New Living Translation
Ezekiel 22:25
25Your princes plot conspiracies just as lions stalk their prey. They devour innocent people, seizing treasures and extorting wealth. They make many widows in the land.
Ezekiel 22:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, 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 thereof.
- New International Version (NIV)There is a conspiracy of her princes within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured people; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst.
Context of Ezekiel 22:25
23Again a message came to me from the Lord: 24“Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: In the day of my indignation, you will be like a polluted land, a land without rain. Your princes plot conspiracies just as lions stalk their prey. They devour innocent people, seizing treasures and extorting wealth. They make many widows in the land. 26Your priests have violated my instructions and defiled my holy things. They make no distinction between what is holy and what is not. And they do not teach my people the difference between what is ceremonially clean and unclean. They disregard my Sabbath days so that I am dishonored among them. 27Your leaders are like wolves who tear apart their victims. They actually destroy people’s lives for money!
Read all of Ezekiel 22Ezekiel 22:25 word by word
קֶ֤שֶׁר נְבִיאֶ֙יהָ֙ בְּתוֹכָ֔הּ כַּאֲרִ֥י שׁוֹאֵ֖ג טֹ֣רֵֽף טָ֑רֶף נֶ֣פֶשׁ אָכָ֗לוּ חֹ֤סֶן וִיקָר֙ יִקָּ֔חוּ אַלְמְנוֹתֶ֖יהָ הִרְבּ֥וּ בְתוֹכָֽהּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- a conspiracyקֶ֫שֶׁרqesher · conspiracyH7195
- of her prophetsנָבִיאnâbîy' · prophetH5030
- in the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
- thereof, like a roaringשָׁאַגshâ'ag · to roarH7580
- lionאֲרִי'ărîy 'aryêh · lionH738
- raveningטָרַףţâraph · to tearH2963
- the preyטֶ֫רֶףţereph · preyH2964
- they have devouredאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- soulsנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: lifeH5315
- they have takenלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- the treasureחֹ֫סֶןchôsen · wealthH2633
- and precious thingsיְקָרyeqâr · preciousnessH3366
- they have made her manyרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
- widowsאַלְמָנָה'almânâh · widowH490
Cross-references for Ezekiel 22:25
- Ezekiel 13:10“This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying, ‘All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all! It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash!
- 1 Kings 22:11One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, made some iron horns and proclaimed, “This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will gore the Arameans to death!”
- Jeremiah 5:30A horrible and shocking thing has happened in this land—
- Jeremiah 6:13“From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. From prophets to priests, they are all frauds.
- Lamentations 2:14Your prophets have said so many foolish things, false to the core. They did not save you from exile by pointing out your sins. Instead, they painted false pictures, filling you with false hope.
- Lamentations 4:13Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the sins of her priests, who defiled the city by shedding innocent blood.
- 2 Peter 2:1But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.
- Ezekiel 22:27Your leaders are like wolves who tear apart their victims. They actually destroy people’s lives for money!
- Isaiah 56:11Like greedy dogs, they are never satisfied. They are ignorant shepherds, all following their own path and intent on personal gain.
- Hosea 6:9Priests form bands of robbers, waiting in ambush for their victims. They murder travelers along the road to Shechem and practice every kind of sin.
- Micah 3:5This is what the Lord says: “You false prophets are leading my people astray! You promise peace for those who give you food, but you declare war on those who refuse to feed you.
- Revelation 13:11Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon.
- Ezekiel 13:19You bring shame on me among my people for a few handfuls of barley or a piece of bread. By lying to my people who love to listen to lies, you kill those who should not die, and you promise life to those who should not live.
- Jeremiah 2:30“I have punished your children, but they did not respond to my discipline. You yourselves have killed your prophets as a lion kills its prey.
- Mark 12:40Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished.”
Commentaries on Ezekiel 22:25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25There is a conspiracy - The false prophets have united together to say and support the same things; and have been the cause of the destruction of souls, and the death of many, so that widows, through their means, are multiplied in thee.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23-31Verses 23-31 The sixth word of judgment. The special sins of princes, priests, and people. Ezekiel 22:26 Violated - Better as in margin; to offer “violence” to the Law is to misinterpret it. It was the special office of the priests to keep up the distinction between “holy” and “unholy,” “clean” and “unclean” Leviticus 10:10. Ezekiel 22:28 See the marginal reference note. Ezekiel 22:30 The land might be said to perish for the lack of such interpositions as…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 23-31Verses 23-31 All orders and degrees of men had helped to fill the measure of the nation's guilt. The people that had any power abused it, and even the buyers and sellers find some way to oppress one another. It bodes ill to a people when judgments are breaking in upon them, and the spirit of prayer is restrained. Let all who fear God, unite to promote his truth and righteousness; as wicked men of every rank and profession plot together to run them down.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25-29This list of Jerusalem’s sins focuses on the wrongdoings of Judah's leaders (compare Zephaniah 3:3–4). princes: The princes and other leaders abused their power by killing innocent people and taking their wealth. The priests sinned by failing to teach the law, preventing people from distinguishing between holy and unholy, clean and unclean. The prophets shared false visions instead of true messages from God. As a result, the people wandered away from God…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2525. conspiracy--The false prophets have conspired both to propagate error and to oppose the messages of God's servants. They are mentioned first, as their bad influence extended the widest. prey--Their aim was greed of gain, "treasure, and precious things" (Ho 6:9; Zep 3:3, 4; Mt 23:14). made ... many widows--by occasioning, through false prophecies, the war with the Chaldeans in which the husbands fell.Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 22:25
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
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