,…
Again, the word of the Lord came to me, saying. This is repeated to confirm what was before spoken, and that they might assure themselves that there would be a certain and speedy accomplishment of what the Lord had said by his prophet.
Again, the word of the Lord came to me, saying. This is repeated to confirm what was before spoken, and that they might assure themselves that there would be a certain and speedy accomplishment of what the Lord had said by his prophet.
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Ezekiel 12:27
eze 12:27
eze 12:27
eze 12:27Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say,.... Either they of the ten tribes in Babylon, or the Jews in Judea, who were also Israelites: these the Lord directs the prophet to take notice of, and be a witness of what they said; since he himself, as a prophet, was concerned in it:
the vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are afar off; that is, according to them, the vision that Ezekiel the prophet saw concerning their ruin; and the prophecy which he delivered out relating to that was not to be fulfilled as yet; there were many days and years still to come; it was at a great distance, and so they put away this evil day far from them; they own that he had a vision and prophecy, but it respected future times, and distant ages; and therefore they did not trouble themselves with it; it gave them no great concern, because they considered it as afar off.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv22, 25 That proverb - That short saying commonly used. Days…
That proverb - That short saying commonly used. Days - Of wrath and vengeance, are to come a great while hence. Every vision - Threatening vision, which Jeremiah and Ezekiel would fright us with, comes to nothing.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv22, 23, 25 Verse 22. The days are prolonged, and every vision…
Verse 22. The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?] These are the words of the infidels and scoffers, who, because vengeance was not speedily executed on an evil work, set their heart to do iniquity. "These predictions either will not come in our days, or will wholly fail; why then should we disquiet ourselves about them?" Strange, that the very means used by the most gracious God to bring sinners to repentance, should be made by them the very instruments of their own destruction! See 2Pe 3:4.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v22 Eze 12:22-25. Son of man, what is that proverb?…
Eze 12:22-25. Son of man, what is that proverb? — The saying become proverbial. The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth — Words of the same import with those that occur Eze 12:27, and Eze 11:3. Both of them the words of scoffers, who turned the grace of God into wantonness, and took encouragement from his patience and long-suffering, to despise his threatenings, as if they would never be fulfilled. Tell them therefore — Who either use this proverb, or who stumble at my deferring to execute judgment; I will make this proverb to cease — My patience shall soon be at its period, and will call on my justice to vindicate it, and then calamities felt will prove that there can be no more place for such a proverb, the groundlessness of it being manifest to all. Say unto them, The days are at hand — The time when God will show his wrath, and make his power and justice known to the world by fulfilling his threatenings and the predictions of his prophets. For there shall be no more any vain vision — The false prophets, who foretold peace and safety, shall see their prophecies so confuted by the events, quite contrary to what they foretold, that they will never pretend any more to publish new prophecies. I am the Lord — I am able to discover the vanity and falsehood of the prophets that have flattered the people, and will do it by accomplishing what my true prophets have foretold. The word that I shall speak shall come to pass — No length of time shall make me forget it; no pretences of self-flattering prophets or people shall divert me from my purpose; no power can hinder, nor counsel defeat my design. It shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, &c. — My threatenings shall be fulfilled in your own days, and you shall have ocular demonstration of their truth.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv22–23 Proverb, or common saying. (Worthington) --- Prolonged. They took…
Proverb, or common saying. (Worthington) --- Prolonged. They took occasion from God’s long suffering to become more wicked, (Calmet) and even asserted that the prophets told nothing but lies, (Theodoret) and spoke of events at a great distance, that they might not be detected. If what they announced came to pass, they attributed it to chance; (Calmet) if it did not, being only conditional, they ridiculed this idea as a mere subterfuge. (Haydock) --- As the prophets had long before foretold the captivity, and it had not yet taken place, (Worthington) in general, though many were already in exile, (Haydock) they concluded that it would never be realized. Thus heretics deny the general judgment, 1 Peter iii. (Worthington) --- Every vision, on this head, ver. 28. Many events were revealed that regarded the times of Christ, Daniel ix., &c. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv22–25 proverb--The infidel scoff, that the threatened judgment was so…
proverb--The infidel scoff, that the threatened judgment was so long in coming, it would not come at all, had by frequent repetition come to be a "proverb" with them. This skeptical habit contemporary prophets testify to (Jer 17:15; Jer 20:7; Zep 1:12). Ezekiel, at the Chebar, thus sympathizes with Jeremiah and strengthens his testimony at Jerusalem. The tendency to the same scoff showed itself in earlier times, but had not then developed into a settled "proverb" (Isa 5:19; Amo 5:18). It shall again be the characteristic of the last times, when "faith" shall be regarded as an antiquated thing (Luk 18:8), seeing that it remains stationary, whereas worldly arts and sciences progress, and when the "continuance of all things from creation" will be the argument against the possibility of their being suddenly brought to a standstill by the coming of the Lord (Isa 66:5; Pe2 3:3-4). The very long-suffering of God, which ought to lead men to repentance, is made an argument against His word (Ecc 8:11; Amo 6:3).
