Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

Ezekiel 11

Judgment on Wicked Counselors

Ezekiel 11:¹ Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the East Gate of the Lord’s (Yᵊhōvâ‘s) house, which faces eastward; and there at the door of the gate were twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

• Eastward qaḏmōnî H6931
  east, former, ancients, that which went before, things of old
• See Topic: Biblical Directions
  East means “holy”

• Twenty-Five men
• See Topic: Number Symbolism
  
  The number Twenty-Five is associated with both sin and redemption much like the color Red. There were twenty-five who devise iniquity, give wicked advice, have their back to the temple, and worship the sun. However; the Priests, Temple, and Holy Things are also closely associated with Twenty-Five. All to redeem men.

Ezekiel 11:² And He said to me: “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel (advice) in this city,

Ezekiel 11:³ who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses; this city is the caldron (Pot), and we are the meat (those who get boiled and metaphorically eaten as prey).’

Ezekiel 11:⁴ Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man! (Literally: O son of adam!)”

• Prophesy against the twenty-five men who are not willing to rebuild Jerusalem; including Jaazaniah, son of Azzur, and Pelatiah, son of Benaiah.

Ezekiel 11:⁵ Then the Spirit of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) fell upon me, and said to me, “Speak! ‘Thus says the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ): “Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind. ⁶ You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.”

Ezekiel 11:⁷ Therefore thus says the Lord God (‘ăḏōnāy Yᵊhōvâ): “Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the meat, and this city is the caldron; but I shall bring you out of the midst of it.

• Ezekiel 24:6 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the bloody city (Jerusalem), To the pot (caldron)whose scum is in it, And whose scum is not gone from it! Bring it out piece by piece, On which no lot has fallen.
• Ezekiel 24:11 “Then set the pot (caldron) empty on the coals, That it may become hot and its bronze may burn, That its filthiness may be melted in it, That its scum may be consumed.

Ezekiel 11:⁸ You have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you,” says the Lord God (‘ăḏōnāy Yᵊhōvâ).

• That which they feared, God brought upon them.

Ezekiel 11:⁹ “And I will bring you out of its midst, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and execute judgments on you.

Ezekiel 11:¹⁰ You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ).

Ezekiel 11:¹¹ This city shall not be your caldron (Pot), nor shall you be the meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of Israel.

Ezekiel 11:¹² And you shall know that I am the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ); for you have not walked in My statutes nor executed My judgments, but have done according to the customs of the Gentiles which are all around you.” ’ ”

Ezekiel 11:¹³ Now it happened, while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried with a loud voice, and said, “Ah, Lord God (‘ăḏōnāy Yᵊhōvâ)! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of Israel?”

God Will Restore Israel

Ezekiel 11:¹⁴ Again the word of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) came to me, saying,

Ezekiel 11:¹⁵ “Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety, are those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Get far away from the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ); this land has been given to us as a possession.’

• “Son of man” is literally “Son of Adam”.

Ezekiel 11:¹⁶ Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God (‘ăḏōnāy Yᵊhōvâ): “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary (holy place) for them in the countries where they have gone.” ’

Ezekiel 11:¹⁷ Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God (‘ăḏōnāy Yᵊhōvâ): “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” ’

Ezekiel 11:¹⁸ And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there.

Ezekiel 11:¹⁹ Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them (Lit. you plural), and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,

• The stony heart is the heart of Satan as the sea monster Leviathan in Job 41. His heart is as hard as a millstone, even the lower millstone. He causes the sea of people to boil. However; God will eventually remove their hard (Satan’s stony) heart and give them a heart of flesh. In Daniel 7 God also gave the lion a heart of flesh after removing his stony heart. The lion is Nebuchadnezzar.

Ezekiel 11:²⁰ that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall (then!) be My people, and I will be their God (‘ĕlōhîm).

• God forbid them to speak His Holy Name. He no longer called them “My people”, except for the Millennium. (v19)
  Amos 6:10 And he will say, “Hold your tongue! For we dare not mention the name of the Lord.”

• When God is speaking to Daniel he calls the Jews “your (Daniel’s) people”, no longer “My people”. (Daniel 9:24, Daniel 11:14, Daniel 12:1) until the regathering for the Millennium.

Ezekiel 11:²¹ But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God (‘ăḏōnāy Yᵊhōvâ).

Ezekiel 11:²² So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God (‘ĕlōhîm) of Israel was high above them.

Ezekiel 11:²³ And the glory of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city (Jerusalem).

Ezekiel 11:²⁴ Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God (‘ĕlōhîm) into Chaldea (Or Babylon, and so elsewhere in the book), to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen went up from me.

Ezekiel 11:²⁵ So I spoke to those in captivity of all the things the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) had shown me.

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