Ezekiel 33:30

Translation
King James Version
¶ Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.
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KJV (with Strong's)
Also, thou son H1121 of man H120, the children H1121 of thy people H5971 still are talking H1696 against H681 thee by the walls H7023 and in the doors H6607 of the houses H1004, and speak H1696 one H2297 to another H259, every one H376 to his brother H251, saying H559, Come H935, I pray you, and hear H8085 what is the word H1697 that cometh forth H3318 from the LORD H3068.
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Complete Jewish Bible
"Now you, human being, your people are gathering and talking about you by the walls and in the doorways of houses. They're saying to each other, each one telling his brother, 'Come, let's go and hear the latest word coming from ADONAI.'
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Berean Standard Bible
As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD!’
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American Standard Version
And as for thee, son of man, the children of thy people talk of thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from Jehovah.
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World English Bible Messianic
As for you, son of man, the children of your people talk of you by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, everyone to his brother, saying, Please come and hear what is the word that comes out from the LORD.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Also thou sonne of man, the children of thy people that talke of thee by the wals and in the dores of houses, and speake one to another, euery one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and heare what is the word that commeth from the Lord.
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Young's Literal Translation
And thou, son of man, the sons of thy people who are speaking about thee, By the walls, and in openings of the houses, Have spoken one with another, each with his brother, Saying: Come in, I pray you, And hear what is the word that cometh out from Jehovah.
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See also
Isaiah 29:13Matthew 22:16Matthew 22:17Matthew 15:8Isaiah 58:2Jeremiah 23:35Jeremiah 42:20
In the KJVVerse 21,311 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Ezekiel 33:30 exposes the spiritual apathy and hypocrisy of the exiled Israelites in Babylon. Despite their dire circumstances, many of the people treated the prophet Ezekiel's divine messages as mere entertainment or a topic of casual conversation rather than as a call to genuine repentance and obedience. They gathered in homes and public spaces, eager to hear "what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD," yet their hearts remained far from God, demonstrating a profound disconnect between outward curiosity and inward commitment.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Ezekiel 33 marks a pivotal turning point in the prophet's ministry. Following the devastating news of Jerusalem's fall (communicated in Ezekiel 33:21), God's message shifts from pronouncements of impending judgment to themes of individual responsibility, repentance, and the potential for restoration. This verse, however, serves as a crucial interlude, revealing the persistent spiritual condition of the exiles even in this new phase. It immediately precedes and sets the stage for God's direct indictment of their superficiality in Ezekiel 33:31-32, where their actions are explicitly contrasted with their words. Ezekiel's role as a watchman for the house of Israel is central here, as he faithfully delivers God's warnings and promises, only to be met with a casual, almost consumerist, reception.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: The setting is the Babylonian exile, where the Judean people lived as captives, far from their homeland and the Temple. Despite the trauma of displacement and the loss of their national identity, many still clung to outward religious practices or a superficial interest in prophecy. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, public speaking, storytelling, and the pronouncements of prophets were often significant social events. People would gather, often in homes or public spaces like city gates or walls, to hear news, discuss current events, and listen to those claiming to speak for the divine. This verse captures such a scene, depicting the exiles treating Ezekiel's profound, life-or-death messages as a form of social entertainment or intellectual curiosity, akin to discussing a popular speaker or a compelling story, rather than recognizing them as urgent divine mandates demanding a response.
  • Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several key themes within Ezekiel and the broader prophetic tradition. Firstly, it highlights the stark contrast between superficiality and sincerity in faith. The people's eagerness to "hear" God's word is exposed as shallow, lacking genuine intent to obey or repent, a theme echoed in Isaiah 29:13. Secondly, it underscores the burden of the prophet, who must faithfully deliver God's truth even when the audience is more interested in the messenger or the performance than the message itself. This resonates with the experiences of many prophets who faced indifferent or resistant audiences. Thirdly, it exposes the pervasive problem of religious hypocrisy, where outward displays of piety or interest in spiritual matters mask an unrepentant heart. God's desire, as articulated throughout Ezekiel 33, is for genuine repentance and transformation, not mere intellectual curiosity or social engagement with divine revelation.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • dâbar (Hebrew, dâbar', H1696): This root, translated as "talking" and "speak" in the verse (H1696), primarily means "to speak" or "to arrange." While it can imply speaking against someone in a negative sense, here (especially with the preposition "against thee" - H681 'êtsel, meaning "near" or "by the side of"), it suggests discussion about Ezekiel, or perhaps even in his presence, rather than direct opposition or slander. It conveys the idea of casual conversation, treating his words as a topic of social discourse.
  • bayith (Hebrew, bayith', H1004): Meaning "house" or "home," often used in a broad sense to include family or household. The phrase "by the walls and in the doors of the houses" paints a vivid picture of the setting: not a formal assembly or a solemn place of worship, but everyday, informal gathering spots. This reinforces the casual nature of their engagement with Ezekiel's message, as if it were a common topic of neighborhood gossip or entertainment.
  • dâbâr (Hebrew, dâbâr', H1697): Meaning "word" or "matter." This is the noun form derived from the verb dâbar (H1696). Here, it refers specifically to "the word that cometh forth from the LORD." The people's stated desire is to hear this divine "word," indicating an intellectual or curious interest in the content of God's revelation, even if their subsequent actions demonstrate a lack of genuine commitment to its precepts.

