Ezekiel 8:18 kjv
Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.
Ezekiel 8:18 nkjv
Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them."
Ezekiel 8:18 niv
Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them."
Ezekiel 8:18 esv
Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them."
Ezekiel 8:18 nlt
Therefore, I will respond in fury. I will neither pity nor spare them. And though they cry for mercy, I will not listen."
Ezekiel 8 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Prov 1:28-31 | "Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. . ." | God's refusal to answer those who reject Him. |
| Isa 1:15 | "When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood." | Sin hindering prayers. |
| Jer 11:11 | "Therefore thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them." | Unheeded cries for help during judgment. |
| Jer 14:12 | "Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. . ." | God rejects prayers due to unrepented sin. |
| Mic 3:4 | "Then they will cry to the Lord, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because of the evil they have done." | Direct parallel to God not hearing. |
| Zech 7:13 | "As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear, says the Lord of hosts." | Reciprocal refusal to hear. |
| 2 Chr 36:15-16 | "The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers... But they kept ridiculing the messengers of God... until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy." | Divine wrath reaching a point of no return. |
| Ps 78:58-60 | "They provoked him to anger with their high places... God heard, and was wrathful, and he utterly rejected Israel." | Provocation leading to divine rejection. |
| Rom 2:5-6 | "But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each one according to his works." | Storing up wrath through impenitence. |
| Heb 10:26-27 | "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment. . ." | Persistent sin leading to certain judgment. |
| Matt 7:21-23 | "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven... Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord'... And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'" | Appeals rejected due to lawlessness. |
| Lk 13:25-27 | "Once the master of the house has risen and shut the door... Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence'... But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!'" | Shut door, unheeded pleas for entry. |
| 2 Thes 1:7b-9 | "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction. . ." | Future judgment without mercy for the ungodly. |
| Rev 14:9-11 | "If anyone worships the beast... he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger. . ." | Divine wrath on idolaters/unfaithful. |
| Nah 1:2-3 | "The Lord is a jealous God and avenging... The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty." | God's wrath against guilt. |
| Deut 31:16-18 | "This people will rise and whore after the foreign gods of the land... Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them. . ." | Apostasy leading to hidden face and forsaking. |
| Ez 9:5 | "And to the others he said in my hearing, 'Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity.'" | Reinforcement of divine judgment commands. |
| Joel 2:13-14 | "Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger... Who knows whether he will not turn and relent. . ." | Contrast, highlighting the loss of mercy in Ez 8:18 after sustained sin. |
| Isa 65:2-4, 12 | "I have stretched out my hands all the day to a rebellious people... therefore I will measure out your full payment. . ." | Persistence of God's call despite rebellion leading to judgment. |
| Jer 7:13-15 | "And now, because you have done all these things... and I called you and you did not answer, and I spoke to you and you did not listen, therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name. . ." | Similar judgment due to unheeded warnings. |
| Ezek 5:11 | "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." | Direct echo in Ezekiel, same strong language of no pity. |
| Isa 63:10 | "But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy and himself fought against them." | Consequences of grieving the Holy Spirit. |
| Judg 10:13-14 | "But you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen." | God directs petitioners to their chosen gods. |
Ezekiel 8 verses
Ezekiel 8 18 Meaning
Ezekiel 8:18 declares God's decisive and irreversible judgment upon Jerusalem due to its pervasive idolatry and abomination, witnessed within the Temple. It states that divine wrath will be poured out without restraint, and pleas for mercy will be rejected. Despite their desperate cries, God will refuse to hear their petitions, signifying a complete withdrawal of compassion and an absolute commitment to judgment.
Ezekiel 8 18 Context
Ezekiel 8:18 stands as the grim conclusion to a shocking vision experienced by the prophet Ezekiel in the sixth year of Judah's exile, while he was among the exiles in Babylon. In this chapter, God spiritually transports Ezekiel to Jerusalem, where he witnesses four escalating abominations being committed within and around the sacred Temple precincts:
- The idol of jealousy (vv. 3-6): A large idol standing at the Temple gate.
- Seventy elders worshipping idols (vv. 7-12): Secret idolatry in a hidden chamber within the Temple, invoking ancient Egyptian or Canaanite practices.
- Women weeping for Tammuz (vv. 13-14): Pagan mourning rituals for a Babylonian fertility deity, practiced at the Temple's north gate.
- Sun worshipers (vv. 15-16): Twenty-five men worshipping the sun directly within the Temple's inner court, an abomination often associated with Mesopotamian practices, with their backs to the true God.
These acts of defilement represented a profound betrayal of the covenant, bringing pagan practices into the heart of God's dwelling place. They challenged God's sovereignty, purity, and singular worship. Ezekiel 8:17 highlights that these were not mere acts of ignorance but deliberate, repeated affronts. God’s declaration in verse 18 is therefore a direct and just consequence of this sustained, deliberate, and open apostasy, signifying that the time for repentance has passed for this specific judgment.
