Ezekiel 11

REVIEW QUESTIONS

At what point in his ministry did the elders begin to assemble at the house of Ezekiel? Why did they come?

How can you explain Ezekiel’s transmigration to Jerusalem?

What was the image of jealousy?

What was the likely source of the animal worship being secretly practiced by the seventy elders?

Why was Jaazaniah singled out for special mention among the apostate elders?

What popular attitudes toward God does Ezekiel refute in these Chapter s?

What role were women playing in the apostasy?

Who was Tammuz?

To what extent had some of the priests gone in their apostasy?

Who were the six executioners whom Ezekiel saw approaching Jerusalem? How were they armed?

What act of mercy had to precede the judgment by the six executioners?

What possible significance is there in the mark placed upon the brow of the faithful few in Jerusalem?

What evidence is there in this chapter of Ezekiel’s role as intercessor?

What significance is there in the movements of the throne chariot in this series of visions?

In what ways does the vision of the throne-chariot in chapter 10 differ from that found in chapter 1?

Was the death of Pelatiah an actual occurrence, or was it only part of the vision?

In what sense had the Jerusalem leadership multiplied your slain in this city?

What great theological truth emerges here regarding worship sanctuaries?

What picture does Ezekiel paint of the New Israel of God?

Ezekiel 11:1-13

A. The Jerusalem Leaders Denounced 11:1-13

TRANSLATION

(1) And a spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the eastern gate of the house of the LORD, the one that faces east, and behold, in the entrance of the gate twenty-five men. And I saw in their midst Jaazaniah ben-Azur and Pelatiah ben-Benaiah, princes of the people. (2) And He said unto me, Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity, and give wicked counsel in this city; (3) who say, It is not near, let us build houses.[247] It is the pot, and we are the meat. (4) Therefore, prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man. (5) And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak! Thus says the LORD: You have said thus, O house of Israel, and the things of your spirit I surely know. (6) You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with slain. (7) Therefore, Thus says the LORD: Your slain which you have put in your midst, they are the meat, and it is the pot; but you shall be brought forth[248] from its midst. (8) A sword you have feared, and a sword I shall bring against you (oracle of the Lord GOD). (9) And I will bring you out from its midst, and I will place you in the hand of strangers, and I will execute judgments among you. (10) With the sword you shall fall, upon the border of Israel I shall judge you; and you shall know that I am the LORD. (11) It shall not be your pot, nor shall you be in its midst as meat; but I will judge you unto the border of Israel. (12) And you shall know that I am the LORD in whose statutes you did not walk, and whose judgments you did not execute, but have done according to the judgments of the nations which are round about you.

[247] Lit. not In the near (future) the building of houses. [248] Another reading is, I will bring you forth.

COMMENTS

The leading citizens of Jerusalem were convinced of the impregnability of the Holy City. In Ezekiel 11:1-13 Ezekiel was commissioned to smash this vain delusion. Blackwood succinctly summarizes the vision which is unraveling: Jerusalem will die, but faith will lives.[249]

[249] Blackwood, EPH, p. 84.

In this vision the prophet feels himself swept off his feet and carried by a spirit to another part of the Temple. From the inner court where Ezekiel was last said to be standing (Ezekiel 8:16), the prophet was transported to the eastern gate of the outer court. This was the spot where the throne-chariot had momentarily set down (Ezekiel 10:19). This area just outside the sacred Temple precincts was traditionally a place of public assembly (cf. Jeremiah 26:10).

At the eastern Temple gate Ezekiel saw twenty-five men. Are these the same men Ezekiel observed worshiping the sun in Ezekiel 8:16? Probably not.[250] The former company was a priestly group, while these twenty-five appear to have been lay leaders. Furthermore, the two groups are seen in different localities. What significance there may be in the number twenty-five cannot be ascertained.[251] The men seem to have been members of a political pressure group.

[250] Many capable commentators do make the identification between the two groups. [251] Various conjectures (1) two from each tribe of Israel with the king at their head; (2) two from each of the twelve divisions of the army with their commander; (3) two representatives from each of the twelve regions of the city with their president.

