A catalog of sins in Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jews in consequence, 1-16. God will burn them as dross in his furnace, 17-22. The general corruption of prophets, priests, princes, and people, 23-31.
1 Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Now, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Indeed, you shall show her all her abominations. 3 Then say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "The city sheds blood in the midst of it, so that her time may come, and makes idols against herself to defile herself. 4 You have become guilty in your blood that you have shed, have defiled yourself by your idols which you have made, have caused your days to draw near, and have come even to your years; therefore, I have made you a reproach to the heathen and a mocking to all countries. 5 Those who are near and those who are far from you shall mock you, who are infamous and much troubled.
6 "Behold, the princes of Israel, each used his power to shed blood in you. 7 In you they have set light by father and mother. In the midst of you they have dealt by oppression with the stranger. In you they have oppressed the fatherless and the widow. 8 You have despised my holy things and have profaned my sabbaths. 9 In you are men who carry tales to shed blood. And in you they eat upon the mountains. In the midst of you they commit lewdness. 10 In you they have uncovered their fathers' nakedness. In you they have humbled her who was set apart for pollution. 11 And one has committed abomination with his neighbor's wife, another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law, and another in you has humbled his sister, his father's daughter. 12 In you they have taken gifts to shed blood. You have taken interest and increase and you have greedily gained from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten me," says the Lord GOD.
13 "And behold, I have smitten my hand at your dishonest gain which you have made, and at your blood which has been in the midst of you. 14 Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken it and will do it. 15 And I will scatter you among the heathen and disperse you in the countries, and I will consume your filthiness out of you. 16 And you shall be profaned in yourself in the sight of the heathen, and you shall know that I am the LORD."'"
17 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 18 "Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me. All of them are brass, tin, iron, and lead in the midst of the furnace. They are even the dross of silver. 19 Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: 'Because you have all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As they gather silver, brass, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of the furnace to blow the fire upon it, to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. 21 Indeed, I will gather you and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it. 22 As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it. And you shall know that I, the LORD, have poured out my fury upon you.'"
23 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 24 "Son of man, say to her, 'You are the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.' 25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst of her, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls. They have taken the treasure and precious things. They have made her many widows in the midst of her. 26 Her priests have violated my law and have profaned my holy things. They have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shown difference between the unclean and the clean. They have hid their eyes from my sabbaths and I am profaned among them. 27 Her princes in the midst of her are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. 28 And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD has not spoken. 29 The people of the land have used oppression, exercised robbery, and have oppressed the poor and needy. They have even oppressed the stranger wrongfully. 30 And I sought for a man among them who should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before me for the land, so that I should not destroy it, but I found no one. 31 Therefore, I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. Their own way I have recompensed upon their heads," says the Lord GOD.
Matthew Henry Commentary - Ezekiel, Chapter 22[➚]
John Gill's Chapter Summary:
In this chapter a catalog or list of the sins of the Jews is given; a comparison of them to dross is made, and they are dealt with accordingly; and a complaint is lodged against all ranks and orders of men for their sins; on account of which, there being no intercessor for them, they are threatened with captivity and destruction. The prophet is ordered to judge them and lay before them their abominable sins (Ezekiel 22:1-2), of which a long list is given, as murder, idolatry, contempt of parents, oppression of the stranger, fatherless, and widow, negligence of holy things, profanation of the sabbath, tale bearing, lewdness and uncleanness of various sorts, bribery, usury, extortion, and dishonest gain (Ezekiel 22:3-13) for which the Lord threatens to deal with them in a manner that would be intolerable to them; that he would carry them captive and scatter them among the Heathen (Ezekiel 22:14-16), they are compared to dross, and as such should be gathered into a furnace and melted down (Ezekiel 22:17-21), all ranks and orders of men are complained of because of their sins and threatened (Ezekiel 22:23-24); the prophets for their voraciousness, rapine, murder, and lies (Ezekiel 22:25, 28), the priests, for their violation of the law, neglect of holy things and profanation of the sabbath (Ezekiel 22:26); the princes, for their cruelty, murder, and dishonest gain (Ezekiel 22:27); the people of the land, for their oppression and robbery (Ezekiel 22:29); and there being none to stand in the gap for them, the Lord threatens to pour out his wrath upon them and consume them (Ezekiel 22:30-31).