The big picture
Ezekiel 14 opens in verse 1 with “Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.”, reaches its middle movement near verse 12 with “The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,”, and closes in verse 23 with “And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, Israel, idols, land, beast. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Ezekiel · King James Version · 23Ezekiel 14:1-8
1–8: Came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
Ezekiel 14:1–8 opens with “Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.” and reaches “And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 14 develops its own movement around LORD, Israel, idols, land, beast, with particular weight carried by idols, Israel, LORD.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.” Naming Israel keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
“That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.” Naming Israel keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Ezekiel 14:1-8
King James Version1Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
2And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
3Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
4Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;
5That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
6Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
7For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:
8And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD .
Ezekiel 14:9-16
9–16: If the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have…
Ezekiel 14:9–16 opens with “And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that…” and reaches “Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD , they shall deliver neither…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 14 develops its own movement around LORD, Israel, idols, land, beast, with particular weight carried by LORD, land, prophet.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch…” Naming Israel keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions…” Naming Israel keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and…” Naming Son keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Ezekiel 14:9-16
King James Version9And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
10And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;
11That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD .
12The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,
13Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:
14Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD .
15If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:
16Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD , they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.
Ezekiel 14:17-23
17–23: Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the…
Ezekiel 14:17–23 opens with “Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man…” and reaches “And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Ezekiel 14 develops its own movement around LORD, Israel, idols, land, beast, with particular weight carried by beast, Lord, deliver.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:” Naming Sword keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD , they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:” The line’s distinctive content terms include beast, blood, fury. Its relationship to verses 18 and 20 shows what work it does in this passage.
Ezekiel 14:17-23
King James Version17Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:
18Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD , they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.
19Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:
20Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD , they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
21For thus saith the Lord GOD ; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?
22Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.
23And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD .
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Ezekiel 14:1 begins with “Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.”
Where the chapter turns
Ezekiel 14:6 forms a natural hinge: “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your…”
The final note
Ezekiel 14:23 leaves the reader with “And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, Israel, idols, land, beast, deliver help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What contrasts the two royal encounters?
Melchizedek blesses God as the source of victory; Abram refuses a financial arrangement that would let Sodom claim credit for his wealth.
How does Abram treat Lot after their separation?
He risks resources to rescue him rather than treating earlier disagreement as a reason for abandonment.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.