Ezekiel 14
Ezekiel 14 | |
---|---|
Book | Book of Ezekiel |
Hebrew Bible part | Nevi'im |
Order in the Hebrew part | 7 |
Category | Latter Prophets |
Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
Order in the Christian part | 26 |
Ezekiel 14 is the fourteenth chapter of the
Text
The original text was written in the Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 23 verses.
Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008).[2]
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BC. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; Q; 6th century).[3][a]
The idolatrous elders (14:1–11)
A group of elders approached Ezekiel (cf. Ezekiel 8:1 and 20:1) to 'enquire' of YHWH, which is a traditional practice of using the prophet as mediator to convey specific questions to YHWH (cf. Judges 18:5). YHWH told Ezekiel that he refuses to hear in the enquiry 'because of the seriousness of the elders' idolatry' (cf. 20:3–4) and 'the elders are not condemned simply for idolatry, but for 'lifting up' their idols 'into their hearts' (cf. the Jerusalem elders in 8:9–12, who maintained secret 'picture rooms' inside the temple itself).[5] YHWH only responded by warning the elders 'to turn back from idolatry or suffer death at his hands' (verses 6–8), and if a prophet should deliver a response to the idolater's enquiry, YHWH would then destroy the prophet as well as the enquirer.[5]
Verse 3
- Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart,
- and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face:
- should I be enquired of at all by them?[6]
- "Son of man" (Hebrew: בן־אדם ḇen-’ā-ḏām): this phrase is used 93 times to address Ezekiel.[7]
- "Idols" (Hebrew: גִּלּוּלִ gillul; plural: גִּלּוּלִים gillulim): found 39 times in the Book of Ezekiel and in Leviticus 26:30. Originally means "trunks, logs, blocks," that can be "rolled", it could denote "the primitive stone menhir or construct.[8][9][10]
- "Set up their idols in their heart": Rashi interprets this as "Their heart is toward their idols to worship [them]."[11]
- "The stumbling block of their iniquity": from Hebrew: מִכְשֹׁ֣ול עֲוֹנָ֔ם, miḵ-šō-wl ‘ă-wō-nām,
Noah, Dan'el, and Job (14:12–23)
In this section YHWH addresses the question of individual responsibility for sin, which was mentioned in
Verse 14
- Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it,
- they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness,
- saith the Lord God.[15]
- "Three men": These three men are selected as they had pled in different "worlds", according to Rashi, that is Noah witnesses the world destroyed and rebuilt, Daniel the temple destroyed and rebuilt, Job the prosperity/"greatness" destroyed and rebuilt.[16] These three Israel's righteous spiritual heroes "could not have prevailed with God in prayer to save the people" from the coming disasters.[17]
Verse 20
- Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God,
- they shall deliver neither son nor daughter;
- they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.[18]
- "They shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness": The city of Sodom could be saved with a minimum number of righteous people (Genesis 18:22–23), but the righteous people can only save one's own soul in the case of determined judgment on Jerusalem.[19]
See also
- Daniel
- Daniel in rabbinic literature
- Job
- Noah
- Related Daniel 6, Hebrews 11
Notes
- ^ Ezekiel is missing from the extant Codex Sinaiticus.[4]
References
- ^ Clements 1996, p. 51.
- ^ Würthwein 1995, pp. 35–37.
- ^ Würthwein 1995, pp. 73–74.
- ISBN 978-0825444593.
- ^ a b c Galambush 2007, p. 544.
- ^ Ezekiel 14:3 NKJV
- ^ Bromiley 1995, p. 574.
- ^ Brown, Briggs & Driver 1994 "גִּלּוּלִ"
- ^ Gesenius 1979 "גִּלּוּלִ"
- ^ Coogan 2007, p. 1188 Hebrew Bible.
- ^ Rashi's commentary on Ezekiel 14:3.
- ^ Hebrew Text Analysis: Ezekiel 14:3. Biblehub
- ^ Note [c] on Ezekiel 7:19 in NET
- ^ a b c Galambush 2007, p. 545.
- ^ Ezekiel 14:14 KJV
- ^ Rashi's Commentary on Ezekiel 14:14.
- ^ Clements 1996, p. 64.
- ^ Ezekiel 14:20 KJV
- ^ Coogan 2007, pp. 1197-1198 Hebrew Bible.
Sources
- Bromiley, Geoffrey W. (1995). International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: vol. iv, Q-Z. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802837844.
- Brown, Francis; Briggs, Charles A.; Driver, S. R. (1994). The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (reprint ed.). Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 978-1565632066.
- Clements, Ronald E (1996). Ezekiel. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664252724.
- ISBN 9780195288810.
- Galambush, J. (2007). "25. Ezekiel". In ISBN 978-0199277186. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- Gesenius, H. W. F. (1979). Gesenius' Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures: Numerically Coded to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, with an English Index. Translated by Tregelles, Samuel Prideaux (7th ed.). Baker Book House.
- Joyce, Paul M. (2009). Ezekiel: A Commentary. Continuum. ISBN 9780567483614.
- ISBN 0-8028-0788-7. Retrieved January 26, 2019.