days . . . prolonged . . . vision faileth--their twofold argument: (1) The predictions shall not come to pass till long after our time. (2) They shall fail and prove vain shadows. God answers both in Eze 12:23, Eze 12:25.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v23 23-25. I will make this proverb to cease —…
23-25. I will make this proverb to cease — The execution of the prophetic threat has so often been withheld, because of the repentance of a few righteous men or the long-suffering of Jehovah (33; Jer_18:7-8; Jer_26:17-19), that the failure of the prophetic judgment had become a proverb. The mercy of God in postponing chastisement is used as a proof that God did not and could not rule in the affairs of men. (It is the same spirit which says that God is always on the side of the heaviest guns. But did not that general die in exile?) Besides this there were many, who claimed to be seers, who prophesied according to the wishes of the people, and painted Israel’s future as bright and prosperous (Eze_12:24). This made the work of the true prophet more difficult. But now “the effect” (literally, word) of every vision “is at hand” and will not again be delayed. Soon everyone will be able to discriminate between the false divination and the true prophecy (Eze_21:21; Deu_18:10; Jer_14:14; Jer_28:3; Isa_30:10).
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv22–25 22. The days are prolonged] i.e. time passes and…
22. The days are prolonged] i.e. time passes and becomes long. The words are a generalization upon the fact that prophecies of judgment are not fulfilled; time goes on and “every vision faileth,” remains a dead threat. LXX. omits “every,” giving even a more comprehensive sense. The reference is specially to prophecies of judgment, and there was room for misapprehension in regard to these, because being drawn forth by moral evils existing when they were uttered, they were of the nature of threats, the object of which was to bring the people to repentance, and thus prevent their own fulfilment. For the same reason they were often of a general character, and thus when their fulfilment was postponed or when they were not literally fulfilled, men judged that they were merely uttered in the air. The moral purpose and consequently the contingent character of prophecy is expressly taught in Jeremiah 17, and was well understood by intelligent persons in Israel, as appears from the reasoning of the princes in regard to the prophecy of Micah, Jer_26:17-19.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv22–23 (22) In the land of Israel, is not here…
(22) In the land of Israel, is not here simply equivalent to the “in Israel” of Eze_12:23, but refers to a proverb current among those who had not yet been carried into captivity, and who fancied that they should not be.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv22–25 What is that proverb, etc.? The words indicate how…
What is that proverb, etc.? The words indicate how the previous messages had been received. Like the men of Jerusalem, the exiles could not believe that the judgment was so near. They said, in words that had become proverbial:
(1) The days are prolonged. "Month after month passes" (it is obvious that they had so passed since Ezekiel began his work), "and yet the end comes not." Such throughout the world"s history has been the cry of those of little, or of no, faith. (Amo_6:3; Isa_5:19; Jer_17:15; Mat_24:48; 2Pe_3:4)
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(2) Every vision faileth. "The prophet is a dreamer of dreams. We have heard of many such visions, yet still all things continue as they were.
Vers. 22, 23. A worthless proverb.
Ezekiel quotes a proverb with which the Jews are comforting themselves, and tells them that it cannot be relied on.
I A PROVERB IS READILY ACCEPTED.
1. Its aptness of expression attracts us. We are taken by neatness of phrase. A lie may be ably expressed, and a great fallacy may strike us as particularly well put. Thus the form disguises the substance.
2. Its wide use throws us off our guard. We regard it as an embodiment of "the wisdom of the many." What "everybody" says is taken for granted as true. Passing freely in conversational commerce, the question of a familiar proverb"s soundness is scarcely raised.
3. Its antiquity makes it venerable. Proverbs are supposed to contain "the wisdom of the ancients.
II A PROVERB MAY BE FALSE.
