Ezekiel 22:20
in Ezekiel 22Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to melt with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, leave you there, and melt you.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my wrath, and I will lay you there, and melt you.
KJV
As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.
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This verse in Ezekiel 22
Commentary
6 notes on this verseAs they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace,.... As refiners of metal do; though not together, as here, but each metal apart.
This site's exposition
the word of the Lord came unto me, saying
on Ezekiel 22:17-22
The house of Israel becomes dross in the Lord's furnace, base metal mixed among the silver rather than silver itself, and Jerusalem is named the furnace where the smelting will happen. Keil reads the figure against actual metallurgy, dross is what refining is meant to remove, so the image promises no gentle correction but a melting down of the whole mixed mass. Fairbairn notes the coming siege is pictured in advance under this same figure, the city gathered and blown upon in the fire of my wrath, judgment as a furnace before it becomes a fact of history.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Vers. 17 seqq.) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, the house of Israel has become like dross to me. All of them, copper, tin, iron, and lead, are in the midst of the furnace; they have become silver dross. Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become like dross, behold, I will gather you in the midst of Jerusalem as a gathering of silver, copper, iron, tin, and lead in the midst of the furnace, to kindle a fire in it for melting.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
A general idea given of the land of Israel, how well it deserved the judgments coming to destroy it and how much it needed these judgments to refine it. Let the prophet tell her plainly, " Thou art the land that is not cleansed, not refined as metal is, and therefore needest to be again put into the furnace.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
All orders and degrees of men among them are here found guilty of the neglect of the duty of their place and of having contributed to the national guilt, which therefore, since none appeared as intercessors, they must all expect to share in the punishment of,
The blowing of the fire makes a great noise, so will the judgments of God upon Jerusalem. When God stirs up himself to execute judgments upon a provoking people, from the consideration of his own glory and the necessity of making some examples, then he may be said to blow the fire of his wrath against sin and sinners, to heat the furnace seven times hotter.
The words behind it
20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| קְבֻ֣צַת | kevutzat | [the] gathering of | H6910 → | |
| כֶּ֡סֶף | kesef | silver | H3701 → | 403 times |
| וּ֠נְחֹשֶׁת | unechoshet | and copper | H5178 → | 140 times |
| וּבַרְזֶ֨ל | uvarzel | and iron | H1270 → | 76 times |
| וְעוֹפֶ֤רֶת | veoferet | and lead | H5777 → | 9 times |
| וּבְדִיל֙ | uvedil | and tin | H913 → | 6 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | into | H413 → | 5510 times |
| תּ֣וֹךְ | tokh | [the] middle of | H8432 → | 418 times |
| כּ֔וּר | kur | a furnace | H3564 → | 9 times |
| לָפַֽחַת־ | lafachat- | to blow | H5301 → | 12 times |
| עָלָ֥יו | ʾalav | on it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֵ֖שׁ | ʾesh | fire | H784 → | 378 times |
| לְהַנְתִּ֑יךְ | lehantikh | to melt [it] | H5413 → | 21 times |
| כֵּ֤ן | ken | so | H3651 → | 771 times |
| אֶקְבֹּץ֙ | ʾekbotz | I will gather | H6908 → | 127 times |
| בְּאַפִּ֣י | beapi | in anger my | H639 → | 276 times |
| וּבַחֲמָתִ֔י | uvachamati | and in rage my | H2534 → | 125 times |
| וְהִנַּחְתִּ֥י | vehinachti | and I will set down | H5117 → | 142 times |
| וְהִתַּכְתִּ֖י | vehitakhti | and I will melt | H5413 → | 21 times |
| אֶתְכֶֽם׃ | ʾetkhem | <obj.> you | H853 → | 10935 times |
קְבֻ֣צַת[the] gathering of
kevutzatH6910 →
כֶּ֡סֶףsilver
kesefH3701 →403 times
וּ֠נְחֹשֶׁתand copper
unechoshetH5178 →140 times
וּבַרְזֶ֨לand iron
uvarzelH1270 →76 times
וְעוֹפֶ֤רֶתand lead
veoferetH5777 →9 times
וּבְדִיל֙and tin
uvedilH913 →6 times
אֶל־into
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
תּ֣וֹךְ[the] middle of
tokhH8432 →418 times
כּ֔וּרa furnace
kurH3564 →9 times
לָפַֽחַת־to blow
lafachat-H5301 →12 times
עָלָ֥יוon it
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
אֵ֖שׁfire
ʾeshH784 →378 times
לְהַנְתִּ֑יךְto melt [it]
lehantikhH5413 →21 times
כֵּ֤ןso
kenH3651 →771 times
אֶקְבֹּץ֙I will gather
ʾekbotzH6908 →127 times
בְּאַפִּ֣יin anger my
beapiH639 →276 times
וּבַחֲמָתִ֔יand in rage my
uvachamatiH2534 →125 times
וְהִנַּחְתִּ֥יand I will set down
vehinachtiH5117 →142 times
וְהִתַּכְתִּ֖יand I will melt
vehitakhtiH5413 →21 times
אֶתְכֶֽם׃<obj.> you
ʾetkhemH853 →10935 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
Isaiah 54:16Behold, I have created the craftsman who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its task; and I have created the destroyer to wreak havoc.
it leads to
- Proverbs 16:4
The LORD has made everything for His purpose—even the wicked for the day of disaster.
- Exodus 9:16
But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
- Proverbs 16:4
Through
Jeremiah 4:20Disaster after disaster is proclaimed, for the whole land is laid waste. My tents are destroyed in an instant, my curtains in a moment.
it leads to
- Psalms 42:7
Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and waves have rolled over me.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:9
They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might,
- Ezekiel 7:25–26
Anguish is coming! They will seek peace, but find none.
- Joel 1:15
Alas for the day! For the Day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
- Psalms 42:7
Through
Ezekiel 24:13Because of the indecency of your uncleanness I tried to cleanse you, but you would not be purified from your filthiness. You will not be pure again until My wrath against you has subsided.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 5:13
And when My anger is spent and I have vented My wrath against them, I will be appeased. And when I have spent My wrath on them, they will know that I, the LORD,…
- Ezekiel 22:24
“Son of man, say to her, ‘In the day of indignation, you are a land that has not been cleansed, upon which no rain has fallen.’
- Ezekiel 5:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Ezekiel; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Patrick Fairbairn, An Exposition of Ezekiel.