Ezekiel 14

The first part of the book of Ezekiel collects prophecies of judgment delivered before the fall of Jerusalem, and chapter 14 belongs to this section. Following Ezekiel 13, which rebukes the false prophets, this chapter addresses the inner condition of those who come to hear prophecy and the inescapability of judgment.

Outline

• Verses 1–5 Certain elders of Israel sit before Ezekiel. God declares that they have set up idols in their hearts and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces while inquiring of Him. To such people He will answer according to the multitude of their idols.
• Verses 6–8 God urges them to repent, turning their hearts and faces away from their idols and abominations. Anyone who does not turn yet still inquires of a prophet, whether an Israelite or a stranger sojourning in Israel, will be cut off from the midst of the people.
• Verses 9–11 The prophet who is deceived and speaks, and the one who inquires of him, will bear the same punishment. The purpose is that Israel may no longer go astray but may be God's people.
• Verses 12–20 Four hypothetical cases are presented in turn: famine, noisome beasts, the sword, and pestilence. Each time the text repeats that even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, they could not deliver even their own sons or daughters but would deliver only themselves.
• Verses 21–23 These four sore judgments will come upon Jerusalem all at once. Yet some sons and daughters will survive and be brought forth, and when the exiles see their ways and doings, they will be comforted, knowing that the judgment was not without cause.

Key Verses

• Ezekiel 14:3 "these men have set up their idols in their heart" — Idolatry is treated not only as an outward act but as a matter of the heart.
• Ezekiel 14:6 "Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols" — One of the chapter's rare calls to repentance.
• Ezekiel 14:14 "they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness" — One person's righteousness cannot avert judgment on behalf of others.

People and Places

• Ezekiel: A prophet of priestly descent who prophesied among the exiles of the Babylonian captivity.
• The elders of Israel: Leaders of the exilic community. They also appear sitting before Ezekiel in chapter 8.
• Noah: The righteous man who was saved during the Flood.
• Daniel: Mentioned in this chapter as an example of a righteous man.
• Job: A man who maintained his righteousness in the midst of suffering.
• Jerusalem: Identified as the place on which the four judgments will fall.

Points for Reflection

• Who is Daniel? Traditionally, he is identified as the prophet Daniel who served in the Babylonian court. Because the Hebrew spelling differs slightly and he is grouped with Noah and Job as an ancient righteous figure, some scholars take the reference to be to Danel, a righteous man who appears in ancient Canaanite literature.
• "I the LORD have deceived that prophet" (verse 9): Some interpreters read this expression as emphasizing God's sovereign judgment. Others read it as divine permission, in which God gives over to their chosen path those who persist in sin. The verse is often discussed alongside the account of Micaiah in 1 Kings 22.
• Individual responsibility: The theme that each person bears his own sin is developed more fully in Ezekiel 18.
• Connection with the New Testament: The theme of idols of the heart is read together with passages such as 1 John 5:21.