Ezekiel 21:23

KJV

And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.

KJV (with Strong's)

And it shall be unto them as a false {H7723} divination {H7080} in their sight {H5869}, to them that have sworn {H7650} oaths {H7621}: but he will call to remembrance {H2142} the iniquity {H5771}, that they may be taken {H8610}.

Complete Jewish Bible

The inhabitants will believe this is a false divination because of the oaths upon oaths [that their false prophets have sworn to the contrary]. But it will cause [God] to remember their guilt and thus insure their capture.

Berean Standard Bible

It will seem like a false omen to the eyes of those who have sworn allegiance to him, but it will draw attention to their guilt and take them captive.

American Standard Version

And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, who have sworn oaths unto them; but he bringeth iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Ezekiel 21:23 powerfully articulates God's unwavering judgment against Judah and Jerusalem, revealing the profound spiritual delusion of His people. Despite clear, divine warnings, the inhabitants of Judah dismissed God's true prophecy as "false divination," stubbornly clinging to their own self-deceptive hopes and broken covenants. This verse underscores that God's righteous judgment is not arbitrary but a just and inevitable consequence for their accumulated iniquity, which He "calls to remembrance" to ensure their certain capture and punishment.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is deeply embedded within a vivid and intense prophetic oracle in [Ezekiel chapter 21](/ezekiel/21 "Ezekiel 21 - The Sword of the Lord"), often aptly named the "Song of the Sword." Through Ezekiel, God declares His imminent use of Babylon as the divine instrument of judgment against Judah and Jerusalem. The preceding verses graphically depict the sharpening and preparation of God's metaphorical sword, poised to strike with devastating precision. The people, however, are portrayed as being in a state of profound denial, relying on a false sense of security and actively ignoring the divine warnings. Ezekiel 21:23 highlights the tragic irony of their perception: what God proclaims as undeniable truth, they will perceive as a lie, precisely because it shatters their comforting illusions of invincibility. The oracle continues to meticulously detail the Babylonian king's path and the absolute certainty of Jerusalem's fall, emphasizing God's supreme sovereignty over all nations and His unwavering commitment to executing justice.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** During the period of Ezekiel's prophecy, roughly the early 6th century BCE, Judah existed as a vulnerable vassal state under the formidable Neo-Babylonian Empire. Jerusalem had already endured one significant deportation in 597 BCE, and King Zedekiah, who had sworn a solemn oath of loyalty to Babylon, occupied the throne. Nevertheless, Zedekiah was secretly plotting rebellion, actively seeking alliances with Egypt, and, crucially, lending an ear to false prophets who assured the populace of enduring peace and the city's impregnability. The "sworn oaths" referenced in the verse could refer to Judah's repeated violation of their covenant with God, their ill-fated reliance on unreliable treaties with foreign powers like Egypt, or King Zedekiah's broken oath of allegiance to Babylon. Divination was a pervasive practice throughout the ancient Near East, and despite God's strict prohibition against it for Israel ([Deuteronomy 18:10-12](/deuteronomy/18-10-12 "Deuteronomy 18:10-12 - Abominations to the Lord")), the people frequently engaged in it, seeking reassurance from sources other than Yahweh. This cultural backdrop vividly illuminates the profound irony of the verse: Judah's own trusted divinations were inherently false, while God's true prophecy of judgment was tragically dismissed as such.
* **Key Themes:** Ezekiel 21:23 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes prominent in Ezekiel's prophecy and the broader prophetic literature. It starkly underscores the **Divine Judgment and Inevitability** of God's wrath against persistent sin, demonstrating that human self-deception and denial cannot possibly avert God's sovereign decree. The phrase "it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight" vividly highlights the profound **Spiritual Blindness and Self-Deception** of the people, who were so deeply entrenched in their own illusions and the pervasive lies of false prophets that they utterly failed to discern God's impending wrath, leading directly to their refusal to repent. God's deliberate act of "calling to remembrance the iniquity" emphasizes His **Righteous Justice**, signifying not forgetfulness but rather the precise moment of bringing their accumulated sins to a just account as the direct basis for the coming judgment, a concept also powerfully articulated in [Amos 8:7](/amos/8-7 "Amos 8:7 - God Will Not Forget Their Deeds"). The ultimate outcome, "that they may be taken," clearly points to the dire **Consequence of Disobedience**, specifically the Babylonian captivity and the devastating destruction of Jerusalem, representing the culmination of Judah's sustained rebellion against their covenant God.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **false (Hebrew, _shâvᵉʼ_):** This term denotes emptiness, vanity, worthlessness, and often carries connotations of deception, fraud, or idolatry. It describes something that is not real, that is inherently deceptive, or that ultimately leads to ruin and desolation. In this specific context, _shâvᵉʼ_ profoundly emphasizes the utter deception of the people's own hopes and the lies they chose to believe, standing in stark contrast to the terrifying and unwelcome reality of God's true prophecy.
* **divination (Hebrew, _qâçam_):** This primitive root verb properly means to distribute or determine by lot, but more broadly, it refers to the practice of divining or soothsaying. It encompasses various illicit methods of seeking knowledge or guidance from supernatural sources outside of God's revealed will. The irony here is profound: the people themselves engaged in _qâçam_ to gain favorable outcomes, yet God's true word, which they vehemently rejected, was the only accurate "divination" of their future, appearing "false" only because it directly contradicted their deeply desired outcome.
* **iniquity (Hebrew, _ʻâvôn_):** This comprehensive term encompasses perversity, moral evil, fault, sin, and even the punishment that results from sin. It speaks to the crookedness, distortion, or deviation of moral character and actions from God's righteous standards. God's "calling to remembrance" their _ʻâvôn_ signifies that their accumulated moral deviation, rebellion, and covenant-breaking are the just and explicit cause for the impending judgment, thereby making the punishment a direct, righteous, and deserved consequence of their persistent sin.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight":** This crucial clause highlights the profound spiritual blindness and tragic irony afflicting Judah. God's true and certain prophecy of impending judgment, delivered faithfully through His prophet Ezekiel, will be perceived by the people as a deceptive or untrue oracle, akin to the worthless divinations they themselves might practice. They will vehemently reject it precisely because it directly contradicts their deeply ingrained, self-serving beliefs about Jerusalem's invincibility and God's unconditional protection. Their "sight" here refers not merely to physical vision but to their entire perception, understanding, and discernment, which is tragically clouded by denial, wishful thinking, and false hope.
* **"to them that have sworn oaths":** This phrase precisely identifies the specific recipients of this severe judgment as those who have made solemn promises and sacred commitments. This primarily refers to the people's covenant oaths with God, which they repeatedly and flagrantly broke through pervasive idolatry, injustice, and disobedience. Additionally, it strongly alludes to King Zedekiah's violated oath of loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, which he deliberately broke by seeking forbidden alliances with Egypt. Their profound unfaithfulness to these sacred commitments, both divine and human, stands as a key reason for the impending divine reckoning.
* **"but he will call to remembrance the iniquity":** This pivotal clause emphatically underscores God's perfect justice, meticulous memory, and sovereign timing. It does not imply that God literally forgets and then suddenly recalls their sins; rather, it is an anthropomorphic expression signifying that the appointed time for divine accounting has definitively arrived. God will bring their accumulated sins—their idolatry, rebellion, injustice, covenant-breaking, and moral perversity—into sharp and undeniable focus as the explicit and just basis for the impending judgment. This divine "remembrance" powerfully underscores the righteousness of His actions, demonstrating that the punishment is a direct, righteous, and deserved consequence of their persistent and unrepentant "iniquity."
* **"that they may be taken":** This final, concise clause states the inevitable and dire outcome of God's remembrance of their iniquity. The divine judgment will culminate in their capture, referring directly and unequivocally to the catastrophic fall of Jerusalem and the subsequent Babylonian exile. Their spiritual blindness, their persistent rebellion, and their broken oaths will inescapably lead to their physical subjugation, their removal from the promised land, and the fulfillment of God's unyielding divine decree.

