Ezekiel 33:25 kjv
Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land?
Ezekiel 33:25 nkjv
"Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "You eat meat with blood, you lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?
Ezekiel 33:25 niv
Therefore say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Since you eat meat with the blood still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land?
Ezekiel 33:25 esv
Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: You eat flesh with the blood and lift up your eyes to your idols and shed blood; shall you then possess the land?
Ezekiel 33:25 nlt
So tell these people, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You eat meat with blood in it, you worship idols, and you murder the innocent. Do you really think the land should be yours?
Ezekiel 33 25 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 33:25 | "Ye say, the way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? Are not your ways unequal?" | The Lord's ways are righteous, Israel's ways are not. |
| Isaiah 5:20 | "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil..." | Contrasting good and evil |
| Jeremiah 2:33 | "Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways." | Israel corrupted their ways |
| Jeremiah 18:8 | "If that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I purposed to do unto them." | God's conditional judgment |
| Romans 2:5 | "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;" | Treasure up wrath through hard heart |
| Romans 3:23-24 | "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" | All have sinned |
| 1 Corinthians 11:28 | "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." | Self-examination for Communion |
| Revelation 22:11 | "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still." | State of those who remain in sin |
| Leviticus 18:30 | "Ye shall therefore keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye do not defile yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God." | Avoid abominations |
| Leviticus 26:31 | "And I will bring your cities unto a waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto a desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours." | Desolation of sanctuaries |
| Deuteronomy 12:3-4 | "And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place." | Destroying idolatrous practices |
| Psalms 95:11 | "Unto whom I sware in my wrath That they shall not enter into my rest." | Oath of God against unbelief |
| Amos 4:4 | "Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes every three days:" | Israel's religious corruption |
| Malachi 2:11 | "Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god." | Profaning holiness with abominations |
| Acts 7:51 | "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye." | Resisting the Holy Spirit |
| Galatians 3:10 | "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." | Curse of the law |
| James 2:10 | "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." | Offending in one point |
| 1 John 1:8-9 | "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." | Confession of sin and forgiveness |
| Deuteronomy 11:16-17 | "Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then the LORD's wrath be kindled against you, and shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you." | Consequences of idolatry |
| 2 Kings 23:6 | "And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, from without Jerusalem, by the brook of Kidron, and burned it by the brook of Kidron, and stamped it small, and cast the dust thereof upon the graves of the children of the people." | Josiah's reform of temple practices |
Ezekiel 33 verses
Ezekiel 33 25 Meaning
This verse states that Israel has set up abominations in God's house and defiled His Sabbath, leading to His wrath. It's a strong declaration of God's judgment against His people for their sin and disobedience, specifically targeting their religious practices.
Ezekiel 33 25 Context
Ezekiel chapter 33 is a crucial transition in the prophecy. It begins with God's reaffirmation of His judgment upon Jerusalem and the exiles' misplaced beliefs. This verse specifically addresses the people's denial of God's fairness in their plight. They blame God for their suffering, but Ezekiel explains that their own corrupt practices within the sanctuary and their disregard for the Sabbath are the direct cause of God's judgment. The surrounding verses (33:1-20) establish Ezekiel as a watchman for Israel, highlighting his responsibility to warn them, and in turn, their responsibility to respond. The verses prior to verse 25 condemn specific idolatrous acts and desecration of God's holy day within the temple precincts.
Ezekiel 33 25 Word Analysis
"Ye": Plural second person pronoun, addressing the collective house of Israel.
"say": The people's assertion or declaration, indicating a spoken or thought belief.
"the way": Refers to God's actions, His judgments, His plans, and His divine standard.
"of the Lord": Belonging to or proceeding from Jehovah, the covenant God of Israel.
"is not": A negative statement, indicating denial or rejection.
"equal": Implies fairness, justice, righteousness, and proportionality. The Israelites claim God's dealings are unbalanced.
"Hear now": An imperative command to listen attentively and seriously, demanding their full attention.
"O house of Israel": Direct address to the nation as a whole, reinforcing their collective responsibility.
"Is not my way equal?": A rhetorical question by God, challenging their accusation and asserting the righteousness of His conduct.
"Are not your ways unequal?": Another rhetorical question, pointing back to their own crooked and sinful paths as the source of their problems.
"for because": (Hebrew: 'ki') — often indicating cause or explanation. Here, it connects the people's assertion of God's unfairness to their own iniquities.
"ye have": Present perfect tense, indicating actions begun in the past and continuing to have present relevance.
"set up": (Hebrew:
saqam) — to set up, establish, raise. Here, it refers to establishing abominations within God's house."your": Possessive pronoun, linking the abominations and their behavior directly to the people of Israel.
"abominations": (Hebrew:
to'ebot) — hateful things, detestable practices, idolatry, things considered ritually unclean and morally repugnant, especially in relation to worship."in": Locative preposition.
"mine": Possessive pronoun, referring to God.
"house": (Hebrew:
bayit) — can refer to the Temple or a house. Here, contextually points to the sanctuary in Jerusalem, the house of the LORD."and": Conjunction, joining two parallel sinful acts.
"defiled": (Hebrew:
chll) — to profane, pollute, desecrate, violate. This indicates a severe spiritual contamination."my": Possessive pronoun, God's.
"Sabbath": (Hebrew:
shabbath) — the day of rest ordained by God, a sign of the covenant and a day of holy convocation.Group Analysis:
- "Ye say, the way of the Lord is not equal.": This phrase encapsulates the core of Israel's grumbling. They perceived God's actions as unjust, failing to recognize their own role. This reflects a common human tendency to blame external factors rather than examining personal sin.
- "Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? Are not your ways unequal?": This is God's direct rebuttal. He contrasts His consistent righteousness with their inconsistent wickedness, directly linking their unequal ways to His judgment.
- "Because ye have set up your abominations in mine house, and have defiled my Sabbath.": This is the specific enumeration of their transgressions that provoked God's anger. The location ("mine house") and the offense ("my Sabbath") highlight the profound sacrilege involved. It signifies not just personal sin but corporate desecration of holy things.
Ezekiel 33 25 Bonus Section
The concept of "unequal ways" points to a departure from God's divine order and justice. This can be seen in how Israel selectively applied or ignored parts of the Law. Setting up "abominations" in God's house refers to idolatrous practices, possibly altars or idols introduced into the Temple complex, making it spiritually unclean. Defiling the "Sabbath" indicates that this day, meant for rest and devotion to God, was being used for ordinary labor, illegal activities, or was disregarded entirely. This offense struck at the heart of their covenant relationship with God, as the Sabbath was a perpetual sign between God and Israel (Exodus 31:13). God’s indignation here is righteous, arising from the defilement of His holy name, His presence, and His covenant sign. The rhetorical questions are designed to bring the people to self-realization; God isn't asking for affirmation but for them to confront their own sin.
Ezekiel 33 25 Commentary
This verse starkly presents God's perspective on judgment. Israel claimed God was being unfair because they were suffering. However, God counters by highlighting their own corruption within His sacred space and their neglect of His holy day. Their sins were not merely private acts; they were public defilements that desecrated His presence among them. This verse teaches that true justice considers the heart and actions, and that sin, especially when directed against God's holiness, has severe consequences. It calls for self-examination, recognizing that our difficulties often stem from our own departures from God's standards.