Ezekiel 5 11

Ezekiel 5:11 kjv

Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.

Ezekiel 5:11 nkjv

'Therefore, as I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity.

Ezekiel 5:11 niv

Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your vile images and detestable practices, I myself will shave you; I will not look on you with pity or spare you.

Ezekiel 5:11 esv

Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will withdraw. My eye will not spare, and I will have no pity.

Ezekiel 5:11 nlt

"As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I will cut you off completely. I will show you no pity at all because you have defiled my Temple with your vile images and detestable sins.

Ezekiel 5 verses

Ezekiel 5 11 meaning

Ezekiel 5:11 presents God's solemn declaration of judgment upon Jerusalem for its profound spiritual apostasy. The verse emphasizes that due to the people's pervasive defilement of His sanctuary with idolatrous practices and abominations, God will respond with an equally resolute act of withdrawal. This divine judgment will be delivered without pity or compassion, marking a critical turning point where divine protection is rescinded and the covenant blessings are revoked due to the severity of their disobedience. It underscores the certainty of impending devastation, a direct consequence of Judah's unfaithfulness.

Ezekiel 5 11 Context

Ezekiel chapter 5 continues the prophetic symbolism established in chapters 4. Here, God instructs Ezekiel to use his shorn hair (representing the inhabitants of Jerusalem) to depict the city's fate: one-third consumed by fire, one-third struck by the sword, and one-third scattered to the winds. The context for verse 11 is this direct divine judgment pronounced after a graphic demonstration of the coming siege, famine, and destruction. Historically, this prophecy occurs during the Babylonian exile, prior to Jerusalem's final downfall in 586 BC. The exiles and those remaining in Judah clung to the false hope that God would never abandon Jerusalem or His Temple. Ezekiel's prophecies directly challenged this entrenched belief, declaring that God Himself, due to Judah's deep-seated idolatry and moral decay, was initiating the judgment, not merely permitting Babylon. This verse directly counters the pervasive false belief that Jerusalem and the Temple were invulnerable, stating God's own unwavering intent to punish the people for their direct defilement of His sacred space and covenant.

Ezekiel 5 11 Word analysis

• Therefore (לָכֵן, lachen): Signifies a consequence or conclusion. It establishes a cause-and-effect relationship; God's judgment is a direct response to Judah's actions.
• as I live (חַי־אָנִי, chai-ani): A solemn, inviolable divine oath. It emphasizes the absolute certainty and irrevocability of the declaration. What follows is not a mere possibility but an assured future event decreed by the living God.
• declares the Lord GOD (נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, neum Adonai YHWH): A common prophetic formula asserting divine authority. It stresses that these are not Ezekiel's words but God's direct revelation, using the compound title for profound emphasis.
• surely, because you have defiled (אִם־לֹא בְּלַגּוֹתֵךְ, im-lo bilgotech): The Hebrew here is intricate. Im-lo can mean "surely not" or act as a strong affirmation ("surely," "if not, then...") initiating the oath's condition. Bilgotech comes from a root sometimes interpreted as "to defile" or "to make detestable" through corrupt practices, or from galal ("to roll") implying 'rolling off' covenant duties. Most modern translations convey the strong sense of profound defilement and spiritual pollution caused by the people's actions. This verb clearly links Judah's actions to the desecration.
• my sanctuary (מִקְדָּשִׁי, mikdashi): Refers specifically to the Temple in Jerusalem. Its holiness symbolized God's presence, making its defilement an ultimate offense against God Himself and His covenant. The personal possessive "my" underscores the depth of the betrayal.
• with all your detestable things (בְּכָל־שִׁקּוּצַיִךְ, bechol shiqqutzayich): Shiqquẓim (detestable things) are practices or objects considered abhorrent to God, predominantly associated with idolatry and pagan worship. This signifies widespread adoption of pagan rituals within the very sacred space.
• and with all your abominations (וּבְכֹל תּוֹעֲבוֹתַיִךְ, uvechol to'evotayich): To'evot (abominations) is a broader term encompassing idolatry, immoral sexual acts, social injustices, and anything deeply offensive to God's holy character and law. The combined phrase emphasizes the comprehensive nature of Judah's wickedness.
• therefore (לָכֵן, lachen): This repetition from the beginning of the verse emphasizes the unyielding cause-and-effect of divine justice. Judah's actions will lead to God's response.
• I will withdraw (גַּם־אֲנִי אֶגְרַע, gam-ani egra'): Egra' means "I will diminish," "take away," or "cut off." The phrase "גם אני" (gam ani - "I also," or "even I") reinforces that God will respond in kind to their actions. Some translations take it as "I will diminish you," meaning reducing their population, or "I will diminish my hand/favor from you." The core idea is the removal of divine favor or presence.
• My eye will not look on you with pity (וְלֹא־תָחוּס עֵינִי, v'lo-tachos eyni): A powerful anthropomorphism. God, usually depicted as compassionate, here declares an intentional withholding of mercy. His "eye" will not soften with sympathy, signifying severe judgment. Tachus (pity, spare, have compassion).
• nor will I spare (וְלֹא־אֶחְמֹל, v'lo-ehmol): Parallels and strengthens the previous phrase. Ehmol (to spare, pity, show compassion) reiterates that the judgment will proceed to its full, unmitigated conclusion without any leniency or mitigation from God.

