Ezekiel 7:16

Translation
King James Version
¶ But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity.
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KJV (with Strong's)
But they that escape H6403 of them shall escape H6412, and shall be on the mountains H2022 like doves H3123 of the valleys H1516, all of them mourning H1993, every one H376 for his iniquity H5771.
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Complete Jewish Bible
But if any of them manage to escape, they will head for the mountains like doves from the valleys, all of them moaning, each for his sin.
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Berean Standard Bible
The survivors will escape and live in the mountains, moaning like doves of the valley, each for his own iniquity.
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American Standard Version
But those of them that escape shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, every one in his iniquity.
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World English Bible Messianic
But those of those who escape shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, every one in his iniquity.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
But they that flee away from them, shall escape, and shalbe in the mountaines, like the doues of the valleis: all they shall mourne, euery one for his iniquitie.
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Young's Literal Translation
And escaped away have their fugitives, And they have been on the mountains As doves of the valleys, All of them make a noising--each for his iniquity.
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See also
Ezra 9:15Isaiah 59:11Isaiah 38:14Isaiah 37:31Zechariah 12:10Zechariah 12:14Ezekiel 6:8
In the KJVVerse 20,594 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Ezekiel 7:16 powerfully depicts the grim aftermath of God's impending judgment on Judah and Jerusalem, portraying the few survivors not as victors, but as a desolate remnant. These escapees, finding a precarious refuge on the mountains, are likened to mournful doves, overwhelmed by profound grief and lamentation. Their sorrow is explicitly tied to a deep, personal recognition of their collective and individual iniquity, highlighting that even physical escape from destruction does not alleviate the spiritual burden of unaddressed sin, but rather intensifies the painful awareness of its deserved consequences.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Ezekiel 7:16 is situated within a chapter that serves as an unyielding and comprehensive prophecy of "the end" for the land of Israel, a declaration of imminent divine judgment. The chapter opens with a stark pronouncement that the appointed time of reckoning has arrived, emphasizing the totality and finality of God's wrath (Ezekiel 7:2-3). The preceding verses detail the various manifestations of this divine wrath, including widespread devastation, the collapse of societal order, the futility of wealth and idols in the face of God's righteous anger, and the desperation that will grip the people (Ezekiel 7:14-19). Verse 16 specifically shifts focus from the general destruction to the pitiable state of the few who manage to survive, emphasizing that their survival is not a reprieve or a sign of favor, but an entry into a state of profound and agonizing lament. This verse sets the stage for the further description of the judgment's impact on the people, their land, and their religious practices, leading into the desecration of the Temple in Ezekiel 7:20-22.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: The prophecy in Ezekiel 7 was delivered during the Babylonian exile, likely to the exiles in Babylon who still harbored false hopes about Jerusalem's inviolability. Ezekiel's ministry often involved confronting this spiritual complacency and the deeply ingrained idolatry and injustice that permeated Judahite society. The historical reality was that Jerusalem was facing imminent destruction by Babylon, a judgment for centuries of covenant unfaithfulness. The imagery of fleeing to the mountains reflects a common ancient Near Eastern practice of seeking refuge in high, inaccessible places during times of invasion or war, though often with little success or comfort. The "doves of the valleys" alludes to the common sight of doves, known for their mournful cooing, being displaced from their natural habitats in the wadis or lowlands and seeking shelter in the crags of the mountains. This imagery powerfully symbolizes vulnerability, distress, and the loss of peace. The emphasis on "iniquity" (Hebrew: ʻâvôn) highlights the deep-seated moral and spiritual corruption that was the root cause of God's severe judgment, a theme consistently found in prophetic condemnations of Israel and Judah.
  • Key Themes: Ezekiel 7:16 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within Ezekiel and broader prophetic literature. Firstly, it underscores the Certainty and Totality of Divine Judgment, demonstrating that God's justice will be fully executed, leaving no one truly untouched by the consequences of sin; even physical escape leads only to a different form of suffering. Secondly, it introduces the theme of a Remnant of Sorrow, a stark contrast to the more hopeful or redemptive remnants found elsewhere in the Old Testament (e.g., Isaiah 10:20-21). Here, the remnant's survival is marked by deep lamentation and a painful confrontation with their own guilt, emphasizing the severity of the judgment. Thirdly, the verse highlights the Personal Nature of Sin and Repentance, as each survivor mourns "for his iniquity," indicating a dawning, albeit agonizing, awareness of personal culpability. This profound sorrow, while born of judgment, hints at the necessary precursor for genuine repentance and a turning back to God, a theme explored more fully in later chapters of Ezekiel, where God promises a new heart and spirit.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • mountains (Hebrew, har', H2022): This term refers to a mountain or range of hills, often used figuratively. In this context, mountains are typically places of refuge and strength. However, here they become a place of exposed vulnerability for the survivors, emphasizing that even traditional havens offer no true security or comfort in the face of God's pervasive judgment. The "promotion" aspect of the definition is ironically inverted, as their elevation provides no relief from their lament.
  • doves (Hebrew, yôwnâh', H3123): This word denotes a dove or pigeon, often associated with gentleness, timidity, and a distinctive mournful cooing sound. The simile "like doves of the valleys" evokes an image of helplessness, displacement, and deep distress. Doves, when disturbed from their usual nesting places in the low-lying valleys, would seek refuge in the crags of the mountains, where their mournful calls would echo, emphasizing their profound sorrow and lack of true peace.
  • mourning (Hebrew, hâmâh', H1993): This primitive root signifies making a loud sound, often implying great commotion, tumult, rage, or moaning. In this context, it describes a deep, guttural sound of lamentation, a collective and individual expression of profound sorrow and distress. It is not a quiet weeping but an audible, intense wailing that reflects inner turmoil, anguish, and a public display of their broken state.
  • iniquity (Hebrew, ʻâvôn', H5771): This term denotes perversity, moral evil, fault, or sin. Crucially, it also carries the connotation of the punishment or consequence of that sin. The survivors' mourning is specifically "for his iniquity," indicating not just regret over the consequences of judgment, but a deep, personal sorrow over the moral corruption and rebellion against God that brought about their suffering. It points to a recognition of their guilt and the deservedness of their plight, a profound internal acknowledgment of their fault.

