Ezekiel 7 26

Ezekiel 7:26 kjv

Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.

Ezekiel 7:26 nkjv

Disaster will come upon disaster, And rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; But the law will perish from the priest, And counsel from the elders.

Ezekiel 7:26 niv

Calamity upon calamity will come, and rumor upon rumor. They will go searching for a vision from the prophet, priestly instruction in the law will cease, the counsel of the elders will come to an end.

Ezekiel 7:26 esv

Disaster comes upon disaster; rumor follows rumor. They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes from the priest and counsel from the elders.

Ezekiel 7:26 nlt

Calamity will follow calamity;
rumor will follow rumor.
They will look in vain
for a vision from the prophets.
They will receive no teaching from the priests
and no counsel from the leaders.

Ezekiel 7 verses

Ezekiel 7 26 Meaning

Ezekiel 7:26 vividly portrays a state of overwhelming divine judgment upon Judah, where catastrophe relentlessly follows catastrophe, and distressing news is ceaseless. In this profound crisis, the traditional pillars of divine and societal guidance—prophetic revelation, priestly instruction in God’s law (Torah), and the wisdom of the elders—will completely fail. The people, driven to desperate spiritual hunger, will seek a word from God but find no accessible source of truth or wisdom, symbolizing utter societal breakdown and a spiritual famine as a consequence of their deep-seated rebellion against God.

Ezekiel 7 26 Context

Ezekiel Chapter 7 delivers a potent and uncompromising prophecy titled "The End Has Come." It foretells the swift and comprehensive destruction of the land of Israel, particularly Jerusalem, and its inhabitants, due to their widespread idolatry, violence, and rejection of God's covenant. The entire chapter uses urgent language to convey the certainty, imminence, and totality of the judgment by Babylon. Verse 26, specifically, occurs amidst this prophetic announcement of national collapse. The historical context is the period leading up to the final siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, when many still held to a false sense of security, believing God would never allow His Temple or chosen city to fall. Ezekiel's message shatters this complacency by revealing that not only would their physical structures be destroyed, but all their customary spiritual and civic support systems would also utterly fail, leaving them without guidance in their deepest time of need.

Ezekiel 7 26 Word analysis

• Disaster after disaster: From the Hebrew צִפְצִפָה עַל־צִפְצִפָה (tsiptsiphah al-tsiptsiphah), meaning "ruin upon ruin" or "calamity upon calamity." This signifies a relentless, escalating sequence of catastrophes, like waves crashing one after another, indicating the overwhelming and continuous nature of God's judgment. It suggests no respite or end to the troubles.
• will come: (תָּבֹא - tavo') - The simple future tense here conveys absolute certainty and inevitability. These disasters are not possibilities but decrees.
• rumor after rumor: From the Hebrew שְׁמוּעָה עַל־שְׁמוּעָה (sh'mu'ah al-sh'mu'ah), meaning "report upon report" or "news upon news." This conveys a constant stream of unsettling and terrifying reports of invasion, devastation, and suffering, generating widespread fear, anxiety, and a complete loss of security among the populace.
• will be heard: (תִּהְיֶה - tihyeh) - Similar to "will come," this future tense confirms the absolute certainty that such alarming news will proliferate, adding to the pervasive dread.
• They will beg a vision: From the Hebrew וּבִקְשׁוּ חָזוֹן (uviksşu chazon), where חָזוֹן (chazon) refers to a divine revelation or prophetic insight, often received through direct communication from God. The act of "begging" (seeking intensely or eagerly) highlights the people's desperate yearning for guidance and understanding in their crisis, contrasting sharply with their previous neglect or rejection of God's true prophets.
• from the prophet: (מִנָּבִיא - minnavi') - The prophet was traditionally the mouthpiece of God, providing direct divine messages. This specifies the desired source of revelation, which will tragically be unavailable or corrupted when needed most.
• priestly instruction: From the Hebrew תּוֹרָה (Torah). While primarily referring to God's law (Pentateuch), in the priestly context it denotes specific instructions, interpretations, and applications of the Law, often through direct consultation or through practices like the Urim and Thummim. Priests were responsible for teaching, guarding, and administrating God's truth.
• will perish: (תּאבַד - to'vad) - A strong verb indicating destruction, vanishing, or becoming utterly lost and ineffective. It signifies not merely a failure of access, but a total cessation or obliteration of priestly guidance.
• the counsel of the elders: From the Hebrew וְעֵצָה מִזְּקֵנִים (v'etsah mizz'kenim). Elders (זְקֵנִים - z'kenim) were respected community leaders, statesmen, and heads of families, valued for their experience, wisdom, and judgment in judicial, civil, and moral matters. Their counsel provided societal stability and practical guidance.
• will fail: (תִּקַּח - tiqqach) - This literally means "will be taken away" or "will be lacking/removed." It denotes the complete unavailability or breakdown of the elders' ability to provide meaningful, effective advice, plunging society into moral and civic disarray.

Word-Group Analysis:

• "Disaster after disaster will come; rumor after rumor will be heard": This couplet forcefully emphasizes the relentless, multifaceted, and inescapable nature of the coming judgment. It affects both external circumstances (disasters) and internal psychology (pervasive rumors), creating a state of continuous panic and a spiraling descent into chaos.
• "They will beg a vision from the prophet": This phrase highlights a desperate, yet belated, spiritual yearning. The people will realize too late the value of prophetic guidance they once disregarded, indicating their spiritual blindness until forced to confront judgment. The irony is that when they finally seek, the source will be silenced.
• "priestly instruction will perish; the counsel of the elders will fail": These two clauses, combined with the prophet's failure, describe a comprehensive collapse of all traditional channels of authority, spiritual truth, and societal wisdom. This tripartite breakdown ensures that the people will have no religious or civic resources to navigate the impending calamity, making their despair complete.

Ezekiel 7 26 Bonus section

The profound desolation described in Ezekiel 7:26 is not merely a consequence of external invasion but a direct outworking of God's deliberate judgment for the nation's profound spiritual infidelity. The failure of the three distinct, yet complementary, offices of prophet, priest, and elder is symbolic of a complete national undoing. The prophet represents God's direct, revelatory word; the priest, God's established law (Torah) and the means of atonement; and the elder, practical wisdom and moral governance for daily life. The silencing of all these voices, usually God's means of guiding His people, means a profound spiritual drought. This withdrawal of God's manifest presence and accessible guidance would have been perceived as one of the most terrifying aspects of divine judgment for the Israelite people, a people whose identity and security were intimately tied to their covenant relationship with Yahweh. In a profound theological contrast, the New Testament presents Jesus Christ as the ultimate Prophet (revealing God fully), the High Priest (making ultimate atonement), and the source of all Wisdom and King (ruling with righteous counsel), offering believers full access to divine truth and guidance, thereby fulfilling and transcending these Old Covenant roles.

Ezekiel 7 26 Commentary

Ezekiel 7:26 presents a stark picture of comprehensive divine judgment where all trusted pillars of societal and spiritual order collapse. The prophet meticulously outlines a spiraling descent into chaos: first, an overwhelming torrent of calamities and continuous bad news, overwhelming the senses and inciting terror. Then, he details the complete spiritual and civic void that accompanies this destruction. The people's desperate plea for a "vision from the prophet" is tragically met with silence, not because God ceases to speak, but because access to legitimate divine revelation is removed or obscured as part of the judgment. This is further compounded by the perishing of "priestly instruction," meaning the unavailability of God's law or its proper interpretation by authorized spiritual leaders. Finally, the "counsel of the elders will fail," indicating a complete breakdown of secular wisdom, moral leadership, and traditional societal structure. This verse underscores that prolonged rejection of God ultimately leads to spiritual famine and an absence of truth when it is most desperately needed, highlighting the severity of divine wrath. The threefold enumeration—prophet, priest, elder—signifies a total loss across all strata of leadership, leaving the people utterly bereft and hopeless.