Ezekiel-Chapter-14
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Note: Some
alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’
of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
This is a
sharp and uncompromising chapter. It confronts a central spiritual crisis of
the exiles in
The chapter
develops three major themes:
Inner
idolatry is as real as external idolatry. 1. The “idols in the heart”
are treated as a direct barrier to Divine communication. 2. Divine
justice is impartial and unbending. Even the presence of the most righteous
individuals cannot shield a corrupt society. 3. The coming judgment on
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Below are the verses of Ezekiel Chapter 14:1-23: Whilst below the verses
are the Explanation’s. (Chapter is from JPS-1917
version of the Tanakh).
Verses 1-3:
Then came certain of the elders of
Explanation: Elders of
Verse 4:
Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them: Thus saith אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim: Every man of the house of
Israel that taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his
face, and cometh to the prophet; I יְהוָה - the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his
idols;
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim declares that anyone who approaches a prophet while harbouring inner idolatry will receive an answer “according to the multitude of his idols”. This means: The Divine response will expose the person’s inner condition. The answer will not be flattering; it will confront the truth they are avoiding.
Verse 5:
that I may take the house of
Explanation: The purpose of this harsh clarity is restoration, not rejection. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim seeks to reclaim the hearts of Israel, who have estranged themselves through their inner attachments to foreign gods.
Verses 6-7:
Therefore say unto the house of
Explanation: A call to repentance is issued: turn away from idols, both external and internal. If a person refuses and still seeks prophetic guidance, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim declares that He will set His face against that person, meaning the individual will be isolated from Divine favour and protection.
Verse 8:
and I will set My face against that man, and will make
him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people;
and ye shall know that I am יְהוָה - the LORD.
Explanation: The consequences include becoming a sign and proverb, a public example of Divine judgment. This is not vindictive; it is meant to deter others from following the same path.
Verses 9-10: And My hand shall be against the prophets that see vanity, and that Divine
lies; they shall not be in the council of My people, neither shall they be
written in the register of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into
the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim. Because, even because
they have seduced My people, saying: Peace; and there
is no peace; and when one buildeth up a slight wall,
behold, they daub it with untempered mortar;
Explanation: If a prophet is deceived and gives a false message, the text states that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim has allowed this deception as part of the judgment process. The meaning is: A corrupt inquirer and a corrupt prophet reinforce each other. Both bear responsibility. Divine justice encompasses both sides of the false spiritual transaction.
Verse 11: that the
house of Israel may go no more astray from Me, neither defile themselves any
more with all their transgressions; but that they may be My people, and I may
be their אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, saith אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim.’
Explanation: The ultimate goal is that
Verses 12-14: And the word of יְהוָה - the LORD came unto me, saying: ‘Son of man,
when a land sinneth against Me by trespassing
grievously, and I stretch out My hand upon it, and break the staff of the bread
thereof, and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast; though
these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but
their own souls by their righteousness, saith אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim.
Explanation: A new section begins. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim describes
four classic covenantal punishments: ‘Famine’, ‘Wild beasts’, ‘Sword’ and ‘Pestilence’.
Even if three legendary righteous individuals were present, the text names Noah,
Daniel, and Job, they would save only themselves, not the nation. The point is
not about these individuals personally, but about the severity of
Verses 15-16: If I cause evil beasts to pass through the land, and they bereave it,
and it be desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the beasts; though
these three men were in it, as I live, saith אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, they shall deliver neither
sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.
Explanation: If wild beasts ravage the land, even then the presence of the righteous would not save the population. Again, the emphasis is on the inescapability of judgment when a society has crossed a moral threshold.
Verses 17-18: Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say: ‘Sword, go through the
land’; so that I cut off from it man and beast; though these three men were in
it, as I live, saith אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, they shall deliver neither
sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered.
Explanation: The same principle applies to the sword. The repetition is deliberate:
The judgment
is not random. It is not negotiable. It is not mitigated by the merit of a few.
Verses 19-20: Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out My fury upon it
in blood, to cut off from it man and beast; though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were
in it, as I live, saith אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, they shall deliver neither son
nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
Explanation: Pestilence is added as the
fourth calamity. The message remains consistent: even the greatest
righteousness cannot shield a corrupt society from consequences.
This is a direct counter to the belief that the presence of a few holy
individuals can protect an entire community. Ezekiel insists that collective
guilt requires collective accountability.
Verses 21-22: For thus saith אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim: How much more when I send My
four sore judgments against Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil
beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! Yet, behold,
therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and
daughters; behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way
and their doings; and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have
brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim declares
that all four calamities will strike
Verse 23:
And they shall comfort you, when ye see their way and their doings; and ye
shall know that I have not done without cause all that
I have done in it, saith אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim.’
Explanation: When the exiles see the
survivors, their behaviour, their deeds, their moral condition, they will
understand that the destruction of
The survivors themselves will be living evidence of the depth of corruption
that had overtaken the city. Thus, the chapter ends with a paradoxical comfort:
The judgment was justified. The remnant proves it. And through this clarity,
the exiles will find reassurance that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s actions
were righteous!
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My Closing Message:
Ezekiel 14 is
a chapter of uncompromising honesty. It demands that spiritual life be
authentic, not performative. It insists that inner
idolatry, the quiet loyalties, the hidden attachments is as real as any carved
statue. And it teaches that Divine justice, though severe, is always
purposeful. Yet the chapter does not end in despair. It ends with the promise
of a remnant, a future, and a restored understanding. The survivors who emerge
from the catastrophe become a testimony that truth, justice, and renewal are
still possible.
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