Deep Dive

Ezekiel 22:27

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Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain.

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Commentaries

Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.

Matthew Henry Bible Commentaryv. 27

Here are three separate messages which God entrusts the prophet to deliver concerning Judah and Jerusalem, and all to the same purport, to show them their sins and the judgments that were coming upon them for those sins. I. Here is a catalogue of their sins, by which they had exposed themselves to shame and for which God would bring them to ruin (v. 1-16). II. They are here compared to dross, and are condemned as dross to the fire (Eze 22:17-22). III. All orders and degrees of men among them are here found guilty of the neglect of the duty of their place and of having contributed to the national guilt, which therefore, since none appeared as intercessors, they must all expect to share in the punishment of (Eze 22:23-31).

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Original language

The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).

Strong's Concordancev. 27

שַׂר (sar, H8269) — a head person (of any rank or class) קֶרֶב (qereb, H7130) — properly, the nearest part, i.e. the center, whether literal, figurative or adverbial… זְאֵב (zᵉʼêb, H2061) — a wolf טָרַף (ṭâraph, H2963) — to pluck off or pull to pieces; causatively to supply with food (as in morsels) טֶרֶף (ṭereph, H2964) — something torn, i.e. a fragment, e.g. a fresh leaf, prey, food שָׁפַךְ (shâphak, H8210) — to spill forth (blood, a libation, liquid metal; or even a solid, i.e. to mound up); also… דָּם (dâm, H1818) — blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice… אָבַד (ʼâbad, H6) — properly, to wander away, i.e. lose oneself; by implication to perish (causative, destroy) נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh, H5315) — properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in… בָּצַע (bâtsaʻ, H1214) — figuratively, to finish, or (intransitively) stop בֶּצַע (betsaʻ, H1215) — plunder; by extension, gain (usually unjust)

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Cross-references

Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.

Ezekiel 22:13rank 5

Now look, I strike My hands together against your unjust gain and against the blood you have shed in your midst.

Ezekiel 22:6rank 3

See how every prince of Israel within you has used his power to shed blood.

Isaiah 1:23rank 3

Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.

Ezekiel 22:25rank 2

The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.

Matthew 21:13rank 2

And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Zephaniah 3:3rank 2

Her princes are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, leaving nothing for the morning.

Ezekiel 45:9rank 2

For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Enough, O princes of Israel! Cease your violence and oppression, and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing My people, declares the Lord GOD.’

Micah 7:8rank 2

Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.

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