Ezekiel 11:1
in Ezekiel 11Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the LORD that faces east. And there at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Moreover the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of Jehovah’s house, which looketh eastward: and behold, at the door of the gate five and twenty men; and I saw in the midst of them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
KJV
Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the Lord’s house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
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This verse in Ezekiel 11
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The gate - The gate of the templecourt. The gate was the place of judgment. Five and twenty men - Not the same men as in Eze 8:16. There they were representatives of the “priests,” here of the “princes.” The number is, no doubt, symbolic, made up, probably, of 24 men and the king. The number 24 points to the tribes of undivided Israel. Jaazaniah ... Pelatiah - We know nothing more of these men. The former name was probably common at that time Eze 8:
This site's exposition
five and twenty men
on Ezekiel 11:1-4
The Spirit carries the prophet to the east gate and shows him twenty five men gathered at its door, named leaders among them Jaazaniah and Pelatiah, princes of the people rather than strangers off the street. Their counsel is given in the very next verse's own words, that Jerusalem is a safe caldron and they the meat inside it, a boast that the coming siege will only cook the flesh already gathered rather than touch the city's leaders. Henry notes the irony that these men sit at the gate where the glory itself will soon depart, plotting safety in the shadow of the throne's exit. The Lord orders Ezekiel to prophesy against them by name, the charge repeated twice for weight, before a single word of judgment is spoken.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Chapter XI — Verse 1) And the spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the Lord, which faces east and overlooks the rising sun. For the glory of the Lord had come out from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. And as the cherubim lifted their wings and rose from the ground, the glory of the Lord also stood at the entrance of the gate of the house of the Lord, facing east.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
) as a principal man among the twenty-five princes that made all the mischief in Jerusalem. It should seem, this was done in vision now, as the slaying of the ancient men ( ch. ix.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
Moreover, the spirit lifted me up,....
A message of comfort to those who were carried captives into Babylon and were there in the depth of despondency, thinking they should never rise. And, as the former are assured that God has judgments in store for them notwithstanding their present security, so the later are assured that God has mercy in store for them notwithstanding their present distress,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The judgment on the representatives of the priesthood naturally follows here, just as the sin of the priests had followed in the description (Eze 8:12, 16) after the sin of the elders. Jaazaniah--signifying "God hears." son of Azur--different from Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan (Eze 8:11).
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
At the door of the gate five and twenty men - The same persons, no doubt, who appear, Eze 8:16, worshipping the sun. Jaazaniah the son of Azur - In Eze 8:16, we find a Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. If Shaphan was also called Azur, they may be the same person. But it is most likely that there were two of this name, and both chiefs among the people.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
and behold at the entrance of the gate [twenty-five men] They are the very same ones that he mentioned above (ad loc.): “their backs to the Temple of the Lord” except that he did not explain there who they were, and here he delineates the names of two of them.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
30 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתִּשָּׂ֨א | vatisa' | and it lifted up | H5375 → | 656 times |
| אֹתִ֜י | ʾoti | <obj.> me | H853 → | 10935 times |
| ר֗וּחַ | ruach | a spirit | H7307 → | 378 times |
| וַתָּבֵ֣א | vatave' | and it brought | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֹ֠תִי | ʾoti | <obj.> me | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| שַׁ֨עַר | shaar | [the] gate of | H8179 → | 374 times |
| בֵּית־ | beit- | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יְהוָ֤ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הַקַּדְמוֹנִי֙ | hakadmoni | <the> eastern | H6931 → | 10 times |
| הַפּוֹנֶ֣ה | haponeh | which faces | H6437 → | 135 times |
| קָדִ֔ימָה | kadimah | east -ward | H6921 → | 69 times |
| וְהִנֵּה֙ | vehineh | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| בְּפֶ֣תַח | befetach | [were] at [the] entrance of | H6607 → | 164 times |
| הַשַּׁ֔עַר | hashaar | the gate | H8179 → | 374 times |
| עֶשְׂרִ֥ים | ʾesrim | twenty | H6242 → | 315 times |
| וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה | vachamishah | and five | H2568 → | 343 times |
| אִ֑ישׁ | ʾish | man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| וָאֶרְאֶ֨ה | vaereh | and I saw | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| בְתוֹכָ֜ם | vetokham | in midst of them | H8432 → | 418 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יַאֲזַנְיָ֧ה | yaazanyah | Jaazaniah | H2970 → | |
| בֶן־ | ven- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עַזֻּ֛ר | ʾazur | Azzur | H5809 → | |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| פְּלַטְיָ֥הוּ | pelatyahu | Pelatiah | H6410 → | |
| בֶן־ | ven- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| בְּנָיָ֖הוּ | benayahu | Benaiah | H1141 → | |
| שָׂרֵ֖י | sarei | [the] leaders of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| הָעָֽם׃ פ | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
וַתִּשָּׂ֨אand it lifted up
vatisa'H5375 →656 times
אֹתִ֜י<obj.> me
ʾotiH853 →10935 times
ר֗וּחַa spirit
ruachH7307 →378 times
וַתָּבֵ֣אand it brought
vatave'H935 →2568 times
אֹ֠תִי<obj.> me
ʾotiH853 →10935 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
שַׁ֨עַר[the] gate of
shaarH8179 →374 times
בֵּית־[the] house of
beit-H1004 →2046 times
יְהוָ֤הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
הַקַּדְמוֹנִי֙<the> eastern
hakadmoniH6931 →10 times
הַפּוֹנֶ֣הwhich faces
haponehH6437 →135 times
קָדִ֔ימָהeast -ward
kadimahH6921 →69 times
וְהִנֵּה֙and there!
vehinehH2009 →843 times
בְּפֶ֣תַח[were] at [the] entrance of
befetachH6607 →164 times
הַשַּׁ֔עַרthe gate
hashaarH8179 →374 times
עֶשְׂרִ֥יםtwenty
ʾesrimH6242 →315 times
וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖הand five
vachamishahH2568 →343 times
אִ֑ישׁman
ʾishH376 →1663 times
וָאֶרְאֶ֨הand I saw
vaerehH7200 →1300 times
בְתוֹכָ֜םin midst of them
vetokhamH8432 →418 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יַאֲזַנְיָ֧הJaazaniah
yaazanyahH2970 →
בֶן־[the] son of
ven-H1121 →4930 times
עַזֻּ֛רAzzur
ʾazurH5809 →
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
פְּלַטְיָ֥הוּPelatiah
pelatyahuH6410 →
בֶן־[the] son of
ven-H1121 →4930 times
בְּנָיָ֖הוּBenaiah
benayahuH1141 →
שָׂרֵ֖י[the] leaders of
sareiH8269 →421 times
הָעָֽם׃ פthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ezekiel 3:14So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 8:3
He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 1:3
the word of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Kebar. And there the LORD’s hand was upon him.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 20:7–9
You have deceived me, O LORD, and I was deceived. You have overcome me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.
- Ezekiel 37:1
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones.
- Ezekiel 8:3
Through
Ezekiel 8:16So He brought me to the inner court of the house of the LORD, and there at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 4:19
When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to…
- Deuteronomy 17:3
and going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which I have forbidden—
- Jeremiah 32:33
They have turned their backs to Me and not their faces. Though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.
- Jeremiah 2:27
say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their backs to Me and not their faces, yet in the time of trouble…
- Deuteronomy 4:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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About Ezekiel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.