Ezekiel 22:14

Can 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].

Can thine heart {H3820} endure {H5975}, or can thine hands {H3027} be strong {H2388}, in the days {H3117} that I shall deal {H6213} with thee? I the LORD {H3068} have spoken {H1696} it, and will do {H6213} it.

Can your courage last, can your strength continue during the days when I deal with you? I, ADONAI, have spoken it; and I will do it.

Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will act.

Can thy heart endure, or can thy hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I, Jehovah, have spoken it, and will do it.

Commentary

Ezekiel 22:14 (KJV) delivers a powerful and sobering rhetorical question from God to the people of Jerusalem, emphasizing the inevitable and overwhelming nature of His impending judgment.

Context

This verse is situated within a chapter detailing Jerusalem's profound corruption and moral decay. God, speaking through the prophet Ezekiel, lists a litany of sins: idolatry, bloodshed, injustice, sexual immorality, and disrespect for sacred things. The city is likened to dross in a refining furnace (as seen in Ezekiel 22:18-22), where the intense heat represents God's purifying judgment. The rhetorical questions in verse 14 serve as a stark warning that when this divine judgment descends, the people will be utterly powerless to resist or endure it. This was a direct prelude to the Babylonian invasion and the destruction of Jerusalem.

Key Themes

  • Divine Judgment and Inevitability: The core message is that God's judgment for sin is certain and unavoidable. The rhetorical questions underscore the futility of resistance when God's wrath is poured out.
  • Human Helplessness: "Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong?" highlights the complete inability of humanity to stand against the Almighty when He acts in judgment. Courage will fail, and strength will vanish.
  • God's Unwavering Word: The declaration, "I the LORD have spoken [it], and will do [it]," emphasizes God's absolute sovereignty and the certainty that His pronouncements will be fulfilled. What He says, He performs, whether it be judgment or promise. This echoes sentiments found in Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, that he should lie."

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "endure" is kul (ื›ึผื•ึผืœ), which carries the sense of containing, sustaining, or bearing. It implies a capacity to withstand. The word for "strong" is chazaq (ื—ึธื–ึทืง), meaning to be firm, courageous, or to prevail. The combined rhetorical questions vividly portray a people whose inner resolve and outward capability will utterly collapse under the weight of divine reckoning. The emphatic declaration "I the LORD have spoken [it], and will do [it]" uses a common prophetic formula (ani Adonai dibbarti ve'asiti) to stress the absolute certainty and divine authority behind the pronouncement.

Practical Application

Ezekiel 22:14 serves as a timeless reminder of the seriousness of sin and the certainty of God's justice. While the immediate context was ancient Jerusalem, the principle remains: there are consequences for persistent rebellion against God. This verse calls for humility and a recognition of God's ultimate authority. It encourages introspection and repentance, knowing that a merciful God desires for us to turn from our wicked ways and live. Ultimately, it underscores the reliability of God's wordโ€”what He promises, He delivers, and what He warns against, He will execute. This certainty should lead us to trust in His redemptive plan found in Christ, who bore the judgment on our behalf, allowing us to have peace with God through faith.

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Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated โ€” the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • Ezekiel 21:7

    And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak [as] water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.

  • Ezekiel 17:24

    And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done [it].

  • Ezekiel 24:14

    I the LORD have spoken [it]: it shall come to pass, and I will do [it]; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.

  • Jeremiah 13:21

    What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them [to be] captains, [and] as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?

  • Job 40:9

    Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?

  • 1 Samuel 15:29

    And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he [is] not a man, that he should repent.

  • Mark 13:31

    Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.