Verse Breakdown

  • "Also, thou son of man": This phrase consistently identifies Ezekiel as God's chosen prophet, emphasizing his human nature yet divine commission. It sets the stage by reminding the reader of the messenger and his unique relationship with the divine word.
  • "the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses": This clause reveals the public and private spheres where Ezekiel's message was being discussed. "By the walls" suggests public gathering places, perhaps city walls or communal areas, while "in the doors of the houses" points to more intimate, domestic settings. The phrase "talking against thee" (or "about thee," as the Hebrew nuance suggests) indicates that Ezekiel himself, and his prophetic activity, had become a subject of widespread conversation and speculation among the exiles.
  • "and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD": This section captures the direct speech of the people, highlighting their communal and almost enthusiastic invitation to hear God's word. The phrase "Come, I pray you, and hear" shows an outward eagerness and curiosity. However, the subsequent verses (Ezekiel 33:31-32) reveal that this eagerness was for entertainment or intellectual stimulation, not for obedient transformation. They desired to listen to the "word that cometh forth from the LORD" as a novel or interesting phenomenon, rather than as a life-altering divine command.

Literary Devices

The verse employs several effective literary devices. Imagery is prominent, with the specific mention of "walls and in the doors of the houses" creating a vivid scene of casual, everyday conversation. This setting contrasts sharply with the solemnity and urgency of God's prophetic word, underscoring the people's trivialization of it. Direct Discourse is used powerfully through the quoted speech, "Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD." This allows the reader to directly hear the people's superficial invitation, making their hypocrisy more immediate and impactful. Finally, there is a strong element of Irony in the people's stated desire to hear God's word while simultaneously refusing to internalize or obey it, a theme that Ezekiel will further develop in the following verses.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Ezekiel 33:30 serves as a profound theological statement on the nature of true spiritual engagement versus mere religious curiosity. It underscores the biblical truth that hearing God's word is insufficient without a corresponding heart of obedience and repentance. The people's outward display of interest, their communal gathering and invitation to hear, created an illusion of piety, yet their hearts remained unchanged. This highlights a persistent human tendency to compartmentalize faith, separating intellectual appreciation or social participation from genuine life transformation. God desires not just an audience for His word, but disciples who live by it, demonstrating that true worship is expressed through active obedience rather than passive consumption of spiritual truths.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Ezekiel 33:30 offers a timeless mirror for self-reflection, challenging believers in every age to examine the true nature of their engagement with God's Word. In an era of abundant spiritual content—sermons, podcasts, books, and online teachings—it is easy to become a spiritual consumer, eager to "hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD" without allowing that word to truly penetrate, convict, and transform our lives. This verse calls us beyond intellectual curiosity or emotional enjoyment to a posture of humble submission and active obedience. Are we merely entertained by spiritual insights, or are we truly seeking to align our lives with divine truth? For those in ministry, this passage also serves as a sobering reminder of the challenge of delivering God's message to those who may appreciate the messenger's eloquence more than the message's life-changing power. It underscores the need for faithfulness in proclamation, regardless of the audience's reception, and a constant prayer for hearts to be genuinely open to the Spirit's work.

