She hath wearied [herself] with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum [shall be] in the fire.
She hath wearied {H3811} herself with lies {H8383}, and her great {H7227} scum {H2457} went not forth {H3318} out of her: her scum {H2457} shall be in the fire {H784}.
But the effort is in vain: its layers of scum will not leave it; so into the fire with its scum!
It has frustrated every effort; its thick rust has not been removed, even by the fire.
She hath wearied herself with toil; yet her great rust goeth not forth out of her; her rust goeth not forth by fire.
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Jeremiah 9:5
And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, [and] weary themselves to commit iniquity. -
Jeremiah 5:3
O LORD, [are] not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, [but] they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return. -
Jeremiah 2:13
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, [and] hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. -
Habakkuk 2:13
Behold, [is it] not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? -
Daniel 9:13
As [it is] written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. -
Daniel 9:14
Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God [is] righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. -
Jeremiah 51:58
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.
Ezekiel 24:12 (KJV)
She hath wearied [herself] with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum [shall be] in the fire.
Context
This verse is part of the powerful and somber prophecy delivered by Ezekiel concerning the impending destruction of Jerusalem. Chapters 24 begins with the allegory of the boiling pot, where Jerusalem is depicted as a pot, its inhabitants as the meat and bones, and the siege as the fire beneath it. The pot is filled with impurity ("scum"), representing the city's deep-seated wickedness and corruption. Verse 12 specifically addresses the failure of the city to cleanse itself, despite opportunities or perhaps futile attempts ("wearied herself with lies"), highlighting the persistent nature of its sin and the inevitability of judgment by fire.
Commentary
The "she" in this verse refers to Jerusalem, the city that has rebelled against God. "Wearied herself with lies" suggests that Jerusalem's efforts were based on falsehoods – perhaps trusting in alliances with foreign powers, relying on false prophets, or engaging in hypocritical religious practices instead of genuine repentance. Her "great scum" represents the pervasive moral and spiritual corruption within the city – idolatry, injustice, violence, and unfaithfulness to the covenant. The phrase "went not forth out of her" signifies that this deep impurity remained untouched and unpurified. Therefore, the final declaration, "her scum shall be in the fire," indicates that the only way for this entrenched wickedness to be dealt with is through the intense heat of divine judgment and destruction, mirroring the fate of the pot's impurities in the allegory.
Key Themes
Linguistic Insights
The Hebrew word translated "scum" is chemah (חֶמְאָה), which can also mean rust or corrosion. This emphasizes the deep-seated nature of the impurity, not just surface dirt but something that has become part of the vessel itself, making it unfit for use without intense heat. The word for "lies" (כְּחָשִׁים, kəḥāšîm) can also mean deception, weakness, or failure, perhaps implying that Jerusalem's strength had failed due to its reliance on falsehoods or that its attempts at self-cleansing were based on deceit and therefore ineffective.
Related Scriptures
This verse connects with other passages describing the corruption of Israel and the necessity of judgment. The idea of deep-seated wickedness is seen elsewhere, such as in Jeremiah 17:9, concerning the deceitful heart. The judgment by fire as a means of dealing with impurity or rebellion is a recurring theme in scripture, found in passages describing refining fire, such as Malachi 3:2, or the consequences of unrepented sin. The broader context of the boiling pot allegory begins earlier in the chapter, providing the full picture of Jerusalem's fate (see Ezekiel 24:3-11).
Reflection
Ezekiel 24:12 serves as a stark reminder that unaddressed and persistent sin leads to inevitable judgment. The "lies" can represent any form of self-deception, false hope, or reliance on things other than God for security and cleansing. The "scum" is the pervasive sin and corruption that we allow to remain in our lives. The verse challenges us to consider whether we are honestly confronting our own impurities or merely "wearing ourselves out with lies" – perhaps through superficial religious activity or denial. True purification comes through genuine repentance and the refining work of God, which, while sometimes painful (like fire), is necessary to remove the deep-seated "scum" that keeps us from being vessels fit for His use.