Two of the twenty-five men were easily identified by Ezekiel. Jaazaniah[252] and Pelatiah were prominent statesmen, princes of the people (Ezekiel 11:1). This term refers to the ruling class of Judah, not necessarily the royal family.[253]

[252] Not to be confused with the Jaazaniah of Eze 8:11 who was the son of Shaphan. This Jaazaniah was the son of Azur. An Azur is found In Jeremiah 28:1 as the father of Hananiah the false prophet. Could this Jaazaniah have been the brother of Hananiah?

[253] See Jeremiah 26:10; Jeremiah 26:12; Jeremiah 26:16; Jeremiah 26:21; Jeremiah 36:14, et al.

The twenty-five men are said to be those who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city, i.e., Jerusalem (Ezekiel 11:2). Exactly what this iniquity and counsel consisted of is not certain. Since this narrative dates from the latter half of Zedekiah’s reign, Jeremiah’s experiences with the princes may give some indication. In open contradiction to Jeremiah’s constant proclamation of certain doom for Jerusalem, the princes optimistically advised the people of the city’s invulnerability. This anti-Babylon faction constantly agitated for revolt against the authority of Nebuchadnezzar. Such policies were tantamount to rebellion against the will of God (Jeremiah 27:12 ff.), and were therefore politically and spiritually disastrous.

The defiant boast of these evil counselors is cited in Ezekiel 11:3. It (the judgment of which the true prophets spoke) is not near;[254] let us build houses. Jeremiah had bidden the exiles in Babylon to build houses and settle down for a long stay (Jeremiah 29:5). The evil princes urged that houses be built[255] in Jerusalem, that business proceed as usual. Jeremiah had threatened the inhabitants of Jerusalem with the image of the seething pot (Jeremiah 1:13); but the rebel party regarded Jerusalem as the caldron which would protect the meat the inhabitants of the city from the fire of destruction. The schemers thus assured themselves that the walls of Jerusalem would afford them adequate protection in the event of an attack by the army of Babylon.

[254] The Greek version turns this into a question, Is not the time at hand to build houses? [255] Many modern commentators prefer the translation the time is not near to build houses. The idea would then be that all attention should be devoted to war against Babylon, not house-building. While this translation is possible, the explanation is farfetched.

In his vision Ezekiel heard himself bidden to do the true work of a prophet in rebuking the defiant rebels. Concerning these Jerusalem leaders God had an urgent message. The repetition of the command to prophesy (Ezekiel 11:4) underscores this urgency. As in Ezekiel 2:2 Ezekiel felt the Spirit of God fall upon him. He knew that he would speak the word of the Lord inerrantly, and hence he prefaced his visionary oracle with the phrase Thus says the Lord. His message was addressed to the house of Israel, a term which in Ezekiel’s day was restricted to the people of Judah the remnant of Israel. God knew what the leaders of Israel had been saying, and He knew their thoughts as well (Ezekiel 11:5).

In Ezekiel 11:6 Ezekiel makes a serious accusation against the Jerusalem leadership: You have multiplied your slain in this city. This has been taken by some to be prophetic invective against the violence of the Jerusalem leadership.[256] The term slain is often used in classical Hebrew prophecy to refer to the helpless victims of social and political iniquities.[257] Plenty of examples from the biographical narratives of Jeremiah can be adduced to substantiate the charge of ruthlessness against the national leaders in Jerusalem. However, context here would seem to point in the direction of another interpretation of the accusation in Ezekiel 11:6. It might be called a predictive accusation. The defiant attitude of the anti-Babylonian party would result in the streets of Jerusalem being filled with those slain by Babylonian swords. The princes or governmental leaders were ultimately responsible for this needless slaughter.

[256] Wevers. NCB, p. 94.

[257] E. g., Isaiah 1:21-23; Amos 2:6-8; Hosea 4:1-3, Micah 3:1-3.