Questions for Reflection

  • Am I a "hearer only" of God's Word, or a "doer" as well?
  • What is my primary motivation for engaging with spiritual teachings or sermons? Is it genuine transformation, or something else?
  • How can I move beyond passive consumption of spiritual content to active, obedient application in my daily life?

FAQ

What does "talking against thee" mean in this context?

Answer: The Hebrew phrase translated "talking against thee" (Hebrew: dâbar with the preposition 'êtsel) does not necessarily imply direct slander or opposition. Instead, it carries the nuance of discussing about Ezekiel or by his side. It suggests that Ezekiel and his prophetic messages had become a common topic of conversation among the exiles, perhaps even a form of social entertainment or intellectual curiosity. They were eager to hear "what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD," treating it as an interesting phenomenon to be discussed and debated, rather than a solemn divine command requiring immediate obedience and repentance. This is further clarified by Ezekiel 33:31-32, which explicitly states that while they listened, their hearts were set on dishonest gain and they did not practice what they heard.

Why were the people interested in Ezekiel's message if they didn't intend to obey it?

Answer: The people's interest in Ezekiel's message, despite their lack of obedience, stemmed from a combination of factors. Firstly, there was likely a degree of curiosity about the divine and the supernatural, especially given their difficult circumstances in exile. A prophet speaking "the word that cometh forth from the LORD" would naturally attract attention. Secondly, it could have been a form of entertainment or social activity. In a time without modern media, listening to a compelling speaker or a prophet was a significant event, a way to pass the time and engage in communal discussion. Thirdly, there might have been a superficial hope for a comforting word or a message that aligned with their own desires, rather than the challenging calls to repentance. They enjoyed the "pleasant song" and "skillful player" (as described in Ezekiel 33:32), valuing the delivery over the demanding content. This highlights the human tendency to seek spiritual experiences or knowledge without the commitment of genuine transformation.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Ezekiel 33:30 powerfully foreshadows the ultimate revelation of God's Word in Jesus Christ, while simultaneously exposing the enduring human tendency towards spiritual superficiality. While the exiles eagerly gathered to hear the words that "cometh forth from the LORD" through Ezekiel, their hearts remained unchanged, treating divine truth as mere entertainment. This mirrors the reception Jesus often received during His earthly ministry. Many flocked to hear His teachings, drawn by His wisdom, miracles, and authority, yet ultimately refused to truly follow Him (e.g., John 6:66). Jesus Himself warned against those who hear His words but do not do them, likening them to a foolish builder whose house collapses (e.g., Matthew 7:24-27). He is the ultimate "Word made flesh" (John 1:14), the final and complete revelation of God (Hebrews 1:1-2). Unlike Ezekiel, whose words were often met with casual interest, Christ's words carry inherent life and demand a decisive response of faith and obedience (John 6:63). Thus, Ezekiel 33:30 not only highlights the failure of Israel to truly hear God's prophets but also sets the stage for the coming of the One whose words, when genuinely received, bring about true spiritual transformation and eternal life.

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Commentary on Ezekiel 33 verses 30–33

I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points

The foregoing verses spoke conviction to the Jews who remained in the land of Israel, who were monuments of sparing mercy and yet returned not to the Lord; in these verses those are reproved who were now in captivity in Babylon, under divine rebukes, and yet were not reformed by them. They are not indeed charged with the same gross enormities that the others are charged with. They made some show of religion and devotion; but their hearts were not right with God. The thing they are here accused of is mocking the messengers of the lord, one of their measure-filling sins, which brought this ruin upon them, and yet they were not cured of it. Two ways they mocked the prophet Ezekiel: -

