Ezekiel 21:24 kjv
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.
Ezekiel 21:24 nkjv
"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear?because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.
Ezekiel 21:24 niv
"Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do?because you have done this, you will be taken captive.
Ezekiel 21:24 esv
"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have made your guilt to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins appear ? because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.
Ezekiel 21:24 nlt
"Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Again and again you remind me of your sin and your guilt. You don't even try to hide it! In everything you do, your sins are obvious for all to see. So now the time of your punishment has come!
Ezekiel 21 24 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 32:23 | "But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD... be sure your sin will find you out." | Sin will be discovered. |
| Deut 28:25 | "The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies." | Consequences of disobedience: defeat. |
| 1 Sam 2:3 | "For the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed." | God's knowledge and weighing of deeds. |
| Job 13:26 | "For you write bitter things against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth." | God keeping a record of iniquities. |
| Ps 9:12 | "For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted." | God's memory for justice. |
| Ps 50:21 | "These things you have done, and I have been silent... but I will rebuke you and lay bare your sins before your eyes." | God exposes sin for judgment. |
| Isa 3:8 | "For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD..." | Jerusalem's fall due to deeds. |
| Jer 5:25 | "Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have withheld good from you." | Sin as a barrier to blessings. |
| Jer 16:17 | "For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me..." | God's omnipresent sight. |
| Jer 17:1 | "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron... engraved on the tablet of their heart." | Indelible record of sin. |
| Lam 1:8 | "Jerusalem sinned grievously... therefore she became filthy." | Sin leading to defilement and ruin. |
| Dan 9:7 | "To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us confusion of face... because of the treachery that they have committed against you." | Confession of treachery/transgression. |
| Am 8:7 | "The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: ‘Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.’" | God's absolute memory of deeds. |
| Mal 3:16 | "...and a book of remembrance was written before him for those who feared the LORD..." | God's meticulous record-keeping. |
| Lk 12:2 | "Nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known." | Eventual revelation of all hidden things. |
| Rom 2:5-6 | "...because of your hard and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath... for God will repay each person according to what they have done." | Accumulation of wrath due to unrepentant sin. |
| Eph 5:13 | "But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible." | Exposure by divine light. |
| Heb 10:30 | "For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’" | God's sovereign right to judge. |
| Rev 18:5 | "For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes." | God's remembrance leading to ultimate judgment. |
| Ps 90:8 | "You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence." | Secret sins brought into divine light. |
| Isa 59:1-2 | "...your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you..." | Sin separates from God and causes hiding of face. |
Ezekiel 21 verses
Ezekiel 21 24 Meaning
Ezekiel 21:24 declares that Jerusalem's persistent and overt sinfulness has compelled God to bring their iniquity to account, revealing their rebellion. Their deeds conspicuously expose their transgressions, serving as a constant reminder of their culpability before the Divine Judge. Because of this unceasing and manifest sin, the inevitable consequence is capture by their enemies, signifying their impending downfall and exile.
Ezekiel 21 24 Context
Ezekiel 21 is a stark prophecy depicting God's impending judgment upon Jerusalem and Judah, symbolized by a sharpened, blazing sword. The chapter emphasizes the certainty and swiftness of this judgment, declaring that the time for the "end" has arrived. This verse specifically answers the why of this destruction. The people of Judah were repeatedly warned by prophets but remained in deep spiritual rebellion and practical unrighteousness. They were clinging to false hopes and a misplaced trust in their own strength or alliances, oblivious to the gravity of their persistent sin. This chapter precedes a specific oracle against the king of Babylon and Ammon, yet verse 24 hones in on Judah's direct culpability as the reason for their catastrophic fate. Ezekiel is prophesying while in Babylonian exile, communicating God's message to a people who desperately needed to understand the divine reasoning behind the catastrophic events unfolding around them, to prepare them for understanding their captivity as God's righteous discipline.
Ezekiel 21 24 Word analysis
- Therefore (לָכֵן, lakhen): Signals a consequence, connecting the preceding declaration of judgment to the subsequent explanation for it. It highlights divine certainty.
