Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
Parallel Translations
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Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
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Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:
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Explain this verse (9 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Eze 33:23 Then the word of the LORD came…
Eze 33:23 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Ver. 23. Then the word of the Lord.] See Eze 18:1.
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.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Wherefore say unto them, thus saith the Lord God,....…
Wherefore say unto them, thus saith the Lord God,.... Send them this message in writing, as from the Lord; for the prophet was now in Chaldea, and could not deliver it by word of mouth to those that inhabited the wastes of Israel; but he could tell it to the messenger that came to him, who had escaped from Jerusalem; or send it by him, or some other:
ye eat with the blood; or rather "upon", or "by" the "blood" (l); contrary to the law in Lev 19:26 which is a different law from that in Gen 9:4, and from that in Lev 3:17 and refers to an idolatrous practice of the Heathens, which these Jews imitated; who, having slain and offered their sacrifices to devils, sat down round about the blood of them, and ate their food or part of their sacrifice by it, as Kimchi on the text observes. The account Maimonides (m) gives of the Zabians is this,
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"you must know (says he) that the blood is reckoned very unclean and impure by the Zabians, yet is eaten by them, because they think it is the food of devils; and that he that eats it by this means obtains some communications with them; so that they converse familiarly with him, and reveal things future to him, which the vulgar commonly attribute to devils: notwithstanding there were some among them, with whom it seemed very grievous and difficult to eat blood (for it is a thing which the nature of man abhors); these used to slay some beast, and take its blood, and put it in a vessel, or in a hole dug in the earth, and eat the slain beast, sitting in a circle about the blood; imagining to themselves, in so doing, while they ate the flesh the devils ate the blood, and that this is their food; and by this means friendship, fraternity, and familiarity were contracted between them, because they all ate at one table, and sat on one seat; besides, they were of opinion that the devils appeared to them in dreams, and told them things to come, and were of much advantage to them;''
and accordingly it follows:
and lift up your eyes towards your idols; make your devotion, and pray unto them, and worship them, and expect help and assistance from them:
and shed blood; innocent blood, as the Targum; they were guilty of murder as well as of idolatry, or shedding of blood, in sacrifice to idols:
and shall ye possess the land? can such wretches as you, such gross idolaters and murderers, ever think that you are the children of Abraham, and have a right to the inheritance of this land, or shall long continue in the possession of it, living in such abominable iniquities as these?
(l) "super sanguinem", Munster, Montanus, Cocceius, Starckius; "juxta sanguinem"; so some in Vatablus. (m) Moreh Nevochim, par. 3. c. 46. p. 484.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain The exhortation to repentance. Ezekiel first addresses the remnant…
The exhortation to repentance. Ezekiel first addresses the remnant that still linger in their ancient home, and warns them against presumptuous hopes resting on false grounds Eze 33:23-29; then he turns his eyes to those near him, and points out that their apparent attention to his words was illusory.
Eze 33:24
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Those wastes - The places in the holy land devastated by the conqueror.
Abraham - The argument is, Abraham was but one man, and he had the promise of the land, though he did not at once possess it; much more shall we, the descendants of Abraham, being many, retain this promise and possess the land, though for a time we are depressed and subject. Compare Mat 3:9; Joh 8:33, Joh 8:39.
Eze 33:25
To eat flesh with the blood was forbidden (see the marginal references). It seems to have been connected with the idolatries of Canaan. The prohibition was, on account of its connection with idolatry, continued in the enactment of the Council of Jerusalem Act 15:29.
Eze 33:26
Ye stand upon your sword - Ye put your trust in your swords.
Eze 33:30-33
God warns the prophet against being misled by the compliance of the people.
Eze 33:30
Against thee - Rather, about “thee.” “by the walls” Rather, within “the walls.”
Eze 33:31
As the people cometh - literally, as in the margin, i. e., in crowds. Render it: they shall come “unto thee” like the coming of a people,” and” shall “sit before thee as My people” etc., i. e., they assume the attitude of God’s people listening to His prophet. Compare Eze 14:1; Eze 20:1.
