Ezekiel 11 11

Ezekiel 11:11 kjv

This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel:

Ezekiel 11:11 nkjv

This city shall not be your caldron, nor shall you be the meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of Israel.

Ezekiel 11:11 niv

This city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be the meat in it; I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel.

Ezekiel 11:11 esv

This city shall not be your cauldron, nor shall you be the meat in the midst of it. I will judge you at the border of Israel,

Ezekiel 11:11 nlt

No, this city will not be an iron pot for you, and you will not be like meat safe inside it. I will judge you even to the borders of Israel,

Ezekiel 11 verses

Ezekiel 11 11 Meaning

Ezekiel 11:11 proclaims God's decisive refutation of the corrupted leaders' self-deceptive belief that Jerusalem provided them impenetrable safety from the Babylonian siege, like a protective cauldron guarding choice cuts of meat. The verse declares the city will offer no such sanctuary, nor will they, the unrighteous leaders, remain as favored inhabitants. Instead, God asserts His divine sovereignty, announcing that their judgment will not occur within the holy city, but ignominiously at "the border of Israel," signifying removal from the sacred land and the full execution of His justice upon them.

Ezekiel 11 11 Context

Ezekiel 11:11 is situated within Ezekiel's prophetic visions concerning the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the ultimate judgment upon its corrupt leaders and inhabitants. The preceding verses (Eze 11:1-10) introduce a group of twenty-five leaders who are defiant and actively promoting wickedness within the city. These leaders had used a proverbial saying: "The time is not near to build houses; this city is the cauldron, and we are the meat" (Eze 11:3). This proverb expressed their conviction that Jerusalem was an impregnable protective pot, shielding its "meat" (themselves and the remaining inhabitants) from the "fire" of the Babylonian siege. They believed themselves safe within its walls, impervious to divine judgment, even as they planned violence and committed abominations (Eze 11:6). Verse 11 directly challenges this self-delusion, turning their own proverb on its head, indicating that God, not their false sense of security, will determine their fate, and it will be judgment, not protection. The historical context is critical: Jerusalem was under Babylonian siege or had recently suffered a previous one (597 BC), and a final devastating siege (586 BC) was imminent, culminating in its destruction and the exile of its people. The people's trust in their city, temple, and their own political maneuvering was profound but ultimately misplaced.