#### Literary Devices
Ezekiel 21:23 is profoundly rich in literary devices that significantly amplify its prophetic message and underscore its theological weight. The most prominent device is **Irony**, particularly evident in the phrase "it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight." The absolute truth of God's impending judgment is tragically perceived as a lie by the people, while their own self-deceptive hopes and the comforting but deceitful pronouncements of false prophets are what they stubbornly consider true. This profound inversion of truth and falsehood vividly highlights their deep spiritual blindness and moral perversity. There is also a strong element of **Foreshadowing**, as the verse explicitly points to the "taking" or capture of the people, clearly foretelling the devastating Babylonian exile. The pervasive "sword" imagery found throughout [Ezekiel chapter 21](/ezekiel/21 "Ezekiel 21 - The Sword of the Lord") serves as a powerful and terrifying **Symbol** of divine judgment, destruction, and the instrument of God's righteous wrath. The entire passage functions as a potent **Prophetic Oracle**, a direct and authoritative divine pronouncement of future events and their underlying causes, delivered with unyielding certainty and divine authority.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 21:23 profoundly illustrates God's unwavering commitment to justice and the severe consequences of persistent sin and spiritual delusion. It underscores the immutable divine principle that God's truth, however unwelcome or uncomfortable, will ultimately prevail over human self-deception, false assurances, and comforting lies. The "remembrance of iniquity" is not an act of vindictiveness or a sudden recall by an imperfect God, but rather a just and deliberate accounting, revealing that God's judgment is always rooted in His perfect righteousness and His unwavering covenant faithfulness, even when that faithfulness demands punitive action against a rebellious and unrepentant people. This verse serves as a stark and timeless warning against spiritual complacency and the perilous dangers of rejecting divine warnings for comforting falsehoods, emphasizing that God's word, whether of blessing or judgment, will always come to pass with absolute certainty.

* [Jeremiah 14:14](/jeremiah/14-14 "Jeremiah 14:14 - False Prophecy and Deception")
* [Proverbs 1:31](/proverbs/1-31 "Proverbs 1:31 - Consequences of Rejecting Wisdom")
* [Romans 2:5](/romans/2-5 "Romans 2:5 - Storing Up Wrath Through Impenitence")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 21:23 stands as a sobering and introspective mirror for believers today, challenging each of us to honestly and humbly assess our own spiritual posture and discernment. It issues a profound warning against the seductive power of self-deception, where we might be tempted to dismiss uncomfortable truths from God's Word or the convicting work of the Holy Spirit as "false" simply because they disrupt our comfort, challenge our cherished assumptions, or demand costly change. Just as ancient Judah stubbornly trusted in false assurances and broken covenants, we too can be subtly tempted to rely on worldly securities, human wisdom, fleeting trends, or even distorted theological interpretations that promise a superficial peace where there is no true, God-given peace. This verse calls us to a radical and uncompromising embrace of biblical truth, even when it painfully exposes our sin, demands uncomfortable repentance, or requires costly obedience. It forcefully reminds us that God's justice is an undeniable reality, and while His mercy is boundless and freely offered to the repentant, persistent and unrepentant sin inevitably leads to severe consequences. Our urgent call is to cultivate a heart that is exquisitely sensitive to God's voice, genuinely willing to acknowledge our "iniquity," and quick to repent, ensuring that we do not, in our spiritual blindness, tragically mistake His righteous and loving actions for a "false divination."

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what specific areas of my life might I be prone to spiritual self-deception, subtly dismissing God's truth because it challenges my comfort or contradicts my desires?**
* **How do I truly respond when God's Word or the Holy Spirit brings to remembrance my own "iniquity"? Do I embrace repentance, or do I resist and rationalize?**
* **Am I currently trusting in any "false divinations"—worldly assurances, human systems, cultural narratives, or distorted beliefs—instead of placing my complete and unwavering reliance on God's revealed will and His sovereign protection?**

### FAQ
**What does "false divination in their sight" truly mean in this context?**

Answer: It signifies the profound spiritual blindness and deep-seated self-deception of the people of Judah. God's prophecy of impending judgment, delivered with absolute certainty through Ezekiel, was undeniably true. However, because this divine truth directly contradicted their comforting illusions of security and the deceptive lies propagated by false prophets, they would perceive it as a "false divination"—a lie, an untrue oracle, or a worthless prophecy. The profound irony lies in the fact that the true, authoritative word of God was considered false by them, while their own trusted human divinations and assurances were the actual falsehoods. It highlights their tragic inability or stubborn unwillingness to discern and accept divine reality.