1. Aptness of expression is no guarantee of truth. This is only a matter of form. Surely Descartes made a mistake in asserting that seeing a thought clearly was equivalent to an assurance of the truth of it. Lucidity of expression may cover falsity of idea.
2. The mass of men may be in error. The voice of the people is by no means always the voice of God. When one common prejudice seizes many minds, they are all likely to be deluded into a common error.
3. The venerableness of a proverb does not guarantee its truth. It is forgotten that, as Bacon tells us, we are the ancients, and those who lived in the early days belong to the childhood of the race. Other things being equal, the latest saying should be the truest. Certainly no premium is to be set on the knowledge of antiquity.
III A PROVERB MAY BE MISAPPLIED. This was the case with the Jews to whom Ezekiel referred. They quoted a proverb revealing a startling insight into one remarkable feature of Hebrew prophecy which until lately had been almost lost sight of. The prophet sees the future as though it were present, and he describes it in such a way as to suggest to many that it is nearer than it proves to be. There is little perspective in prophecy. Its horizon often appears to move before us as its predictions are translated into facts of history. But this is not always the case, nor does the postponement of fulfilment mean its never coming. In the present case the proverb of postponement was misapplied, for fulfilment was close at hand. Here is the danger of general phrases. True in one set of circumstances, they may be utterly false in another application.
IV A PROVERB SHOULD BE TESTED. We should treat our proverbs as uncertain coins, and ring them before using them. Then we shall find that not a few are of as base metal as Hanoverian sovereigns. There is a sort of proverbial orthodoxy constructed out of set theological phrases which has no other stamp upon it than that of preachers" usage. Loyalty to truth compels us to submit this religion"s coinage to the test of Scripture, conscience, and experience. The most dangerous proverbial expressions are those that flatter ourselves. With the Jews the favourite proverb was one that postponed the prospect of the evil day and threw doubt on the Divine message. Cynical unbelief is full of sell-assurance. But it is not safe to trust to it simply because it may be clever or prevalent. Every idea that denies the Divine word is sure to prove delusive.
Vers. 22-28. The human proverb and the Divine.
National proverbs embody national thinking, national sentiments, national habits. They sometimes convey counsels of wisdom. But they are sometimes superficial and all but valueless. As in the case here recorded, such frivolous and misleading sayings need to be replaced and substituted by the dictates of inspiration, of infallible wisdom, and undying truth.
I A SPECIOUS PROVERB OF HUMAN WISDOM.
1. Its import. This was twofold it asserted the postponement indefinitely of righteous judgment, and the failure of authorized prophecy. No doubt retribution was deferred; but this, which was a sign of Divine forbearance, was interpreted as a proof that judgment there was none, on earth or in heaven. No doubt the warnings were uttered long before the calamity overtook the people; and, in consequence, the threatened, the unbelievers, instead of using the opportunity to repent and reform, abused it to their own condemnation.
2. Its plausibility. It is described as a "flattering divination;" for it was intended to fall in with and to encourage the carelessness, the impenitence, and the unspirituality of men.
3. Its illusiveness. The opponents of the inspired prophet had but a "vain vision" to boast of. Time unmasks all false, deceitful appearances; in a short time it was seen that the proverbial wisdom of the impenitent was utterly baseless, was indeed nothing but folly.
II A VERACIOUS DECLARATION OF DIVINE COUNSELS. I The proverb dishonouring to God is exposed and refuted. "I will make this proverb to cease." Events should make its currency impossible. There is a destructive power in truth it shatters illusions to pieces. Great swelling words of vanity collapse when they encounter the simple but authoritative utterances of Divine truth.
1. The truthfulness of the Lord"s prophets is established. Every word isfulfilled. Most unlikely events come to pass in accordance with prophetic utterance. God speaks, and the pride of the haughty is humbled, and things that are not vanquish things that are. The faithful admonitions of the Lord"s servants are proved to be just and wise.
2. A new proverb is created by the action of Divine providence. "Thereshall none of my words be deferred any more." The time came, and came speedily, when this could not be questioned. And what happened in the days of Ezekiel has happened wherever God has spoken. For us it is chiefly of practical concern to notice that he who came from God and went to God, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, uttered forth the Divine mind and will with a unique completeness; and that though heaven and earth shall pass away, his words shall not pass away. T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv22, 24 The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth.
Eze_12:22-25
The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth.