Ezekiel 11 11 Word analysis

• This city (הָעִיר הַזֹּאת, ha'ir ha'zot): Refers specifically to Jerusalem. In their minds, "this city" was inviolable due to its sacred status. The demonstrative pronoun ("this") points to its physical and perceived spiritual reality for the original audience. God's response targets this specific object of their false security.
• shall not be (לֹא־תִהְיֶה, lo'-tihyeh): A direct and absolute negation. God utterly rejects their premise. It's a statement of divine reversal; what they expect will be, will not be.
• your cauldron (לָכֶם לְסִיר, lakhem l'sir): "Cauldron" (sir) is the same term the leaders used in Eze 11:3. It represents a protective vessel for them, suggesting safety, provision, and immunity from external threats. God's declaration shatters this symbol of false hope. "Your" specifies the possessive and indicates it was their specific, incorrect perception.
• nor shall you be (וְלֹא־תִהְיוּ, v'lo'-tihyu): Another absolute negation, paralleling the first. This targets the other part of their self-description, their identity within the city.
• the meat (בָּשָׂר, basar): Refers to the people within the city, specifically the leaders who deemed themselves privileged and protected. In the leaders' proverb (Eze 11:3), "meat" signifies those safe inside the cauldron. God turns this into a denial of their protected status; they are not choice cuts safe within a divine pot, but rather destined for exposure and consumption, stripped of their perceived value and security.
• in its midst (בְתוֹכָהּ, v'tokhah): Emphasizes their false belief of being securely enclosed within the city. God removes this geographical protection.
• I will judge you (וְשָׁפַטְתִּי אֶתְכֶם, v'shafat'ti et'khem): A declaration of divine judgment. "I" (first-person singular, an implied 'Anokhi' from the verbal form) emphasizes God's personal, sovereign initiative. "Judge" (shaphat) denotes a formal, righteous, and inescapable legal process by God.
• at the border of Israel (אֶל־גְּבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, el g'vul yisrael): This phrase carries immense significance. It implies their judgment will not occur within the holy, privileged confines of Jerusalem, but outside, far from the temple and the symbolic protection of the city. This placement signifies:
  • Dishonor and exile: Judgment outside the sacred land or city implies a loss of covenant blessing and a state of impurity or expulsion.
  • Proximity to execution: Historically, major judgments and executions of defeated rulers often occurred at national borders, such as Riblah (2 Kgs 25:6-7; Jer 52:9-10), signifying political and spiritual rejection.
  • Total lack of sanctuary: They won't even receive the "dignity" of judgment in the heart of their homeland, reinforcing their utter disfavor before God.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• This city shall not be your cauldron: This directly overturns the corrupted leaders' core belief and false security. It's a prophetic denial, stripping Jerusalem of its perceived protective power. It represents a dismantling of their nationalistic and spiritual self-deception that Jerusalem's walls or the Temple's presence could override their profound sin.
• nor shall you be the meat in its midst: This negates their identity as special, protected, or chosen while perpetrating evil. They thought they were the cherished inhabitants within an unassailable city, but God declares they are not destined for safety or favor within Jerusalem's confines. Their status is revoked.
• I will judge you at the border of Israel: This climactic declaration asserts God's ultimate authority and specifies the place of judgment. The judgment coming "from Me" underscores divine sovereignty. The location "at the border" is a powerful symbolic act. It signifies an ignominious end, a public spectacle of rejection, and a place where their claim to covenant membership and sacred privilege would be conclusively nullified, foreshadowing actual executions and deportations that occurred far from Jerusalem. It emphasizes the complete removal from what they considered holy and safe.

Ezekiel 11 11 Bonus section

The prophetic fulfillment of this verse is seen in the historical records of the Babylonian siege. After Jerusalem fell in 586 BC, King Zedekiah, many officials, and others were indeed taken captive and tried at Riblah, which was on the border region of Hamath, a non-Judean territory that served as Nebuchadnezzar's headquarters in Syria during the Judean campaigns. There, King Zedekiah's sons were slaughtered before his eyes, his eyes were then put out, and he was led into Babylonian captivity. This grim fate precisely reflects the ignominious judgment "at the border" mentioned in Ezekiel's prophecy, confirming that God's word to His prophet was faithfully executed. This verse also illustrates a key principle: God judges hypocrisy and the abuse of spiritual privilege most severely, demonstrating that internal corruption negates any external protection or blessing.

Ezekiel 11 11 Commentary

Ezekiel 11:11 delivers a stark divine reversal to Jerusalem's unrighteous leaders, who, blinded by their spiritual arrogance, equated the city with a secure cooking pot, shielding them from the outside world. This verse shatters their deluded security, proclaiming the city's inability to protect them and nullifying their status as God's "choice meat" within it. It's a declaration of impending, inescapable judgment from God himself. The profound detail "at the border of Israel" underscores their complete rejection and removal from sacred space. This judgment location signals not only exile but also an ignominious end, perhaps even execution in foreign territories, far from the cherished holy ground. It serves as a polemic against the false assurance derived from physical proximity to the Temple or a holy city while rejecting God's law. The divine justice will ensure their final moments, far from any imagined sanctuary, will powerfully manifest their loss of covenant standing. It highlights that true security is not in physical structures or inherited status, but in righteousness and obedience to God. For instance, just as a judge sends a criminal to be judged and incarcerated far from their family home, so God expels these corrupt leaders from the very land they defiled, underscoring the absolute and public nature of His decree.