Ezekiel 15:8 kjv
And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 15:8 nkjv
Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have persisted in unfaithfulness,' says the Lord GOD."
Ezekiel 15:8 niv
I will make the land desolate because they have been unfaithful, declares the Sovereign LORD."
Ezekiel 15:8 esv
And I will make the land desolate, because they have acted faithlessly, declares the Lord GOD."
Ezekiel 15:8 nlt
And I will make the land desolate because my people have been unfaithful to me. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!"
Ezekiel 15 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:33 | And I will scatter you among the nations... and your land shall be a desolation... | Covenant curse: land desolation for disobedience. |
| Deut 28:15 | But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God... all these curses... | Warnings of judgment for disobedience. |
| Deut 28:20 | The Lord will send on you curses... until you are destroyed and perish... | God's active role in bringing judgment. |
| Deut 28:63 | Just as the Lord took delight in doing you good... so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you... | God's reciprocal action based on Israel's deeds. |
| Isa 5:5-6 | I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured... I will lay it waste... | Parable of the vineyard's judgment and desolation. |
| Isa 6:11 | Then I said, "How long, O Lord?" He said: "Until cities are desolate and without inhabitant..." | Desolation as the extent of divine judgment. |
| Jer 4:27 | For thus says the Lord, "The whole land shall be a desolation..." | Prophecy of land's desolation due to sin. |
| Jer 7:34 | And I will make to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice... for the land shall become a waste. | Desolation of habitation and joy. |
| Lam 1:1 | How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become... | Poetic lament over Jerusalem's desolation. |
| Num 5:6-8 | Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord... | Definition of acting treacherously (maʿal). |
| Josh 7:1 | But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan... took some of the devoted things. | Example of treachery leading to judgment. |
| Ps 78:57 | They turned back and were faithless like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow. | Israel's repeated unfaithfulness. |
| Isa 24:16 | From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise... But I say, "I pine away, I pine away. Woe to me! For the traitors have dealt treacherously..." | Universal lament over widespread treachery. |
| Jer 3:20 | Surely as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord. | Metaphor of treachery as spiritual adultery. |
| Hos 6:7 | But like Adam, they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt treacherously with me. | Covenant transgression as treachery. |
| Mal 2:10-11 | Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another... Judah has been faithless... | Collective treachery against God and neighbor. |
| Heb 6:7-8 | For land that has drunk the rain... and produces thorns and thistles is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. | New Testament echo: uselessness leading to judgment (strong thematic link to Eze 15). |
| 2 Thess 1:8 | In flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. | Divine vengeance as active judgment. |
| Rev 18:8 | For strong is the Lord God who has judged her. | God's absolute power and justice in judgment. |
| Matt 21:33-41 | Hear another parable: There was a master of a house... When the tenants saw the son, they said... 'Let us kill him and have his inheritance.' | Parable of the wicked tenants, a spiritual rejection and judgment for unfaithfulness (indirect parallel to vine motif). |
| John 15:6 | If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. | New Testament fulfillment of the vine metaphor: unproductive branches face fiery judgment. |
Ezekiel 15 verses
Ezekiel 15 8 Meaning
Ezekiel 15:8 declares God's solemn decree that He Himself will turn the land of Israel into an absolute wasteland. This severe divine judgment is pronounced as a direct consequence of the people's persistent and egregious treachery against Him, affirming the Lord GOD's ultimate sovereignty and justice in fulfilling His covenantal warnings.
Ezekiel 15 8 Context
Ezekiel 15:8 concludes the "Parable of the Useless Vine," one of Ezekiel's most potent prophecies of judgment against Jerusalem. This chapter, presented through vivid allegory, contrasts Israel (symbolized as a vine, specifically the wood of a vine) with other trees. While wood from other trees can be useful (e.g., for construction), grapevine wood is inherently worthless for anything except bearing fruit. Since the people of Jerusalem have proven spiritually barren, yielding no fruit of righteousness, their existence is deemed utterly purposeless by God, fit only for destruction by fire, much like dry vine branches. Verse 8 delivers the explicit reason for the devastating judgment detailed in the parable: their deep-seated unfaithfulness. Historically, Ezekiel prophesied during the Babylonian exile (circa 593-571 BC). Many had already been carried off to Babylon (597 BC), and the final destruction of Jerusalem (586 BC) was looming. This verse serves to justify that impending catastrophe, explaining to the exiled Israelites that God's severe judgment was not arbitrary but a just recompense for their chronic apostasy and covenant violation.
