Ezekiel 7
The Finality of Judgment Declared 1–4
The Imminence of the Day of Trouble 5–13
Desolation, Famine, and Worthless Wealth 14–22
The Siege and Collapse of Authority 23–27
Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain
Study Notes for Ezekiel 7
Verse 2
An end, the end is come — Qets, 'end', is doubled, as at Amos 8:2, 'The end is come upon my people of Israel', and Gen 6:13, 'The end of all flesh is come before me'. The land is adamah, the ground, and the 'four corners' (kanaph, literally 'wings' or edges) is the phrase of Isa 11:12, 'the four corners of the earth'.
Verse 3
will judge thee according to thy ways — 'Send' (shalach) is the verb used of the famine and beasts in 5:16–17. 'Recompense' is literally 'give upon thee', and 'ways' (derek) returns in vv.4, 8, 9 and 27. The same standard is applied to every person in Ezek 18:30, 'I will judge you… every one according to his ways', which is followed at once by 'Repent'.
Verse 5
An evil, an only evil — Literally 'an evil, one evil': the word 'only' is echad, one. The same kind of word was spoken of Jerusalem and Judah under Manasseh: 'such evil… that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle' (2 Kings 21:12). Ezek 5:9 has the matching words, 'that which I have not done, and… will not do any more the like'.
Verse 7
the day of trouble is near — 'Trouble' is mehumah, tumult or confusion, the word of Isa 22:5, 'a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity'. 'The great day of the LORD is near, it is near' (Zeph 1:14) uses the same nearness.
Verse 10
the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded — 'Rod' (matteh) is the word of Aaron's rod that 'bloomed blossoms' (Num 17:8) and of the Assyrian as 'the rod of mine anger' (Isa 10:5). The two verbs here, 'budded' and 'blossomed', are those of Num 17:8, but the growth is of 'pride' (zadon), and v.11 calls the rod 'a rod of wickedness'.
Verse 12
let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn — With the day so near, ordinary trading no longer matters; Paul uses the figure for the shortness of time, 'they that buy, as though they possessed not' (1 Cor 7:30). 'All the multitude thereof' (hamon) returns in vv.12, 13 and 14, so no part of the people is outside it.
Verse 13
the seller shall not return — Under the Law a sold field went back at the jubilee: 'in the jubile it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession' (Lev 25:28). Here the seller 'shall not return', even 'although they were yet alive', for the 'vision' (chazon) covers 'the whole multitude', and 'neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life'.
Verse 14
They have blown the trumpet — The trumpet (taqoa) is the alarm for war, as in Jer 4:5, 'Blow ye the trumpet in the land'. It is sounded 'to make all ready', yet 'none goeth to the battle'. The reason is given in the same verse: 'for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof'.
Verse 15
The sword is without — The three judgments are divided by place: sword outside, pestilence and famine inside. Deut 32:25 has the same pattern, 'The sword without, and terror within', and Jer 14:18, 'if I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine'.
Verse 16
they that escape of them shall escape — The verb palat and its noun palit are joined, 'they that escape of them shall escape', so some do get away. They are 'like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning' (hamah, to moan), as Isa 59:11 says, 'mourn sore like doves'. Their mourning is 'every one for his iniquity', as in Ezek 24:23.
Verse 19
They shall cast their silver in the streets — 'Their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD' is nearly the wording of Zeph 1:18, and Prov 11:4 says 'Riches profit not in the day of wrath'. 'Removed' is niddah, impurity, and the gold is 'the stumblingblock of their iniquity', the word of 3:20 and 14:3.
Verse 20
the images of their abominations — 'Beauty' is tsebi, splendour, and 'ornament' is adi, finery. Set 'in majesty' (v.22's 'my secret place' points to the sanctuary, though some read v.19's gold), yet 'they made the images' (tselem) of 'their abominations and of their detestable things' (shiqquts, the pair of 5:11). Ezek 8:10 shows 'all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed'.
Verse 22
the robbers shall enter into it — Parits, 'robbers', is the word of Jer 7:11, 'Is this house… become a den of robbers in your eyes?', which Christ cites as 'a den of thieves' (Matt 21:13). 'My face will I turn' is the withdrawal of Jer 18:17, 'I will shew them the back, and not the face', and Ezek 39:23 gives the cause: 'for their iniquity'.
Verse 23
Make a chain — Rattoq, 'chain', is found only here. The charge is given in the words 'the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence' (chamas, as in v.11). The same fullness is said at Ezek 9:9, 'the land is full of blood', and of Manasseh, who 'filled Jerusalem from one end to another' with innocent blood (2 Kings 21:16).
Verse 26
the law shall perish from the priest — Three sources of guidance fail: vision from the prophet, law (torah) from the priest, counsel from the ancients; Jer 18:18 lists them with 'the wise' for the ancients. 'Rumour' is shemuah, the word rendered 'report' in Isa 53:1. Mic 3:6 describes the same silence: 'night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision'.
Verse 27
clothed with desolation — Shemamah, 'desolation', is the word of 6:14. The king, the prince and the people are named in turn, and the LORD's rule is given again: 'according to their deserts will I judge them', matching 'thy ways' of vv.3–9. The last words are 'they shall know that I am the LORD'.