TRV
Translation
KJV (with Strong's)
American Standard Version
Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.
World English Bible Messianic
Destruction comes; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.
Young's Literal Translation
Destruction hath come, And they have sought peace, and there is none.
See also
In the KJVVerse 20,603 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Ezekiel 7 verses 23–27
23 ¶ Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.
24 Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be defiled.
25 Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.
26 Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.
27 The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Here is, I. The prisoner arraigned: Make a chain, in which to drag the criminal to the bar, and set him before the tribunal of divine justice; let him stand in fetters (as a notorious malefactor), stand pinioned to receive his doom. Note, Those that break the bands of God's law asunder, and cast away those cords from them, will find themselves bound and held by the chains of his judgments, which they cannot break nor cast from them. The chain signified the siege of Jerusalem, or the slavery of those that were carried into captivity, or that they were all bound over to the righteous judgment of God, reserved in chains.
II. The indictment drawn up against the prisoner: The land is full of bloody crimes, full of the judgments of blood (so the word is), that is, of the guilt of blood which they had shed under colour of justice and by forms of law, with the solemnity of a judgment. The innocent blood which Manasseh shed, probably thus shed, by the judgment of the blood, was the measure-filling sin of Jerusalem, Kg2 24:4. Or, It is full of such crimes as by the law were to be punished with death, the judgment of blood. Idolatry, blasphemy, witchcraft, Sodomy, and the like, were bloody crimes, for which particular sinners were to die; and therefore, when they had become national, there was no remedy but the nation must be cut off. Note, Bloody crimes will be punished with bloody judgments. The city, the city of David, the holy city, that should have been the pattern of righteousness, the protector of it, and the punisher of wrong, is now full of violence; the rulers of that city, having greater power and reputation, are greater oppressors than any others. This was sadly to be lamented. How has the faithful city become a harlot!
III. Judgment given upon this indictment. God will reckon with them not only for the profaning of his sanctuary, but for the perverting of justice between man and man; for, as holiness becomes his house, so the righteous Lord loves righteousness and is the avenger of unrighteousness. Now the judgment given is, 1. That since they had walked in the way of the heathen, and done worse than they, God would bring the worst of the heathen upon them to destroy them and lay them waste, the most barbarous and outrageous, that have the least compassion to mankind and the greatest antipathy to the Jews. Note, Of the heathen some are worse than others, and God sometimes picks out the worst to be a scourge to his own people, because he intends them for the fire when the work is done. 2. That since they had filled their houses with goods unjustly gotten, and used their pomp and power for the crushing and oppressing of the weak, God would give their houses to be possessed and all the furniture of them to be enjoyed by strangers, and make the pomp of the strong to cease, so that their great men should not dazzle the eyes of the weak-sighted with their pomp, nor with their might at any time prevail against right, as they had done. 3. That, since they had defiled the holy places with their idolatries, God would defile them with his judgments, since they had set up the images of other gods in the temple, God would remove thence the tokens of the presence of their own God. When the holy places are deserted by their God they will soon be defiled by their enemies. 4. Since they had followed one sin with another, God would pursue them with one judgment upon another: "Destruction comes, utter destruction (Eze 7:25); for there shall come mischief upon mischief to ruin you, and rumour upon rumour to frighten you, like the waves in a storm, one upon the neck of another." Note, Sinners that are marked for ruin shall be prosecuted to it; for God will overcome when he judges. 5. Since they had disappointed God's expectations from them, he would disappoint their expectations from him; for, (1.) They shall not have the deliverance out of their troubles that they expect. They shall seek peace; they shall desire it and pray for it; they shall aim at and expect it: but there shall be none; their attempts both to court their enemies and to conquer them shall be in vain, and their troubles shall grow worse and worse. (2.) They shall not have the direction in the trouble that they expect (Eze 7:26): They shall seek a vision of the prophet, shall desire, for their support under their troubles, to be assured of a happy issue out of them. They did not desire a vision to reprove them for sin, nor to warn them of danger, but to promise them deliverance. Such messages they longed to hear. But the law shall perish from the priest; he shall have no words either of counsel or comfort to say to them. They would not hear what God had to say to them by ways of conviction, and therefore he has nothing to say to them by way of encouragement. Counsel shall perish from the ancients; the elders of the people, that should advise them what to do in this difficult juncture, shall be infatuated and at their wits' end. It is bad with a people when those that should be their counsellors know not how to consider within themselves, consult with one another, or counsel them. 6. Since they had animated and encouraged one another to sin, God would dispirit and dishearten them all, so that they should not be able to make head against the judgments of God that were breaking in upon them. All orders and degrees of men shall lie down by consent under the load (Eze 7:27): The king, that should inspire life into them, and the prince, that should lead them onto attack the enemy, shall mourn and be clothed with desolation; their heads and hearts shall fail, their politics and their courage; and then no wonder if the hands of the people of the land, that should fight for them, be troubled. None of the men of might shall find their hands. What can men contrive or do for themselves when God has departed from them and appears against them? All must needs be in tears, all in trouble, when God comes to judge them according to their deserts, and so make then know, to their cost, that he is the Lord, the God to whom vengeance belongs.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 23–27. Public domain.
Copy as
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ezekiel
(Verse 25.) With impending distress, they will seek peace, and it will not be. This cannot possibly be reconciled with the Septuagint. For if propitiation comes, how will they seek peace and not find it? But he who has heard from the apostles will seek peace and not find it, for he has not kept it in his mind, nor has he made it rest, but driven away by wicked deeds, he cannot find it. Indeed, peace is that which surpasses all understanding, and which the victorious Savior, ascending to the Father, left to the apostles.
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.
Copy as
Continue studying Ezekiel 7:25 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Ezekiel 7:25 delivers a stark prophetic declaration of impending, inescapable divine judgment upon Judah, emphasizing the absolute futility of human efforts to find security or relief once God's patience has been exhausted. The verse vividly portrays a desperate, belated search for comprehensive well-being and stability in the face of overwhelming destruction, only to find it utterly absent, underscoring the tragic and inevitable consequences of prolonged covenant rebellion and the rejection of divine warnings against the sovereign will of God.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 7:25 employs several potent literary devices to convey its message of impending doom and despair. The most prominent is Foreshadowing, as the verse explicitly declares the coming "destruction" and the subsequent failure to find "peace," setting a grim and inevitable tone for the unfolding events of judgment in Ezekiel. There is also a strong element of Irony in the people's desperate search for "peace" (shalom), which is precisely what they forfeited through their rebellion against the God who is the ultimate source of true peace. Their pursuit of false gods and worldly security led to the very opposite of shalom. The stark contrast between their seeking and the absolute "none" creates a powerful Antithesis, emphasizing the complete and utter absence of what they most desire. Furthermore, the declarative, almost abrupt nature of "Destruction cometh" functions as a form of Prophetic Utterance, carrying the weight of divine authority and inevitability, leaving no room for doubt or escape from the decreed judgment.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 7:25 powerfully articulates the theological principle that God's justice is not merely punitive but redemptive, though its immediate manifestation can be devastating. It underscores the profound consequences of human rebellion against a holy God, demonstrating that persistent sin inevitably leads to a forfeiture of divine blessing and protection. The verse highlights God's sovereignty over history, revealing that even in judgment, His purposes are being fulfilled. It also speaks to the nature of true peace, which is not a commodity to be sought in times of crisis, but a state of being rooted in a right relationship with God, a peace that cannot be found apart from Him.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 7:25 serves as a timeless and sobering warning for all generations, urging us to consider the profound implications of our choices and our relationship with God. It powerfully illustrates the danger of spiritual complacency and the futility of delaying repentance. In a world constantly seeking security, prosperity, and inner calm through human means, this verse reminds us that true and lasting peace (shalom) is a divine gift, found only in alignment with God's will and in His presence. When judgment, whether personal or societal, finally arrives as a consequence of persistent disobedience, all human efforts to secure peace or escape calamity will prove utterly fruitless. This compels us to proactively seek God's reconciliation and His pathway to peace now, before the crisis compels a desperate and ultimately vain search for what has been irrevocably lost. Our hope for genuine peace rests not on our own strength or the world's promises, but on the steadfast character of God and His provision for our well-being.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What kind of "destruction" is Ezekiel 7:25 referring to?
Answer: The "destruction" (Hebrew, qᵉphâdâh') refers to a comprehensive and terrifying collapse of Judah's society, including the physical destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, the end of their political and religious institutions, and the widespread suffering and death of its inhabitants. It signifies the complete dismantling of their national life and covenant relationship due to their persistent idolatry and disobedience, leading to the Babylonian exile. It's a divine judgment that leaves no aspect of their former existence untouched, bringing terror and utter ruin.
Why will "they seek peace, and there shall be none"?
Answer: The people will seek peace because they are facing the devastating consequences of their rebellion. "Peace" (Hebrew, shâlôwm') here means comprehensive well-being, security, prosperity, and harmony. They will seek it desperately because everything they once took for granted—their land, their temple, their social order—is being destroyed. However, "there shall be none" because true shalôwm is a gift from God, contingent on covenant faithfulness. Having rejected the source of true peace for so long, they will find it utterly absent when they finally realize their desperate need. Their search is too late and in the wrong place, as God's judgment is already fully enacted. This highlights the principle that when divine patience runs out, human efforts to avert calamity become futile, as seen in other prophetic warnings like Jeremiah 8:15.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel 7:25, with its stark declaration of impending destruction and the futility of seeking peace apart from God, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus. While Ezekiel's prophecy spoke of a temporal judgment on Israel, it also foreshadowed a deeper, spiritual reality concerning humanity's universal condition. All humanity, by nature, is under the judgment of sin, facing spiritual "destruction" and separation from God Romans 3:23. In this fallen state, humanity desperately seeks peace—whether through worldly achievements, philosophies, or fleeting pleasures—but finds "none" that is lasting or truly satisfying, echoing the despair of Ezekiel's audience.
However, Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace Isaiah 9:6, who entered a world under judgment not to bring further destruction, but to offer ultimate and eternal shalom. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world John 1:29, bearing the full weight of divine judgment on the cross. Through His atoning sacrifice, the "destruction" that justly awaited humanity was absorbed by Him. Now, true peace is no longer sought in vain; it is freely offered as a gift to all who believe. Jesus declares, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you" John 14:27. This peace is not merely the absence of trouble, but a profound spiritual wholeness, reconciliation with God, and an inner tranquility that transcends circumstances Philippians 4:7. Thus, while Ezekiel 7:25 warns of a desperate search for peace where none can be found, Christ reveals Himself as the very embodiment of that sought-after peace, available to all who turn to Him before the ultimate and final judgment.