Eze 33:33
And when this - But when this.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 23-29. The captives were utterly paralyzed by the confirmed…
23-29. The captives were utterly paralyzed by the confirmed account of the destruction of the holy city (Eze_24:23), and Ezekiel with redoubled influence, because of the fulfillment of his former prophecy, lifts up his voice once more in another word of warning and comfort. He recites the boast of the miserable lawless remnant of the population which had been left in the ruined cities of the land that they would take possession of the property of the captives (Eze_33:24). He recounts their many sins, showing how they depended upon their swords, not upon law or justice, in their treatment of each other, and how they worked abominations and violated the most sacred family relations (Eze_33:25-26; compare Eze_18:6; Eze_18:11; Eze_18:15; Eze_20:9; Eze_22:6; Eze_22:9; and Jeremiah 40-44), and he declares that a dishonored death shall come to them for their sins (Eze_33:27; compare Eze_27:29-31), and the land shall be left uninhabited (Eze_33:28) until the exiles go back again to possess it (Eze_34:13).
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 23–29. The confirmation by the fugitives of all his…
23–29. The confirmation by the fugitives of all his previous predictions gave the prophet boldness to speak anew, and what he says is but a continuation of that which he had said before, and had been so literally confirmed. He had predicted the city’s fall because of its sins, and his prophecy had been verified; those remaining in the land continue in the sins for which the city fell, and its fate shall certainly overtake them. The judgment must be carried out till the offences cease. But the teaching of these verses is the natural supplement also to that in Eze_33:1-20. Those remaining in the land presume that they shall inherit the land because they are in it, notwithstanding their evil conduct: the inheritance of the land will be given on different conditions (Eze_33:1-20, cf. Eze_36:25-38, Eze_37:23).
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 (23) Then the word.—There is no reason to doubt…
(23) Then the word.—There is no reason to doubt that the following prophecy was uttered immediately after the arrival of the fugitive; but there may have been a short interval. None of the prophecies from this point to the close of Ezekiel 39 are dated. Ezekiel 40-48 form one continuous prophecy, which closes the book, and is dated more than twelve years after the present one. We are then to suppose that the prophecies, to Ezekiel 39 inclusive, were uttered at intervals during these twelve years, but we have no means of fixing their dates more exactly.
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 Vers. 23-29The powerlessness of privilege to save.
Vers. 23-29The powerlessness of privilege to save.
At length the prophet"s lips are opened; and he who for so long has been dumb, so far as ministration to his own people was concerned, is set free to testify to the sons of Abraham. While silenced as regards Israel, Ezekiel has prophesied concerning the heathen nations. Now he again addresses his countrymen, and it is interesting to observe to what purpose he uses his recovered liberty of speech. Always candid, fearless, and faithful, the prophet assures his countrymen that a position of privilege, regarded by itself, is no guarantee of salvation and blessing, that privileges neglected and abused only entail the severer condemnation.
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I ISRAEL"S PRIVELEGES. These were many, but Ezekiel makes especial reference to two.
1. The descent of the nation from Abraham, the father of the faithful and the friend of God.
2. The promise of inheriting the land. This Jehovah had given to the progenitors of the nation, and he had fulfilled his gracious assurance. No people were so highly favored; they possessed the memory of their glorious ancestors; the laws and promises given by Moses, their great leader, deliverer, and legislator; the institutions of priesthood, sacrifice, and worship, by which God revealed himself to his people and secured to them his mercy and favor; and all the associations and advantages connected with the occupation of the land of promise.
II ISRAEL"S UNFAITHFULNESS. The people had Abraham to their father, but they did not the works of Abraham, and they had not Abraham"s faith. The people did possess the land, but they did not use their national privileges as they might have done, they did not make the land a land of righteousness and true piety. The prophet, in this passage, refers to faults and sins of two orders, with which the people are especially upbraided.
(1) Idolatrous apostacy; and
(2) moral delinquency, both of which are charged upon the people with that outspoken plainness by which Ezekiel"s writings are so strikingly and honorably marked.
III ISRAEL"S PUNISHMENT. There is a certain monotony about these threats and denunciations. Because of the abominations which these highly favored people have committed, it is foretold:
1. That multitudes shall be slain by the sword of the enemy, by the wild beasts that shall multiply because of the desolation of the land, and by the pestilence.
2. That the country, in consequence of the calamities befalling its inhabitants, shall be wasted. The pride and pomp of her power shall cease, and her mountains shall be desolate, that done shall pass through.
IV ISRAEL"S WITNESS TO GOD. This is an unintentional and unconscious witness, but nonetheless a valuable and effective testimony for all who receive it. Those who see and hear of the fulfillment of the Divine warnings and predictions cannot but have their faith confirmed in the truth and power of the Most High, and in the righteousness of his dealings with the sons of men. He is shown to be a Judge, from whose observation and cognizance no misdemeanor can be screened, and from whose righteous sentence no criminal can escape. T.
