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Selected Verse: Ezekiel 14:1 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Eze 14:1	Strong Concordance	Then came [0935] certain [0582] of the elders [02205] of Israel [03478] unto me, and sat [03427] before [06440] me.
	King James	Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
HYPOCRITICAL INQUIRERS ARE ANSWERED ACCORDING TO THEIR HYPOCRISY. THE CALAMITIES COMING ON THE PEOPLE; BUT A REMNANT IS TO ESCAPE. (Eze. 14:1-23) elders--persons holding that dignity among the exiles at the Chebar. GROTIUS refers this to Seraiah and those sent with him from Judea (Jer 51:59). 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.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

HYPOCRITICAL INQUIRERS ARE ANSWERED ACCORDING TO THEIR HYPOCRISY. THE CALAMITIES COMING ON THE PEOPLE; BUT A REMNANT IS TO ESCAPE. (Eze. 14:1-23)

elders--persons holding that dignity among the exiles at the Chebar. GROTIUS refers this to Seraiah and those sent with him from Judea (Jer 51:59). 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.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
Elders of Israel - Some of the fellow-exiles of Ezekiel, among whom he ministered.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
The Lord Gives No Answer to the Idolaters Eze 14:1 narrates the occasion for this and the following words of God: There came to me men of the elders of Israel, and sat down before me. These men were not deputies from the Israelites in Palestine, as Grotius and others suppose, but elders of the exiles among whom Ezekiel had been labouring. They came to visit the prophet (v. 3), evidently with the intention of obtaining, through him, a word of God concerning the future of Jerusalem, or the fate of the kingdom of Judah. But Hvernick is wrong in supposing that we may infer, from either the first or second word of God in this chapter, that they had addressed to the prophet a distinct inquiry of this nature, to which the answer is given in vv. 12-23. For although their coming to the prophet showed that his prophecies had made an impression upon them, it is not stated in v. 1 that they had come to inquire of God, like the elders in Eze 20:1, and there is no allusion to any definite questions in the words of God themselves. The first (Eze 14:2-11) simply assumes that they have come with the intention of asking, and discloses the state of heart which keeps them from coming to inquire; and the second (Eze 14:12-23) points out the worthlessness of their false confidence in the righteousness of certain godly men. Eze 14:2-5 And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Eze 14:3. Son of man, these men have let their idols rise up in their heart, and have set the stumbling-block to guilt before their face: shall I allow myself to be inquired of by them? Eze 14:4. Therefore speak to them, and say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Every man of the house of Israel who lifteth up his idols in his heart, and setteth the stumbling-block to his sin before his face, and cometh to the prophet, to him do I, Jehovah, show myself, answering according thereto, according to the multitude of his idols; Eze 14:5. To grasp the house of Israel by their heart, because they have turned away from me, all of them through their idols. - We have not to picture these elders to ourselves as given up to gross idolatry. העלה על לב means, to allow anything to come into the mind, to permit it to rise up in the heart, to be mentally busy therewith. "To set before one's face" is also to be understood, in a spiritual sense, as relating to a thing which a man will not put out of his mind. מכשׁול , stumbling-block to sin and guilt (cf. Eze 7:19), i.e., the idols. Thus the two phrases simply denote the leaning of the heart and spirit towards false gods. God does not suffer those whose heart is attached to idols to seek and find Him. The interrogative clause 'האדּרשׁ וגו contains a strong negation. The emphasis lies in the infinitive absolute אדּרשׁ et placed before the verb, in which the ה is softened into א, to avoid writing ה twice. נדרשׁ, to allow oneself to be sought, involves the finding of God; hence in Isa 65:1 we have נדרשׁ as parallel to נמצא. In Eze 14:4, Eze 14:5, there follows a positive declaration of the attitude of God towards those who are devoted to idolatry in their heart. Every such Israelite will be answered by God according to the measure of the multitude of his idols. The Niphal נענה has not the signification of the Kal, and does not mean "to be answerable," as Ewald supposes, or to converse; but is generally used in a passive sense, "to be answered," i.e., to find or obtain a hearing (Job 11:2; Job 19:7). It is employed here in a reflective sense, to hold or show oneself answering. בה, according to the Chetib בהּ, for which the Keri suggests the softer gloss בא, refers to 'בּרב גל which follows; the nominative being anticipated, according to an idiom very common in Aramaean, by a previous pronoun. It is written here for the sake of emphasis, to bring the following object into more striking prominence. ב is used here in the sense of secundum, according to, not because, since this meaning is quite unsuitable for the ב in Eze 14:7, where it occurs in the same connection (בּי). The manner in which God will show Himself answering the idolatry according to their idols, is reserved till Eze 14:8. Here, in Eze 14:5, the design of this procedure on the part of God is given: viz., to grasp Israel by the heart; i.e., not merely to touch and to improve them, but to bring down their heart by judgments (cf. Lev 26:41), and thus move them to give up idolatry and return to the living God. נזרוּ, as in Isa 1:4, to recede, to draw away from God. כּלּם is an emphatic repetition of the subject belonging to נזרוּ. Eze 14:6-8 In these verses the divine threat, and the summons to repent, are repeated, expanded, and uttered in the clearest words. - Eze 14:6. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Repent, and turn away from your idols; and turn away your face from all your abominations. V.7. For every one of the house of Israel, and of the foreigners who sojourn in Israel, if he estrange himself from me, and let his idols rise up in his heart, and set the stumbling-block to his sin before his face, and come to the prophet to seek me for himself; I will show myself to him, answering in my own way. Eze 14:8. I will direct my face against that man, and will destroy him, for a sign and for proverbs, and will cut him off out of my people; and ye shall learn that I am Jehovah. - לכן in Eze 14:6 is co-ordinate with the לכן in Eze 14:4, so far as the thought is concerned, but it is directly attached to Eze 14:5: because they have estranged themselves from God, therefore God requires them to repent and turn. For God will answer with severe judgments every one who would seek God with idols in his heart, whether he be an Israelite, or a foreigner living in the midst of Israel. שׁוּבוּ, turn, be converted, is rendered still more emphatic by the addition of פניכם... השׁיבוּ. This double call to repentance corresponds to the double reproof of their idolatry in Eze 