The prophet was led of the Lord to respond to their derisive and defiant caldron simile. The evil practices of Jerusalem’s rulers had resulted in a situation in which the city walls would only serve to entrap and not protect. The gullible inhabitants of Jerusalem were bound together within the city for slaughter. The Jerusalem caldron was a pot of death, and the leaders were responsible for the slain the corpses which would fall in the streets of that city. But at least those slain would remain in Jerusalem, interred in their native land. For the war-mongers a worse fate was in store. They would fall into the hand of the ruthless Nebuchadnezzar and would be brought forth by him out of the midst of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 11:7).

Stripped of metaphor, Ezekiel 11:7 states simply that Jerusalem will afford no protection to the inhabitants. Many would be slain; others would be carried away into captivity on foreign soil. With all their talk about security, the leaders really feared an attack by the sword, i.e., Babylon. These fears, Ezekiel announced, would be justified by events (Ezekiel 11:8).

In Ezekiel 11:9 Ezekiel becomes more specific about the expulsion of the leaders from Jerusalem, and in so doing he eliminates any ambiguity in his previous statement. Their expulsion from Jerusalem spoken of in Ezekiel 11:7 would not result in escape to safe refuge. God would deliver them into the hands of strangers, i.e., the Babylonians. Through the instrumentality of these foreigners God would execute His judgments upon the rebels (Ezekiel 11:9). Ultimately they would fall by the sword. They would taste the judgment of the Lord upon the border of Israel. This prediction was fulfilled when the princes of Judah were massacred at Riblah (Jeremiah 52:9-10) which was on the frontier of the old Northern Kingdom (cf. 1 Kings 8:65; 2 Kings 14:25). When this prediction came to pass they would know that I am the Lord that Yahweh is not indifferent to the conduct of man (Ezekiel 11:10).

Ezekiel 11:11-12 a simply serve to underscore the dramatic predictions of the previous verses. Jerusalem would not serve as a caldron to protect the meat, i.e., these leaders, from the fire of the Babylonian army. Rather, they would experience divine judgment upon the border of Israel. The fulfillment of these predictions would establish that the one who spoke through the prophetic mouthpiece was really Yahweh, the God who will not leave the wicked unpunished. These leaders had disregarded the statutes and ordinances of the Lord, but on the contrary had followed heathen customs and practices (Ezekiel 11:12). They were therefore deserving of divine wrath.

As Ezekiel prophesied in his vision a dramatic event took place. One of the leaders, Pelatiah ben Benaiah, dropped dead.[258] Whether the death of Pelatiah was an actual event which is incorporated into the vision,[259] or whether it is purely a symbolic and visionary occurrence cannot be determined. In any case Ezekiel was startled and horrified by this occurrence. He certainly interpreted it as an ominous sign. Following his natural impulse as prophetic intercessor, Ezekiel fell on this face in earnest supplication before the Lord. In a loud voice he cried out his exasperation and agony, Ah Lord God? A question conveys an oblique petition on behalf of his people.[260]* Will You make a full end of the remnant of Israel?* The remnant of Israel would be those who were left in Jerusalem after the Babylonian siege in 597 B.C. The prophet interpreted the death of Pelatiah, one of the chief counselors of the city, to mean that the entire population of Jerusalem would share a similar fate.

[258] Compare the death of the false prophet Hananiah (Jeremiah 28:17).

[259] Taylor (TOTC, p. 110) feels Pelatiah actually died in Jerusalem at the very moment that Ezekiel had his vision. Subsequent reports of the incident reaching the exiles would have confirmed the authenticity of the vision and Ezekiel’s supernatural power.

[260] Compare the prayer in Ezekiel 9:8.

Ezekiel 11:1-25

III. DECLARATIONS BY THE PROPHET 11:1-25

Chapter 11 sets forth two declarations by the prophet in his vision. The first (Ezekiel 11:1-13) denounced the leaders in Jerusalem. The second brought comfort to the exiles in Babylon (Ezekiel 11:14-21). To these declarations is attached a note about the conclusion of this vision (Ezekiel 11:22-25).

