Ezekiel 14:1
in Ezekiel 14Then some of the elders of Israel came and sat down before me.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
KJV
Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
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This verse in Ezekiel 14
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThen came certain, of the elders of Israel unto me,.... The Syriac version adds, "to consult the Lord"; by the prophet.
This site's exposition
some of the elders of Israel
on Ezekiel 14:1-3
The Lord names their state first: “these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces.” Then he asks, “Should I consult with them in any way?” The question exposes men who seek a word from God while rivals hold their hearts.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Chapter 14, Verse 1 onwards) And the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I be consulted by them?
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Note, It is no new thing for bad men to be found employed in the external performances of religion. The account which God gave the prophet privately concerning them. They were strangers to him; he only knew that they were elders of Israel; that was the character they wore, and as such he received them with respect, and, it is likely, was glad to see them so well disposed.
They are ordered to repent, or not to pretend to inquire of God, ver. 6-11. Tho' Noah, Daniel and Job were to pray for the people, yet they would not prevail, ver. 12-21.
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The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me - These probably came to tempt him, or get him to say something that would embroil him with the government. They were bad men, as we shall see in the third verse.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Elders of Israel - Some of the fellow-exiles of Ezekiel, among whom he ministered.
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּב֤וֹא | vaiyavo' | and he came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֵלַי֙ | ʾelai | to me | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֲנָשִׁ֔ים | ʾanashim | men | H582 → | 566 times |
| מִזִּקְנֵ֖י | miziknei | from [the] elders of | H2205 → | 178 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּ | vaiyeshevu | and they sat down | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| לְפָנָֽי׃ פ | lefanai | <to> before me | H6440 → | 2123 times |
וַיָּב֤וֹאand he came
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
אֵלַי֙to me
ʾelaiH413 →5510 times
אֲנָשִׁ֔יםmen
ʾanashimH582 →566 times
מִזִּקְנֵ֖יfrom [the] elders of
mizikneiH2205 →178 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּand they sat down
vaiyeshevuH3427 →1079 times
לְפָנָֽי׃ פ<to> before me
lefanaiH6440 →2123 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 29:13Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 33:31–33
So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest…
- Jeremiah 12:2
You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their hearts.
- Mark 7:2–13
and they saw some of His disciples eating with hands that were defiled—that is, unwashed.
- Matthew 15:2–9
“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”
- Jeremiah 3:10
Yet in spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the LORD.
- Ezekiel 33:31–33
Through
Ezekiel 20:1In the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down before me.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 8:1
In the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me; and there the hand of the Lord…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 8:1
Through
Ezekiel 33:31So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest…
it leads to
- Matthew 13:22
The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
- Psalms 78:36–37
But they deceived Him with their mouths, and lied to Him with their tongues.
- Matthew 13:22
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
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); 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 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.