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Prophecy a living force
Right in the midst of the history of Israel, when Divine purposes of the highest moral and spiritual importance were being wrought out in her, in the very centre of one of her grandest outbursts of revealing thought upon the principles and power of religion, this sceptical proverb took its rise and possessed a certain plausibility, and had its seeming justification in the circumstances of the time: The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth.
I. The proverb and its meaning. The saying may be held to express relief or disappointment. There were doubtless many Israelites who were glad to escape from the consciousness of the ceaseless vigilance of the Keeper of Israel. There are always some minds to whom the thought that Thou God seest me is an oppression and a nightmare. Others, however, were bitterly disappointed at what seemed to them the neglect and failure of Jehovah to redeem His promises to His people (Lam_3:1-66). But our proverb is more probably the outcome of a shallow materialism than of either relief or disappointment. The materialist belongs to all ages and peoples, and is always ready to say that visions have nothing in them. Indeed, there had been, as Ezekiel tells us in verse 24, vain visions and flattering divinations within the house of Israel. And because the true visions had been contingent, conditional on their effect upon the character of the people, they had very often seemed to fail. The desert can never rejoice and blossom as the rose, except for a people who have learnt the joy of unselfish sacrifice and long adorned themselves with the beauty of holiness. Moreover, many of the truest visions never will and never can be realised in such a world as this, because they have in them an element of idealism. Now, the man who lives in a world governed entirely by material standards of value, cannot stand this kind of thing at all. He calls upon his gods--upon actuality, upon reality and common sense--to deliver him out of it; just as many of the exiled Israelites were, at this very time, thinking of abjuring their nation and religion, and becoming the servants of the gods of Babylon. Babylon, at any rate, was no vision. Babylon commanded the big battalions, the scarlet-coated legions which had never known defeat, the mighty engines of war, the inexhaustible resources of the valley of the Euphrates; she had the mastery of all the rich trade routes between East and West; and possessed, in her own queenly magnificence, her towers, her palaces and temples, her wharves and markets, her civilisation and unrivalled power, the assurances of what seemed eternal prosperity. What folly to set up the visions of prophets over against the great heathen power which dominated the world! It is not wonderful if today also there are those who feel orphaned, desolate, forlorn, as though God had left us. No voices and no visions now! no direct Divine message! no obvious Divine interposition!--this is the thought that lies behind very much of our public action and private conduct--this is the thought most to be dreaded; for its influence tends in national politics to a hard, cynical selfishness in place of any lofty enthusiasm for liberty and philanthropy. It is equally fatal in private life; for if God is really silent to us, if He has left us to our own devices, the times are indeed dull and joyless, and there is nothing for it but for each of us to do the best he can for himself, and, according to the wicked old worldly proverb, let the devil take the hindmost.
II. But no! Prophecy is a living force. The Babylon of today is materialism--the materialistic view of the world and of life, in the laboratory of the chemist, the counting house of the merchant, and the abodes of society. Where are the prophets and where the spiritual influences which we can set over against this mighty tyranny? Some people talk of this as a materialistic or prosaic century--feel it to be so--because they themselves lead prosaic and materialistic lives. Yet our age has been blessed with a bright succession of true prophets, or at least prophetic souls--great teachers of the essential spirituality of the universe--men who have spoken, not only words of wisdom, but of wisdom weighted with the power of deep and passionate conviction. It is a question whether the Church of God has ever been blessed with a grander succession of true preachers than in our own day; whilst the authority of the great names outside the Church--of the Carlyles, Ruskins, Tennysons--has been essentially a moral and spiritual authority. Materialism only represents one tendency, one phase, of the life of the age; whilst great fields of life and influence have been occupied by men who have been seekers after God in the temper and spirit of old Hebrew piety, which ever cried, Oh that I knew where I might find Him, that I might even come into His presence! Such men have wrought in many minds an increased seriousness of thought, a deepened power of feeling, a wider sympathy, a truer spiritual insight. Then, again, the great influences which come from science are now being recognised as not necessarily materialistic. The eternal power and Godhead are more clearly, not less clearly, seen today than ever, in the majestic order of creation as revealed by the telescope and the microscope. The God of the infinitely great and infinitely little, the God who presides over the slow development of human society, from whom come the influences which form character and which move the world forward age by age, from whom comes the unconquerable tendency in things which makes for righteousness, never was, to the seeing heart and eye, more manifestly present than in the thought and life of our time. The silent, ceaseless activities of a Deity whose being is everywhere, who crowds the waters of a stagnant pool with myriads upon myriads of tiny inhabitants, and fills the vast spaces of the heavens above us with stars, suns, systems innumerable, are being recognised as still more impressive than the ancient manifestations; whilst, as our science begins to hear in many directions the Thus far shalt thou go and no further which limits discovery, a sense of awe in presence of the encompassing mysteries of our lot gathers about us; and signs are not wanting--the very nature of some of the more recent discoveries warrants the impression--that science herself will come to be our teacher of reverence, and her text books, which conduct us to the limits of the known, will become more and more suggestive of awe and wonder in presence of the unknown. The great Master of the unseen, the eternal, now, as ever, is Christ. Who can doubt that He has ruled the thought of the nineteenth century as of the first, or that His majestic figure will dominate the twentieth? As to the Babylon of our day, He is but waiting to smite it down. For us, at ally rate, to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, that surely is enough to banish materialism out of our life forever, to save us utterly from the dull and joyless inability to see lifes greater meanings. (W. Burkitt Dalby.)
