New English Translation
Ezekiel 33:24
24“Son of man, the ones living in these ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land, but we are many; surely the land has been given to us for a possession.’
Ezekiel 33:24 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.
- New International Version (NIV)“Son of man, the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Son of man, the inhabitants of these waste places in the land of Israel keep saying, 'Abraham was only one man, yet he got possession of the land; but we are many; the land is surely given us to possess.'
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Son of man, they who inhabit those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.’
Context of Ezekiel 33:24
22Now the hand of the Lord had been on me the evening before the refugee reached me, but the Lord opened my mouth by the time the refugee arrived in the morning; he opened my mouth and I was no longer unable to speak. 23The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, the ones living in these ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land, but we are many; surely the land has been given to us for a possession.’ 25Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: You eat the meat with the blood still in it, pray to your idols, and shed blood. Do you really think you will possess the land? 26You rely on your swords and commit abominable deeds; each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Will you possess the land?’
Read all of Ezekiel 33Ezekiel 33:24 word by word
בֶּן־אָדָ֗ם יֹ֠שְׁבֵי הֶחֳרָב֨וֹת הָאֵ֜לֶּה עַל־אַדְמַ֤ת יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֹמְרִ֣ים לֵאמֹ֔ר אֶחָד֙ הָיָ֣ה אַבְרָהָ֔ם וַיִּירַ֖שׁ אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַאֲנַ֣חְנוּ רַבִּ֔ים לָ֛נוּ נִתְּנָ֥ה הָאָ֖רֶץ לְמוֹרָשָֽׁה׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- they that inhabitיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- those wastesחׇרְבָּהchorbâh · desolationH2723
- of the landאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- speakאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Abrahamאַבְרָהָם'abrâhâm · AbrahamH85
- was oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
- and he inheritedיָרַשׁyârash yârêsh · to possess: possessH3423
- the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- manyרַבrab · manyH7227
- is givenנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- us for inheritanceמוֹרָשָׁהmôrâshâh · possessionH4181
Cross-references for Ezekiel 33:24
- Ezekiel 33:27“This is what you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, those living in the ruins will die by the sword, those in the open field I will give to the wild beasts for food, and those who are in the strongholds and caves will die of disease.
- Ezekiel 5:3But take a few strands of hair from those and tie them in the ends of your garment.
- Ezekiel 34:2“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them – to the shepherds: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed the flock?
- Jeremiah 39:10But he left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing. He gave them fields and vineyards at that time.
- Jeremiah 40:7Now some of the officers of the Judean army and their troops had been hiding in the countryside. They heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam to govern the country. They also heard that he had been put in charge over the men, women, and children from the poorer classes of the land who had not been carried off into exile in Babylon.
- Ezekiel 36:4therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the sovereign Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, the ravines and valleys, and to the desolate ruins and the abandoned cities that have become prey and an object of derision to the rest of the nations round about –
- Isaiah 51:2Look at Abraham, your father, and Sarah, who gave you birth. When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, but I blessed him and gave him numerous descendants.
- Acts 7:5He did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, not even a foot of ground, yet God promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, even though Abraham as yet had no child.
- Micah 3:11Her leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, her priests proclaim rulings for profit, and her prophets read omens for pay. Yet they claim to trust the Lord and say, “The Lord is among us. Disaster will not overtake us!”
- Matthew 3:9and don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!
- Luke 3:8Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!
- John 8:33“We are descendants of Abraham,” they replied, “and have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”
- Romans 4:12And he is also the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised.
- Romans 9:7nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:3Now when they are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will surely not escape.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 33:24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24Abraham was one - If he was called to inherit the land when he was alone, and had the whole to himself, why may we not expect to be established here, who are his posterity, and are many? They wished to remain in the land and be happy after the Chaldeans had carried the rest away captives.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23-33Verses 23-33 The exhortation to repentance. Ezekiel first addresses the remnant that still linger in their ancient home, and warns them against presumptuous hopes resting on false grounds Ezekiel 33:23-29; then he turns his eyes to those near him, and points out that their apparent attention to his words was illusory. Ezekiel 33:24 Those wastes - The places in the holy land devastated by the conqueror. Abraham - The argument is, Abraham was but one man…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-29Verses 21-29 Those are unteachable indeed, who do not learn their dependence upon God, when all creature-comforts fail. Many claim an interest in the peculiar blessings to true believers, while their conduct proves them enemies of God. They call this groundless presumption strong faith, when God's testimony declares them entitled to his threatenings, and nothing else.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23-26Those who stayed in the ruined cities of Judah saw the Exile as a chance for personal gain, not repentance. They claimed to be the only heirs of Abraham's promise and sought to own all the land. Their actions showed they were not truly Abraham's children. They ignored laws against eating meat with blood (see Deuteronomy 12:23), worshiped idols, and killed innocent people. Their lives denied Abraham's faith, and they would not inherit his promise.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2424. they that inhabit ... wastes of ... Israel--marking the blindness of the fraction of Jews under Gedaliah who, though dwelling amidst regions laid waste by the foe, still cherished hopes of deliverance, and this without repentance. Abraham was one ... but we are many--If God gave the land for an inheritance to Abraham, who was but one (Is 51:2), much more it is given to us, who, though reduced, are still many. If he, with 318 servants, was able to…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 33:24
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 33
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- 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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