God’s Word Translation
Ezekiel 11:3
3They say, ‘It’s almost time to rebuild homes. This city is a cooking pot, and we’re the meat.’
Ezekiel 11:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.
- New International Version (NIV)They say, ‘Haven’t our houses been recently rebuilt? This city is a pot, and we are the meat in it.’
- English Standard Version (ESV)who say, 'The time is not near to build houses. This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.'
- New King James Version (NKJV)who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses; this city is the caldron, and we are the meat.’
Context of Ezekiel 11:3
1Then the Spirit lifted me and took me to the east gate of the Lord’s temple. (It’s the gate that faces east.) Twenty-five men were at the entrance of the gate. I saw among them Azzur’s son Jaazaniah and Benaiah’s son Pelatiah. They were leaders of the people. 2Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plan evil and give bad advice in this city. They say, ‘It’s almost time to rebuild homes. This city is a cooking pot, and we’re the meat.’ 4So prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man.” 5The Lord’s Spirit came to me and told me to say, “This is what the Lord says: You are saying these things, nation of Israel. But I know what’s going through your mind.
Read all of Ezekiel 11Ezekiel 11:3 word by word
הָאֹ֣מְרִ֔ים לֹ֥א בְקָר֖וֹב בְּנ֣וֹת בָּתִּ֑ים הִ֣יא הַסִּ֔יר וַאֲנַ֖חְנוּ הַבָּשָֽׂר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ezekiel 11:3
- Ezekiel 7:7Destruction is coming to you, inhabitants of the land. The time is coming. The day is near. There will be confusion. There will be no joy in the mountains.
- Ezekiel 12:22“Son of man, what is this proverb you have in Israel: ‘Days go by, and every vision comes to nothing’?
- Isaiah 5:19They say, “Let God hurry and quickly do his work so that we may see what he has in mind. Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel happen quickly so that we may understand what he is doing.”
- Jeremiah 1:11Again the Lord spoke his word to me and asked, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” I answered, “I see a branch of an almond tree.”
- Amos 6:5How horrible it will be for those who make up songs as they strum a harp. Like David, they write all kinds of songs for themselves.
- 2 Peter 3:4by saying, “What’s happened to his promise to return? Ever since our ancestors died, everything continues as it did from the beginning of the world.”
- Ezekiel 11:7“So this is what the Almighty Lord says: The corpses that you put in the middle of the city are the meat, and the city is the cooking pot. I will force you out of the city.
- Ezekiel 24:3Tell these rebellious people a story. Tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: Put the pot on the fire; put it on. Pour water in it.
- Jeremiah 1:13Again the Lord spoke his word to me and asked, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a boiling pot, and its top is tilted away from the north.”
Commentaries on Ezekiel 11:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3It is not near - That is, the threatened invasion. This city is the caldron, and we be the flesh - See the vision of the seething pot, Jeremiah 1:13. These infidels seem to say: "We will run all risks, we will abide in the city. Though it be the caldron, and we the flesh, yet we will share its fate: if it perish, we will perish with it." Or they may allude to the above prediction of Jeremiah, in order to ridicule it: "We were to have been boiled long ago…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3It is not near - In contradiction to Ezekiel 7:2. Let us build houses - “To build houses” implies a sense of security. Jeremiah bade the exiles “build houses” in a foreign land because they would not soon quit it Jeremiah 29:5; Jeremiah 35:7. These false counselors promised to their countrymen a sure and permanent abode in the city which God had doomed to destruction. No need, they said, to go far for safety; you are perfectly safe at home. The Hebrew…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-11The Spirit showed Ezekiel God's view of Jerusalem, then let him hear the city's people. The wicked advisors claimed that although the Babylonian attack (the fire) was difficult (hot), the city's defenses (the pot) were strong enough to protect them (the meat). These advisors encouraged people to build houses on stolen land (see Ezekiel 11:15, 17), believing they would be safe. God, however, was determined to judge the wicked.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. It is not near--namely, the destruction of the city; therefore "let us build houses," as if there was no fear. But the Hebrew opposes English Version, which would require the infinitive absolute. Rather, "Not at hand is the building of houses." They sneer at Jeremiah's letter to the captives, among whom Ezekiel lived (Jr 29:5). "Build ye houses, and dwell in them," that is, do not fancy, as many persuade you, that your sojourn in Babylon is to be…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 11:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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