Ungodly proverbs
Jeremiah has been talking about this upbreaking of the kingdom, and Ezekiel is talking about it; and when the prophecies were delivered to Zedekiah he said they did not sufficiently coincide to confirm one another; for he looked for those literal coincidences which bewilder so many people and which can only satisfy pedantry; he did not see that coincidence is in the purpose, in the substance of the message. So there came up a proverb in Israel, The days are prolonged, then came a laugh suggestive; and Every vision faileth, then the laugh was prolonged. We have fallen into the mockery of proverb making. In English we say, Words are but wind. How foolishly we have lived to believe that: whereas words are the only real life. In the beginning the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the word is the man, the soul if he be other than a profane person. We ourselves say in English, In space comes grace: God does not mean to kill us, or He would not have given us such space for what is called repentance and amendment. We ourselves say, Every man for himself, and God for us all: a singular mixture of mammon and spirituality, of selfishness and pseudo-religion. Let us not be victimised by our own wit. See to it that we do not slip into hell through the trapdoor of an epigram. There is only one word about this business that is true, namely, Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. The Lord says His patience will give way, His long-suffering will come to an end,--There shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God. Better believe this. All the ages have testified to it; all philosophies point in this direction. He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. (J. C. Parker.)
The days are at hand.--
Death and eternity at hand
I. The tidings here announced to the Jews. Similar tidings to you, but you have disregarded them as the Jews of old; set the days are at hand.
II. The sign by which they were confirmed. Apply--
1. It may be that some of you will consider;
2. But the great mass of you will not. (C. Simeon, M. A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v25 for in
for in
It must constantly be remembered that though the prophet was in Babylonia he prophesies as if in the land, and during the eleven years’ interval between the first and final deportation. (See Scofield "Eze 8:3").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v24 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh continues to tell Ezekiel what to say to the people of Israel.
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house of Israel
The word "house" is a metonym for the family that lives in the house, in this case the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob over many years. See how you translated this in Ezekiel 3:1. AT: "the Israelite people group" (See: Metonymy)
I carry out the words that I speak
This idiom means that Yahweh does what he says. AT: "I do the things that I say" (See: Idiom)
The matter will no longer be delayed
The "matter" refers to the things that Yahweh says will happen. AT: "What I say will no longer be delayed" or "What I say will happen soon" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
I will speak this word
"I will speak this message" or "I will speak this prophecy"
in your days
This idiom refers to the period of time in which a person lives. AT: "while you are alive" or "during you lifetime" (See: Idiom)
rebellious house
This is a metonym for the family that lives in the house, in this case the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob over many years. See how you translated this in Ezekiel 2:5. AT: "rebellious people" (See: Metonymy)
this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration
Yahweh speaks of himself by name to express the certainty of what he is declaring. See how you translated this in Ezekiel 5:11. AT: "this is what the Lord Yahweh has declared" or "this is what I, the Lord Yahweh, have declared" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
translationWords
vision
divination
house
Israel
Yahweh
word
rebel
Lord Yahweh
declare
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv22–23 12:22 Ezekiel’s hearers were so reluctant to open their…
12:22 Ezekiel’s hearers were so reluctant to open their ears to the message of the prophets that they had coined a proverb to express their skepticism.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.