14:3, viz., שׁוּבוּ, to על לב 'העלה גל; and השׁיבוּ פניכם, to their setting the idols נכח פּניהם. השׁיבוּ is not used intransitively, as it apparently is in Eze 18:30, but is to be taken in connection with the object פניכם, which follows at the end of the verse; and it is simply repeated before פניכם for the sake of clearness and emphasis. The reason for the summons to repent and give up idolatry is explained in Eze 14:7, in the threat that God will destroy every Israelite, and every foreigner in Israel, who draws away from God and attaches himself to idols. The phraseology of Eze 14:7 is adopted almost verbatim from Lev 17:8, Lev 17:10,Lev 17:13. On the obligation of foreigners to avoid idolatry and all moral abominations, vid., Lev 20:2; Lev 18:26; Lev 17:10; Exo 12:19, etc. The ו before ינּזר and יעל does not stand for the Vav relat., but simply supposes a case: "should he separate himself from my followers, and let his idols rise up, etc." לדרשׁ־לו בּי does not mean, "to seek counsel of him (the prophet) from me," for לו cannot be taken as referring to the prophet, although דּרשׁ with ל does sometimes mean to seek any one, and ל may therefore indicate the person to whom one goes to make inquiry (cf. Ch2 15:13; Ch2 17:4; Ch2 31:21), because it is Jehovah who is sought in this case; and Hvernick's remark, that "דּרשׁ with ל merely indicates the external object sought by a man, and therefore in this instance the medium or organ through whom God speaks," is proved to be erroneous by the passages just cited. לו is reflective, or to be taken as a dat. commodi, denoting the inquirer or seeker. The person approached for the purpose of inquiring or seeking, i.e., God, is indicated by the preposition בּ, as in Ch1 10:14 (דּרשׁ ); and also frequently, in the case of idols, when either an oracle or help is sought from them (Sa1 28:7; Kg2 1:2.). It is only in this way that לו and בּי can be made to correspond to the same words in the apodosis: Whosoever seeks counsel of God, to him will God show Himself answering בּי, in Him, i.e., in accordance with His nature, in His own way, - namely, in the manner described in Eze 14:8. The threat is composed of passages in the law: 'נתתּי and 'הכרתּי וגו, after Lev 20:3, Lev 20:5-6; and 'וחשׁמותיהוּ וגו, though somewhat freely, after Deu 28:37 ('היה לשׁמּה למשׁל). There is no doubt, therefore, that השׁמותי is to be derived from שׁמם, and stands for השׁמּותי, in accordance with the custom in later writings of resolving the Dagesh forte into a long vowel. The allusion to Deu 28:37, compared with היה in v. 46 of the same chapter, is sufficient to set aside the assumption that השׁמותי is to be derived from שׂים, and pointed accordingly; although the lxx, Targ., Syr., and Vulg. have all renderings of שׂים (cf. Psa 44:16). Moreover, שׂים in the perfect never takes the Hiphil form; and in Eze 20:26 we have אשׁמּם in a similar connection. The expression is a pregnant one: I make him desolate, so that he becomes a sign and proverbs. Eze 14:9-11 No prophet is to give any other answer. - Eze 14:9. But if a prophet allow himself to be persuaded, and give a word, I have persuaded this prophet, and will stretch out my hand against him, and cut him off out of my people Israel. Eze 14:10. They shall bear their guilt: as the guilt of the inquirer, so shall the guilt of the prophet be; Eze 14:11. In order that the house of Israel may no more stray from me, and may no more defile itself with all its transgressions; but they may be my people, and I their God is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. - The prophet who allows himself to be persuaded is not a prophet מלּבּו (Eze 13:2), but one who really thinks that he has a word of God. פּתּה, to persuade, to entice by friendly words (in a good sense, Hos 2:16); but generally sensu malo, to lead astray, or seduce to that which is unallowable or evil. "If he allow himself to be persuaded:" not necessarily "with the hope of payment from the hypocrites who consult him" (Michaelis). This weakens the thought. It might sometimes be done from unselfish good-nature. And "the word" itself need not have been a divine oracle of his own invention, or a false prophecy. The allusion is simply to a word of a different character from that contained in Eze 14:6-8, which either demands repentance or denounces judgment upon the impenitent: every word, therefore, which could by any possibility confirm the sinner in his security. - By אני יהוה (Eze 14:9) the apodosis is introduced in an emphatic manner, as in Eze 14:4 and Eze 14:7; but פּתּיתי cannot be taken in a future sense ("I will persuade"). It must be a perfect; since the persuading of the prophet would necessarily precede his allowing himself to be persuaded. The Fathers and earlier Lutheran theologians are wrong in their interpretation of פּתּיתי, which they understand in a permissive sense, meaning simply that God allowed it, and did not prevent their being seduced. Still more wrong are Storr and Schmieder, the former of whom regards it as simply declaratory, "I will declare him to have gone astray from the worship of Jehovah;" the latter, "I will show him to be a fool, by punishing him for his disobedience." The words are rather to be understood in accordance with Kg1 22:20., where the persuading (pittâh) is done by a lying spirit, which inspires the prophets of Ahab to predict success to the king, in order that he may fall. As Jehovah sent the spirit in that case, and put it into the mouth of the prophets, so is the persuasion in this instance also effected by God: not merely divine permission, but divine ordination and arrangement; though this does not destroy human freedom, but, like all "persuading," presupposes the possibility of not allowing himself to be persuaded. See the discussion of this question in the commentary on Kg1 22:20. The remark of Calvin on the verse before us is correct: "it teaches that neither impostures nor frauds take place apart from the will of God" (nisi Deo volente). But this willing on the part of God, or the persuading of the prophets to the utterance of self-willed words, which have not been inspired by God, only takes place in persons who admit evil into themselves, and is designed to tempt them and lead them to decide whether they will endeavour to resist and conquer the sinful inclinations of their hearts, or will allow them to shape themselves into outward deeds, in which case they will become ripe for judgment. It is in this sense that God persuades such a prophet, in order that He may then cut him off out of His people. But this punishment will not fall upon the prophet only. It will reach the seeker or inquirer also, in order if possible to bring Israel back from its wandering astray, and make it into a people of God purified from sin (Eze 14:10 and Eze 14:11). It was to this end that, in the last times of the kingdom of Judah, God allowed false prophecy to prevail so mightily, - namely, that it might accelerate the process of distinguishing between the righteous and the wicked; and then, by means of the judgment which destroyed the wicked, purify His nation and lead it on to the great end of its calling.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

