Ezekiel 7 Study Notes

7:1-2 The Hebrew expression ’admat yisra’el (the land of Israel) occurs only in Ezekiel. The more common expression for the “land of Israel” translates a Hebrew phrase ’erets yisra’el. In the use of the term here, the emphasis is on the ground or soil rather than the land or the nation. The expression the end has come does not refer to the end of the latter days but the end of great corruption, as in Gn 6:13. Just as in the days of Noah’s flood (Gn 6), the sins of the people had reached such a point that it was time for the land to be wiped clean of them.

7:3-6 The end is coming because of their detestable practices. The latter term is sometimes rendered “abominations” and typically carries the death penalty.

7:7 The day of the Lord refers to a time of God’s intervention in history to deliver or to judge (Is 2:12-22; 13). But in some ways the day of the Lord focuses on an event rather than a definite extent of time. Beginning with Amos the day was viewed as a time of great judgment (Am 5:18-20). The nearness of the day of the Lord is a common theme in prophetic literature (Ezk 30:3; Jl 1:15; 2:1; Zph 1:7,14).

7:8-11 The rod that had blossomed refers to Aaron’s rod that not only meant God’s choice but also his judgment on the arrogant (Nm 17:8).

7:12 Land was sold only under dire circumstances, hence the mourning. But in times of judgment nothing else mattered.

7:13 After the seventh sabbatical year (forty-nine years) the Year of Jubilee took place, during which each person who had lost or sold his land received back his personal property (Lv 25:8-22). The year began on the Day of Atonement of this fiftieth year. This generous attitude was to be displayed because the land actually belonged to the Lord; it had been given to the Israelites through an extended lease (Lv 25:23).

7:14-18 These verses speak of destruction and demoralization affecting the whole population.

7:19 On something filthy, see Is 2:20 and Zph 1:18 for parallel phrases. The filthy thing (Hb niddah) was the technical term used for the ceremonial impurity that resulted from menstruation (Lv 15:19-33) and the touching of a corpse (Nm 19:13-21). Wealth had become the people’s stumbling block (Mt 6:19-24; Lk 6:24-25; 1Tm 6:6-10,17-19; Jms 5:1-6).

7:20 Jewish medieval commentators as well as the Aramaic Targum translation indicate that the phrase beautiful ornaments is an allusion to the temple, as in v. 22 (cp. Dn 1:2; 5:3-4).

7:21 The phrase I will hand these things over to foreigners refers to a fulfillment of Dt 28:49-57.

7:22 Many Israelites considered themselves invincible because the presence of God resided in Jerusalem (my treasured place)—they thought that God would never let his holy dwelling be destroyed (Jr 7:1-5)—but even the temple would not escape God’s judgment (Mc 3:12).

7:23 The phrase the city is filled with violence clearly echoes Gn 6:11.

7:24-25 The sacred places refers to high places. See Lv 26:30.

7:26 Like the series of catastrophes that struck Job (cp. Jb 1:13-19), no sooner would one disaster be reported than word of another would come.