Ezekiel 11:14-21

B. The Jewish Exiles Encouraged 11:14-21

TRANSLATION

(14) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (15) Son of man, your brethren, your kinsmen, and all the house of Israel all of these are they of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Go far away from the LORD; the land has been given to us for a possession. (16) Therefore say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Although I have removed them far among the nations, and although I have scattered them among lands, yet I shall be a sanctuary for a little while for them in the lands where they have come. (17) Therefore say, Thus says the Lord GOD: I will gather you from the peoples, yes I will assemble you from the lands where you have been scattered, and I will give to you the land of Israel. (18) And they shall come there and they shall remove all her horrible things and all her abominations from her. (19) And I will give to them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them, and I will take away the heart of stone from their flesh, and I will give them a heart of flesh, (20) in order that they will walk in My statutes, and keep MY ordinances, and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. (21) But as for those whose heart goes after horrible things and abominations, I will recompense their way upon their head (oracle of the Lord GOD).

COMMENTS

In response to the desperate prayer-question of Ezekiel concerning the future of Israel, God granted to the prophet a special revelation of comfort (Ezekiel 11:14). Ezekiel was first reminded that the remnant of Israel about which he was concerned embraced others besides those who still inhabited Jerusalem. The exiled Israelites were also his brethren and kinsmen. Indeed, all the house of Israel included the exiles of the Northern Kingdom as well as those of Judah. All the exiles were looked down on and despised by those who remained in Jerusalem. The fact that they were left in possession of the land and Temple was interpreted as being an evidence of God’s blessing on them. Conversely, they regarded those who had been carried away to foreign lands as being cursed of God because they were far from the land, i.e., His domain and presence (Ezekiel 11:15).

The Lord speaking through Ezekiel rebuked the haughty attitude of the Jerusalemites. The proof that the exiles were God’s people is seen in what He had done already for them, and what He promised yet to do for them. While it was true that the exiles had been scattered among the nations by the Lord, yet this in no way implied that He had cast off these people. Though they were separated by miles from Mt. Zion and God’s house, yet God Himself would serve as their sanctuary during the little while[261] they were in captivity (Ezekiel 11:16). Those exiles were really nearer to the presence of God than those who worshiped in the Jerusalem Temple from which the Lord had now departed. He was their protection and source of strength. The phrase little while suggests that the captivity was transient and provisional. For Ezekiel, as for Jeremiah, the people in exile were the good figs (cf. Jeremiah 24:1), and those in Jerusalem the rotten figs. They were the remnant for whom there was a hope of better things.

[261] The charming translation little sanctuary (KJV) is not accurate. Even today Jews call their synagogues a little sanctuary in allusion to this verse.

A major theological thought emerges here. It is the presence of the Lord that makes the sanctuary, not the sanctuary that secures the presence of God. The physical Temple was not absolutely essential to the relationship between God and His people. Although the exiles had lost the Temple, they had not lost the presence of God.

For those despised exiles God had something wonderful in store. God would gather and assemble His people from among the nations where they had been driven. Furthermore, to these presently despised and disheartened exiles He would give the land of Israel (Ezekiel 11:17). This prophecy began to be fulfilled in the work of restoration achieved by Zerubabbel, Ezra and Nehemiah. But the work of gathering God’s people goes on today wherever and whenever the Gospel is preached. Men and women baptized into Christ become part of the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16) and inherit the Jerusalem which is from above (Galatians 4:26).

Those exiles brought home by God would be spiritual persons. Immediately upon returning they would remove all horrible things and abominations, i.e., idols, and the paraphernalia of idolatry (Ezekiel 11:18). Repentance must precede God’s work in the heart of men. God can do nothing for the man who will not recognize his sins and turn from them.

In the new Israel God would give His people one heart (Ezekiel 11:19). Here Ezekiel is introducing the great prophetic theme of unity among the people of God, a theme which he will later amplify by a symbolic action (Ezekiel 37:15-22). The long-standing cleavage between north and south, Israel and Judah, would disappear. Oneness of purpose and of action would characterize the new Israel of God. The unity in Christ of Jew and Gentile, male and female, bond and free is a grand theological fact which, unfortunately, in practice God’s people do not display before the world.

