Ezekiel 24:12 kjv
She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.
Ezekiel 24:12 nkjv
She has grown weary with lies, And her great scum has not gone from her. Let her scum be in the fire!
Ezekiel 24:12 niv
It has frustrated all efforts; its heavy deposit has not been removed, not even by fire.
Ezekiel 24:12 esv
She has wearied herself with toil; its abundant corrosion does not go out of it. Into the fire with its corrosion!
Ezekiel 24:12 nlt
But it's hopeless;
the corruption can't be cleaned out.
So throw it into the fire.
Ezekiel 24 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 23:5 | "Oholah played the harlot when she was mine..." | Analogy of whoredom to unfaithfulness |
| Jeremiah 3:9 | "...and it came to pass, through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land..." | Impact of sin on the land |
| Isaiah 1:5-6 | "Why will ye be still smitten, that ye revolt more and more? The whole head is sick..." | Pervasive nature of sin in Judah |
| Hosea 4:18 | "Their very memorials have passed from the land like a wave washed over the sea." | Loss of remembrance due to continued sin |
| Revelation 18:5 | "For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." | God remembers persistent sin |
| Romans 1:21 | "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful..." | Willful rejection of God leading to defilement |
| 2 Peter 2:22 | "But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." | Reinforcement of unregenerate nature |
| Ezekiel 16:15 | "But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown..." | Trust in self instead of God |
| Leviticus 18:30 | "Ye shall therefore keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs..." | God's commands against abominations |
| Micah 3:11 | "The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire..." | Corruption in leadership |
| Amos 6:12 | "For behold, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve..." | Judgment through scattering |
| Jeremiah 13:23 | "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." | Impossibility of changing ingrained sin |
| Ezekiel 3:7 | "But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted." | Hardheartedness as a cause of sin persistence |
| Nahum 3:1 | "Woe to the bloody city! it is altogether full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;" | Description of a city steeped in sin |
| Isaiah 65:6 | "Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom," | God's response to persistent sin |
| Habakkuk 1:4 | "Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth." | Breakdown of justice due to sin |
| Ezekiel 36:25 | "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you." | Future cleansing and purification |
| John 15:3 | "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you;" | Cleansing through God's Word |
| Acts 15:9 | "And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." | Purification of the heart through faith |
| Romans 6:19 | "I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have presented your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now present your members servants to righteousness unto holiness." | Presentation of members to righteousness |
Ezekiel 24 verses
Ezekiel 24 12 Meaning
Ezekiel 24:12 states, "She has wearied herself with her many fornications; but her filthiness is not gone out of her." This verse describes the persistent and ingrained nature of Jerusalem's sin and corruption, which had not been purged despite her repeated acts of unfaithfulness to God. The verse highlights the deep-seated moral and spiritual pollution that characterized the city, indicating that superficial repentance or momentary cessation of sin was insufficient to cleanse her. The prophet uses the metaphor of a woman's lust and impurity to convey the severity and pervasive nature of Judah's apostasy.
Ezekiel 24 12 Context
This verse is part of Ezekiel's prophecy concerning the imminent destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. The prophet uses the extended metaphor of a boiling caldron to represent Jerusalem undergoing judgment. In the preceding verses, Jerusalem is depicted as a rusty, impure caldron that needs to be purified by fire. Verse 12, specifically, addresses the moral corruption that has rendered Jerusalem irredeemable through any means short of severe judgment. Historically, Jerusalem had repeatedly turned away from God, engaging in idolatry and social injustice, leading to a deep-seated moral decay. The verse speaks to a contemporary audience of Israelites who were either still living in Jerusalem, in exile, or contemplating the dire pronouncements of God. The immediate context highlights God's exasperation with Jerusalem's persistent, unrepentant sin, emphasizing that their habitual disobedience has reached a point where cleansing can only come through destruction.
Ezekiel 24 12 Word Analysis
She: Refers to Jerusalem.
has wearied: Implies persistent and repetitive actions, exhausting the capacity for toleration or for change from within. The Hebrew root implies "to labor," "to toil," suggesting her continuous efforts in sinning.
herself: Emphasizes personal agency and responsibility for her actions.
with: Indicates the means or instrument of her weariness, which is her extensive sin.
her many: Suggests a large quantity and variety of sins, specifically related to her idolatry and moral failures.
fornications: In Hebrew, the word used here ( zanuyim from zanah) denotes illicit sexual intercourse, but biblically, it is strongly associated with spiritual adultery—idolatry and turning away from God. This signifies her covenantal unfaithfulness to Yahweh.
but: A conjunction introducing a contrast or a qualification, highlighting the continuing state despite her efforts.
her filthiness: In Hebrew, zonah can also refer to impurity or a harlot, directly linking her spiritual state to extreme defilement. This points to a profound moral and spiritual corruption that has become characteristic of her.
is not gone out of her: Expresses the stubborn persistence and ingrained nature of her impurity. It has not been removed or purged from her core being and actions. The singular form suggests a pervasive, all-encompassing state rather than isolated incidents.
fornications... filthiness: These two terms are closely related, both pointing to severe sexual and spiritual impurity. "Fornications" (plural) emphasizes the repeated acts, while "filthiness" (singular) describes the inherent state or essence of her impurity. The verse asserts that her repeated acts of sin have not resulted in self-purification; rather, they have deepened her intrinsic state of impurity.
with her many fornications, but her filthiness is not gone out of her: This phrase encapsulates the core message: the accumulation of her sinful deeds has not led to cleansing; instead, the underlying corruption remains. Her sinning has been continuous and unceasing, leading to a hardened state where the "filthiness" (deep-seated impurity) remains unaffected by her acts of "fornication."
Ezekiel 24 12 Bonus Section
The metaphor of the "filthiness" not going out of Jerusalem can be further understood through the lens of spiritual pollution in the Old Testament. Practices like child sacrifice, the mixing of forbidden worships, and gross injustice were seen as defiling the land and, by extension, the people and God's presence among them. This verse underscores that for Jerusalem, the "boiling" or judgment about to commence in the caldron was not merely an external event but a necessary consequence of an internally festering, unpurified state. It highlights the inadequacy of external ritualism without internal transformation, a theme echoed in the New Testament's emphasis on the heart.
Ezekiel 24 12 Commentary
Ezekiel 24:12 powerfully illustrates that persistent sin leads to an ingrained corruption that defies self-cleansing. Jerusalem's many "fornications"—her idolatry and moral decay—were not isolated incidents but a continuous lifestyle that fostered a deep "filthiness" within her. This internal pollution was so profound that her habitual acts of sin could not, and did not, wash her clean. Instead, they cemented her impurity. The verse serves as a stark warning against complacency in sin, emphasizing that repeated transgression can lead to an unrecoverable state of spiritual defilement. True cleansing, the passage implies, requires divine intervention beyond mere cessation of sinful acts.