Ezekiel 33:26
in Ezekiel 33You have relied on your swords, you have committed detestable acts, and each of you has defiled his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbor’s wife: and shall ye possess the land?
KJV
Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour’s wife: and shall ye possess the land?
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This verse in Ezekiel 33
Commentary
8 notes on this verseEvery heretic dwells in walls and deserts, and believes himself to possess the land of Israel, and says: If Abraham, by his faith alone, came into such great blessedness that his descendants were multiplied like the sand of the sea and like the stars of heaven, how much more will we, who are many, possess the land of Israel, that is, those who see God, and the confession of the Lord's Day?
This site's exposition
the word of the LORD came to me
on Ezekiel 33:23-26
Those still living in the ruins argue from Abraham, “Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land”, and add, “we are many”. The Lord answers by naming their conduct: they eat meat with the blood, look to idols, shed blood and defile a neighbor's wife.
This site's exposition
You have relied on your swords
The Hebrew reads literally you stand on your sword, a rule kept by violence. Defiling a neighbor's wife breaks the seventh commandment. The charges against those who would possess the land cover worship, bloodshed and the home.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
After Jerusalem was captured and the temple destroyed, the poor of the land, of whom Jeremiah writes, were left alone in Jerusalem to cultivate vineyards and fields and to dwell in the ruins of the burned city. And although they should have repented for the reasons for their captivity, they deceived themselves with empty hope, saying: Our father Abraham was one, and yet he possessed this land as an inheritance, not because he himself possessed it, but because his descendants received the land of promise. If, therefore, he alone was multiplied into so many peoples, we who are left behind in the land of Judea, and dwell in desolate and ruined cities, will certainly be multiplied much more, so that we may possess more than he possessed alone.
(Verse 23 onwards) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, those who dwell in these ruined places in the land of Israel speak, saying: Abraham was one, and he possessed the land; but we are many, the land has been given to us as a possession. Therefore, you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: You who eat with blood and lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood, shall you inherit the land?
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Here we meet with those who, while they live, think they cannot stand firmly above ground unless they have their swords under their feet, as if swords were both the softest pillows and the strongest pillars; though it was sin, it was sin, that first drew the sword.
You trust in it, and think to support yourselves by it, and secure your possession and right of it by that means.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Ye stand upon your sword - Ye live by plunder, rapine, and murder. Ye are every way impure; and shall ye possess the land? No.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| עֲמַדְתֶּ֤ם | ʾamadtem | you have stood | H5975 → | 521 times |
| עַֽל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| חַרְבְּכֶם֙ | charbekhem | sword your | H2719 → | 413 times |
| עֲשִׂיתֶ֣ן | ʾasiten | you have done | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| תּוֹעֵבָ֔ה | toevah | abomination | H8441 → | 117 times |
| וְאִ֛ישׁ | veish | and everyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֵ֥שֶׁת | ʾeshet | [the] wife of | H802 → | 781 times |
| רֵעֵ֖הוּ | reehu | neighbor his | H7453 → | 188 times |
| טִמֵּאתֶ֑ם | timetem | you have defiled | H2930 → | 162 times |
| וְהָאָ֖רֶץ | vehaaretz | and the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| תִּירָֽשׁוּ׃ ס | tirashu | will you possess? | H3423 → | 231 times |
עֲמַדְתֶּ֤םyou have stood
ʾamadtemH5975 →521 times
עַֽל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
חַרְבְּכֶם֙sword your
charbekhemH2719 →413 times
עֲשִׂיתֶ֣ןyou have done
ʾasitenH6213 →2628 times
תּוֹעֵבָ֔הabomination
toevahH8441 →117 times
וְאִ֛ישׁand everyone
veishH376 →1663 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אֵ֥שֶׁת[the] wife of
ʾeshetH802 →781 times
רֵעֵ֖הוּneighbor his
reehuH7453 →188 times
טִמֵּאתֶ֑םyou have defiled
timetemH2930 →162 times
וְהָאָ֖רֶץand the land
vehaaretzH776 →2504 times
תִּירָֽשׁוּ׃ סwill you possess?
tirashuH3423 →231 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
Genesis 27:40You shall live by the sword and serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will tear his yoke from your neck.”
it leads to
- 2 Kings 8:20–22
In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king.
- Genesis 25:23
and He declared to her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the…
- 2 Samuel 8:14
He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. So the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.
- 2 Chronicles 21:10
So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled against his rule at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the LORD, the God of his…
- 2 Chronicles 21:8
In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king.
- 2 Kings 8:20–22
Through
Zephaniah 3:3Her princes are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, leaving nothing for the morning.
it leads to
- Habakkuk 1:8
Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead, and their cavalry comes from afar. They fly like a vulture, swooping down to devour.
- Jeremiah 5:6
Therefore a lion from the forest will strike them down, a wolf from the desert will ravage them. A leopard will lie in wait near their cities, and everyone who ventures out will be…
- Ezekiel 22:25–27
The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.
- Habakkuk 1:8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; 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.