Then came certain of the elders of Israel. These are to be distinguished from the elders of Judah (Ezekiel 8:1 ). They had no knowledge (probably) of what was transpiring in Judaea. They had travelled from Tel = abib. the elders . See the Structure (p. 1097). Israel . See Ezekiel 8:11 , Ezekiel 8:12 ; Ezekiel 8:6 , Ezekiel 9:6 . in Ezekiel 8:1 we have Judah's elders. read more
PROPHECIES AGAINST IDOLATROUS INQUIRERSKeil divided this chapter into two parts. "God will not allow idolaters to inquire of him (Ezekiel 14:1-13), and the righteousness of the godly will not avert the judgment (Ezekiel 14:14-23)."[1]Ezekiel 14:1-3"Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me. And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at... read more
Ezekiel 14:1. Then came certain of the elders— The prophet tells us neither the names nor the intention of these elders of Israel, nor the time when they came to him. But the manner wherein God speaks, gives us to understand, that they came only to tempt him, as the Pharisees came to Christ, and with no design to profit by what they heard, or to correct their faults. See Calmet. read more
1. elders—persons holding that dignity among the exiles at the Chebar. GROTIUS refers this to Seraiah and those sent with him from Judea ( :-). The prophet's reply, first, reflecting on the character of the inquirers, and, secondly, foretelling the calamities coming on Judea, may furnish an idea of the subject of their inquiry. sat before me—not at once able to find a beginning of their speech; indicative of anxiety and despondency. read more
Some of the elders of the Jewish community in exile came to visit Ezekiel. While these men sat with the prophet, a word from the Lord came to him. read more
A warning to the elders of God’s people 14:1-5 read more
4. The effect of false prophets on Israel’s leaders 14:1-11This prophecy carries on the thought of the one in chapter 13 about false prophets. Those who resorted to false prophets would share their fate, namely, judgment by God."Idolatry was the standard method of religion in ancient times. Ancient peoples believed that any depiction of a thing somehow partook of the essence of that thing, no matter how crude or artificial the depiction might be. A picture of a tree contained part of the... read more
On Prophecy, True and FalseAfter rebuking certain prevalent forms of contempt for prophecy (Eze 12:21-28), Ezekiel reproves the false prophets (Eze 13:1-16) and false prophetesses (Eze 13:17-23) of Israel. A visit from the elders next supplies the occasion for an announcement of the principles on which God deals both with false enquirers and with the prophets who answer them (Eze 14:1-11).(a) Contempt of Prophecy Rebuked (Eze 12:21-28)This contempt took two forms. On the one hand it had become... read more
§ 4. Further Prophecies of Israel's Guilt and approaching Punishment (Ezekiel 12-19)This is a somewhat miscellaneous group of prophecies intermediate in date between the preceding (August-September, 591 b.c.) and succeeding (July-August, 590 b.c.) sections. It includes fresh symbols of exile, flight, and famine (Eze 12:1-20), a doctrine of prophecy, true and false (Eze 12:21 to Eze 14:11), an explanation of God's exceptional treatment of Jerusalem in sparing a remnant (Eze 14:12-23), Ezekiel's... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 14:1-11
Idolatry in the heart (14:1-11)Once again the leaders of the exiles came to see if Ezekiel had any helpful advice for them. He did, but not of the kind they were seeking. Although these men were outwardly loyal to Yahweh, inwardly they were attracted to the Babylonian gods. God told Ezekiel that he would not speak to such people through his prophet, but would speak directly. He would speak in a decisive act of judgment that would remove this tendency towards idolatry from the hearts of his... read more