Ezekiel 11

Ezekiel 11 is the eleventh chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet/priest Ezekiel, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. In this chapter, Ezekiel pronounces judgment on Jerusalem's "wicked counsellors" and promises that God will restore Israel.

Text

The original text was written in the Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 25 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis, the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets, Aleppo Codex, and Codex Leningradensis. Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls including 4Q73 with extant verses 1–3, 5–11; and 11Q4 with the extant verse 19.
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BC. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus, Codex Alexandrinus and Codex Marchalianus.

Evil in high places (11:1–12)

Verse 1

In his vision, Ezekiel moves from the northern gateway of the temple's inner court to the east gate. The 25 men who are assembled there are "evidently a separate group" from the group of "about twenty-five men" who assembled at the inner court's northern entrance, as this group are condemned for their wicked counsel whereas the earlier group are condemned for their sun-worship.

"Jaazaniah, the son of Azur" is not to be confused with "Jaazaniah, the son of Saphan", mentioned in Ezekiel 8:11. A seal dated to 7th century BC with the name "Jaazaniah" has been found, although the exact identification to which Jaazaniah is difficult.
"Pelatiah" : means "whom Jehovah delivered". His death, which occurred on hearing Ezekiel's prophecy, is noted in Ezekiel 11:13.

A promise of restoration (11:13–21)

Verse 13

"While I was prophesying" is interpreted as "as soon as I had finished" in the Easy-to-Read Version.
"Pelatiah the son of Benaiah": Mentioned in Ezekiel 11:1 as a 'principal man among the twenty-five princes, who made all the mischief in Jerusalem'. Although it seems to be a vision at the time, but it was a prophecy that would be done in fact, so the prophet thought this as a part of the common destruction on all the inhabitants of the Jerusalem, and he 'earnestly deprecated' that severe judgment.

God’s glory leaves Jerusalem (11:22–24)

Verse 22

"Cherub" is defined in Brown-Driver-Briggs as "the living chariot of the theophanic God". Lutheran theologian Wilhelm Gesenius describes it as "a being of a sublime and celestial nature".

Verse 23

"Glory" : among other meanings of the Hebrew word, "abundance, riches" or "honour, splendour", which accompanies or surrounds the presence of God as in ; ; ; Ezekiel 1:28, compared to.
The "mountain which is on the east side of the city": is interpreted by New Oxford Annotated Bible as "the Mount of Olives".

Verse 24

Some versions refer to Babylonia rather than Chaldea. The International Standard Version explains that at this point, "the vision that I had been observing ended", concluding an account which commenced in chapter 8.

Jewish

*
*