Ezekiel 15 8 Word analysis
- So: Hebrew: וְנָתַתִּ֨י (vᵉnāṯattî - lit. "and I will give"). This conjunction indicates a direct consequence, a logical outcome of the preceding statements about the vine's worthlessness. It signals the initiation of God's determined action based on the prior assessment.
- I will make: Part of the verb וְנָתַתִּ֨י, here meaning "I will put" or "I will set." This highlights God's active, intentional, and sovereign role in bringing about the judgment. It's not a passive allowance but an direct act of His will.
- the land: Hebrew: הָאָ֗רֶץ (hāʾāreṣ). Specifically refers to the land of Judah, Jerusalem, and its surrounding territories—the covenant land promised to Israel. It signifies a national, geographic, and societal devastation.
- a desolation: Hebrew: שְׁמָמָה (sh'māmāh). A very strong term indicating complete ruin, emptiness, waste, and uninhabitable wilderness. It means a land devoid of human habitation, activity, and productivity, often a direct consequence of divine judgment for covenant infidelity.
- because: Hebrew: יַ֣עַן (yaʿan). A causal particle, clearly linking the judgment (desolation) to the specific reason that follows, emphasizing divine justice.
- they have acted treacherously: Hebrew: מָעֲל֥וּ מַ֭עַל (māʿălū māʿal). Literally "they committed treachery." The verb "maʿal" (מָעַל) signifies an act of unfaithfulness, particularly a breach of trust or covenant. It denotes a deliberate offense, a trespass against the divine, often involving sacrilege or violating consecrated things or relationships with God. It implies a deeper, more intentional betrayal than mere sin.
- declares: Hebrew: נְאֻם (nᵉʾum). A technical prophetic formula, signifying a divine utterance. It underscores the authoritative, unchallengeable, and certain nature of the statement, asserting it comes directly from the mouth of God.
- the Lord GOD: Hebrew: אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה (Adonai YHWH). This pairing combines "Adonai" (my Lord/Master, emphasizing supreme authority) with "YHWH" (the personal, covenantal name of God, often transliterated LORD). Together, it reinforces both God's ultimate sovereignty and His unchanging covenant fidelity, even as He executes judgment according to that very covenant.
- "So I will make the land a desolation": This phrase emphasizes God's direct, active, and resolute will to bring about utter ruin upon the physical territory, signifying a total breakdown of the covenant community's existence in that land.
- "because they have acted treacherously": This highlights the specific and severe nature of the people's sin, not just general sinfulness, but a profound and deliberate betrayal of their covenant relationship with God. It justifies the drastic judgment as a matter of divine justice.
- "declares the Lord GOD": This concluding phrase solidifies the divine origin, unalterable truth, and absolute authority behind the pronouncement, asserting the omnipotent and sovereign covenant-keeping God as the source of this decisive judgment.
Ezekiel 15 8 Bonus section
The strong imagery of the vine from this chapter, particularly its wood being fit only for burning (Eze 15:4-7), serves as a crucial lead-in to verse 8. This reinforces that Israel's moral decay had rendered them utterly without intrinsic value or purpose for God's kingdom in their present state, making the subsequent desolation a logical and justified outcome. The "desolation" prophesied here directly ties into the covenant curses outlined in books like Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, indicating that God's actions are consistent with His previously revealed law and promises concerning Israel's obedience or disobedience. The term for "treacherously" (maʿal) in Hebrew has strong connotations of sacrilege and deep covenant disloyalty, often involving a violation of consecrated things or a betrayal of God's holiness, marking their sin as exceptionally grave.
Ezekiel 15 8 Commentary
Ezekiel 15:8 powerfully encapsulates the divine reasoning for the coming devastation of Judah/Jerusalem. It affirms that God's judgment is not arbitrary but a righteous response to profound unfaithfulness. The imagery of the "useless vine" from earlier in the chapter signifies Israel's spiritual barrenness and failure to produce righteousness, making them fit only for destruction. This verse reveals God as the active agent, deliberately bringing about "desolation" – a complete and utter ruin – upon the land He once blessed. The root cause is their "treachery," a term emphasizing a deep betrayal of the covenant relationship, a breaking of faith and trust with their God. The concluding phrase, "declares the Lord GOD," underscores the unwavering certainty and sovereign authority of this pronouncement, leaving no doubt that this judgment is just, final, and executed by the supreme covenant Lord. It is a severe consequence of spiritual infidelity and rebellion.