I. By invidious ill natured reflections upon him, privately among themselves, endeavouring by all means possible to render him despicable. The prophet did not know it, but charitably thought that those who spoke so well to him to his face, with so much seeming respect and deference, would surely not speak ill of him behind his back. But God comes and tells him, The children of thy people are still talking against thee (Eze 33:30), or talking of thee, no good, I doubt. Note, Public persons are a common theme or subject of discourse; every one takes a liberty to censure them at pleasure. Faithful ministers know not how much ill is said of them every day; it is well that they do not; for, if they did, it might prove a discouragement to them in their work not to be easily got over. God takes notice of all that is said against his ministers, not only what is decreed against them, or sworn against them, not only what is written against them, or spoken with solemnity and deliberation, but of what is said against them in common talk, among neighbours when they meet in an evening, by the walls and in the doors of their houses, where whatever freedom of speech they use, if they reproach and slander any of God's ministers, God will reckon with them for it; his prophets shall not be made the song of the drunkards always. They had no crime to lay to the prophet's charge, but they loved to talk of him in a careless, scornful, bantering way; they said, jokingly, "Come, and let us hear what is the word that comes forth from the Lord; perhaps it will be something new, and will entertain us, and furnish us with matter for discourse." Note, Those have arrived as a great pitch of profaneness who can make so great a privilege, and so great a duty, as the preaching and hearing of the word of God, a matter of sport and ridicule, yea though it be not done publicly, but in private conversation among themselves. Serious things should be spoken of seriously.

II. By dissembling with him in their attendance upon his ministry. Hypocrites mock God and mock his prophets. But their hypocrisy is open before God, and the day is coming when, as here, it will be laid open. Observe here,

1.The plausible profession which these people made and the speciousness of their pretensions. They are like those (Mat 15:8) who draw nigh to God with their mouths and honour him with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. (1.) They were diligent and constant in their attendance upon the means of grace: They come unto thee as the people come. In Babylon they had no temple or synagogue, but they went to the prophet's house (Eze 8:1), and there, it is probable, they spent their new moons and their sabbaths in religious exercises, Kg2 4:23. When the prophet was bound the word of the Lord was not bound; and the people, when they had not the help for their souls that they wished for, were thankful for what they had; it was a reviving in their bondage. Now these hypocrites came, according to the coming of the people, as duly and as early as any of the prophet's hearers. Their being said to come as the people came seems to intimate that the reason why they came was because other people came; they did not come out of conscience towards God, but only for company, for fashion-sake, and because it was now the custom of their countrymen. Note, Those that have no inward principle of love to God's ordinances may yet be found much in the external observance of them. Cain brought his sacrifice as well as Abel; and the Pharisee went up to the temple to pray as well as the publican. (2.) They behaved themselves very decently and reverently in the public assembly; there were none of them whispering, or laughing, or gazing about them, or sleeping. But they sit before thee as my people, with all the shows of gravity, and sereneness, and composure of mind. They sit out the time, without weariness, or wishing the sermon done. (3.) They were very attentive to the word preached: "They are not thinking of something else, but they hear thy words, and take notice of what thou sayest." (4.) They pretended to have a great kindness and respect for the prophet. Though, behind his back, they could not give him a good word, yet, to his face, they showed much love to him and his doctrine; they pretended to have a great concern lest he should spend himself too much in preaching or expose himself to the Chaldeans, for they would be thought to be some of his best friends and well-wishers. (5.) They took a great deal of pleasure in the word; they delighted to know God's word, Isa 58:2. Herod heard John Baptist gladly, Mar 6:20. Thou art unto them as a very lovely song. Ezekiel's matter was surprising, his language fine, his expressions elegant, his similitudes apt, his voice melodious, and his delivery graceful; so that they could sit with as much pleasure to hear him preach as (if I may speak in the language of our times) to see a play or an opera, or to hear a concert of music. Ezekiel was to them as one that had a pleasant voice and could sing well, or play well on an instrument. Note, Men may have their fancies pleased by the word, and yet not have their consciences touched nor their hearts changed, the itching ear gratified and yet not the corrupt nature sanctified.

