New Living Translation
Ezekiel 22:18
18“Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over—a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead.
Ezekiel 22:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.
- New International Version (NIV)“Son of man, the people of Israel have become dross to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are dross of silver.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver.
Context of Ezekiel 22:18
16And when I have been dishonored among the nations because of you, you will know that I am the Lord.” 17Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over—a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead. 19So tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you are all worthless slag, I will bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem. 20Just as silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are melted down in a furnace, I will melt you down in the heat of my fury.
Read all of Ezekiel 22Ezekiel 22:18 word by word
בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם הָיוּ־לִ֥י בֵֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְסִ֑יג כֻּלָּ֡ם נְ֠חֹשֶׁת וּבְדִ֨יל וּבַרְזֶ֤ל וְעוֹפֶ֙רֶת֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ כּ֔וּר סִגִ֥ים כֶּ֖סֶף הָיֽוּ׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- is to me become drossסִיגsîyg sûg · drossH5509
- brassנְחֹ֫שֶׁתnechôsheth · bronzeH5178
- and tinבְּדִילbedîyl · tinH913
- and ironבַּרְזֶלbarzel · ironH1270
- and leadעֹפֶרֶת‛ôphereth ‛ôphereth · leadH5777
- in the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
- of the furnaceכּוּרkûr · furnaceH3564
- of silverכֶּ֫סֶףkeseph · silver: moneyH3701
Cross-references for Ezekiel 22:18
- Psalms 119:119You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum; no wonder I love to obey your laws!
- Isaiah 1:22Once like pure silver, you have become like worthless slag. Once so pure, you are now like watered-down wine.
- Jeremiah 6:28They are the worst kind of rebel, full of slander. They are as hard as bronze and iron, and they lead others into corruption.
- Ezekiel 22:20Just as silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are melted down in a furnace, I will melt you down in the heat of my fury.
- Isaiah 48:4For I know how stubborn and obstinate you are. Your necks are as unbending as iron. Your heads are as hard as bronze.
- Lamentations 4:1How the gold has lost its luster! Even the finest gold has become dull. The sacred gemstones lie scattered in the streets!
- Proverbs 17:3Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart.
- Isaiah 31:9Even the strongest will quake with terror, and princes will flee when they see your battle flags,” says the Lord, whose fire burns in Zion, whose flame blazes from Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 48:10I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 22:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18The house of Israel is to me become dross - They are all like base metal - brass, tin, iron, and lead alloyed together with silver. Ye must be put in the furnace, and subjected to the most intense fire, till your impurities are consumed away. No ordinary means will avail any thing; the most violent must be resorted to.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17-22Verses 17-22 The fifth word of judgment. The furnace. In the besieged city the people shall be tried and purged. Ezekiel 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.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-22Verses 17-22 Israel, compared with other nations, had been as the gold and silver compared with baser metals. But they were now as the refuse that is consumed in the furnace, or thrown away when the silver is refined. Sinners, especially backsliding professors, are, in God's account, useless and fit for nothing. When God brings his own people into the furnace, he sits by them as the refiner by his gold, to see that they are not continued there any longer…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-22Scattering was not the only part of God’s judgment. God would also gather the people of Judah into Jerusalem for judgment. The prophet compared this gathering to metal placed into a furnace (a very hot oven used to melt metal). A worker gathers pieces of metal and puts them into the fire to melt and refine them. But this fire would not make the people pure. Normally, a furnace removes waste material and leaves pure metal. In this case, the people were…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. dross ... brass--Israel has become a worthless compound of the dross of silver (implying not merely corruption, but degeneracy from good to bad, Is 1:22, especially offensive) and of the baser metals. Hence the people must be thrown into the furnace of judgment, that the bad may be consumed, and the good separated (Jr 6:29, 30).Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 22:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 22
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries