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Selected Verse: Ezekiel 22:17 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Eze 22:17	Strong Concordance	And the word [01697] of the LORD [03068] came unto me, saying [0559],
	King James	And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

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Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
The fifth word of judgment. The furnace. In the besieged city the people shall be tried and purged. Eze 22:18 Dross - A frequent metaphor which denotes not only the corruption of the people, who have become like base metal, but also a future purification whereby, the "dross" being burned away, the remnant of good may appear.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

The fifth word of judgment. The furnace. In the besieged city the people shall be tried and purged.

Eze 22:18

Dross - A frequent metaphor which denotes not only the corruption of the people, who have become like base metal, but also a future purification whereby, the "dross" being burned away, the remnant of good may appear.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
Refining of Israel in the Furnace of Besieged Jerusalem Eze 22:17. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Eze 22:18. Son of man, the house of Israel has become to me as dross; they are all brass, and tin, and iron, and lead in the furnace; dross of silver have they become. Eze 22:19. Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Because ye have all become dross, therefore, behold, I gather you together in Jerusalem. Eze 22:20. As men gather together silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin into the furnace, to blow the fire upon it for melting, so will I gather (you) together in my anger and my wrath, and put you in and melt you. Eze 22:21. And I will collect you together, and blow the fire of my wrath upon you, that ye may be melted therein. Eze 22:22. As silver is melted in the furnace, so shall ye be melted therein (viz., in Jerusalem), and shall learn that I Jehovah have poured out my wrath upon you. - This second word of God rests no doubt upon the figure in Eze 22:15, of the uncleanness or dirt of sin; but it is not an exposition of the removal of the dirt, as predicted there. For that was to be effected through the dispersion of Israel among the nations, whereas the word of God, from Eze 22:17 onwards, represents the siege awaiting Jerusalem as a melting process, through which God will separate the silver ore contained in Israel from the baser metals mingled with it. In Eze 22:18 it commences with a description of the existing condition of Israel. It has turned to dross. היוּ is clearly a perfect, and is not to be taken as a prophetical future, as Kliefoth proposes. Such a rendering is not only precluded by the clause 'יען היות in Eze 22:19, cut could only be made to yield an admissible sense by taking the middle clause of the verse, "all of them brass and tin," etc., as a statement of what Israel had become, or as a preterite in opposition to all the rules of Hebrew syntax, inasmuch as this clause merely furnishes an explanation of היוּ־לסוּג. סוּג, which only occurs here, for סיג signifies dross, not smelting-ore (Kliefoth), literally, recedanea, the baser ingredients which are mixed with the silver, and separated from it by smelting. This is the meaning here, where it is directly afterwards interpreted as consisting of brass, tin, iron, and lead, and then still further defined as סגּים כּסף, dross of silver, i.e., brass, tin, iron, and lead, with a mixture of silver. Because Israel had turned into silver-dross of this kind, the Lord would gather it together in Jerusalem, to smelt it there as in a smelting furnace; just as men gather together brass, iron, lead, and tin in a furnace to smelt them, or rather to separate the silver contained thereon. קבצת כּסף, literally, a collection of silver, etc., for "like a collection." The כ simil. is probably omitted for the sake of euphony, to avoid the discord occasioned by prefixing it to קבצת. Ezekiel mentions the silver as well, because there is some silver contained in the brass, iron, etc., or the dross is silver-dross. התּוּך, nomen verbale, from נתך in the Hiphil, smelting; literally, as the smelting of silver takes place in the furnace. The smelting is treated here simply as a figurative representation of punishment, and consequently the result of the smelting, namely, the refining of the silver by the removal of the baser ingredients, is not referred to any further, as in the case in Isa 1:22, Isa 1:25; Jer 6:27-30; Mal 3:2-3. This smelting process was experienced by Israel in the last siege of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans.