Words-group by Words-group analysis:

• "Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD": This initial emphatic declaration sets an uncompromising tone. It's an unchangeable divine decree, removing all doubt about the certainty of judgment.
• "surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations": This complex phrase pinpoints the precise transgression: the desecration of the most sacred space by rampant idolatry and moral depravity. The comprehensive "all your" highlights the pervasive and systematic nature of their sin.
• "therefore I will withdraw. My eye will not look on you with pity, nor will I spare.": This tripartite declaration reveals the nature of God's response. First, the active withdrawal of His protective presence ("I will withdraw"), then the conscious decision to withhold His natural compassion ("My eye will not look on you with pity"), and finally, the complete refusal to intervene or mitigate the deserved punishment ("nor will I spare"). It's a progressive intensification of divine wrath.

Ezekiel 5 11 Bonus section

The concept of God's glory departing the Temple, fully illustrated in Ezekiel 8-11, is fundamentally prefigured in Ezekiel 5:11's "I will withdraw." This withdrawal is not merely a passive retreat but an active unmooring of the divine presence from a corrupted sanctuary, a direct response to Israel having driven God away with their "abominations" (Eze 8:6). The choice of specific Hebrew terms like shiqqutzim and to'evot links this judgment back to the earliest covenant curses in Deuteronomy, showing that Jerusalem's fall was the direct outworking of long-forewarned covenant stipulations, rather than an arbitrary act of God. This passage stands as a strong polemic against spiritual presumption and warns against equating religious rituals or a holy site with genuine piety or guaranteed divine protection in the absence of obedience and moral purity.

Ezekiel 5 11 Commentary

Ezekiel 5:11 is a pivotal statement in Ezekiel's prophecy, articulating the divine rationale for Jerusalem's destruction. The repetition of "therefore" ("לָכֵן") powerfully frames a direct cause-and-effect: Judah's profound and pervasive defilement of God's sanctuary (His dwelling place) through detestable idolatry and moral abominations directly precipitates His uncompromising judgment. The divine oath, "as I live," underscores the absolute certainty and irreversibility of this pronouncement. This isn't a mere threat but a sworn declaration from God Himself, meaning His very nature stands behind these words. God's response involves a complete withdrawal of His protective favor ("I will withdraw"), explicitly stating that His compassion, a characteristic attribute, will be actively withheld ("My eye will not look on you with pity, nor will I spare"). This signifies the finality of their judgment—no last-minute reprieve or mercy will be offered. The verse shatters the false hope of inviolability, proclaiming that the God who demands holiness will indeed judge His own people when His holiness is egregiously desecrated.