The Lord Gives No Answer to the Idolaters

Eze 14:1 narrates the occasion for this and the following words of God: There came to me men of the elders of Israel, and sat down before me. These men were not deputies from the Israelites in Palestine, as Grotius and others suppose, but elders of the exiles among whom Ezekiel had been labouring. They came to visit the prophet (v. 3), evidently with the intention of obtaining, through him, a word of God concerning the future of Jerusalem, or the fate of the kingdom of Judah. But Hvernick is wrong in supposing that we may infer, from either the first or second word of God in this chapter, that they had addressed to the prophet a distinct inquiry of this nature, to which the answer is given in vv. 12-23. For although their coming to the prophet showed that his prophecies had made an impression upon them, it is not stated in v. 1 that they had come to inquire of God, like the elders in Eze 20:1, and there is no allusion to any definite questions in the words of God themselves. The first (Eze 14:2-11) simply assumes that they have come with the intention of asking, and discloses the state of heart which keeps them from coming to inquire; and the second (Eze 14:12-23) points out the worthlessness of their false confidence in the righteousness of certain godly men.

Eze 14:2-5

And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Eze 14:3. Son of man, these men have let their idols rise up in their heart, and have set the stumbling-block to guilt before their face: shall I allow myself to be inquired of by them? Eze 14:4. Therefore speak to them, and say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Every man of the house of Israel who lifteth up his idols in his heart, and setteth the stumbling-block to his sin before his face, and cometh to the prophet, to him do I, Jehovah, show myself, answering according thereto, according to the multitude of his idols; Eze 14:5. To grasp the house of Israel by their heart, because they have turned away from me, all of them through their idols. - We have not to picture these elders to ourselves as given up to gross idolatry. העלה על לב means, to allow anything to come into the mind, to permit it to rise up in the heart, to be mentally busy therewith. "To set before one's face" is also to be understood, in a spiritual sense, as relating to a thing which a man will not put out of his mind. מכשׁול , stumbling-block to sin and guilt (cf. Eze 7:19), i.e., the idols. Thus the two phrases simply denote the leaning of the heart and spirit towards false gods. God does not suffer those whose heart is attached to idols to seek and find Him. The interrogative clause 'האדּרשׁ וגו contains a strong negation. The emphasis lies in the infinitive absolute אדּרשׁ et placed before the verb, in which the ה is softened into א, to avoid writing ה twice. נדרשׁ, to allow oneself to be sought, involves the finding of God; hence in Isa 65:1 we have נדרשׁ as parallel to נמצא. In Eze 14:4, Eze 14:5, there follows a positive declaration of the attitude of God towards those who are devoted to idolatry in their heart. Every such Israelite will be answered by God according to the measure of the multitude of his idols. The Niphal נענה has not the signification of the Kal, and does not mean "to be answerable," as Ewald supposes, or to converse; but is generally used in a passive sense, "to be answered," i.e., to find or obtain a hearing (Job 11:2; Job 19:7). It is employed here in a reflective sense, to hold or show oneself answering. בה, according to the Chetib בהּ, for which the Keri suggests the softer gloss בא, refers to 'בּרב גל which follows; the nominative being anticipated, according to an idiom very common in Aramaean, by a previous pronoun. It is written here for the sake of emphasis, to bring the following object into more striking prominence. ב is used here in the sense of secundum, according to, not because, since this meaning is quite unsuitable for the ב in Eze 14:7, where it occurs in the same connection (בּי). The manner in which God will show Himself answering the idolatry according to their idols, is reserved till Eze 14:8. Here, in Eze 14:5, the design of this procedure on the part of God is given: viz., to grasp Israel by the heart; i.e., not merely to touch and to improve them, but to bring down their heart by judgments (cf. Lev 26:41), and thus move them to give up idolatry and return to the living God. נזרוּ, as in Isa 1:4, to recede, to draw away from God. כּלּם is an emphatic repetition of the subject belonging to נזרוּ.

Eze 14:6-8

In these verses the divine threat, and the summons to repent, are repeated, expanded, and uttered in the clearest words. - Eze 14:6. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Repent, and turn away from your idols; and turn away your face from all your abominations. V.7. For every one of the house of Israel, and of the foreigners who sojourn in Israel, if he estrange himself from me, and let his idols rise up in his heart, and set the stumbling-block to his sin before his face, and come to the prophet to seek me for himself; I will show myself to him, answering in my own way. Eze 14:8. I will direct my face against that man, and will destroy him, for a sign and for proverbs, and will cut him off out of my people; and ye shall learn that I am Jehovah. - לכן in Eze 14:6 is co-ordinate with the לכן in Eze 14:4, so far as the thought is concerned, but it is directly attached to Eze 14:5: because they have estranged themselves from God, therefore God requires them to repent and turn. For God will answer with severe judgments every one who would seek God with idols in his heart, whether he be an Israelite, or a foreigner living in the midst of Israel. שׁוּבוּ, turn, be converted, is rendered still more emphatic by the addition of פניכם... השׁיבוּ. This double call to repentance corresponds to the double reproof of their idolatry in Eze 14:3, viz., שׁוּבוּ, to על לב 'העלה גל; and השׁיבוּ פניכם, to their setting the idols נכח פּניהם. השׁיבוּ is not used intransitively, as it apparently is in Eze 18:30, but is to be taken in connection with the object פניכם, which follows at the end of the verse; and it is simply repeated before פניכם for the sake of clearness and emphasis. The reason for the summons to repent and give up idolatry is explained in Eze 14:7, in the threat that God will destroy every Israelite, and every foreigner in Israel, who draws away from God and attaches himself to idols. The phraseology of Eze 14:7 is adopted almost verbatim from Lev 17:8, Lev 17:10,Lev 17:13. On the obligation of foreigners to avoid idolatry and all moral abominations, vid., Lev 20:2; Lev 18:26; Lev 17:10; Exo 12:19, etc. The ו before ינּזר and יעל does not stand for the Vav relat., but simply supposes a case: "should he separate himself from my followers, and let his idols rise up, etc." לדרשׁ־לו בּי does not mean, "to seek counsel of him (the prophet) from me," for לו cannot be taken as referring to the prophet, although דּרשׁ with ל does sometimes mean to seek any one, and ל may therefore indicate the person to whom one goes to make inquiry (cf. Ch2 15:13; Ch2 17:4; Ch2 31:21), because it is Jehovah who is sought in this case; and Hvernick's remark, that "דּרשׁ with ל merely indicates the external object sought by a man, and therefore in this instance the medium or organ through whom God speaks," is proved to be erroneous by the passages just cited. לו is reflective, or to be taken as a dat. commodi, denoting the inquirer or seeker. The person approached for the purpose of inquiring or seeking, i.e., God, is indicated by the preposition בּ, as in Ch1 10:14 (דּרשׁ ); and also frequently, in the case of idols, when either an oracle or help is sought from them (Sa1 28:7; Kg2 1:2.). It is only in this way that לו and בּי can be made to correspond to the same words in the apodosis: Whosoever seeks counsel of God, to him will God show Himself answering בּי, in Him, i.e., in accordance with His nature, in His own way, - namely, in the manner described in Eze 14:8. The threat is composed of passages in the law: 'נתתּי and 'הכרתּי וגו, after Lev 20:3, Lev 20:5-6; and 'וחשׁמותיהוּ וגו, though somewhat freely, after Deu 28:37 ('היה לשׁמּה למשׁל). There is no doubt, therefore, that השׁמותי is to be derived from שׁמם, and stands for השׁמּותי, in accordance with the custom in later writings of resolving the Dagesh forte into a long vowel. The allusion to Deu 28:37, compared with היה in v. 46 of the same chapter, is sufficient to set aside the assumption that השׁמותי is to be derived from שׂים, and pointed accordingly; although the lxx, Targ., Syr., and Vulg. have all renderings of שׂים (cf. Psa 44:16). Moreover, שׂים in the perfect never takes the Hiphil form; and in Eze 20:26 we have אשׁמּם in a similar connection. The expression is a pregnant one: I make him desolate, so that he becomes a sign and proverbs.

Eze 14:9-11

No prophet is to give any other answer. - Eze 14:9. But if a prophet allow himself to be persuaded, and give a word, I have persuaded this prophet, and will stretch out my hand against him, and cut him off out of my people Israel. Eze 14:10. They shall bear their guilt: as the guilt of the inquirer, so shall the guilt of the prophet be; Eze 14:11. In order that the house of Israel may no more stray from me, and may no more defile itself with all its transgressions; but they may be my people, and I their God is the saying of the Lord Jehovah. - The prophet who allows himself to be persuaded is not a prophet מלּבּו (Eze 13:2), but one who really thinks that he has a word of God. פּתּה, to persuade, to entice by friendly words (in a good sense, Hos 2:16); but generally sensu malo, to lead astray, or seduce to that which is unallowable or evil. "If he allow himself to be persuaded:" not necessarily "with the hope of payment from the hypocrites who consult him" (Michaelis). This weakens the thought. It might sometimes be done from unselfish good-nature. And "the word" itself need not have been a divine oracle of his own invention, or a false prophecy. The allusion is simply to a word of a different character from that contained in Eze 14:6-8, which either demands repentance or denounces judgment upon the impenitent: every word, therefore, which could by any possibility confirm the sinner in his security. - By אני יהוה (Eze 14:9) the apodosis is introduced in an emphatic manner, as in Eze 14:4 and Eze 14:7; but פּתּיתי cannot be taken in a future sense ("I will persuade"). It must be a perfect; since the persuading of the prophet would necessarily precede his allowing himself to be persuaded. The Fathers and earlier Lutheran theologians are wrong in their interpretation of פּתּיתי, which they understand in a permissive sense, meaning simply that God allowed it, and did not prevent their being seduced. Still more wrong are Storr and Schmieder, the former of whom regards it as simply declaratory, "I will declare him to have gone astray from the worship of Jehovah;" the latter, "I will show him to be a fool, by punishing him for his disobedience." The words are rather to be understood in accordance with Kg1 22:20., where the persuading (pittâh) is done by a lying spirit, which inspires the prophets of Ahab to predict success to the king, in order that he may fall. As Jehovah sent the spirit in that case, and put it into the mouth of the prophets, so is the persuasion in this instance also effected by God: not merely divine permission, but divine ordination and arrangement; though this does not destroy human freedom, but, like all "persuading," presupposes the possibility of not allowing himself to be persuaded. See the discussion of this question in the commentary on Kg1 22:20. The remark of Calvin on the verse before us is correct: "it teaches that neither impostures nor frauds take place apart from the will of God" (nisi Deo volente). But this willing on the part of God, or the persuading of the prophets to the utterance of self-willed words, which have not been inspired by God, only takes place in persons who admit evil into themselves, and is designed to tempt them and lead them to decide whether they will endeavour to resist and conquer the sinful inclinations of their hearts, or will allow them to shape themselves into outward deeds, in which case they will become ripe for judgment. It is in this sense that God persuades such a prophet, in order that He may then cut him off out of His people. But this punishment will not fall upon the prophet only. It will reach the seeker or inquirer also, in order if possible to bring Israel back from its wandering astray, and make it into a people of God purified from sin (Eze 14:10 and Eze 14:11). It was to this end that, in the last times of the kingdom of Judah, God allowed false prophecy to prevail so mightily, - namely, that it might accelerate the process of distinguishing between the righteous and the wicked; and then, by means of the judgment which destroyed the wicked, purify His nation and lead it on to the great end of its calling.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Elders - Men of note, that were in office and power among the Jews, who were come from Jerusalem.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me - These probably came to tempt him, or get him to say something that would embroil him with the government. They were bad men, as we shall see in the third verse.

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⁵⁹ The word [01697] which Jeremiah [03414] the prophet [05030] commanded [06680] Seraiah [08304] the son [01121] of Neriah [05374], the son [01121] of Maaseiah [04271], when he went [03212] with Zedekiah [06667] the king [04428] of Judah [03063] into Babylon [0894] in the fourth [07243] year [08141] of his reign [04427]. And this Seraiah [08304] was a quiet [04496] prince [08269].

¹¹ That the house [01004] of Israel [03478] may go no more astray [08582] from me [0310], neither be polluted [02930] any more with all their transgressions [06588]; but that they may be my people [05971], and I may be their God [0430], saith [05002] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069].

¹⁰ And they shall bear [05375] the punishment of their iniquity [05771]: the punishment [05771] of the prophet [05030] shall be even as the punishment [05771] of him that seeketh [01875] unto him;

²⁰ And the LORD [03068] said [0559], Who shall persuade [06601] Ahab [0256], that he may go up [05927] and fall [05307] at Ramothgilead [07433] [01568]? And one said [0559] on this manner [03541], and another said [0559] on that manner [03541].

⁷ For every one [0376] of the house [01004] of Israel [03478], or of the stranger [01616] that sojourneth [01481] in Israel [03478], which separateth [05144] himself from me [0310], and setteth up [05927] his idols [01544] in his heart [03820], and putteth [07760] the stumblingblock [04383] of his iniquity [05771] before [05227] his face [06440], and cometh [0935] to a prophet [05030] to enquire [01875] of him concerning me; I the LORD [03068] will answer [06030] him by myself:

⁴ Therefore speak [01696] unto them, and say [0559] unto them, Thus saith [0559] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069]; Every man [0376] of the house [01004] of Israel [03478] that setteth up [05927] his idols [01544] in his heart [03820], and putteth [07760] the stumblingblock [04383] of his iniquity [05771] before [05227] his face [06440], and cometh [0935] to the prophet [05030]; I the LORD [03068] will answer [06030] him that cometh [0935] according to the multitude [07230] of his idols [01544];

⁶ Therefore say [0559] unto the house [01004] of Israel [03478], Thus saith [0559] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069]; Repent [07725], and turn [07725] yourselves from your idols [01544]; and turn away [07725] your faces [06440] from all your abominations [08441].
⁷ For every one [0376] of the house [01004] of Israel [03478], or of the stranger [01616] that sojourneth [01481] in Israel [03478], which separateth [05144] himself from me [0310], and setteth up [05927] his idols [01544] in his heart [03820], and putteth [07760] the stumblingblock [04383] of his iniquity [05771] before [05227] his face [06440], and cometh [0935] to a prophet [05030] to enquire [01875] of him concerning me; I the LORD [03068] will answer [06030] him by myself:
⁸ And I will set [05414] my face [06440] against that man [0376], and will make [08074] him a sign [0226] and a proverb [04912], and I will cut him off [03772] from the midst [08432] of my people [05971]; and ye shall know [03045] that I am the LORD [03068].

¹⁶ And it shall be at that day [03117], saith [05002] the LORD [03068], that thou shalt call [07121] me Ishi [0376]; and shalt call [07121] me no more Baali [01180].

² Son [01121] of man [0120], prophesy [05012] against the prophets [05030] of Israel [03478] that prophesy [05012], and say [0559] thou unto them that prophesy [05030] out of their own hearts [03820], Hear [08085] ye the word [01697] of the LORD [03068];

¹⁰ And they shall bear [05375] the punishment of their iniquity [05771]: the punishment [05771] of the prophet [05030] shall be even as the punishment [05771] of him that seeketh [01875] unto him;

⁹ And if the prophet [05030] be deceived [06601] when he hath spoken [01696] a thing [01697], I the LORD [03068] have deceived [06601] that prophet [05030], and I will stretch out [05186] my hand [03027] upon him, and will destroy [08045] him from the midst [08432] of my people [05971] Israel [03478].
¹⁰ And they shall bear [05375] the punishment of their iniquity [05771]: the punishment [05771] of the prophet [05030] shall be even as the punishment [05771] of him that seeketh [01875] unto him;
¹¹ That the house [01004] of Israel [03478] may go no more astray [08582] from me [0310], neither be polluted [02930] any more with all their transgressions [06588]; but that they may be my people [05971], and I may be their God [0430], saith [05002] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069].

²⁶ And I polluted [02930] them in their own gifts [04979], in that they caused to pass through [05674] the fire all that openeth [06363] the womb [07356], that I might make them desolate [08074], to the end that they might know [03045] that I am the LORD [03068].

¹⁶ For the voice [06963] of him that reproacheth [02778] and blasphemeth [01442]; by reason [06440] of the enemy [0341] and avenger [05358].

³⁷ And thou shalt become an astonishment [08047], a proverb [04912], and a byword [08148], among all nations [05971] whither the LORD [03068] shall lead [05090] thee.

⁵ Then I will set [07760] my face [06440] against that man [0376], and against his family [04940], and will cut him off [03772], and all that go a whoring [02181] after [0310] him, to commit whoredom [02181] with Molech [04432], from among [07130] their people [05971].
⁶ And the soul [05315] that turneth [06437] after [0413] such as have familiar spirits [0178], and after [0310] wizards [03049], to go a whoring [02181] after [0310] them, I will even set [05414] my face [06440] against that soul [05315], and will cut him off [03772] from among [07130] his people [05971].

³ And I will set [05414] my face [06440] against that man [0376], and will cut him off [03772] from among [07130] his people [05971]; because he hath given [05414] of his seed [02233] unto Molech [04432], to defile [02930] my sanctuary [04720], and to profane [02490] my holy [06944] name [08034].

⁸ And I will set [05414] my face [06440] against that man [0376], and will make [08074] him a sign [0226] and a proverb [04912], and I will cut him off [03772] from the midst [08432] of my people [05971]; and ye shall know [03045] that I am the LORD [03068].

² And Ahaziah [0274] fell down [05307] through a lattice [07639] in his upper chamber [05944] that was in Samaria [08111], and was sick [02470]: and he sent [07971] messengers [04397], and said [0559] unto them, Go [03212], enquire [01875] of Baalzebub [01176] the god [0430] of Ekron [06138] whether I shall recover [02421] of this disease [02483].

⁷ Then said [0559] Saul [07586] unto his servants [05650], Seek [01245] me a woman [0802] that hath [01172] a familiar spirit [0178], that I may go [03212] to her, and enquire [01875] of her. And his servants [05650] said [0559] to him, Behold, there is a woman [0802] that hath [01172] a familiar spirit [0178] at Endor [05874].

¹⁴ And enquired [01875] not of the LORD [03068]: therefore he slew [04191] him, and turned [05437] the kingdom [04410] unto David [01732] the son [01121] of Jesse [03448].

²¹ And in every work [04639] that he began [02490] in the service [05656] of the house [01004] of God [0430], and in the law [08451], and in the commandments [04687], to seek [01875] his God [0430], he did [06213] it with all his heart [03824], and prospered [06743].

⁴ But sought [01875] to the LORD God [0430] of his father [01], and walked [01980] in his commandments [04687], and not after the doings [04639] of Israel [03478].

¹³ That whosoever would not seek [01875] the LORD [03068] God [0430] of Israel [03478] should be put to death [04191], whether [04480] small [06996] or great [01419], whether man [0376] or woman [0802].

¹⁹ Seven [07651] days [03117] shall there be no leaven [07603] found [04672] in your houses [01004]: for whosoever eateth [0398] that which is leavened [02556], even that soul [05315] shall be cut off [03772] from the congregation [05712] of Israel [03478], whether he be a stranger [01616], or born [0249] in the land [0776].

¹⁰ And whatsoever man [0376] there be of the house [01004] of Israel [03478], or of the strangers [01616] that sojourn [01481] among [08432] you, that eateth [0398] any manner of blood [01818]; I will even set [05414] my face [06440] against that soul [05315] that eateth [0398] blood [01818], and will cut him off [03772] from among [07130] his people [05971].

²⁶ Ye shall therefore keep [08104] my statutes [02708] and my judgments [04941], and shall not commit [06213] any of these abominations [08441]; neither any of your own nation [0249], nor any stranger [01616] that sojourneth [01481] among [08432] you:

² Again, thou shalt say [0559] to the children [01121] of Israel [03478], Whosoever [0376] he be of the children [01121] of Israel [03478], or of the strangers [01616] that sojourn [01481] in Israel [03478], that giveth [05414] any of his seed [02233] unto Molech [04432]; he shall surely [04191] be put to death [04191]: the people [05971] of the land [0776] shall stone [07275] him with stones [068].

¹³ And whatsoever man [0376] there be of the children [01121] of Israel [03478], or of the strangers [01616] that sojourn [01481] among [08432] you, which hunteth [06679] and catcheth [06718] any beast [02416] or fowl [05775] that may be eaten [0398]; he shall even pour [08210] out the blood [01818] thereof, and cover [03680] it with dust [06083].

⁸ And thou shalt say [0559] unto them, Whatsoever man [0376] there be of the house [01004] of Israel [03478], or of the strangers [01616] which sojourn [01481] among [08432] you, that offereth [05927] a burnt offering [05930] or sacrifice [02077],

³⁰ Therefore I will judge [08199] you, O house [01004] of Israel [03478], every one [0376] according to his ways [01870], saith [05002] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069]. Repent [07725], and turn [07725] yourselves from all your transgressions [06588]; so iniquity [05771] shall not be your ruin [04383].

³ Son [01121] of man [0120], these men [0582] have set up [05927] their idols [01544] in their heart [03820], and put [05414] the stumblingblock [04383] of their iniquity [05771] before [05227] their face [06440]: should I be enquired [01875] of at all [01875] by them?

⁵ That I may take [08610] the house [01004] of Israel [03478] in their own heart [03820], because they are all estranged [02114] from me through their idols [01544].

⁴ Ah [01945] sinful [02398] nation [01471], a people [05971] laden [03515] with iniquity [05771], a seed [02233] of evildoers [07489], children [01121] that are corrupters [07843]: they have forsaken [05800] [0853] the LORD [03068], they have provoked [05006] [0853] the Holy One [06918] of Israel [03478] unto anger [05006], they are gone away [02114] backward [0268].

⁴¹ And that I also have walked [03212] contrary [07147] unto them, and have brought [0935] them into the land [0776] of their enemies [0341]; if then [0176] their uncircumcised [06189] hearts [03824] be humbled [03665], and they then accept [07521] of the punishment of their iniquity [05771]:

⁵ That I may take [08610] the house [01004] of Israel [03478] in their own heart [03820], because they are all estranged [02114] from me through their idols [01544].

⁷ Behold, I cry out [06817] of wrong [02555], but I am not heard [06030]: I cry aloud [07768], but there is no judgment [04941].

² Should not the multitude [07230] of words [01697] be answered [06030]? and should a man [0376] full of talk [08193] be justified [06663]?

⁵ That I may take [08610] the house [01004] of Israel [03478] in their own heart [03820], because they are all estranged [02114] from me through their idols [01544].

¹ I am sought [01875] of them that asked [07592] not [03808] for me; I am found [04672] of them that sought [01245] me not [03808]: I said [0559], Behold me, behold me, unto a nation [01471] that was not called [07121] by my name [08034].

¹⁹ They shall cast [07993] their silver [03701] in the streets [02351], and their gold [02091] shall be removed [05079]: their silver [03701] and their gold [02091] shall not be able [03201] to deliver [05337] them in the day [03117] of the wrath [05678] of the LORD [03068]: they shall not satisfy [07646] their souls [05315], neither fill [04390] their bowels [04578]: because it is the stumblingblock [04383] of their iniquity [05771].

⁵ That I may take [08610] the house [01004] of Israel [03478] in their own heart [03820], because they are all estranged [02114] from me through their idols [01544].

