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Ezekiel 22:3

in Ezekiel 22

and tell her that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O city who brings her own doom by shedding blood within her walls and making idols to defile herself,

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: A city that sheddeth blood in the midst of her, that her time may come, and that maketh idols against herself to defile her!

KJV

Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord God, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself.

This verse in Ezekiel 22

Commentary

6 notes on this verse
Then say thou, thus saith the Lord God,.... For though the prophet was to sit as judge, yet in the name of the King of kings, under whose authority he acted: the city sheddeth blood in the midst of it; openly and impudently, in the face of all, and in great abundance; even innocent blood, as the Targum has it: murders were frequent and common, either through quarrels, or through unrighteous judgments in courts of judicature: that her time may come; to fill up the measure of her iniquity, and to receive the just punishment of her sins.

This site's exposition

The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it

on Ezekiel 22:3-5

The city sheds blood in her own midst and makes idols to defile herself. Clarke reads the phrase that her time may come as judicial language, blood guilt hastening the very judgment the city fears. JFB notes the mockery from nations near and far answers Jerusalem's earlier fame.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Jerome

Commentary on Ezekiel · Written before 420.

proposed

(Chapter 22, Verses 1 onwards) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: And you, son of man, do you not judge the city of blood, and show her all her abominations? And say: Thus says the Lord God: The city that sheds blood within herself, so that her time may come, and that has made idols against herself to defile herself. In your blood that was shed, you have sinned, and you have defiled yourself with your idols that you have made.

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

proposed

Her time - The time of ripeness in her sins, and of execution of judgments on her. To defile - For this does more defile them, and provoke God to wrath against them.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

sheddeth blood . . . that her time may come--Instead of deriving advantage from her bloody sacrifices to idols, she only thereby brought on herself "the time" of her punishment. against herself-- (Pr 8:36).

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

Her time may come - Till now, it was my long-suffering; she has fulfilled her days - completed the time of her probation; has not mended, but is daily worse; therefore her judgment can linger no longer.

The words behind it

15 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וְאָמַרְתָּ֗and you will say

    veamartaH559 →5305 times

  • כֹּ֤הthus

    kohH3541 →577 times

  • אָמַר֙he says

    ʾamarH559 →5305 times

  • אֲדֹנָ֣י[the] Lord

    ʾadonaiH136 →440 times

  • יְהוִ֔הYahweh

    yahwehH3069 →306 times

  • עִ֣ירO city

    ʾirH5892 →1090 times

  • שֹׁפֶ֥כֶת[which] sheds

    shofekhetH8210 →114 times

  • דָּ֛םblood

    damH1818 →360 times

  • בְּתוֹכָ֖הּin [the] midst of it

    betokhahH8432 →418 times

  • לָב֣וֹאto come

    lavo'H935 →2568 times

  • עִתָּ֑הּtime its

    ʾitahH6256 →296 times

  • וְעָשְׂתָ֧הand it has made

    veasetahH6213 →2628 times

  • גִלּוּלִ֛יםidols

    gilulimH1544 →48 times

  • עָלֶ֖יהָon itself

    ʾaleihaH5921 →5755 times

  • לְטָמְאָֽה׃to become unclean

    letameahH2930 →162 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    2 Peter 2:3

    In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.

    it leads to

    • 2 Corinthians 2:17

      For we are not like so many others, who peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as men sent from God.

    • Romans 16:18

      For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

    • Deuteronomy 32:35

      Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”

    • 1 Thessalonians 2:5

      As you know, we never used words of flattery or any pretext for greed. God is our witness!

    • Jude 1:15

      to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of every ungodly act of wickedness and every harsh word spoken against Him by ungodly sinners.”

  • Through

    Ezekiel 22:6

    See how every prince of Israel within you has used his power to shed blood.

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 1:23

      Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

  • Through

    Ezekiel 22:27

    Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain.

    it leads to

    • Ezekiel 22:13

      Now look, I strike My hands together against your unjust gain and against the blood you have shed in your midst.

  • Through

    Ezekiel 23:37

    For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols. They have even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to Me, in the fire as food…

    it leads to

    • Ezekiel 16:36

      This is what the Lord GOD says: Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood…

Where this verse is studied

About Ezekiel

Ezekiel’s Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Ezekiel’s Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.