2.The hypocrisy of these professions and pretensions; it is all a sham, it is all a jest. (1.) They have no cordial affection for the word of God. While they show much love it is only with the mouth, from the teeth outward, but their heart goes after their covetousness; they are as much set upon the world as ever, as much in love and league with it as ever. Hearing the word is only their diversion and recreation, a pretty amusement now and then for an hour or two. But still their main business is with their farm and merchandise; the bent and bias of their souls are towards them, and their inward thoughts are employed in projects about them. Note, Covetousness is the ruining sin of multitudes that make a great profession of religion; it is the love of the world that secretly eats the love of God out of their hearts. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are the thorns that choke the seed, and choke the soul too. And those neither please God nor profit themselves who, when they are hearing the word of God, are musing upon their worldly affairs. God has his eye on the hearts that do so. (2.) They yield no subjection to it. They hear thy words, but it is only a hearing that they give thee, for they will not do them, Eze 33:31. And again (Eze 33:32), they do them not. They will not be persuaded by all the prophet can say, either by authority or argument, to cross themselves in any instance, to part with any one beloved sin, or apply themselves to any one duty that is against the grain to flesh and blood. Note, There are many who take pleasure in hearing the word, but make no conscience of doing it; and so they build upon the sand, and deceive themselves.

3.Let us see what will be in the end hereof: Shall their unbelief and carelessness make the word of God of no effect? By no means. (1.) God will confirm the prophet's word, though they contemn it, and make light of it, Eze 33:33. What he says will come to pass, and not one jot or one tittle shall fall to the ground. Note, The curses of the law, though they may be bantered by profane wits, cannot be baffled. (2.) They themselves shall rue their folly when it is too late. When it comes to pass they shall know, shall know to their cost, know to their confusion, that a prophet has been among them, though they made no more of him than as one that had a pleasant voice. Note, Those who will not consider that a prophet is among them, and who improve not the day of their visitation while it is continued, will be made to remember that a prophet has been among them when the things that belong to their peace are hidden from their eyes. The day is coming when vain and worldly men will have other thoughts of things than now they have, and will feel a weight in that which they made light of. They shall know that a prophet has been among them when they see the event exactly answer the prediction, and the prophet himself shall be a witness against them that they had fair warning given them, but would not take it. When Ezekiel is gone, whom now they speak against, and there is no more any prophet, nor any to show them how long, then they will remember that once they had a prophet, but knew not how to use him well. Note, Those who will not know the worth of mercies by the improvement of them will justly be made to know the worth of them by the want of them, as those who should desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, which now they slighted, and might not see it.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 30–33. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 35, 36, and following) And I will bring you into a desert of peoples, and there I will judge you face to face. Just as I contended with your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, says the Lord. And I will subject you to my scepter, and I will bring you into the bonds of the covenant, and I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked: from their place of residence I will bring them out, and they will not enter the land of Israel, and you will know that I am the Lord. Thus says the Lord: I will do for you who are in Babylon, and now serve idols, what I did for your ancestors in Egypt. I will lead you into the desert of the peoples, and there I will judge you face to face, just as I contended with them in judgment when they came out of Egypt. And after I have judged you, I will subject you to my scepter and rule, and I will make a covenant with you and bring you into your land with the bonds of love, so that bound by my love, you will never be able to depart from me. But I will choose from among you the transgressors and the wicked, who persist in the hardness of their hearts in evil deeds, not for possession, but for rejection. And I will indeed bring them out of the land of their dwelling, so that when they are brought out, they will not enter the land of Israel; but they will perish in various regions. And by the distinction between good and evil, you shall know that I am the Lord, who judges all things. The rest of the discourse hastens, and we briefly go through each point, in order to provide only the meaning to the readers.