¹² The word [01697] of the LORD [03068] came again to me, saying [0559],
¹³ Son [01121] of man [0120], when the land [0776] sinneth [02398] against me by trespassing [04603] grievously [04604], then will I stretch out [05186] mine hand [03027] upon it, and will break [07665] the staff [04294] of the bread [03899] thereof, and will send [07971] famine [07458] upon it, and will cut off [03772] man [0120] and beast [0929] from it:
¹⁴ Though these three [07969] men [0582], Noah [05146], Daniel [01840], and Job [0347], were in it [08432], they should deliver [05337] but their own souls [05315] by their righteousness [06666], saith [05002] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069].
¹⁵ If [03863] I cause noisome [07451] beasts [02416] to pass through [05674] the land [0776], and they spoil [07921] it, so that it be desolate [08077], that no man may pass through [05674] because [06440] of the beasts [02416]:
¹⁶ Though these three [07969] men [0582] were in it [08432], as I live [02416], saith [05002] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069], they shall deliver [05337] neither sons [01121] nor daughters [01323]; they only shall be delivered [05337], but the land [0776] shall be desolate [08077].
¹⁷ Or if I bring [0935] a sword [02719] upon that land [0776], and say [0559], Sword [02719], go through [05674] the land [0776]; so that I cut off [03772] man [0120] and beast [0929] from it:
¹⁸ Though these three [07969] men [0582] were in it [08432], as I live [02416], saith [05002] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069], they shall deliver [05337] neither sons [01121] nor daughters [01323], but they only shall be delivered [05337] themselves.
¹⁹ Or if I send [07971] a pestilence [01698] into that land [0776], and pour out [08210] my fury [02534] upon it in blood [01818], to cut off [03772] from it man [0120] and beast [0929]:
²⁰ Though Noah [05146], Daniel [01840], and Job [0347], were in it [08432], as I live [02416], saith [05002] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069], they shall deliver [05337] neither son [01121] nor [0518] daughter [01323]; they shall but deliver [05337] their own souls [05315] by their righteousness [06666].
²¹ For thus saith [0559] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069]; How much more when I send [07971] my four [0702] sore [07451] judgments [08201] upon Jerusalem [03389], the sword [02719], and the famine [07458], and the noisome [07451] beast [02416], and the pestilence [01698], to cut off [03772] from it man [0120] and beast [0929]?
²² Yet, behold, therein shall be left [03498] a remnant [06413] that shall be brought forth [03318], both sons [01121] and daughters [01323]: behold, they shall come forth [03318] unto you, and ye shall see [07200] their way [01870] and their doings [05949]: and ye shall be comforted [05162] concerning the evil [07451] that I have brought [0935] upon Jerusalem [03389], even concerning all that I have brought [0935] upon it.
²³ And they shall comfort [05162] you, when ye see [07200] their ways [01870] and their doings [05949]: and ye shall know [03045] that I have not done [06213] without cause [02600] all that I have done [06213] in it, saith [05002] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069].

² And the word [01697] of the LORD [03068] came unto me, saying [0559],
³ Son [01121] of man [0120], these men [0582] have set up [05927] their idols [01544] in their heart [03820], and put [05414] the stumblingblock [04383] of their iniquity [05771] before [05227] their face [06440]: should I be enquired [01875] of at all [01875] by them?
⁴ Therefore speak [01696] unto them, and say [0559] unto them, Thus saith [0559] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069]; Every man [0376] of the house [01004] of Israel [03478] that setteth up [05927] his idols [01544] in his heart [03820], and putteth [07760] the stumblingblock [04383] of his iniquity [05771] before [05227] his face [06440], and cometh [0935] to the prophet [05030]; I the LORD [03068] will answer [06030] him that cometh [0935] according to the multitude [07230] of his idols [01544];
⁵ That I may take [08610] the house [01004] of Israel [03478] in their own heart [03820], because they are all estranged [02114] from me through their idols [01544].
⁶ Therefore say [0559] unto the house [01004] of Israel [03478], Thus saith [0559] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069]; Repent [07725], and turn [07725] yourselves from your idols [01544]; and turn away [07725] your faces [06440] from all your abominations [08441].
⁷ For every one [0376] of the house [01004] of Israel [03478], or of the stranger [01616] that sojourneth [01481] in Israel [03478], which separateth [05144] himself from me [0310], and setteth up [05927] his idols [01544] in his heart [03820], and putteth [07760] the stumblingblock [04383] of his iniquity [05771] before [05227] his face [06440], and cometh [0935] to a prophet [05030] to enquire [01875] of him concerning me; I the LORD [03068] will answer [06030] him by myself:
⁸ And I will set [05414] my face [06440] against that man [0376], and will make [08074] him a sign [0226] and a proverb [04912], and I will cut him off [03772] from the midst [08432] of my people [05971]; and ye shall know [03045] that I am the LORD [03068].
⁹ And if the prophet [05030] be deceived [06601] when he hath spoken [01696] a thing [01697], I the LORD [03068] have deceived [06601] that prophet [05030], and I will stretch out [05186] my hand [03027] upon him, and will destroy [08045] him from the midst [08432] of my people [05971] Israel [03478].
¹⁰ And they shall bear [05375] the punishment of their iniquity [05771]: the punishment [05771] of the prophet [05030] shall be even as the punishment [05771] of him that seeketh [01875] unto him;
¹¹ That the house [01004] of Israel [03478] may go no more astray [08582] from me [0310], neither be polluted [02930] any more with all their transgressions [06588]; but that they may be my people [05971], and I may be their God [0430], saith [05002] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069].

¹ And it came to pass in the seventh [07637] year [08141], in the fifth [02549] month, the tenth [06218] day of the month [02320], that certain [0582] of the elders [02205] of Israel [03478] came [0935] to enquire [01875] of the LORD [03068], and sat [03427] before [06440] me.

¹ Then came [0935] certain [0582] of the elders [02205] of Israel [03478] unto me, and sat [03427] before [06440] me.