**Who are "them that have sworn oaths" and what is the significance of these oaths?**

Answer: "Them that have sworn oaths" primarily refers to the people of Judah, especially their leaders, who had sworn solemn covenant oaths to God. These sacred oaths bound them to obedience to His laws, exclusive worship of Him, and fidelity to His covenant. Their persistent idolatry, social injustice, and outright rebellion demonstrated a consistent and flagrant breaking of these sacred vows. Additionally, the phrase likely refers to King Zedekiah's broken oath of allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, which he violated by secretly seeking alliances with Egypt. The profound significance is that God's judgment is not arbitrary or capricious but a righteous and just response to their pervasive unfaithfulness and covenant-breaking, holding them fully accountable for their solemn commitments and broken promises.

**How does God "call to remembrance the iniquity" if He is omniscient?**

Answer: God's omniscient nature means He possesses perfect knowledge and never forgets anything. Therefore, "calling to remembrance" is an anthropomorphism, a human way of describing a divine action in terms that humans can comprehend. It does not mean God literally forgot and then recalled their sins. Instead, it signifies that the appointed time for divine accountability and reckoning has definitively arrived. It means God is bringing their accumulated sins—their "iniquity"—to the forefront as the explicit, undeniable, and just basis for the impending judgment. This underscores that the punishment is a direct, righteous, and deserved consequence of their persistent rebellion and moral evil, making it abundantly clear that their suffering is not random but a direct result of their own unrepentant actions.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel 21:23, with its grim pronouncement of judgment based on remembered iniquity and the people's perception of God's truth as "false divination," finds its ultimate fulfillment and glorious reversal in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The "iniquity" that God called to remembrance for judgment upon Judah was ultimately laid upon the [Lamb of God](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"), who bore the full, crushing weight of humanity's sin on the cross ([Isaiah 53:6](/isaiah/53-6 "Isaiah 53:6 - All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray")). Where Judah tragically dismissed God's true prophecy as false, Jesus is the very embodiment of God's truth, the [Word made flesh](/john/1-14 "John 1:14 - The Word Became Flesh"), who perfectly revealed the Father's character, will, and redemptive purpose ([John 14:9](/john/14-9 "John 14:9 - Whoever Has Seen Me Has Seen the Father")). The "sworn oaths" broken by Israel, representing their profound covenant unfaithfulness, are perfectly fulfilled in Christ, who inaugurated a [new covenant](/jeremiah/31-31 "Jeremiah 31:31 - The New Covenant") in His own blood, securing an eternal, unbreakable, and superior relationship with God for all who believe ([Hebrews 8:6-13](/hebrews/8-6-13 "Hebrews 8:6-13 - A Better Covenant Established on Better Promises")). While Ezekiel's prophecy led to the people being "taken" into physical captivity, Christ's sacrificial work on the cross and His triumphant resurrection offer ultimate liberation from the spiritual captivity of sin and death ([Romans 6:22](/romans/6-22 "Romans 6:22 - Freed from Sin, Enslaved to God")). He is the true and faithful Prophet whose words are never "false divination" but are, in fact, the very words of eternal life ([John 6:68](/john/6-68 "John 6:68 - Words of Eternal Life")), offering complete salvation and freedom to all who would turn from their iniquity and embrace Him as Lord and Savior.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Numbers 5:15

Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth [part] of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it [is] an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.

Ezekiel 29:16

And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth [their] iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I [am] the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 21:24

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, [I say], that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.

Isaiah 28:14

¶ Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which [is] in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 28:15

Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

2 Chronicles 36:13

And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.

Ezekiel 17:13

And hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land: