Ezekiel 33:10
in Ezekiel 33Now as for you, son of man, tell the house of Israel that this is what they have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins are heavy upon us, and we are wasting away because of them! How can we live?’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And thou, son of man, say unto the house of Israel: Thus ye speak, saying, Our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we pine away in them; how then can we live?
KJV
Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?
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This verse in Ezekiel 33
Commentary
7 notes on this verseIf our transgressions and our sins be upon us - They are upon us, as a grievous burden, too weighty for us to bear: how then can we live under such a load? We pine away in them - In such circumstances how consoling is that word: “Come unto me, all ye who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!”
This site's exposition
Our transgressions and our sins are heavy
on Ezekiel 33:10-11
Verse 10 quotes the exiles' question, “How can we live”. The Lord replies with an oath that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, the note first sounded at 18:32. The call to turn closes with the question “why should you die, O house of Israel”.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Versed 10ff.) Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them: 'Our transgressions and sins are upon us, and we waste away because of them. How then can we live?' Say to them: 'As surely as I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Here is a particular message sent to those who yet remained in the land of Israel, and (which is very strange) grew secure there, and confident that they should take root there again, to tell them that their hopes would fail them because they persisted in their sins,
We die, we perish, we all perish. " Note, It is very common for those that have been hardened with presumption when they were warned against sin to sink into despair when they are called to repent, and to conclude there is no hope of life for them. They quarrelled with his threatenings and judgments, as having no justice or equity in them.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
be upon us--that is, their guilt remain on us. pine away in them--if we suffer the penalty threatened for them in Eze 24:23, according to the law (Le 26:39). how should we . . . live?--as Thou dost promise in Eze 33:5 (compare Eze 37:11;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
So have you spoken Therefore, you do not wish to repent, because you believe that repentance will not avail you.
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
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַתָּ֣ה | veatah | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| בֶן־ | ven- | O son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אָדָ֗ם | ʾadam | humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
| אֱמֹר֙ | ʾemor | say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בֵּ֣ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| כֵּ֤ן | ken | thus | H3651 → | 771 times |
| אֲמַרְתֶּם֙ | ʾamartem | you have said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לֵאמֹ֔ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| פְשָׁעֵ֥ינוּ | feshaeinu | transgressions our | H6588 → | 93 times |
| וְחַטֹּאתֵ֖ינוּ | vechatoteinu | and sins our | H2403 → | 295 times |
| עָלֵ֑ינוּ | ʾaleinu | [are] on us | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וּבָ֛ם | uvam | and in them | ||
| אֲנַ֥חְנוּ | ʾanachnu | we | H587 → | 120 times |
| נְמַקִּ֖ים | nemakim | [are] wasting away | H4743 → | 10 times |
| וְאֵ֥יךְ | veeikh | and how? | H349 → | |
| נִֽחְיֶֽה׃ | nichyeh | will we live | H2421 → | 282 times |
וְאַתָּ֣הand you
veatahH859 →1094 times
בֶן־O son of
ven-H1121 →4930 times
אָדָ֗םhumankind
ʾadamH120 →551 times
אֱמֹר֙say
ʾemorH559 →5305 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
בֵּ֣ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
כֵּ֤ןthus
kenH3651 →771 times
אֲמַרְתֶּם֙you have said
ʾamartemH559 →5305 times
לֵאמֹ֔ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
פְשָׁעֵ֥ינוּtransgressions our
feshaeinuH6588 →93 times
וְחַטֹּאתֵ֖ינוּand sins our
vechatoteinuH2403 →295 times
עָלֵ֑ינוּ[are] on us
ʾaleinuH5921 →5755 times
וּבָ֛םand in them
uvam
אֲנַ֥חְנוּwe
ʾanachnuH587 →120 times
נְמַקִּ֖ים[are] wasting away
nemakimH4743 →10 times
וְאֵ֥יךְand how?
veeikhH349 →
נִֽחְיֶֽה׃will we live
nichyehH2421 →282 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 4:17So they will lack food and water; they will be appalled at the sight of one another wasting away in their iniquity.
it leads to
- Leviticus 26:39
Those of you who survive in the lands of your enemies will waste away in their iniquity and will decay in the sins of their fathers.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 24:23
Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins, and you will groan among yourselves.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Leviticus 26:39
Through
Leviticus 26:39Those of you who survive in the lands of your enemies will waste away in their iniquity and will decay in the sins of their fathers.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 4:17
So they will lack food and water; they will be appalled at the sight of one another wasting away in their iniquity.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 4:17
Through
Ezekiel 37:11Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look, they are saying, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.’
it leads to
- Ephesians 2:1
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
- Psalms 77:7–9
“Will the Lord spurn us forever and never show His favor again?
- Ezekiel 39:25
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Now I will restore Jacob from captivity and will have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name.
- Jeremiah 31:1
“At that time,” declares the LORD, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be My people.”
- Ezekiel 36:10
I will multiply the people upon you—the house of Israel in its entirety. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.
- Ephesians 2:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible.