Ezekiel 12:27 kjv
Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.
Ezekiel 12:27 nkjv
"Son of man, look, the house of Israel is saying, 'The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.'
Ezekiel 12:27 niv
"Son of man, the Israelites are saying, 'The vision he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies about the distant future.'
Ezekiel 12:27 esv
"Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, 'The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.'
Ezekiel 12:27 nlt
"Son of man, the people of Israel are saying, 'He's talking about the distant future. His visions won't come true for a long, long time.'
Ezekiel 12 27 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 12:27 | "Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off." | Ezekiel 12:22 - Intro to the statement |
| Isaiah 55:8-9 | "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither your ways my ways, saith the LORD." | God's perspective is higher |
| Jeremiah 28:9 | "The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him." | Validation of prophetic word |
| Amos 6:3 | "Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;" | People pushing away divine judgment |
| 2 Peter 3:3-4 | "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." | Skepticism towards prophecies about future events |
| Matthew 24:35 | "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." | Enduring nature of God's word |
| Luke 21:33 | "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away." | Reinforces the certainty of Jesus' words |
| Acts 2:17 | "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy..." | Fulfillment of prophecy in "last days" |
| Hebrews 10:37 | "For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry." | The coming judgment and salvation will occur |
| Genesis 6:3 | "And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." | Limits on human lifespan; God sets time |
| Job 7:1 | "Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?" | The concept of appointed times for events |
| Ecclesiastes 3:1 | "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" | God ordains times and seasons |
| Isaiah 46:10 | "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and all my pleasure will I do:" | God's sovereign plan unfolds as declared |
| Jeremiah 29:10 | "For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished unto Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place." | Specific fulfillment of prophecy regarding time |
| Ezekiel 12:23 | "Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will put an end to this proverb, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision." | God’s direct command to counter the proverb |
| Ezekiel 12:28 | "Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but my word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD." | Direct consequence and affirmation of the verse's message |
| Ezekiel 22:7 | "They sharpen their tongues like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words." | Describes the sharpness of tongues used in accusation/denial |
| Matthew 13:14-15 | "And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed..." | Fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy on Israel's spiritual blindness |
| John 5:46 | "For if ye believed Moses, ye would believe me: for he wrote of me." | Jesus points to earlier scriptures as proof of His identity and mission |
| Acts 17:31 | "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the whole world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him up from the dead." | God's appointed day of judgment |
Ezekiel 12 verses
Ezekiel 12 27 Meaning
The verse signifies that prophecies concerning the distant future, which the people of Israel often dismissed as unlikely or impossible, would indeed come to pass. It addresses the Israelites' skepticism about God's pronouncements of judgment and their tendency to believe such warnings were mere fables or unfounded threats that would never materialize.
Ezekiel 12 27 Context
This verse appears in Ezekiel chapter 12, a chapter filled with symbolic actions and pronouncements by the prophet Ezekiel to illustrate God's coming judgment upon Israel. The specific context here is a response to the persistent skepticism of the people of Judah. They had grown accustomed to hearing prophecies of doom, especially from false prophets, and had thus grown desensitized to true prophetic warnings. They viewed Ezekiel's messages as fanciful predictions about a distant, perhaps never-to-arrive, future. They had adopted a proverb that essentially said, "Ezekiel's prophecies are for many days to come, and he's predicting things in the distant future," implying these pronouncements would never actually be fulfilled. This verse captures the essence of their disbelief and their attempt to dismiss God's word as irrelevant or invalid.
Ezekiel 12 27 Word Analysis
Son of man: (Hebrew: ben adam ben-'ah-däm) A title God frequently uses for Ezekiel, emphasizing his humanity and his role as a messenger to His people. It grounds Ezekiel’s divine message in human experience and highlights his subordinate position to God.
behold: (Hebrew: hen hen) An interjection calling for attention, to draw the listener's focus to the following statement.
they of the house of Israel: (Hebrew: bayit Yisrael bah-yit yis-rah-el) Refers specifically to the people of Israel, particularly the southern kingdom of Judah, during the period of the Babylonian exile.
say: (Hebrew: amar ah-mar) They express a common sentiment, a widely held opinion.
The vision: (Hebrew: machazeh mach-az-eh) Refers to the divine revelations, dreams, and prophecies that God gives to Ezekiel. It's not a hallucination but a divinely inspired perception.
that he seeth: (Hebrew: ro'eh roh-eh) Highlights the visual aspect of Ezekiel's prophetic experience, as many prophecies were conveyed through visions.
is for many days to come: (Hebrew: l'-yamim rab-bîm 'â-bîm l'-yôm-yom) A phrase conveying remoteness in time, suggesting that the fulfillment of the vision is a very long way off, if ever.
and he prophesieth: (Hebrew: nabî') The act of speaking forth divine messages.
of the times that are far off: (Hebrew: 'el 'ethot 'achat-nê bîyah el eth-oht ach-at-nay bee-yah) Reinforces the idea of a distant, not-imminent future, emphasizing their belief that the prophecy's execution was postponed indefinitely.
The people's disbelief in the immediacy of God's judgment: The phrase "many days to come" and "times that are far off" directly communicates their mindset of dismissal.
The nature of prophetic fulfillment: The verse implies a contrast between human perception of time and God's perfect timing, which often feels slow to man but is always on schedule.
The proverb as a weapon against God's word: They weaponized this sentiment, using it as a rationale to continue in their sin, believing the warnings were not pressing.
Ezekiel 12 27 Bonus Section
This specific proverb in Ezekiel 12:27 echoes a common sentiment throughout history whenever God's people face trials and prophetic pronouncements. The delay in God's judgment is not an indication of His inability or unwillingness to act, but rather an opportunity for repentance. The ultimate "far off" fulfillment is the final consummation of God's kingdom and the final judgment, but immediate prophetic pronouncements carry the weight of current applicability. God’s methods, particularly His patience, are often misunderstood by humanity. The fulfillment of God's Word is certain, regardless of when it appears to human perception.
Ezekiel 12 27 Commentary
The people of Israel, witnessing ongoing hardship and delayed full restoration, had rationalized their disobedience by adopting a proverb that trivialized God's prophetic warnings through Ezekiel. They perceived the prophet’s messages of judgment and future restoration as distant fantasies rather than immediate divine pronouncements. This verse exposes a dangerous human tendency to either outrun or dismiss God's ordained timeline. It reflects a spiritual immaturity that struggles to grasp God’s sovereign perspective on time. When God's judgments appear slow, it doesn't mean they are absent, but rather that God is being longsuffering (2 Peter 3:9), and His purposes will be accomplished in His perfect time. The ultimate "time far off" in this context, and across biblical history, often points to the fullness of God's redemptive plan, culminating in Christ, but it also means present pronouncements will find their definite execution.