Ezekiel 11:15
in Ezekiel 11“Son of man, your brothers—your relatives, your fellow exiles, and the whole house of Israel—are those of whom the people of Jerusalem have said, ‘They are far away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel, all of them, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from Jehovah; unto us is this land given for a possession.
KJV
Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the Lord: unto us is this land given in possession.
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This verse in Ezekiel 11
Commentary
11 notes on this verseSon of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred,.... Or, "of thy redemption" (l); to whom the right of redemption of his lands and possessions belonged, as it did to those that were next akin. The Septuagint, by a mistake of the word, render it, "the men of thy captivity"; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions, following them.
This site's exposition
Then the word of the LORD came to me
on Ezekiel 11:14-16
The Lord answers, “for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries to which they have gone.” The Hebrew can mean a sanctuary in small measure or for a short time, and either way God is present to exiles without a temple.
This site's exposition
They are far away from the LORD
The people left in Jerusalem scorn the exiles taken with Jeconiah, saying they are far away from the LORD. Adam Clarke reads their words as a claim on the land left behind. The LORD calls those exiles the brothers and relatives of Ezekiel.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 14 onwards) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, your brothers, your brothers: the men near you and all the house of Israel, all of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said: Depart far from the Lord: to us the land has been given as possession. Therefore, thus says the Lord God: because I have removed them far off among the nations, and because I have scattered them among the lands, I will be a small sanctification for them in the lands which they have come to.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Thy brethren -- thy nearest kindred, which it seems were left in Jerusalem. Their degeneracy is more noted in the repetition of the word brethren. Gone far - Ye are gone far from the Lord; as much as the Heathens accused the Christians of atheism.
How they are described: They are thy brethren (says God to the prophet), whom thou hast a concern and affection for; they are the men of thy kindred (the men of thy redemption, so the word is), thy next of kin, to whom the right of redeeming the alienated possession belongs, but who are so far from being able to do it that they have themselves gone into captivity.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Thy kindred - The original word is derived from a root, suggesting the ideas of “redeeming” and “avenging” as connected with the bond of “kindred.” The word, therefore, conveys here a special reproach to the proud Jews, who have been so ready to cast off the claims of blood-relationship, and at the same time a hope of restoration to those who have been rudely thrown aside.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Spiritual ties, as in the case of Levi (De 33:9), the type of Messiah (Mt 12:47-50) are to supersede natural ones where the two clash. The hope of better days was to rise from the despised exiles. The gospel principle is shadowed forth here, that the despised of men are often the chosen of God and the highly esteemed among men are often an abomination before Him (Lu 16:15;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
THE WISE MAN saith, “Where the word of a king is, there is power.” What power must there be where there is the word of the King of kings, who ruleth over all! We are not left to conjecture as to the power of the divine word, for we know that “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.”
THE WISE MAN saith, “Where the word of a king is, there is power.” What power must there be where there is the word of the King of kings, who ruleth over all! We are not left to conjecture as to the power of the divine word, for we know that “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” Out of nothingness the glorious creation leaped at the bidding of the Most High, and when the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, there was nothing wanted but that solemn voice, “Light be,” and straightway light was. God’s word was sufficient in itself to build the temple of the universe and to finish it from its foundations to its pinnacles. That same word upholdeth by its power, and ruleth all things by its might. The pillars of heaven stand because the divine word hath fixed them upon their bases, nor shall they be shaken until that same almighty word shall bid them remove; then as a moment’s foam dissolves into the wave which bears it and is gone forever, so shall the whole creation melt away. His word, which created, shall also destroy; but until that word be spoken every atom of this world is imperishable. Consider, my brethren, what power is concentrated in him who is clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and whose name is “THE WORD OF GOD.” With what glorious power our Lord Jesus Christ uplifted the burden of our sins, carried the load up to the tree, and cast it forever into the Red Sea of his own atoning blood! Ye know how he burst the bars of death, tore away the gates of the grave, overthrew all the hosts of hell, and dragged the mightiest principalities of darkness as captives at his chariot wheels. At this day the government is upon his shoulders, and his name is the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. Heaven and earth salute him as the Omnipotent Word.
