Ezekiel 11 7

Ezekiel 11:7 kjv

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.

Ezekiel 11:7 nkjv

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the meat, and this city is the caldron; but I shall bring you out of the midst of it.

Ezekiel 11:7 niv

"Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: The bodies you have thrown there are the meat and this city is the pot, but I will drive you out of it.

Ezekiel 11:7 esv

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of it, they are the meat, and this city is the cauldron, but you shall be brought out of the midst of it.

Ezekiel 11:7 nlt

"Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: This city is an iron pot all right, but the pieces of meat are the victims of your injustice. As for you, I will soon drag you from this pot.

Ezekiel 11 verses

Ezekiel 11 7 Meaning

Ezekiel 11:7 reveals a stark reversal of the people of Jerusalem's self-assured proverb. The inhabitants and leaders, who presumed the city's walls provided impregnable safety and sustained them like meat in a cooking pot, are confronted with divine judgment. God declares that the "meat" in this city-cauldron are not the protected survivors, but rather their own slain—those already dead from war and internal strife. Furthermore, the remaining people, specifically the self-serving leaders, will not remain safely within the city's supposed embrace but will be violently removed and carried out into exile. The city itself, far from being a protective haven, is the pot where their destruction unfolds.

Ezekiel 11 7 Context

Ezekiel chapter 11 continues the prophet's visions from chapter 8, where he is supernaturally transported to Jerusalem to witness the abominable idolatry and moral corruption pervading the temple and the city's leadership. The leaders, specifically mentioned as Jaazaniah and Pelatiah, harbored a deep-seated false confidence, believing that Jerusalem's formidable defenses, and perhaps their own cleverness, guaranteed their safety against Babylonian aggression. This delusion is captured in their arrogant proverb, "This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat" (Eze 11:3). They imagined the city protected them from the invading "fire" of the enemy, keeping them secure and nourished like choice meat safely simmering in a pot. Ezekiel 11:7 is God's direct and cutting refutation, or "counter-proverb," to their hubris. God directly inverts their proverb, declaring that the city is indeed a cauldron, but one in which their own slain are consumed, not safely stewed, and the survivors, including themselves, are destined for exile rather than sustained safety. The historical context is a city under siege or recently partially exiled, clinging to illusions of invincibility while ignoring the true divine judgment impending.

Ezekiel 11 7 Word analysis

• Therefore thus says the Lord God (לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, lakhen koh amar Adonai Yehovih): This powerful phrase functions as a divine, authoritative declaration. "Adonai Yehovih" combines "Lord" (indicating God as sovereign Master) with "Yahweh" (God's covenant name), underscoring both His absolute authority and His personal involvement in executing judgment. It emphasizes that this is not a human interpretation, but God's unassailable verdict.
• Your slain (חַלְלֵיכֶם, hal'leichem): Derived from the root חָלָל (halal), meaning "pierced, slain, defiled." This term specifically refers to those who have fallen in battle or through violence, not animal sacrifices. The use of "your" implies these are their own casualties, a consequence of their collective sin, rather than an external enemy's doing in the way they expect. It powerfully undercuts their false security by pointing to internal, present destruction.
• whom you have laid in its midst (אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתֶּם בְּתוֹכָהּ, asher samtem betochah): The verb "laid" (śāmam) means to put, place, or set. It points to a direct responsibility, whether literally burying the dead within the city, or metaphorically having "caused" their presence through their wicked actions leading to judgment and internal strife. It reinforces the idea that the death and defilement are already inside their 'safe' city.
• these are the meat (הֵמָּה הַבָּשָׂר, hemma habbasar): "Meat" (bāśār) generally refers to flesh, often edible. Here, it is ironically inverted. In their proverb (Eze 11:3), they were the precious meat; God says the "meat" now consists of their dead, implying consumption through destruction, not preservation. They are food for the fiery judgment, not protected nourishment.
• and this city is the cauldron (וְהִיא הַסִּיר, vehi hassir): "Cauldron" (sîr) is a large cooking pot. While the Jerusalemites used this imagery to denote safety and sustenance, God affirms the imagery but imbues it with a horrifying, inverted meaning. The city is indeed a pot, but one where judgment "cooks" or consumes its inhabitants through death and destruction. It becomes a vessel of divine wrath.
• but you yourselves (וְאֶתְכֶם, ve'etkhem): The Hebrew here uses the accusative particle "et" with a pronominal suffix, acting as an emphatic "you," distinctly separating the survivors and leaders from the "slain." This emphasizes that their perceived immunity is false; their turn for judgment is coming.
• shall be carried out (אוֹצִיא אֶתְכֶם מִתּוֹכָהּ, otzi etkhem mittokhah): The verb אוֹצִיא (oṣi') means "I will bring out" or "I will cause to go out." This is an active, divine judgment – God Himself will remove them. This refers directly to the impending exile, tearing them from the supposed safety of Jerusalem into foreign captivity, directly contrasting with their belief of being preserved within the city.
• of its midst (מִתּוֹכָהּ, mittokhah): "Out of its midst" or "from within it." This reiterates their removal from the very heart of the city they deemed a protective shield, highlighting the shattering of their illusion of security.

• "Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, these are the meat": This phrase establishes the ironic twist. The perceived protective "meat" (themselves) is replaced by the real "meat" — the deceased victims of their collective sin. The city is not nurturing them but has become a grave where internal slaughter feeds divine wrath. It highlights the consequence of their sin within the city.
• "and this city is the cauldron": While echoing their own words, this confirms the setting but completely redefines its function. No longer a sanctuary of security and preservation, the city is declared a vessel for the judgment and destruction of its inhabitants. It implies that the process of destruction is actively underway.
• "but you yourselves shall be carried out of its midst": This directly refutes the second part of their proverb (Eze 11:3, "and we are the meat"). Instead of remaining safely stewed within, the living (especially the false leaders) will face the ignominy and punishment of forced removal and exile. This seals the judgment on their misguided confidence.

Ezekiel 11 7 Bonus section

The passage exhibits a powerful polemic against the false theological and political beliefs held by the Jerusalem leadership. Their proverb "This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat" (Eze 11:3) indicated a deep conviction in Jerusalem's invincibility, possibly rooted in their misinterpretation of God's dwelling in the temple or the historical protection the city had received (e.g., during Sennacherib's siege, Isa 36-37). Ezekiel 11:7 serves to dismantle this belief completely, stripping away their hubris and revealing the true horror of their situation. God's response clarifies that His presence is departing (Eze 10:18-19, 11:22-23), leaving the city vulnerable and turning their perceived safety into a chamber of death. The imagery suggests an internal consumption by judgment rather than external assault being their primary threat.

Ezekiel 11 7 Commentary

Ezekiel 11:7 functions as a devastating divine rebuttal to the pride and false security of Jerusalem's inhabitants and leaders. They embraced a proverb viewing their city as an impenetrable cauldron, protecting them like prized meat from the external fire of war. God accepts their imagery but entirely redefines it: the city is indeed a cauldron, but its contents are their slain dead, signifying internal destruction and consumption by divine judgment. The remaining leaders, far from being safe, will be forcibly removed, cast out into exile, directly shattering their illusions of impregnable safety and self-preservation within their stronghold. This verse vividly communicates God's sovereignty over their fate, revealing the true nature of their predicament and the utter failure of their human defenses in the face of divine wrath.