Ezekiel 8 18 Word analysis
- Therefore (וְגַם־אָנִי - wəḡam-’ănî): A strong connective, indicating an inevitable consequence. The "And I also" highlights God's reciprocal action – they have acted, and now He will act in return. It denotes a firm resolution following the observed actions.
- I will act (אֶעֱשֶׂה - ’e‘eśeh): Signifies direct, active intervention from God. It's not a passive allowance but an intentional carrying out of judgment.
- in wrath (בַּחֵמָה - baḥēmāh): From ḥēmāh, meaning "heat," "fury," or "burning anger." This is a strong term for divine anger, intense and unbridled, distinct from mere displeasure. It conveys God's passionate response to profanity and betrayal.
- My eye (עֵינִי - ‘êynî): Represents God's awareness, observation, and oversight. In this context, it shifts from observing their sin to observing their punishment, implying a lack of compassionate gaze.
- will not spare (לֹא־תָחוּס - lō’-tāḥūs): From ḥūs, meaning "to pity," "to spare," "to show compassion." The negative "not" emphatically removes any possibility of mercy or clemency. This is a deliberate withholding of the usual divine attribute of mercy.
- nor will I have pity (וְלֹא־אֶחְמֹל - wəlo’-’eḥmōl): From ḥāmal, a near-synonym to ḥūs, meaning "to pity," "to have compassion," "to feel sorry for." The repetition emphasizes the absolute nature of God's decision; no softness or relenting will be found. This phrase underlines the finality of God’s intention to inflict severe judgment without any mitigating factors.
- Though they cry aloud (קָרְאוּ בְאָזְנַי - qāre’ū bə’oznay): Literally "they call/cry in my ears." Qāra’ means to call, cry out, invoke. This suggests a fervent, desperate, and loud appeal for help, a prayer of distress, but pointedly after the time for repentance has passed.
- in my ears: Emphasizes the proximity of their pleas, highlighting that God will undeniably perceive their cries, yet consciously choose not to respond favorably.
- I will not hear them (לֹא אֶשְׁמָעֵם - lō’ ’ešmā‘ēm): From šāma‘, meaning "to hear," "to listen," "to obey," "to respond." In this context, it signifies not merely hearing audibly, but a refusal to heed or answer their prayers. God will close His "hearing" to their petitions for rescue, effectively condemning them to their fate.
Ezekiel 8 18 Bonus section
- Judicial Hardening: This verse encapsulates the concept of judicial hardening, where God's withholding of grace is a just consequence of sustained human rebellion. The people, through their actions, had effectively "hardened" God's heart toward their pleas, reflecting how God often "gives them over" to their own choices (Rom 1:24, 26, 28).
- The Problem of "Too Late": The "crying aloud" suggests a reactive, rather than proactive, repentance. It is the cry of desperation in the face of judgment, not a sincere turning from sin before it escalates. The verse teaches that there can be a point of "too late" for a particular judgment, emphasizing the urgency of heeding God's warnings early (Amos 8:11-12).
- Divine Pathos vs. Divine Justice: While much of Ezekiel shows God's profound grief and suffering (pathos) over Israel's rebellion, this verse clearly articulates God's unwavering commitment to justice, even when it means silencing His compassion. This balance between God's attributes is a consistent theme in the prophetic books.
- Prophetic Irony: The people performed rituals, even inside the Temple, to invoke other gods for blessings, yet when the true God brings judgment, they cry to Him, and He refuses. The irony highlights the futility and danger of forsaking the Source of life for idols.
Ezekiel 8 18 Commentary
Ezekiel 8:18 serves as a pivotal and terrifying declaration of divine judgment. It underscores a crucial theological principle: while God is abounding in mercy, there is a boundary beyond which persistent, flagrant sin will provoke an unyielding divine wrath. The catalog of abominations witnessed by Ezekiel culminated in a crisis where God's holiness could no longer tolerate the desecration of His sanctuary and name. This verse marks the irreversible tipping point. The double negative, "My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity," powerfully conveys the cessation of God's compassion for those facing judgment at this specific juncture. Even the most desperate pleas—"though they cry aloud in my ears"—will be met with a resolute "I will not hear them." This rejection is not an inability to hear, but a determined unwillingness to respond positively to pleas from those whose actions have so grievously provoked Him. It signifies a judicial hardening and an enacted sentence, demonstrating that sin not only separates from God but can reach a point where God's responsive grace is fully withdrawn in favor of just retribution. For Ezekiel's audience, it confirmed the certainty of Jerusalem's impending destruction and the end of any false hope of deliverance while entrenched in sin. It is a stark reminder of the sanctity of God's presence and the gravity of persistent rebellion against Him.