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Ezekiel 7:1–27

Ezekiel’s Message

God’s merciless judgment comes swiftly and unavoidably to those who seek security and pride in their own resources.

Key Themes

• There is a point after which turning to God for mercy is too late.

• The judgment of God comes at a time of his discretion.

• Materialism, like all idolatry, is useless to deliver from judgment.

• The inherent injustice of economic greed amplifies its culpability.

Context in Ezekiel

Similar to chapter 6, the limits of this unit are marked by the opening, “The word of the Lord came . . .” and the end, “Then they will know . . .” (Ezek 7:27). The chapter may be broken into smaller units, marked by the emphatic repetition of words that call the audience to attention: “end . . . end” (Ezek 7:2); “disaster . . . disaster” (Ezek 7:5); “see . . . see” (Ezek 7:10); “blown the trumpet . . . made all things ready” (Ezek 7:14); “full of bloodshed . . . full of violence” (Ezek 7:23).

Ezekiel develops his message of judgment with two new emphases in this passage. First, he stresses that merciless judgment is imminent, and second, he focuses his accusation on the arrogant yet useless economic greed of Israel’s leadership that is linked with their idolatry.

Interpretive Highlights

7:2 The end has come: Like a series of exclamation points, the five-fold concentration of the word, “end,” in the opening six verses punctuates this oracle with urgency. This language, first invoked by the prophet Amos concerning the northern kingdom (Amos 8:2), is now applied by Ezekiel to the southern kingdom. The irreversible nature of such judgment is stressed by the repetition of the phrase “has come” (8 times in the opening 7 verses). It is too late for repentance; judgment is already upon the city of Jerusalem, which is the primary referent throughout Ezekiel’s judgment speeches (cf. “now,” v. 3; “see, it comes,” v. 10; “trumpet,” v. 14).

7:3–4 detestable practices: This expression refers to a wide range of behavior that the Bible condemns as corrupt (variously translated with words related to “detestable” and “abominable” in the NIV). It includes the worship of foreign gods and the Canaanite practices associated with it (Deut 7:25; 20:18; 32:16), sexual immorality (Lev 18:22; 20:13; Ezek 22:11), falsehood (Prov 8:7), hypocritical prayer (Prov 28:9), and dishonesty in business dealings (Deut 25:16). All these things characterized Judah’s behavior at the time of Ezekiel, but the prophet’s emphasis in the context of this chapter is upon the financial materialism and injustice of the people (see below).

7:7 the day is near: Here Ezekiel draws upon another concept introduced by Amos. Perhaps related to ancient Near Eastern imagery for a king’s decisive day of victory in battle, the expression “day of the Lord” (or more simply “that day”/“the day”) became common in Old Testament texts to refer to any event when the Lord intervenes in war-like fashion for judgment and/or deliverance (see also discussion at Ezek 30:3). The shocking revelation in Amos is that such intervention would not necessarily be on behalf of God’s covenant people (as in Isa 13:1, 6; Zeph 3:8) but could also entail his destruction of them (Amos 5:18–26; cf. Zeph 1:7–18; Joel 1:15; 2:1–11).

7:9 the Lord who strikes you: Rooted in Old Testament tradition are passages about the origin of compound names for God involving his covenant name “Yahweh” and a blessing he bestows (“The Lord Will Provide,” Gen 22:14; “The Lord who Heals You,” Exod 15:26; “The Lord is my Banner,” Exod 17:15). In ironic fashion, in this context of judgment the Lord is known by the name of one who “strikes.”

7:10–11 the rod has budded: This phrase probably alludes to the budding of Aaron’s rod that put an “end” to the rebellion in Moses’ generation (Num 17:8–12). Here, the literary allusion underscores the “end” in Ezekiel’s day, when a “rod” arises to again challenge the arrogance of rebels. In v. 11, the allusion continues in reference to Aaron’s rod as an instrument of judgment (Exod 7:9; 8:5). The Hebrew of this verse is difficult. Note that the NIV (compared with the ESV and NASB) clarifies, probably rightly, that the “rod” is directed toward the wicked.49 This makes good sense with the parallel lines that follows, which stress the extermination of people and the wealth they have gained.

7:12–13 buyer . . . seller: In biblical law, both property and people (as bond-servants) could be exchanged for a price that was set according to a statute of limitations, after which the property must revert to its original owner and people set free (Exod 21:2; Lev 25:1–17; 27:22–25). In view of the imminent judgment, all parties of such transactions will be dead before anything is enjoyed or recovered.

7:15 sword . . . famine . . . plague: Ezekiel uses this triad (cf. Ezek 5:12; 6:11–12) to indicate that the major, lethal threats of a siege will successfully decimate the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Attempting to assign each threat to specific targets (inhabitants inside or outside the city) over reads the text, since the victims of each threat differ in the passages where the triad appears. The point is that few escape, and even these will suffer miserably (v. 16). A similar description features in a Mesopotamian text that describes the progressive decimation of the population of a city: “Anyone who has not died in battle will die in an epidemic. Anyone who has not died in the epidemic, the enemy will carry off as spoil. Anyone whom the enemy has not carried off, thieves will murder. Anyone whom thieves have not murdered, the king’s weapon will overcome . . .” [and on for another seven rounds].50

7:17 wet with urine: The figure of speech here is unclear. Some translations (e.g., ESV, NASB, NJPS) render the second half of v. 17 in a way that closely parallels the image of “limp” hands in the first half of the verse. So, “knees turn to water,” that is, they have no supporting strength. On the other hand, the NIV (cf. NET) reflects an understanding that this is a euphemism in which the Hebrew idiom, “knees running with water,” refers to urine coming down the legs. Either translation is possible, but the NIV translation is more likely, given this particular combination of words. While the word picture differs, the same grammatical idiom expresses the idea of eyes running with tears (Jer 9:17; Lam 1:16).51 An Assyrian text expresses the same imagery of soldiers fleeing in battle and passing urine in their fear: “Their hearts throbbed like the pursued young of pigeons, they passed their urine hotly.”52

7:19–20 caused them to stumble: The sense in which the wealthy stumble is clarified by reference to “idols” made with their gold and silver. Merely making such objects constitutes illicit worship (see chapter 6), but here Ezekiel mocks the impotence of religious belief behind idolatry—these objects and the gods they represent cannot truly save (cf. Isa 46:6–7; Jer 2:25; 11:12; esp. Zeph 1:18).