- thus says the Lord GOD (כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, koh amar Adonai Yehovih): An authoritative prophetic formula. "Adonai" means "my Lord," emphasizing sovereignty; "Yehovih" is a substitute for the sacred, unpronounceable YHWH, highlighting God's covenant loyalty and power. It authenticates the message as directly from the ultimate Ruler.
- Because you have brought your iniquity to remembrance (יַעַן הַזְכִירְכֶם עֲוֹנְכֶם, ya'an hazkirchem avonkhem): "Because" introduces the reason for judgment.
הַזְכִירְכֶם(Hiphil stem ofזָכַר, zakhar) is causative—they made their iniquity to be remembered. It doesn't mean God forgot; rather, their continuous actions kept their guilt ever-present and called for judgment. "Iniquity" (עָווֹן, avon) signifies not just sin, but also its guilt and the punishment it deserves. It points to a moral distortion or deviation. - in that your transgressions are uncovered (בְּהִגָּלוֹת פִּשְׁעֵיכֶם, b'higgallot pish'echem):
הִגָּלוֹת(higgallot) fromגָּלָה(galah), "to uncover, reveal." This points to the public, blatant nature of their sin, visible to all, not merely hidden. "Transgressions" (פִּשְׁעֵיכֶם, pisha) denotes rebellion, a deliberate breach of the covenant, an open revolt against God's law. - so that in all your deeds your sins appear (לְהַרְאוֹת בְּכֹל מַעֲלֵלֵיכֶם חַטֹּאתֵיכֶם, l'harot b'khol ma'alelechem chattotechem): "Deeds" (מַעֲלָלִים, ma'alelim) refers to their practices and conduct.
לְהַרְאוֹת(l'harot), fromרָאָה(ra'ah), "to see," emphasizes that their sins (חַטָּאוֹת, chattatot)—missing the mark, moral failures—were made clearly visible through their actions. Their entire way of life proclaimed their guilt. - because you have come to remembrance (וּבְהִזָּכֶרְכֶם, u'v'hizzacherchem): Repetition of the "remembrance" theme, but this time a Niphal passive (
נִזְכַּרְתֶּם, nizkartem - literally "you are remembered"), suggesting they became a subject of memory or attention. This passive emphasizes God's side – they were not forgotten but brought to reckoning by God. Their persistent active bringing to remembrance (הִזְכִּיר) resulted in their being remembered for judgment (נִזְכַּר). - you shall be captured with the hand (תִּתָּפְשׂוּ בְכָף, tittapheshu v'chaf):
תִּתָּפְשׂוּ(tittapheshu) is the Niphal ofתָּפַשׂ(tapas), meaning "to grasp, capture." The passive voice reinforces that they will be victims. "With the hand" (בְכָף, b'chaf - often denotes strength or control) signifies capture by an opposing power, explicitly the invading enemy forces, sealing their fate.
Ezekiel 21 24 Bonus section
The verse underscores the biblical concept of corporate responsibility. While individuals are judged for their actions, the persistent rebellion of a nation—represented here by Jerusalem and Judah—accumulates a collective guilt that ultimately triggers divine intervention and judgment. This "bringing to remembrance" highlights God's justice, ensuring that sin does not go unpunished and demonstrating that prolonged rejection of His covenant eventually leads to severe, undeniable consequences. The specificity of "all your deeds" and "transgressions are uncovered" implies that no area of their national life was exempt from their moral decline, leading to a pervasive state of iniquity.
Ezekiel 21 24 Commentary
Ezekiel 21:24 lays bare the divine rationale behind the impending, devastating judgment upon Judah: it is their self-inflicted predicament. God does not arbitrarily bring calamity, but responds righteously to the constant provocation of human sin. The people, through their sustained idolatry, injustice, and disobedience, had actively called attention to their own iniquity, as if presenting it before a cosmic court. Their sins were not hidden; they were glaringly exposed in every action and attitude, leaving no room for denial. This ongoing rebellion acted as a continual re-triggering of divine remembrance, leading God to recall their culpability for judgment rather than for mercy. The repeated emphasis on "remembrance" signifies not a cognitive lapse on God's part, but a divine legal accounting, where accumulated transgressions are finally brought to the forefront for their due penalty. Consequently, the prophesied capture by enemy hands is presented as an inevitable, just, and logical outcome of their chosen path, revealing God as a righteous judge who repays each person according to their deeds.