Ezekiel 12:20 kjv
And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 12:20 nkjv
Then the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall become desolate; and you shall know that I am the LORD." ' "
Ezekiel 12:20 niv
The inhabited towns will be laid waste and the land will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'?"
Ezekiel 12:20 esv
And the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation; and you shall know that I am the LORD."
Ezekiel 12:20 nlt
The cities will be destroyed and the farmland made desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'"
Ezekiel 12 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 12:21 | "Son of man, what is that proverb you people have about the land of Israel: 'The days are... | Ezekiel 12:22 |
| Ezekiel 13:1-3 | The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who... | Ezekiel 13:2 |
| Jeremiah 23:16 | "Do not listen to the prophets who are prophesying to you. They fill you with false hopes. They... | Jeremiah 23:16 |
| Micah 3:5-6 | This is what the LORD says: "As for the prophets who lead my people astray, they proclaim... | Micah 3:5-6 |
| Isaiah 9:15 | The elders and the honored are the head, and the prophets who teach lies are the tail. | Isaiah 9:15 |
| 1 Samuel 28:6 | When Saul asked the LORD, he did not answer him by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. | 1 Samuel 28:6 |
| Matthew 7:15 | "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are... | Matthew 7:15 |
| 2 Peter 2:1-3 | But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers... | 2 Peter 2:1 |
| Acts 15:24 | For we have heard that some went out from us and caused trouble by what they said, unsettling... | Acts 15:24 |
| Revelation 19:20 | But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on... | Revelation 19:20 |
| Hosea 9:7 | "The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are here. So Israel will know this... | Hosea 9:7 |
| Lamentations 4:13 | For the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed in the midst of... | Lamentations 4:13 |
| Zechariah 13:3-4 | And if anyone else prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, 'You... | Zechariah 13:3 |
| Isaiah 30:10 | they say to the seers, "See no more visions"; and to the prophets, "Prophesy no longer what... | Isaiah 30:10 |
| Jeremiah 5:31 | The prophets prophesy lies, the priests have come to rule by their own authority, and my... | Jeremiah 5:31 |
| Ezekiel 13:6 | They have seen false visions and practiced lying divination. They say, "The LORD declares,"... | Ezekiel 13:6 |
| Ezekiel 14:8 | I will set my face against them and make them an example and a byword, and I will cut them... | Ezekiel 14:8 |
| Ezekiel 14:10 | They shall bear their iniquity; the iniquity of the prophet shall be the same as the iniquity... | Ezekiel 14:10 |
| Ezekiel 22:28 | Her prophets smear her walls with whitewash, seeing false visions and uttering lying... | Ezekiel 22:28 |
| Revelation 20:10 | And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the... | Revelation 20:10 |
Ezekiel 12 verses
Ezekiel 12 20 Meaning
The land of Israel will no longer be subject to the prophetic pronouncements of false visions or deceptive divination. God's judgment has come, making any continued claims of peaceful future impossible for the people living there.
Ezekiel 12 20 Context
Ezekiel 12 is part of a larger oracle of judgment against the people of Judah and their leaders. In the preceding verses, Ezekiel performs symbolic actions to demonstrate the impending exile. Chapter 12 addresses the people's complacent attitude and their reliance on false prophets who are proclaiming peace when disaster is imminent. This specific verse emphasizes that the deceptive prophecies and visions of falsehood are coming to an end because God's judgment has been fully executed upon the land. It marks a turning point where the futile pronouncements of false prophets will no longer be heard in the land because the land itself is no longer experiencing peace but is under divine condemnation and desolation.
Ezekiel 12 20 Word Analysis
- הֵן (hen): This is an interjection, similar to "Behold!" or "Lo!" It draws attention to what follows. It is used here to emphatically state the upcoming reality.
- קָצִין (qatsin): While sometimes translated as "chief" or "ruler," in this context, it refers to something that is "remote" or "far off." The Hebrew word root is related to an end or extremity.
- לֹא יִהְיֶה (lo yihyeh): This is a straightforward negation: "shall not be" or "will not happen."
- עוֹד (`od): This adverb means "again," "more," or "still." Combined with the negation, it signifies "no longer."
- מַשָּׂא (massah): This noun refers to a "burden," especially a prophetic burden, a oracle, or a pronouncement, often one of judgment.
- שֶׁקֶר (sheqer): This means "a lie," "falsehood," or "deception."
- נָבוּאָה (nev'uah): This is the word for "prophecy" or "prophetic utterance."
- טָעָה (ta'ah): This verb means "to err," "to stray," or "to wander." In the Niphal conjugation here (not explicitly shown but implied by the construct "of errors"), it implies "causes error" or "is erroneous."
- מַטְעֵה (mat'eh): Derived from the root "to err" (ta'ah), this noun signifies "error," "deception," or "deceit." The construct state implies the prophecy of error.
- נְבִיאֵי (nevi'ei): This is the plural of "nabi," meaning "prophet."
- לַשָּׁוְא (lashhav): "to vanity" or "in vain." This indicates that the prophecies are futile and without truth or effect from God.
- חֵלֶק (cheleq): This noun means "portion," "part," or "lot." It refers to the outcome or the assigned experience of Israel.
Group of words analysis:"קָצִין לֹא יִהְיֶה עוֹד מַשָּׂא שֶׁקֶר וּנְבִיאֵי מַטְעֵה" translates to "a far-off burden shall not be any longer, and prophets of error." This entire phrase captures the essence of God declaring the end of false prophetic pronouncements concerning peace and the cessation of their deceptive messages in the land.
Ezekiel 12 20 Bonus Section
The phrase "burden of a lie" is significant. Prophets in the Old Testament were often described as bearing or delivering a "burden" from the Lord (Isaiah 13:1). However, these were divine messages. Here, the burden is characterized by "sheqer" (lie), highlighting that it originates from a deceptive source, not from God. This distinction is critical; while God sent burdens (prophecies of judgment), false prophets manufactured their own "burdens of lies." The term "prophets of error" further reinforces their deviation from truth. The verse speaks to a theological reality: when judgment falls, the spiritual environment shifts, nullifying the deceptive pronouncements that preceded it. This echoes Jesus' warning against false prophets who would perform signs and wonders, but ultimately lead people astray (Matthew 7:15). The divine abandonment of the land by removing the "burden of lie" signifies a removal of false comfort, forcing a confrontation with reality.
Ezekiel 12 20 Commentary
This verse serves as a divine pronouncement confirming the end of deceptive prophecies directed at Israel. For too long, false prophets had offered smooth words, assuring peace and security when God's judgment was about to fall. This verse declares that this era of illusion is over. The land itself, under the weight of God's punitive actions, can no longer sustain the hollow pronouncements of these false prophets. Their visions were "burden of lies" and their prophecies "error," meaning they were a weighty, inescapable falsehood that had deceived the people. Now, that burdensome lie of continued peace is finished; its prophetic source is extinguished in effect, and the people will no longer have that specific type of false hope to cling to. The impending exile and desolation starkly contrast with the comforting lies they had heard. This emphasizes that God's truth, even when it involves judgment, ultimately triumphs over deception.