7:22 desecrate the place I treasure: In the days of Jeremiah, there was a false sense of security among the leaders of Jerusalem that God would never allow foreign armies to harm the holy city of his temple (Jer 7:4). Ezekiel, as well, warns that this is a false hope. In the logic of this context, if God is willing to suffer the loss of the gold and silver treasures of his own temple, how much more at risk is the opulence of the wealthy inhabitants of Jerusalem.

7:23 full of bloodshed: Amplifying the culpability of the wealthy is the social atrocity by which they amassed such wealth (cf. Ezek 22:6, 27). The Old Testament testifies to some who gained material success by virtue and hard work (Boaz in the book of Ruth; cf. Prov 10:4; 21:5); but frequently, the means of financial gain in Israelite society was through injustice and physical violence (Ahab seizing Naboth’s vineyard [1 Kgs 21:1–16]; cf. Isa 1:21–23; Amos 2:6–8; Mic 7:3; Hab 1:2–4; Zeph 1:8–9). It is this aspect of materialism, the disregard for human welfare, that lies deeper in Ezekiel’s accusation against not only idolatry but the broader range of misconduct (Ezek 7:3–4).

7:26 they will go searching: As it becomes apparent to the inhabitants of Jerusalem that disaster is looming, they will look beyond their trust in material self-sufficiency to human resources; but all of the customary leaders who might offer hope (cf. Jer 18:18; Mic 3:5–7) will also fail them.

Theological Bridge to Application

God is merciful and eager to relent of judgment (Exod 34:6; Jonah 2:9; 4:2). Before the call of Ezekiel, there was a time in Jerusalem’s moral and social decay when the prophet Jeremiah offered hope if the city would repent (Jer 4:3–4; 7:1–3; cf. Zeph 2:1–3). However, in the ways of God, there comes a time when it is too late to turn to him (Ps 32:6; Isa 55:6). It is evident in Ezek 7 that the time had passed for Jerusalem, underscoring the terrible consequences of delay. There comes a point when God says, “Enough!”

Focus of Application

This chapter of Ezekiel presses upon each person the urgency of turning to God. There is a point after which turning to God for mercy is too late; and bargaining for time is a foolish gamble, since he sovereignly dictates the timing of his judgment. This principle applies to unbelievers, who might postpone coming to terms with their need for salvation. It also applies to people of faith, who live in relationship with God; yet both conspicuous and subtle sin stubbornly remain in the lifelong process of becoming more dependent on God and more like him in character. It is fortunate that God does not expose every dark corner of sin in our lives all at once; rather, his Spirit continually and with increasing subtlety sheds light on our outward behavior and inner thought world. What is demanded is a prompt response whenever there is conviction.

Ezekiel’s accusations in this passage touch on several particulars. First, Ezek 7 carries forward from chapter 6 the theme of outward, more obvious expressions of idolatry. For Jerusalem, their worship of divine images was “detestable” (Ezek 7:3–4, 20); and North American, even christian, culture has its visual counterparts in the institutions and individuals we inappropriately celebrate. But second, at a deeper level, the making of idols was only a capacity that underlying material wealth made possible (Ezek 7: 19–20). Alongside wealth there is always the danger of materialism, which in turn fosters self-reliance in a way that undermines dependence on God.

Third, unjust, illicit, or unethical business and financial practices often exist at the foundation of wealthy gain. People, often those with less social capital, are literally robbed of their financial capital. The prophets, including Ezekiel (Ezek 7:23), use such language as “violence” and “bloodshed” to indict those who gain by the disadvantage of others. Sometimes this language is figurative, but in some cases real physical harm, even if indirect, is done to people who suffer from the actions of those more powerful than them. This application touches back to the detestable conduct denounced in Ezekiel’s opening oracle. Ezekiel affirms that even the wicked know better than this and stand condemned by their own standard (Ezek 7:27).

Finally, when people realize that material resources no longer offer any hope, they often turn to and depend on human help. In modern society, this often takes the form of political, legal, or medical help, as our culture elevates professionals to divine status in terms of our expectations and hopes. There is a thin line between, on the one hand, the wise and godly pursuit of human assistance from professionals whom God has provided, and, on the other hand, placing one’s final hope in such resources.

49. For alternatives, see Block, Ezekiel 1–24, 255–56.

50. Erra and Ishum (COS 1.113: 413). See also Bodi, “Ezekiel,” 419.

51. For technical discussion, see Greenberg, Ezekiel 1–20, 152.

52. Grayson, Royal Inscriptions, 184 (no. 22, vi 29–31). See also Greenberg, Ezekiel 1–20, 152. The quotations of this line in Block, Ezekiel 1–24, 281 and Bodi, “Ezekiel,” 419 incorrectly cite CAD 8, 103, which should be CAD 16, 103. The latter translates the text “they passed hot urine.”