Get you far from the Lord - These are the words of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, against those of Israel who had been carried away to Babylon with Jeconiah. Go ye far from the Lord: but as for us, the land of Israel is given to us for a possession, we shall never be removed from it, and they shall never return to it.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Your brethren, your brethren The exile of Samaria and the exile of Jeconiah.
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
23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בֶּן־ | ben- | O son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אָדָ֗ם | ʾadam | humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
| אַחֶ֤יךָ | ʾacheikha | brothers your | H251 → | 630 times |
| אַחֶ֙יךָ֙ | ʾacheikha | brothers your | H251 → | 630 times |
| אַנְשֵׁ֣י | ʾanshei | [the] people of | H582 → | 566 times |
| גְאֻלָּתֶ֔ךָ | geulatekha | redemption your | H1353 → | |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| בֵּ֥ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| כֻּלֹּ֑ה | kuloh | all of it | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲשֶׁר֩ | ʾasher | whom | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אָמְר֨וּ | ʾameru | they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָהֶ֜ם | lahem | to them | ||
| יֹשְׁבֵ֣י | yoshevei | [the] inhabitants of | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| רַֽחֲקוּ֙ | rachaku | be distant | H7368 → | 57 times |
| מֵעַ֣ל | meal | from with | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לָ֥נוּ | lanu | to us | ||
| הִ֛יא | hi' | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| נִתְּנָ֥ה | nitenah | it has been given | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| הָאָ֖רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| לְמוֹרָשָֽׁה׃ ס | lemorashah | to a possession | H4181 → | 9 times |
בֶּן־O son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
אָדָ֗םhumankind
ʾadamH120 →551 times
אַחֶ֤יךָbrothers your
ʾacheikhaH251 →630 times
אַחֶ֙יךָ֙brothers your
ʾacheikhaH251 →630 times
אַנְשֵׁ֣י[the] people of
ʾansheiH582 →566 times
גְאֻלָּתֶ֔ךָredemption your
geulatekhaH1353 →
וְכָל־and all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
בֵּ֥ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
כֻּלֹּ֑הall of it
kulohH3605 →5413 times
אֲשֶׁר֩whom
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אָמְר֨וּthey said
ʾameruH559 →5305 times
לָהֶ֜םto them
lahem
יֹשְׁבֵ֣י[the] inhabitants of
yosheveiH3427 →1079 times
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗םJerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
רַֽחֲקוּ֙be distant
rachakuH7368 →57 times
מֵעַ֣לfrom with
mealH5921 →5755 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לָ֥נוּto us
lanu
הִ֛יאit
hi'H1931 →1879 times
נִתְּנָ֥הit has been given
nitenahH5414 →2011 times
הָאָ֖רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
לְמוֹרָשָֽׁה׃ סto a possession
lemorashahH4181 →9 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
John 16:2They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.
it leads to
- John 9:22
His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already determined that anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.
- Acts 26:9–11
So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
- Romans 10:2–3
For I testify about them that they are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge.
- Acts 22:3–4
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I am just…
- Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
- John 9:22
Through
Isaiah 65:5They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’ Such people are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.
it leads to
- Luke 18:9–12
To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable:
- Luke 7:39
When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him—for she…
- Luke 18:9–12
Through
Isaiah 66:5You who tremble at His word, hear the word of the LORD: “Your brothers who hate you and exclude you because of My name have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified that we may…
it leads to
- John 15:18–20
If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.
- John 15:18–20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
About Ezekiel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 591: “'Thus Saith The Lord:' Or, The Book of Common Prayer Weighed in the Balances of the Sanctuary” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Patrick Fairbairn, An Exposition of Ezekiel.