Vers. 23-25. Ill-grounded hope.
The address of the prophet is delivered to that "miserable fraction in Judaea who dwelt among its desolations, and who, notwithstanding all they had seen and suffered of the righteous judgments of God, were still wedded to their sinful ways, and cherishing the most groundless hopes They were appealing in the most confident manner to their connection with Abraham, and on that ground assuring themselves of their right to possess the land of Canaan. " He, though but one, got the land for an inheritance, and we, his descendants, who are a greatly larger company than he could boast of, may we not justly expect to be kept in possession of it? (Fairbairn). The prophet dismisses this claim in the language of decisive disallowal and of strong rebuke. Fie tells them that, so far from God raising their position and making them possessors and rulers in the land, they may look for more judgments from his hand, for their iniquities were loudly demanding them. Here were
I MEN MISTAKING THEIR SPIRITUAL POSITION. It was much, in their mind, that they "had Abraham to their father." How little that mere genealogical fact weighed in the estimate of God we know from the language of the great prophet John, and of that One who was so much greater than he. (Mat_3:9; Joh_8:33-39) While boasting oftheir descent from Abraham, they were, in character and conduct, everything that Abraham was not everything from which that "friend of God" would have turned away with holy indignation (see vers. 25, 26). Consequently, they were numbered amongst the most disloyal subjects of Jehovah, and were the objects of his most severe displeasure. Their confidence in themselves was utterly misplaced. They may be said to be the spiritual ancestors of a very numerous seed. How many are they who because
(1) they have been born and brought up in the midst of some Christian community, or because
(2) they have gone through the formal rites of some Christian Church, imagine themselves to be the sons of God, enjoying his Divine favor and subjects of his spiritual kingdom! Yet the state of their heart, and (it may be) even the tenor of their life, effectually disprove it. Their hearts are far from God, and their deeds from uprightness and Christian worth.
II MEN DELUDING THEMSELVES WITH A FALSE HOPE. This, of course, follows from the other. The remnant of the Jews were hoping to become the possessors of the land, and to rise to the position from which their countrymen had fallen. But their hopes were vain, for they were built upon mistake and error. We may be looking forward to some position of authority and influence in the Church of Christ, or to a home in the heavenly country; but we have no right whatever to expect either of these if our claim is based either on fleshly connections or on the formalities of devotion, and the sooner we awake from our dream the better will it be for us. We must understand the one and only ground for hope in the future is our real, spiritual union with Jesus Christ, and the consequent rectitude of life which is the invariable and happy fruit of it.
III A FAITHFUL HUMAN TEACHER. It is a very painful thing to extinguish a pleasant but a false hope in the heart. Yet it has sometimes to be done at all costs. And kinder far is it to destroy that hope when it is budding than to let it grow to maturity when it has to suffer a severe and sad extinction. The faithful course is always the kind one as well as the wise one, when all things are counted. C.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 the word of Yahweh came
the word of Yahweh came
This is an idiom that is used to introduce something that God told his prophets or his people. See how you translated this in Ezekiel 3:16. AT: "Yahweh spoke this message" or "Yahweh spoke these words" (See: Idiom)
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those ruins
Possible meanings are 1) "those ruined buildings" or 2) "those ruined cities"
he inherited the land
Yahweh giving the land to Abraham is spoken of as if Abraham inherited the land. AT: "Yahweh gave him the land" (See: Metaphor)
the land
"the land of Israel"
The land has been given to us
This can be stated in active form. AT: "Yahweh has given us the land" (See: Active or Passive)
as a possession
The abstract noun "possession" can be stated as "possess." AT: "so that we can possess it" (See: Abstract Nouns)
translationWords
word of God
Son of Man
ruin
Israel
Abraham
inherit
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 33:23-33 Both those in Judah (33:23-29) and those in…
33:23-33 Both those in Judah (33:23-29) and those in exile (33:30-33) continued to act as they had before Jerusalem fell.
33:23-26 Those who remained in the ruined cities of Judah hoped to turn the disaster of the Exile into an opportunity for personal profit rather than repentance. Claiming to be the sole remaining heirs of the promise to Abraham, they sought possession of the entire land. By their behavior, they proved that they were not really Abraham’s children. They did not follow the laws prohibiting eating meat still containing blood (see Deut 12:23), they worshiped idols, and they murdered the innocent. The lives of such people were a denial of Abraham’s faith, and they would not inherit the promise given him.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.