Ezekiel 22 24

Ezekiel 22:24 kjv

Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.

Ezekiel 22:24 nkjv

"Son of man, say to her: 'You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.'

Ezekiel 22:24 niv

"Son of man, say to the land, 'You are a land that has not been cleansed or rained on in the day of wrath.'

Ezekiel 22:24 esv

"Son of man, say to her, You are a land that is not cleansed or rained upon in the day of indignation.

Ezekiel 22:24 nlt

"Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: In the day of my indignation, you will be like a polluted land, a land without rain.

Ezekiel 22 verses

Ezekiel 22 24 Meaning

Ezekiel 22:24 conveys God's assessment of the land of Israel (specifically Judah/Jerusalem) as profoundly corrupted and unpurified, even in the midst of divine judgment. It metaphorically describes the land as impure, having resisted any true cleansing from its sins, and simultaneously barren, lacking the spiritual refreshment or genuine repentance that might bring forth God's favor or blessing, especially during a time of His active wrath. This highlights the depth of their spiritual depravity and unresponsiveness to divine discipline.

Ezekiel 22 24 Context

Ezekiel 22 opens with God commissioning the prophet to confront Jerusalem with its numerous abominations. The chapter serves as an indictment, a detailed list of charges against the city, highlighting widespread sin among its leaders (princes, priests, prophets) and common people. These transgressions include bloodshed, idolatry, extortion, dishonoring parents, oppression of foreigners, orphans, and widows, Sabbath breaking, and sexual immorality. The immediate preceding verses (22:17-22) vividly describe God's intention to gather the people of Israel into Jerusalem like dross into a furnace, refining them with His fiery wrath, suggesting a painful but purifying judgment. Verse 24 follows directly, lamenting that despite the ongoing judgment, or perhaps in preparation for it, the land itself remained morally defiled and unresponsive to any spiritual refreshing. This underscores the severity and pervasiveness of Israel's spiritual decay. Historically, this prophecy speaks to the impending or ongoing Babylonian siege and subsequent exile, a period of immense suffering interpreted by Ezekiel as God's just judgment for the nation's profound and persistent rebellion.

Ezekiel 22 24 Word analysis

• Son of man (בֶּן־אָדָם, ben-'ādām): This recurring address used over 90 times in Ezekiel highlights the prophet's humanity in contrast to God's divine majesty. It emphasizes Ezekiel's role as a representative of humanity speaking on behalf of God, reinforcing that the divine judgment is against human sin, yet delivered through a human messenger. It distinguishes him from God, the true source of the message.
• Say to her (אֱמָר לָהּ, 'ĕmor lāh): The direct address indicates God's explicit command for the prophet to confront Jerusalem/Israel directly, emphasizing the immediacy and urgency of the message. "Her" refers to the land, personifying it to represent its inhabitants.
• You are a land (אֶרֶץ, 'erets): Refers specifically to the land of Israel, Judah, and its capital, Jerusalem. In biblical thought, the land itself could become defiled by the sins of its inhabitants, especially idolatry and bloodshed (Lev 18:24-28). It also symbolizes the people dwelling upon it. The personification implies a deep-seated spiritual illness afflicting the very fabric of their national existence.
• that is not cleansed (לֹא מְטֹהָרָה, lo' məṭohārāh): From the root טָהַר (ṭāhar), meaning "to be pure" or "to be ceremonially clean." The negation signifies a state of profound impurity and defilement. This is not just ritual uncleanness but deep moral and spiritual corruption—persistent idolatry, injustice, and violence (Eze 22:3-12). It implies that the nation failed to undergo the necessary purification despite warnings, or that even God's attempts at judgment to cleanse them were met with resistance and proved ineffective, leaving them still unpurified.
• or rained on (לֹא גֻשְׁמָה, lo' gušmāh): From גֶּשֶׁם (gešem), "rain." In the arid ancient Near East, rain was a crucial sign of divine blessing and favor, essential for fertility and life (Deut 11:10-17). Its absence symbolized drought, famine, and God's curse or withdrawal of blessing (Amos 4:7-8). Spiritually, "not rained on" can signify a lack of refreshing grace, spiritual revival, or genuine repentance that softens the heart and allows God's word to bear fruit. Even during their time of suffering, there was no softening, no turning back to God, no life-giving spiritual 'rain.'
• in the day of indignation (בְּיוֹם זָעַם, bəyom za'am): "Indignation" (זָעַם, za'am) denotes God's fierce anger, righteous wrath, or divine fury (e.g., Ps 69:24). This refers to the specific period of God's severe punitive judgment upon Israel, epitomized by the Babylonian invasion, siege, and exile. The phrase highlights the paradox: even when God's wrath was manifest, the land was neither truly cleansed nor spiritually refreshed, implying the people remained obstinate and hardened in their sin, impervious to the very purpose of the judgment which was to purify them.

• "You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on": This phrase describes a state of double curse and failure. The land is both morally impure ("not cleansed") and spiritually barren/unresponsive ("not rained on"). This suggests a condition so dire that even God's righteous judgment fails to effect true inner transformation or bring about spiritual life and fruitfulness. They remain in their filth, and no spiritual dew falls to soften their hard hearts or bring forth repentance.
• "not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation": This particular grouping highlights the utter tragedy of Jerusalem's state. The very "day of indignation" (God's judgment), which one might expect to either purify them through severe hardship or bring about repentance (as suffering often does), instead found them resistant. There was no internal cleansing or external refreshment/softening, only persistent rebellion and spiritual drought despite the crucible of judgment. The absence of "rain" in this context underscores the complete absence of grace, softening, or the desired effect of purification.

Ezekiel 22 24 Bonus section

The concept of the land being defiled by the people's sin (Eze 22:24, Lev 18:24-28, Num 35:33) implies a reciprocal relationship between the people and the place they inhabit. Their moral decay directly impacted the spiritual integrity of the land, eventually leading to the land 'vomiting them out' through exile. The phrase "not rained on" can also subtly allude to a lack of teaching or the word of God, as prophecy (often called rain or dew, Deut 32:2) had been neglected, leading to spiritual drought. The "day of indignation" aligns with the biblical theme of the "Day of the Lord," a recurring prophetic motif describing a time of decisive divine intervention and judgment upon the wicked.

Ezekiel 22 24 Commentary

Ezekiel 22:24 encapsulates the spiritual hopelessness of Judah just before or during its cataclysmic downfall. It states unequivocally that the land, representing its people, was saturated with sin ("not cleansed"), showing no evidence of inner purification, and furthermore, spiritually parched ("not rained on"), lacking any refreshing or softening grace from God that might lead to repentance. Crucially, this state persisted even "in the day of indignation," a time of intense divine wrath and judgment (like the Babylonian siege and exile). While God's judgment was intended to refine (as described in Eze 22:18-22), Israel's response was not purification but further hardening. This verse paints a vivid picture of a people whose moral corruption was so pervasive, and their hearts so hardened, that even the fiercest furnace of God's wrath failed to elicit genuine cleansing or bring forth spiritual life and surrender, leaving them truly barren and polluted. It serves as a stark warning against unrepentant sin and resisting God's refining hand.