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 23 onwards) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, those who dwell in these ruined places in the land of Israel speak, saying: Abraham was one, and he possessed the land; but we are many, the land has been given to us as a possession. Therefore, you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: You who eat with blood and lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood, shall you inherit the land? You have stood with your swords, you have committed abominations, and each of you has defiled his neighbor's wife, and you will possess the land by inheritance? This you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: As I live, surely those who dwell in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the one who is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in strongholds and caves shall die by pestilence. And I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and the pride of its strength shall cease, and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, so that no one will pass through. And they shall know that I am the Lord when I make their land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations that they have committed. And you, son of man, the children of your people speak of you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses, and they say to one another, each to his brother, 'Come, and hear what is the word that comes forth from the Lord.' And they come to you as the people usually come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them, for they show my words of their mouth in song, and their heart follows their covetousness. Indeed, you are to them like a very lovely song that is sung with a beautiful and sweet sound, and they hear your words but do not do them. And when this comes to pass, behold, it comes; they shall know that a prophet has been among them. Firstly, it must be understood that approximately eight verses prior to the place which we have established: Those who partake in blood, and lift up your eyes to your impurities, until the place where it is written: These things you shall say to them, thus says the Lord God, are not found in the Septuagint, which, along with many others, have neglected these things, or as they have been interpreted by them, gradually removed from the writings due to error. And our Latin, or rather, envious Christians, or to say it more plainly, heirs of the Grunnian faction, bark against us, because we discourse according to the Hebrew: as if food were being imposed unwillingly, and not feasts being prepared for those who receive them with thanksgiving. Certainly, if they don't trust me, let them read other editions, Aquila's, Symmachus's, and Theodotion's; let them interrogate the Hebrews from different provinces, not just one place, so they don't boast that they have been bought by me; and when they see that all agree with my error or ignorance, then let them understand that they are too wise and desire to sleep rather than to learn; and let them live in the seventy cells of the Alexandrian lighthouse, so they don't lose their sails from the ships and don't sigh for damages to the ropes. Now let us discuss what we have proposed. After Jerusalem was captured and the temple destroyed, the poor of the land, of whom Jeremiah writes, were left alone in Jerusalem to cultivate vineyards and fields and to dwell in the ruins of the burned city. And although they should have repented for the reasons for their captivity, they deceived themselves with empty hope, saying: Our father Abraham was one, and yet he possessed this land as an inheritance, not because he himself possessed it, but because his descendants received the land of promise. If, therefore, he alone was multiplied into so many peoples, we who are left behind in the land of Judea, and dwell in desolate and ruined cities, will certainly be multiplied much more, so that we may possess more than he possessed alone. To this the Lord responded: Abraham possessed the land of promise by faith. For Abraham believed in God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:8). However, these people, who are occupied with disbelief and wickedness, even if they are many, will not be able to possess. At the same time he lists the six kinds of sins that offend God, namely, those who eat in blood, and lift up your eyes to uncleanness, that is, to your idols, and pour out blood, that is, perpetrate murder: Could you, doing these things, be able to hold the land by inheritance? Nor are you content with this end of wickedness, but you stand daily in your swords, ready for killing, and imitating Esau, who stood, and lived in his sword, you do incredible abominations, namely, the shameful lusts of indecency, and each one defiles the wife of his neighbor; that you may be more wicked in that, that you have defiled the wife of your friend and neighbor. And when you do these things, do you think you will inherit the land? Therefore, answer them, O prophet, and reveal this sentence about them from my words. I swear by myself that those who dwell in ruins and walls will fall by the sword, and those who are in the fields or the plain will be devoured by beasts, and those who are in fortified places or caves cannot escape the wrath of God but will die of hunger and pestilence. And I will make the land of Judah into a desert, and its proud strength will fail, which once was its strength. But God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Even the mountains and everything will be deserted, and it will become such a great solitude that no one will pass through them, and then those who remained will no longer trust in their multitude, but will realize the magnitude of the solitude and know that I am the Lord, who made the land a desert because of all the abominations they have done. Let these words be spoken against those who, after Jerusalem was captured and the entire region of the Jews devastated, dwelt in ruins and in deserted cities and villages. Now let us turn to tropology, and according to our custom, let us engage in a broad discussion rather than a mere dissertation. Every heretic dwells in walls and deserts, and believes himself to possess the land of Israel, and says: If Abraham, by his faith alone, came into such great blessedness that his descendants were multiplied like the sand of the sea and like the stars of heaven, how much more will we, who are many, possess the land of Israel, that is, those who see God, and the confession of the Lord's Day? To whom the Lord replied: He deservedly possessed the land of faith; but your infidelity, or rather blasphemy, will not be able to possess the land of Israel, that is, the Church. For first you eat in blood, shedding their blood whom you scandalize. Then you lift your eyes to your impurities or abominations, which you have fixed in your mind: when you ought to imitate the ecclesiastical man, and say: To you I lift up my eyes, you who dwell in heaven (Ps. CXXII, 1). Thirdly, you shed blood, not giving life to those whom you have deceived, but killing them. It is not enough for you to have done these three things, but you stand with your swords, that is, you persevere in the wickedness of your opinions, and you are ready for murder, and you commit abominations, doing those things in your beds which are shameful to speak of, and you defile the wife of your neighbor, namely, the ecclesiastical conversation, eagerly snatching away those who are daily deceived from the embrace of Christ. And when you have done these things, do you think you will possess the land of Israel as an inheritance? To whom God speaks, that whoever dwells in the ruinous assemblies of heretics will fall by the sword of Ecclesiasticus, concerning which it is written: 'Double-edged swords are in their hands' (Ps. 149:6). And in the Gospel: 'I did not come to bring peace, but a sword' (Matthew 10). And the servant who indulges in luxury and idleness will be divided, that is, he will be struck with a sword, and his portion will be placed with the unbelievers' (Luke 12). And whoever is in the field or in the countryside, will be handed over to beasts for devouring, which the prophet, desiring to avoid them, prays: Do not hand over to beasts the soul confessing to you (Ps. LXXIII, 19). But whoever is in strongholds and fortified places, of which it is written: The righteous ascends strong cities, and destroys their fortifications, in which the wicked trusted (Prov. XXI, 22); and he resides in caves, of which it is said: It is written, My Father's house will be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves (Matt. XXI, 33): this person will die of the hunger of the word of the Lord, and of pestilence, and all the land of heretics will be turned into a desert, so that their pride is broken and the mountains are turned into a desert, which promised themselves the height of knowledge. Those mountains are called Israel, for under the name of Christ they deceive and overthrow everyone; no one will be able to pass through them, nor will anyone be able to say what Moses said: 'When I pass by, I will see this great vision' (Exodus 3:1). For the inhabitants of these perverse mountains are not strangers or visitors, but rather residents. And when they have suffered these things, then they will know that He is the Lord who has made their land a desert because of the abominations they have committed. It follows: On the same day and at the same time, that is, in the twelfth year, the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, when he who had fled from Jerusalem came and when the prophet spoke to those who were in the land of Judah, and they promised themselves the hope of eternal possession, and the prophet commands him to say to the people who reside in Babylon and live with him, and to accuse them of deceitful plots who desire to hear the words of the prophet, not for the salvation of their souls, but for the pleasure of their ears. These people were sitting near the walls and at the doorways of houses, not at all desiring to enter into the understanding of the prophets; but they encourage one another and say: Come, let us hear what word is coming forth from the Lord; and thus they come as a people who enter the Church of God, and sit before you, my people, who claim to be mine, and do not want to do what they have heard. They seem to me to be like those who are entertained by theatrical songs: they listen to either tragedies or comedies, and there they revel with delight: so that when they have gone out from you, they repeat and sing them, and deceive themselves with sweet sounds. And they will listen, he says, to your words and not do them. Such are many in the Churches today, who say: Come let us hear him and him, rolling his words with marvelous eloquence of his preaching: they stir up applause, and shout, and wave their hands, and those things which they had neglected in their actions, once they realize that he has come (for it is necessary that what the prophet of God pronounces in his word should come to pass), then they will begin to approve and know that all the things they had heard were not the words of a man, but of the Lord, who spoke through the prophet and the man of the church.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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