The Prophets · Old Testament
Ezekiel 22
Ezekiel 22: the bloody city, the furnace of dross and the man not found in the gap
General context
The prophet is asked, "wilt thou judge the bloody city?" and told to show her all her abominations. The city sheds blood in her midst and makes idols to defile herself; the Lord has made her "a reproach unto the heathen." A list follows, item after item "in thee": princes shed blood to their power; father and mother are set light by; the stranger, fatherless and widow are oppressed; holy things are despised and sabbaths profaned; tales are carried to shed blood; fathers' nakedness is uncovered, "her that was set apart for pollution" humbled, a neighbour's wife, a daughter in law and a sister defiled; gifts are taken to shed blood, usury and increase taken, neighbours extorted, "and hast forgotten me." The Lord has smitten his hand at her dishonest gain and blood and will scatter her among the heathen. A second word calls the house of Israel dross, "brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace"; the Lord will gather them into Jerusalem, blow on them in the fire of his wrath and melt them. A third word says the land is "not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation," and indicts each class: prophets conspire like a roaring lion; priests violate the law and put no difference between holy and profane, clean and unclean; princes are wolves ravening for gain; prophets daub with untempered morter and divine lies; the people of the land oppress the poor and the stranger. The Lord sought a man to "stand in the gap before me for the land" and found none, so he has poured out his indignation and recompensed their way on their heads.
Cited passages: Ezekiel 22:2, Ezekiel 22:3, Ezekiel 22:4, Ezekiel 22:6, Ezekiel 22:7, Ezekiel 22:8, Ezekiel 22:9, Ezekiel 22:10, Ezekiel 22:11, Ezekiel 22:12, Ezekiel 22:13, Ezekiel 22:14, Ezekiel 22:15, Ezekiel 22:18, Ezekiel 22:19, Ezekiel 22:20, Ezekiel 22:21, Ezekiel 22:24, Ezekiel 22:25, Ezekiel 22:26, Ezekiel 22:27, Ezekiel 22:28, Ezekiel 22:29, Ezekiel 22:30, Ezekiel 22:31
Ezekiel 22 (KJV)
1Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations.
3Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord God, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself.
4Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.
5Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed.
6Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood.
7In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.
8Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths.
9In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.
10In thee have they discovered their fathers’ nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution.
11And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour’s wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.
12In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God.
13Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee.
14Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it.
15And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee.
16And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
17And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
18Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.
19Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.
20As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.
21Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.
22As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you.
23And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
24Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.
25There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.
26Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
27Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.
28And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken.
29The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
30And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
31Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.
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Historical context
"The bloody city" is not named in the first word; the second word names Jerusalem as the place of the furnace, "I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem," and the third addresses "the land." The charges are stated as present fact in the second person, "Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed," and no particular case or event is narrated behind them. The list in 22:6 to 12 mixes bloodshed, treatment of parents and of the stranger, fatherless and widow, sabbaths, sexual offences including a father's nakedness, a daughter in law and a sister, and money taken by gifts, usury and extortion; many items match the just man's list in chapter 18, such as "neither hath taken any increase." The prophets are charged twice, as a conspiracy that devours souls and as those who daub "with untempered morter," the image already used in 13:10, "others daubed it with untempered morter." The priests' failure is stated as a failure to distinguish, holy from profane and unclean from clean. The Lord's search for "a man among them" who would stand in the gap is his own report, "but I found none," and the text names no candidate. The third word speaks of indignation already poured out and people already consumed, while the first speaks of scattering still to come; the chapter does not fix the order between them. No date is given.
Cited passages: Ezekiel 22:19, Ezekiel 22:24, Ezekiel 22:4, Ezekiel 22:11, Ezekiel 22:12, Ezekiel 22:28, Ezekiel 13:10, Ezekiel 22:26, Ezekiel 22:30, Ezekiel 22:31, Ezekiel 22:15, Ezekiel 18:8
Literary context
Three words, each opened by "the word of the Lord came unto me," build one indictment three ways. The first is a catalogue driven by "in thee" and "in the midst of thee," repeated line after line so the city itself is the place of every crime, and it is framed by blood at the start, "The city sheddeth blood," and blood and gain at the end, "thy dishonest gain" and "thy blood." The second is a single extended image, metal gathered into a furnace, with the list of metals given twice and "melt" and "melted" repeated until the recognition formula lands on fury poured out. The third is a survey by class, prophets, priests, princes, prophets again, and people of the land, each with its own image, a roaring lion, wolves, plaster, and it ends with a search that fails, "but I found none," followed by "Therefore." The prophet's opening question, "wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge," repeats the form of 20:4, and the closing "their own way have I recompensed upon their heads" answers the opening "her time may come." The Lord speaks throughout; the prophet does not reply in this chapter.
Cited passages: Ezekiel 22:1, Ezekiel 22:17, Ezekiel 22:3, Ezekiel 22:13, Ezekiel 22:20, Ezekiel 22:22, Ezekiel 22:25, Ezekiel 22:27, Ezekiel 22:30, Ezekiel 22:31, Ezekiel 22:2, Ezekiel 20:4
Key moments
- Wilt thou judge the bloody city? (Ezekiel 22:2). The prophet is asked to judge the bloody city and show her abominations.
- Stranger, fatherless and widow (Ezekiel 22:7). The city's people slight parents and oppress the stranger, fatherless and widow.
- Gifts, usury and extortion (Ezekiel 22:12). Bribes for blood, usury and extortion close the list, with the Lord forgotten.
- Israel become dross (Ezekiel 22:18). The house of Israel is called brass, tin, iron and lead in the furnace.
- Gathered into the furnace (Ezekiel 22:20). The Lord will gather them into Jerusalem and melt them in his fury.
- Priests blur holy and profane (Ezekiel 22:26). Priests make no difference between holy and profane, unclean and clean.
- No man in the gap (Ezekiel 22:30). The Lord sought one to stand in the gap for the land and found none.
For reflection
The Lord says he looked for one man to "stand in the gap before me for the land" and found none. What would it have taken for one person to count against a whole city's list?