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

Refining of Israel in the Furnace of Besieged Jerusalem

Eze 22:17. And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Eze 22:18. Son of man, the house of Israel has become to me as dross; they are all brass, and tin, and iron, and lead in the furnace; dross of silver have they become. Eze 22:19. Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Because ye have all become dross, therefore, behold, I gather you together in Jerusalem. Eze 22:20. As men gather together silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin into the furnace, to blow the fire upon it for melting, so will I gather (you) together in my anger and my wrath, and put you in and melt you. Eze 22:21. And I will collect you together, and blow the fire of my wrath upon you, that ye may be melted therein. Eze 22:22. As silver is melted in the furnace, so shall ye be melted therein (viz., in Jerusalem), and shall learn that I Jehovah have poured out my wrath upon you. - This second word of God rests no doubt upon the figure in Eze 22:15, of the uncleanness or dirt of sin; but it is not an exposition of the removal of the dirt, as predicted there. For that was to be effected through the dispersion of Israel among the nations, whereas the word of God, from Eze 22:17 onwards, represents the siege awaiting Jerusalem as a melting process, through which God will separate the silver ore contained in Israel from the baser metals mingled with it. In Eze 22:18 it commences with a description of the existing condition of Israel. It has turned to dross. היוּ is clearly a perfect, and is not to be taken as a prophetical future, as Kliefoth proposes. Such a rendering is not only precluded by the clause 'יען היות in Eze 22:19, cut could only be made to yield an admissible sense by taking the middle clause of the verse, "all of them brass and tin," etc., as a statement of what Israel had become, or as a preterite in opposition to all the rules of Hebrew syntax, inasmuch as this clause merely furnishes an explanation of היוּ־לסוּג. סוּג, which only occurs here, for סיג signifies dross, not smelting-ore (Kliefoth), literally, recedanea, the baser ingredients which are mixed with the silver, and separated from it by smelting. This is the meaning here, where it is directly afterwards interpreted as consisting of brass, tin, iron, and lead, and then still further defined as סגּים כּסף, dross of silver, i.e., brass, tin, iron, and lead, with a mixture of silver. Because Israel had turned into silver-dross of this kind, the Lord would gather it together in Jerusalem, to smelt it there as in a smelting furnace; just as men gather together brass, iron, lead, and tin in a furnace to smelt them, or rather to separate the silver contained thereon. קבצת כּסף, literally, a collection of silver, etc., for "like a collection." The כ simil. is probably omitted for the sake of euphony, to avoid the discord occasioned by prefixing it to קבצת. Ezekiel mentions the silver as well, because there is some silver contained in the brass, iron, etc., or the dross is silver-dross. התּוּך, nomen verbale, from נתך in the Hiphil, smelting; literally, as the smelting of silver takes place in the furnace. The smelting is treated here simply as a figurative representation of punishment, and consequently the result of the smelting, namely, the refining of the silver by the removal of the baser ingredients, is not referred to any further, as in the case in Isa 1:22, Isa 1:25; Jer 6:27-30; Mal 3:2-3. This smelting process was experienced by Israel in the last siege of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans.

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¹⁸ Son [01121] of man [0120], the house [01004] of Israel [03478] is to me become dross [05509]: all they are brass [05178], and tin [0913], and iron [01270], and lead [05777], in the midst [08432] of the furnace [03564]; they are even the dross [05509] of silver [03701].

² But who may abide [03557] the day [03117] of his coming [0935]? and who shall stand [05975] when he appeareth [07200]? for he is like a refiner's [06884] fire [0784], and like fullers [03526] ' soap [01287]:
³ And he shall sit [03427] as a refiner [06884] and purifier [02891] of silver [03701]: and he shall purify [02891] the sons [01121] of Levi [03878], and purge [02212] them as gold [02091] and silver [03701], that they may offer [05066] unto the LORD [03068] an offering [04503] in righteousness [06666].

²⁷ I have set [05414] thee for a tower [0969] and a fortress [04013] among my people [05971], that thou mayest know [03045] and try [0974] their way [01870].
²⁸ They are all grievous [05493] revolters [05637], walking [01980] with slanders [07400]: they are brass [05178] and iron [01270]; they are all corrupters [07843].
²⁹ The bellows [04647] are burned [02787], the lead [05777] is consumed [08552] of the fire [0800] [0784]; the founder [06884] melteth [06884] in vain [07723]: for the wicked [07451] are not plucked away [05423].
³⁰ Reprobate [03988] silver [03701] shall men call [07121] them, because the LORD [03068] hath rejected [03988] them.

²⁵ And I will turn [07725] my hand [03027] upon thee, and purely [01253] purge away [06884] thy dross [05509], and take away [05493] all thy tin [0913]:

²² Thy silver [03701] is become dross [05509], thy wine [05435] mixed [04107] with water [04325]:

¹⁹ Therefore thus saith [0559] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069]; Because ye are all become dross [05509], behold, therefore I will gather [06908] you into the midst [08432] of Jerusalem [03389].

¹⁷ And the word [01697] of the LORD [03068] came unto me, saying [0559],

¹⁵ And I will scatter [06327] thee among the heathen [01471], and disperse [02219] thee in the countries [0776], and will consume [08552] thy filthiness [02932] out of thee.

²² As silver [03701] is melted [02046] in the midst [08432] of the furnace [03564], so shall ye be melted [05413] in the midst [08432] thereof; and ye shall know [03045] that I the LORD [03068] have poured out [08210] my fury [02534] upon you.

²¹ Yea, I will gather [03664] you, and blow [05301] upon you in the fire [0784] of my wrath [05678], and ye shall be melted [05413] in the midst [08432] thereof.

²⁰ As they gather [06910] silver [03701], and brass [05178], and iron [01270], and lead [05777], and tin [0913], into the midst [08432] of the furnace [03564], to blow [05301] the fire [0784] upon it, to melt [05413] it; so will I gather [06908] you in mine anger [0639] and in my fury [02534], and I will leave [03240] you there, and melt [05413] you.

¹⁹ Therefore thus saith [0559] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069]; Because ye are all become dross [05509], behold, therefore I will gather [06908] you into the midst [08432] of Jerusalem [03389].

¹⁷ And the word [01697] of the LORD [03068] came unto me, saying [0559],