The means of achieving this grand unity of God’s people is the divine gift of a new spirit (Ezekiel 11:19). The prophet speaks here of the spirit of loyalty, obedience and unselfishness.[262] Thus God not only sets up His covenant, He also provides all the qualifications for living under the covenant. The new spirit is God’s spirit. The New Israel of God would be infused with new divine energy. Such a prediction can only be fully understood in the light of the gift of the Holy Spirit to God’s people on Pentecost.

[262] In this prophecy of the new spirit Ezekiel echoes the thoughts and even the words of Jer 31:31-33; Jeremiah 32:37-39 and Deuteronomy 30:11-16.

A new heart as well as a new spirit would be given to the individual members of the New Israel (Ezekiel 11:19). The stony heart is that which is hardened (Ezekiel 3:7) against inducements to repentance, to all spiritual aspirations.[263] The heart to the Hebrews was the center of the will and the mind, the intellectual basis for emotion and action.

[263] Zechariah 7:12 speaks of those who made their hearts harder than an adamant stone.

The new spirit and new heart manifest themselves in a new life a life of righteousness. In sincere obedience the members of New Israel would live by the statutes and ordinances of God (Ezekiel 11:20). In acts of formal worship and in their daily dealings they would act in accordance with God’s revealed will.

The new spirit, new heart and new life make possible a new or perhaps more accurately, a renewed relationship with God. They will be His people; He will be their God (Ezekiel 11:20). Ultimately this theme reaches its fulfillment in the blessed state of eternity (Revelation 21:3-5).

The glorious promises of this oracle come to an end with a stern warning to those Israelites who may be hardened in unbelief. Certainly the inhabitants of Jerusalem are in view in Ezekiel 11:21; but the warning is not limited to them. Those who continued to walk after idolatry would face the judgment of God. He would bring their way upon their own heads, i.e., He would give them their just deserts (Ezekiel 11:21). In the economy of God, every set of promises has a corresponding set of punishments which fall upon those who do not through faith and obedience appropriate those promises (cf. Deuteronomy 11:26; Matthew 7:13 f).

Ezekiel 11:22-25

C. The Conclusion of the Vision 11:22-25

TRANSLATION

(22) Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. (23) And the glory of the LORD went up from over the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which was east of the city, (24) Afterwards, a spirit lifted me up and caused me to go like a vision by the Spirit of God unto the captivity. So the vision which I had seen went up from me. (25) And I spoke unto the captivity all the things of the LORD which He had showed me.

COMMENTS

The throne-chariot of God had paused at the eastern gate of the Temple court (Ezekiel 10:19). Now in his vision Ezekiel saw those cherubic wings begin to whir, and the entire throne-chariot with the glory of God over it became air-borne (Ezekiel 11:22). The heavenly chariot came down on the Mt. of Olives east of Jerusalem. From that same spot centuries later the Son of Man beheld the city, and wept over it (Luke 19:41); and from that hill He, the very embodiment of heavenly glory, ascended into heaven. It is not altogether clear why the Shechinah glory paused on the Mt. of Olives in the course of departure.[264] There is no need to trace further the journeys of the throne-chariot. Ezekiel had already seen it in Tel-Abib.

[264] Jewish tradition sees in this pause evidence that God was still looking for repentance within the city. Others suggest that the purpose of the delay was to enable the glory-cloud to direct the judgment of the city.

The long vision actually a series of related visions which commenced in Ezekiel 8:1 comes to an end in Ezekiel 11:24-25. In his vision Ezekiel felt himself transported by a spirit to Chaldea, the land of captivity. Immediately the state of prophetic ecstasy came to an end (Ezekiel 11:24). When Ezekiel awoke from his vision, he began to reveal to his fellow-exiles all that he had seen and experienced (Ezekiel 11:25). Therefore, the prophetic purpose of the visional experience was to serve, not as a message to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but rather to those in Babylonian captivity.