Ezekiel 22:31 kjv
Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 22:31 nkjv
Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads," says the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 22:31 niv
So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD."
Ezekiel 22:31 esv
Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord GOD."
Ezekiel 22:31 nlt
So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them with the fire of my anger. I will heap on their heads the full penalty for all their sins. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!"
Ezekiel 22 31 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Zeph 3:8 | "For then I will turn unto the people a pure language... pour upon them Mine indignation." | God pouring out indignation |
| Rom 1:18 | "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness..." | God's wrath revealed against sin |
| Nah 1:2 | "The Lord is a jealous God and avenging; the Lord is avenging and wrathful." | God's avenging and wrathful nature |
| Pss 7:11 | "God is a righteous judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day." | God as righteous judge with daily anger at wicked |
| Deut 32:35 | "Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time..." | God claims vengeance and recompense |
| Jer 32:19 | "...for Thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways..." | God recompensing deeds |
| Matt 16:27 | "For the Son of Man will come... and then He will repay each person according to his deeds." | Christ will repay according to deeds |
| Rom 2:6 | "He will render to each one according to his works." | God renders to each according to works |
| Gal 6:7 | "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." | Reaping what is sown |
| Prov 1:31 | "So they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices." | Consequences of own way |
| Pss 7:16 | "His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own crown." | Evil returns on own head |
| 1 Kin 2:32 | "The Lord will bring back his bloodshed on his own head..." | Bloodshed returns on one's own head |
| Jer 4:4 | "...lest My wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it..." | God's wrath like unquenchable fire |
| Deut 4:24 | "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." | God as consuming fire |
| Heb 12:29 | "For our God is a consuming fire." | God's consuming nature in New Testament |
| 2 Thess 1:7-8 | "...when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance..." | Vengeance by Christ with flaming fire |
| Isa 59:16 | "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor." | Absence of intercessor |
| Ezek 22:30 | "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall... but I found no one." | Immediate context of failed intercession |
| Rev 16:1 | "Then I heard a loud voice... saying to the seven angels, 'Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.'" | Eschatological pouring out of wrath |
| Ezek 7:3 | "Now the end has come upon you, and I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways..." | Judgment based on ways in Ezekiel |
| Isa 30:27 | "Behold, the Name of the Lord comes from afar, burning with His anger, and in thick rising smoke; His lips are full of indignation..." | God's anger and indignation |
| Job 21:30 | "that the wicked is reserved for the day of destruction? That they are brought forth to the day of wrath?" | Wicked reserved for day of wrath |
Ezekiel 22 verses
Ezekiel 22 31 Meaning
This verse declares God's righteous and severe judgment upon Jerusalem and Judah due to their pervasive wickedness. It signifies the inevitable outpouring of divine wrath and consuming indignation, a direct consequence where their actions are fully recompensed upon themselves, affirming God's justice and the personal accountability for sin.
Ezekiel 22 31 Context
Ezekiel 22, often termed "The Bloody City," is a severe indictment of Jerusalem and its leaders. It graphically lists a litany of abominations: idolatry, sexual immorality, violence, bribery, injustice against the vulnerable (fatherless, widow, sojourner), profaning of holy things, and despising the Law. This comprehensive denunciation builds up to God's search for an intercessor in verse 30 – someone to "stand in the gap" and "make a wall for the land" – but tragically, none was found. Consequently, verse 31 is the inevitable declaration of God's decisive and destructive judgment, directly linking their unrepentant sin to the impending catastrophe of the Babylonian exile and the destruction of the city. The historical context is pre-exilic Judah, where spiritual and moral decay ran rampant despite prophetic warnings.
Ezekiel 22 31 Word analysis
- So I poured out: Hebrew: wa'eshpok (וָאֶשְׁפֹּךְ). Implies an unrestricted, full, and decisive release, leaving nothing back. This action is directly contingent on the preceding verse where no intercessor was found.
- My wrath: Hebrew: ḥărônī (חֲרוֹנִי). Refers to intense, burning anger, often accompanied by destructive force. It's a righteous anger against profound sin and disobedience.
- on them: The immediate target: the unrepentant inhabitants and leaders of Jerusalem.
- I consumed them: Hebrew: killitīm (כִּלִּיתִים). To bring to an end, utterly destroy, finish. Signifies the complete and devastating nature of the judgment.
- with the fire: Fire is a pervasive biblical metaphor for divine judgment, purification, and destruction.
- of My indignation: Hebrew: zaʿmī (זַעְמִי). Another term for intense divine displeasure or fury, often suggesting a public, powerful manifestation of wrath.
- and I have recompensed: Hebrew: nātattī (נָתַתִּי) from nathan, "to give," "to set." Here, "I have given back" or "rendered." It speaks to retributive justice.
- their deeds: Hebrew: darkām (דַרְכָּם), lit. "their way." Encompasses their conduct, lifestyle, and the entirety of their sinful actions and decisions.
- on their own heads: Hebrew: bərōʾšām (בְּרֹאשָׁם). An idiomatic expression emphasizing direct personal and corporate accountability. The consequences for their actions return specifically to them.
- says the Lord GOD: Hebrew: nəʾum Adonai Yahweh (נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהֹוָה). An authoritative declaration, indicating the immutable will and word of the sovereign covenant-keeping God.
- "So I poured out My wrath on them; I consumed them": This phrase reveals the full measure of divine judgment, active and unstoppable. The two verbs "poured out" and "consumed" denote the completeness and intensity of God's action against sin.
- "with the fire of My indignation": The "fire" vividly portrays the severity and purifying nature of this judgment, emphasizing the burning intensity of God's anger that leaves nothing remaining. It’s a complete destructive process.
- "and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads": This powerful idiom establishes direct causation and accountability. The punishment perfectly matches the crime; there is no injustice, only exact divine retribution for their chosen "way." It's an affirmation of God's righteous governance where everyone ultimately receives what their actions have merited.
Ezekiel 22 31 Bonus section
This verse stands as a stark testament to the principle that God's holiness demands a response to sin, and when humanity fails to provide a righteous intercessor (as described in Ezek 22:30), judgment becomes inevitable. It highlights a recurring theme in the prophetic literature: divine judgment is not a caprice but a direct and proportional consequence of persistent unrighteousness, culminating when the "measure of sin" is full. The phrasing "on their own heads" underscores not just corporate but individual responsibility, signifying that the suffering is self-inflicted by their chosen rebellion against God's standards. This judgment also implicitly validates Ezekiel’s role as a watchman (Ezek 3:17-21, 33:1-9), whose warnings were consistently rejected.
Ezekiel 22 31 Commentary
Ezekiel 22:31 serves as the climactic declaration of God's inescapable judgment against Jerusalem. Having cataloged a comprehensive list of transgressions and, crucially, found no one willing to intercede and avert catastrophe, God directly and forcefully executes His righteous verdict. The "pouring out" and "consuming" by "fire" underscores the unreserved and devastating nature of this divine wrath, not as an arbitrary act, but as a just recompense. This verse powerfully encapsulates the principle of divine justice: what is sown in sin is reaped in destruction. It's a stark reminder of the ultimate consequences of sustained unrighteousness and the critical role of intercession, the absence of which seals a community's fate. This judgment demonstrates God’s absolute holiness and His commitment to upholding His moral order.