Ezekiel 5 14

Ezekiel 5:14 kjv

Moreover I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.

Ezekiel 5:14 nkjv

Moreover I will make you a waste and a reproach among the nations that are all around you, in the sight of all who pass by.

Ezekiel 5:14 niv

"I will make you a ruin and a reproach among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by.

Ezekiel 5:14 esv

Moreover, I will make you a desolation and an object of reproach among the nations all around you and in the sight of all who pass by.

Ezekiel 5:14 nlt

"So I will turn you into a ruin, a mockery in the eyes of the surrounding nations and to all who pass by.

Ezekiel 5 verses

Ezekiel 5 14 meaning

Ezekiel 5:14 declares God's solemn decree that Jerusalem, once chosen and exalted, will be reduced to an utter waste and a profound reproach. This devastating judgment is intended to be a public spectacle, seen and recognized by the surrounding nations and by every passerby. It signifies a complete reversal of Israel's covenant blessings, transforming their potential glory into widespread humiliation due to their unparalleled apostasy and rebellion against God's commands.

Ezekiel 5 14 Context

Ezekiel 5 forms a central part of the prophet's dramatic symbolic actions and prophecies concerning Jerusalem's impending destruction by the Babylonians (586 BCE). Following an initial act where Ezekiel shaves his hair and beard to symbolize Jerusalem's inhabitants, distributing the strands to represent their varying fates (a third to fire, a third to the sword, a third to the wind, with a tiny remnant preserved), the chapter pivots to explain the severe rationale for this judgment.

Verse 5 establishes Jerusalem as being at the "center of the nations," a place of unique privilege, yet her rebellion surpassed all surrounding nations (v. 6-7). Consequently, God promises unprecedented punishment (v. 9). The preceding verses (10-13) detail the horrific nature of the judgment—cannibalism due to famine, death by plague and sword, and the complete scattering of its people—all fulfilling God's fierce anger. Verse 14, therefore, serves as a climactic declaration, emphasizing the public and shameful outcome of this divine judgment, explicitly linking the desolation to its global witness. This specific judgment, being public and a 'reproach,' directly counteracts any false security or nationalistic pride the people might have harbored concerning Jerusalem's invulnerability.

Ezekiel 5 14 Word analysis

• So I will make you (וְשַׂמְתִּ֤יךְ - wəśamtîkh):

  • וְשַׂמְתִּ֤י (wəśamtî): Hebrew "וְ" (wĕ) is "and/so/then," connecting to the preceding judgments. "שַׂמְתִּ֥י" (śamtî) is the Qal Perfect 1st person singular of the verb שׂוּם (śûm), meaning "to set, put, place, appoint, make." The perfect tense here conveys divine certainty and determination, though referring to a future event. God's declaration is as good as done.
  • ־ךְ (kh): The suffix for "you" (singular feminine), referring directly to Jerusalem. This highlights divine agency; God himself is the one actively bringing about this condition.

• a waste (חׇרְבָּה - ḥorbāh):

  • From the root חָרֵב (ḥāvēv) "to be dry, desolate, waste."
  • Signifies physical destruction, ruin, emptiness, and the cessation of life or activity.
  • It describes the state of a city left uninhabited and barren, stripped of its glory and function.
  • The term appears often in prophecies of judgment, indicating severe punishment (e.g., Isa 6:11-12, Jer 25:9-11).

• and a reproach (וַחֲרָפָה - waḥărāp̄āh):

  • וַ (wa-): "and."
  • חֲרָפָה (ḥărāp̄āh): Meaning "shame, disgrace, scorn, contempt."
  • It denotes a public humiliation, where Israel, instead of being a blessed nation admired for its wisdom (Deut 4:6), becomes an object of scorn and mocking by its neighbors.
  • This is a deeply humiliating state for a nation whose God's reputation was intertwined with its own (e.g., Ps 44:13, Jer 24:9).

• among the nations (בַגּוֹיִם - baggōyîm):

  • בַ (ba-): "among/in/to."
  • גּוֹיִם (gōyîm): Plural of גּוֹי (gōy), meaning "nations, Gentiles, peoples."
  • This specifies the audience of Jerusalem's judgment. The disgrace will be widespread, observed by the very nations Israel was supposed to draw to God. It indicates a reversal of God's original purpose for Israel as a witness to His glory.

• that are around you (אֲשֶׁ֖ר סְבִיבוֹתֶ֑יךָ - ’ăšer sḇîḇōwṯekhā):

  • אֲשֶׁר (’ăšer): A relative pronoun, "which, that, who."
  • סְבִיבוֹתֶ֑יךָ (sḇîḇōwṯekhā): From סָבִיב (sāḇîḇ), meaning "surroundings, environs." The suffix -kha means "your."
  • Highlights the immediate neighbors (Edom, Philistia, Moab, Ammon) who often watched, gloated, and sometimes participated in Israel's downfall, but were also influenced by Jerusalem's actions. Their proximity makes them prime witnesses to the city's public humiliation.

• in the sight of all who pass by (לְעֵינֵי֙ כָּל־עוֹבֵ֣ר - lə‘ênê kol-‘ōḇēr):

  • לְעֵינֵי֙ (lə‘ênê): "in the eyes of," hence "in the sight of." From עַיִן (ʿayin), "eye."
  • כָּל־עוֹבֵ֣ר (kol-‘ōḇēr): "all passing ones" or "all who pass by."
  • Emphasizes the utter public nature of Jerusalem's downfall. It's not a private grief but a public spectacle, like a destroyed city visible from a highway (Lam 2:15). This reinforces the depth of the disgrace and the undeniable reality of God's judgment to all, regardless of their nationality.

Ezekiel 5 14 Bonus section

The judgment pronounced in Ezekiel 5:14 represents a reversal of God's original intention for Israel to be a light to the nations (Isa 49:6). Instead of attracting the nations to Yahweh, Jerusalem's desolation makes it an object lesson of divine wrath, ironically testifying to God's justice in judgment rather than His blessing. This public display of disgrace also serves as a warning not only to ancient Judah's contemporaries but to all future generations, including the church, about the perils of spiritual infidelity. It affirms God's ultimate sovereignty, demonstrating that even His covenant people are not exempt from accountability for their actions. The historical fulfillment of this prophecy confirmed the prophetic word and God's absolute authority.

Ezekiel 5 14 Commentary

Ezekiel 5:14 powerfully underscores the absolute certainty and public nature of God's judgment against Jerusalem. It serves as a stark consequence for the city's unparalleled apostasy. God Himself, using direct language, declares His active role in transforming Jerusalem from a jewel among nations into a derelict waste (חׇרְבָּה) and an object of contempt (וַחֲרָפָה). This state is not to be a hidden sorrow but a public spectacle, broadcast to "the nations that are around you" and "all who pass by." This ensures the universality of the testimony to God's righteousness and the severity of sin.

The verse is a clear polemic against the false sense of security that many in Jerusalem held, believing in their city's inviolability due to the Temple's presence (Jer 7:4). God shatters this illusion, showing that persistent covenant breaking, even from His chosen people, invites divine wrath, overturning privilege into greater humiliation. It fulfills the curses of the Mosaic covenant (e.g., Deut 28:37), demonstrating God's faithfulness to His warnings as much as to His promises. The imagery is deeply resonant, portraying Jerusalem's ultimate undoing as a solemn, public display of divine justice, meant to both condemn Israel's rebellion and instruct the observing world about the consequences of forsaking the Living God.