Verse Breakdown

  • "But they that escape of them shall escape": This clause emphasizes the certainty of a small remnant physically surviving the immediate devastation. The repetition of the root "escape" (from H6403, pâlaṭ, and H6412, pâlîyṭ) underscores the fact that a few will indeed get away from the direct impact of the judgment. However, their escape is not presented as a triumph or a sign of divine favor in the traditional sense, but merely a physical survival into a new, sorrowful reality, devoid of true peace or security.
  • "and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys": This vivid simile paints a poignant picture of the survivors' plight. They flee to the mountains, traditionally places of refuge, but their state is one of extreme vulnerability and distress. Like doves displaced from their familiar valley habitats, they are timid, helpless, and without comfort. Their mournful cooing, characteristic of doves, echoes their profound sorrow and displacement, emphasizing that their "refuge" is one of despair, not safety.
  • "all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity": This final clause reveals the profound spiritual and emotional state of the remnant. Their collective and individual mourning is not merely for their physical losses or the destruction around them, but explicitly and deeply "for his iniquity." This signifies a dawning, agonizing awareness of their personal and corporate sin as the direct and just cause of God's severe judgment. It's a deep, guttural lamentation (as implied by hâmâh) driven by guilt, shame, and profound sorrow over their rebellion against God, indicating a painful but necessary internal reckoning.

Literary Devices

Ezekiel 7:16 employs powerful Imagery and Symbolism to convey the depth of despair and the nature of the survivors' condition. The scene of "doves of the valleys" on the "mountains" is a potent Simile, effectively communicating the refugees' helplessness, vulnerability, and mournful state. Doves are commonly associated with timidity and lamentation (e.g., their characteristic cooing), and their displacement from the familiar "valleys" to the exposed, less hospitable "mountains" symbolizes their utter lack of security and comfort, even in their physical escape. The act of "mourning" is not just a physical act but a symbolic representation of profound spiritual anguish and a dawning, painful awareness of their Iniquity, which is the ultimate cause of their suffering. This collective and individual lamentation underscores the inescapable consequences of sin and the profound spiritual burden it imposes, even on those who physically survive the immediate judgment.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Ezekiel 7:16 offers a stark theological truth: God's judgment, when it falls, is comprehensive, and even those who physically escape it cannot escape its spiritual and emotional weight. The verse highlights that true escape from the consequences of sin involves a deep, personal reckoning with one's iniquity, leading to a sorrowful acknowledgment of guilt. This is not a superficial regret over consequences, but a profound, guttural mourning that precedes any possibility of genuine repentance and restoration. It underscores the severity of God's justice, demonstrating that sin always carries a heavy price, and that a superficial "escape" from physical danger does not equate to spiritual freedom or peace. The verse powerfully illustrates that the internal burden of sin is often more devastating than external calamity.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Ezekiel 7:16 serves as a potent reminder of the gravity of sin and the profound impact it has, not just on external circumstances but on the inner spirit. It challenges us to move beyond a superficial understanding of consequences to a deeper, heartfelt recognition of our own "iniquity." In a world that often seeks to minimize personal responsibility, attribute blame elsewhere, or distract from internal brokenness, this verse calls for a radical self-examination. It prompts us to mourn over our sins themselves, not just their outcomes or the discomfort they cause. This kind of genuine sorrow for sin, born of a painful awareness of our rebellion against God, is the fertile ground for true repentance and spiritual transformation. It teaches us that true peace and lasting freedom are not found in escaping physical hardship or avoiding accountability, but in humbly confronting and confessing the spiritual brokenness within, leading to a contrite turning back to God.

Questions for Reflection

  • What does "mourning for his iniquity" mean to you personally, beyond just regretting consequences or feeling bad about being caught?
  • How does the imagery of "doves of the valleys" challenge our modern notions of escape or survival in times of crisis?
  • In what ways might we, like the remnant, be physically "safe" or outwardly successful, but spiritually "mourning" due to unaddressed sin or unconfessed rebellion against God?
  • How can a deep awareness of personal sin, as depicted here, be a necessary step toward genuine spiritual healing and restoration?

FAQ

Does this verse offer any hope for the future of Israel?

Answer: While Ezekiel 7:16 itself portrays a scene of unmitigated sorrow and judgment, it lays a crucial foundation for future hope within the broader book of Ezekiel. The profound mourning "for his iniquity" (H5771, ʻâvôn) is a necessary precursor to genuine repentance. This deep, internal sorrow for sin is the kind of brokenness that God can use to bring about spiritual renewal. Later in Ezekiel, particularly in chapters like Ezekiel 36 and Ezekiel 37, God promises a future restoration for Israel, where He will give them a new heart and put His Spirit within them, enabling them to walk in His statutes. This future hope is predicated on a deep acknowledgment of sin, which Ezekiel 7:16 vividly illustrates as a painful but essential step toward reconciliation with God.

Why are they described as "doves of the valleys"? What is the significance of this imagery?

Answer: The imagery of "doves of the valleys" is highly significant and deeply evocative. Doves are known for their mournful cooing, their timidity, and their tendency to flee to high places (like mountains) when disturbed from their natural habitats in the lowlands or valleys. This simile emphasizes the survivors' extreme vulnerability, helplessness, and deep distress. They are not escaping victoriously or finding true safety, but are driven by fear and sorrow, their lamentations echoing their profound grief and displacement. It highlights that their "escape" is not into peace or triumph, but into a state of profound, unalleviated sorrow over their sins and the devastation they have witnessed, underscoring their utter lack of comfort and security.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Ezekiel 7:16, with its grim depiction of a remnant mourning for their iniquity, finds a profound Christ-centered fulfillment not in a physical escape from judgment, but in the ultimate spiritual escape and transformation provided by Jesus Christ. The "iniquity" that causes such deep mourning in Ezekiel is the very burden that Christ came to bear. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, enduring the full weight of God's righteous wrath and the punishment for our iniquity on the cross (Isaiah 53:5-6). While the remnant in Ezekiel mourns for their iniquity in despair, Christ's sacrifice allows believers to mourn over their iniquity in a way that leads to repentance and forgiveness, rather than condemnation. The "escape" for believers is not to a desolate mountain, but into the secure and eternal refuge of Christ's finished work, where our sins are truly forgiven and remembered no more (Hebrews 8:12). The sorrow over sin, which Ezekiel 7:16 portrays as a bitter consequence of judgment, becomes in the New Covenant a "godly grief" that "produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret" (2 Corinthians 7:10). Thus, Christ transforms the mournful lament of the condemned into a sorrow that leads to life, offering true and lasting peace from the burden of iniquity and a secure hope that transcends any earthly refuge.

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Commentary on Ezekiel 7 verses 16–22

We have attended the fate of those that are cut off, and are now to attend the flight of those that have an opportunity of escaping the danger; some of them shall escape (Eze 7:16), but what the better? As good die once as, in a miserable life, die a thousand deaths, and escape only like Cain to be fugitives and vagabonds, and afraid of being slain by every one they meet; so shall these be.

I. They shall have no comfort or satisfaction in their own minds, but be in continual anguish and terror; for, wherever they go, they carry about with them guilty consciences, which make them a burden to themselves. 1. They shall be always solitary and under prevailing melancholy; they shall not be in the cities, or places of concourse, but all alone upon the mountains, not caring for society, but shy of it, as being ashamed of the low circumstances to which they are reduced. 2. They shall be always sorrowful. Those have reason to be so that are under the tokens of God's displeasure; and God can make those so that have been most jovial and have set sorrow at defiance. Those that once thought themselves as the lions of the mountains, so daring were they, now become as the doves of the valleys, so timid are they, and so dispirited, ready to flee when none pursues and to tremble at the shaking of a leaf. They are all of them mourning (not with a godly sorrow, but with the sorrow of the world, which works death), every one for his iniquity, that is, for those calamities which they now see their iniquity has brought upon them, not only the iniquity of the land, but their own: they shall then be brought to acknowledge what they have each of them contributed to the national guilt. Note, Sooner or later sin will have sorrow of one kind or other; and those that will not repent of their iniquity may justly be left to pine away in it; those that will not mourn for it as it is an offence to God shall be made to mourn for it as it is a shame and ruin to themselves, to mourn at the last, when the flesh and the body are consumed, and to say, How have I hated instruction! Pro 5:11, Pro 5:12. 3. They shall be deprived of all their strength of body and mind (Eze 7:17): All hands shall be feeble, so that they shall not be able to fight, or defend themselves, and all knees shall be weak as water, so that they shall neither be able to flee nor to stand their ground; they shall feel a universal colliquation: their knees shall flow as water, so that they must fall of course. Note, It is folly for the strong man to glory in his strength, for God can soon weaken it. 4. They shall be deprived of all their hopes and shall abandon themselves to despair (Eze 7:18); they shall have nothing to hold up their spirits with; their aspects shall show what are their prospects, all dreadful, for they shall gird themselves with sackcloth, as having no expectation ever to wear better clothing. Horror shall cover them, and shame, and baldness, all the expressions of a desperate sorrow, Isa 17:11. Note, Those that will not be kept from sin by fear and shame shall by fear and shame be punished for it; such is the confusion that sin will end in.

II. They shall have no benefit from their wealth and riches, but shall be perfectly sick of them, Eze 7:19. Those that were reduced to this distress were such as had had abundance of silver and gold, money, and plate, and jewels, and other valuable goods, from which they promised themselves a great deal of advantage in times of public trouble. They thought their wealth would be their strong city, that with it they could bribe enemies and buy friends, that it would be the ransom of their lives, that they could never want bread as long as they had money, and that money would answer all things; but see how it proved. 1. Their wealth had been a great temptation to them in the day of their prosperity; they set their affections upon it, and put their confidence in it. By their eager pursuit of it they were drawn into sin, and by their plentiful enjoyment of it they were hardened in sin; and thus it was the stumbling-block of their iniquity; it occasioned their falling into sin and obstructed their return to God. Note, There are many whose wealth is their snare and ruin. The gaining of the world is the losing of their souls; it makes them proud, secure, covetous, oppressive, voluptuous; and that which, it well used, might have been the servant of their piety, being abused, becomes the stumbling-block of their iniquity. 2. It was no relief to them now in the day of their adversity; for, (1.) Their gold and silver could not protect them from the judgments of God. They shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord; they shall not serve to atone his justice, or turn away his wrath, nor to screen them from the judgments he is bringing upon them. Note, Riches profit not in the day of wrath, Pro 11:4. They neither set them so high that god's judgments cannot reach them nor make them so strong that they cannot conquer them. There is a day of wrath coming, when it will appear that men's wealth is utterly unable to deliver them or do them any service. What the better was the rich man for his full barns when his soul was required of him, or that other rich man for his purple, and scarlet, and sumptuous fare, when in hell he could not procure a drop of water to cool his tongue? Money is no defence against the arrests of death, nor any alleviation to the miseries of the damned. (2.) Their gold and silver could not give them any content under their calamities. [1.] They could not fill their bowels; when there was no bread left in the city, none to be had for love or money, their silver and gold could not satisfy their hunger, nor serve to make one meal's meat for them. Note, We could better be without mines of gold than fields of corn; the products of the earth, which may easily be gathered from the surface of it, are much greater blessings to mankind than its treasures, which are with so much difficulty and hazard dug out of its bowels. If God give us daily bread, we have reason to be thankful, and no reason to complain, though silver and gold we have none. [2.] Much less could they satisfy their souls, or yield them any inward comfort. Note, The wealth of this world has not that in it which will answer the desires of the soul, or be any satisfaction to it in a day of distress. He that loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver, much less he that loses it. (3.) Their gold and silver shall be thrown into the streets, either by the hands of the enemy, who shall have more spoil than they care for or can carry away (silver shall be nothing accounted of; they shall cast that in the streets; but the gold, which is more valuable, shall be removed and brought to Babylon); or they themselves shall throw away their silver and gold, because it would be an incumbrance to them and retard their flight, or because it would expose them and be a temptation to the enemy to cut their throats for their money, or in indignation at it, because, after all the care and pains they had taken to scrape it together and hoard it up, they found that it would stand them in no stead, but do them a mischief rather. Note, The world passes away, and the lusts thereof, Jo1 2:17. The time may come when worldly men will be as weary of their wealth as now they are wedded to it, when those will fare best that have least.

III. God's temple shall stand them in no stead, Eze 7:20-22. This they had prided themselves in, and promised themselves security from (Jer 7:4; Mic 3:11); but this confidence of theirs shall fail them. Observe, 1. The great honour God had done to that people in setting up his sanctuary among them (Eze 7:20): As for the beauty of his ornament, that holy and beautiful house, where they and their fathers praised God (Isa 64:11), which was therefore beautiful because holy (it was called the beauty of holiness, and holiness is the beauty of its ornament; it was also adorned with gold and gifts) - as for this, he set it in majesty; every thing was contrived to make it magnificent, that it might help to make the people of Israel the more illustrious among their neighbours. He built his sanctuary like high palaces, Psa 78:69. It was a glorious high throne from the beginning, Jer 17:12. But, 2. Here is the great dishonour they had done to God in profaning his sanctuary; they made the images of their counterfeit deities, which they set up in rivalship with God, and which are here called their abominations and their detestable things (for so they were to God, and so they should have been to them), and these they set up in God's temple, than which a greater affront could not be put upon him. And therefore, 3. It is here threatened that they shall be deprived of the temple, and it shall be no succour to them: Therefore have I set it far from them, that is, sent them far from it, so that it is out of the reach of their services and they are out of the reach of its influences. Note, God's ordinances, and the privileges of a profession of religion, will justly be taken away from those that despise and profane them. Nay, they shall not only be kept at a distance from the temple, but the temple itself shall be involved in the common desolation (Eze 7:21); the Chaldeans, who are strangers, and therefore have no veneration for it, who are the wicked of the earth, and therefore have an antipathy to it, shall have it for a prey and for a spoil; all the ornaments and treasures of it shall fall into their hands, who will make no difference between that and other plunder. This was a grief to the saints in Zion, who complained of nothing so much as of that which the enemy did wickedly in the sanctuary (Psa 74:3); but it was the punishment of the sinners in Zion, who, by profaning the temple with strange gods, provoked God to suffer it to be profaned by strange nations, and to turn his face from those that did it as if he had not seen them and their crimes and from those that deprecated it as not regarding them and their prayers. Let the soldiers do as they will; let them enter into the secret place, into the holy of holies, as robbers; let them strip it, let them pollute it; its defence has departed, and then farewell all its glory. Note, Those are unworthy to be honoured with the form of godliness who will not be governed by the power of godliness.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 16–22. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 15, 16.) The sword is outside, and pestilence and famine are within. Those who are in the field will die by the sword; and those who are in the city will be consumed by pestilence and famine. And those who escape will be saved; they will be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, trembling. Each one in their own wickedness. The seventy, the doves of the valleys, or as Theodotus translated, the meditators, remained completely silent. And what we have interpreted, trembling: each one in their own wickedness, Theodotus translated it as: all muttering, each one in their own wickedness; so that under the metaphor of meditating doves, it signifies each person in the nation lamenting their own sin, and understanding and feeling why they are suffering these things. But we have already mentioned three classes of people who will die in the city: those who perish from plague and famine; those who are killed by the sword outside; and those who escape captivity. Of these, those who are saved will go to the mountains and, like murmuring doves, will anxiously bewail their sins. In a tropological sense, it should be understood that those in the fields and countryside, outside the borders of the Lord's city, which is called the Church, will be struck by the sword of their adversaries, but those who live negligently in the city and have not prepared food for themselves, of which it is written in Proverbs: 'He who works his land will have his fill of food,' (Prov. XII, 11,) will die from famine and plague. But few, who have avoided the sword of heretics or the hunger of their own sloth, and death, will be saved except in the mountains, and unless they have assumed the wings of a dove, and flown away, and found rest. For as long as doves are in the valleys, they tremble and fear everything: of whom we are commanded to imitate their innocence, and about whom it is written in the psalm: 'If you sleep among the midst of the flock, the wings of the dove that is silvered, and its back parts in the whiteness of gold' (Ps. 67:14): in whose form the Holy Spirit descended, and remained upon the Lord and Savior. Beautifully we will call the dove meditating according to Theodotion (Matthew 3), he who meditates day and night in the law of the Lord, and concerning whom it is written: The mouth of the just will meditate wisdom (Psalm 36:30).
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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