HesekielKapitel 14

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Now some men from among the elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me.

Then the word of the LORD came to me:

"Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts and set the stumbling block of their guilt before their faces. Should I let myself be consulted by them at all?

Therefore speak to them and say: This is what the Lord GOD says: Any Israelite who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his guilt before his face, and then comes to the prophet—I, the LORD, will answer him myself, in keeping with his many idols,

so that I may lay hold of the house of Israel by their own hearts, for they have all turned away from me through their idols.

Therefore say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord GOD says: Repent! Turn away from your idols, and turn your faces from all your abominations.

For any Israelite, or any foreigner residing in Israel, who separates himself from me and takes his idols into his heart, setting the stumbling block of his guilt before his face, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of me—I, the LORD, will answer him myself.

I will set my face against that man; I will make him a sign and a byword, and I will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the LORD, have deceived that prophet; I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.

They will bear their guilt—the guilt of the one who inquires will be the same as the guilt of the prophet—

so that the house of Israel may no longer stray from me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Lord GOD."

The word of the LORD came to me:

"Son of man, if a land sins against me by acting unfaithfully, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its staff of bread, sending famine upon it and cutting off from it both man and beast,

then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, they would save only their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord GOD.

Or if I let wild beasts pass through that land and they leave it bereft of its children, so that it becomes desolate, with no one passing through because of the beasts,

then as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, and the land would be desolate.

Or if I bring the sword against that land and say, 'Let the sword sweep through the land,' and I cut off from it both man and beast,

then as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters; they alone would be saved.

Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath upon it in bloodshed, cutting off from it both man and beast,

then as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they could not save a son or a daughter; by their righteousness they would save only their own lives.

For this is what the Lord GOD says: How much worse will it be when I send my four dreadful judgments against Jerusalem—sword and famine, wild beasts and plague—to cut off from it both man and beast!

Yet some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out. They will come out to you, and when you see their conduct and their deeds, you will be consoled concerning the disaster I have brought upon Jerusalem—everything I have brought upon it.

They will console you when you see their conduct and their deeds, and you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Lord GOD."

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Zusammenfassung2

Kapitel 14

Main Theme: God warns against idolatry and declares that even the most righteous cannot save others from His judgment.

Content: Some of Israel's elders come to Ezekiel, but God reveals that they have idols in their hearts. God urges the people to turn away from their idols and warns that He will answer idolaters according to their many idols. Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were present in a land under judgment, they could only save themselves by their own righteousness. God describes four judgments—sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence—that will strike Jerusalem. A remnant will survive, and when the people see what has happened to them, they will understand that God's judgment was just.

Key Words/Images:

Idols in the heart (גִּלּוּלִים עַל־לֵב): Idolatry as an inner attitude, not merely outward action—one cannot sincerely seek God with a divided heart.
Noah, Daniel, and Job: Three examples of exceptionally righteous men illustrating that personal righteousness cannot be transferred to others.
Four judgments (sword, famine, wild beasts, pestilence): God's complete judgment upon a sinful people.
Stumbling block (מִכְשׁוֹל עָוֺן): Sin that causes people to fall and hinders their relationship with God.

Historischer Kontext

People

The chapter mentions three figures as examples of righteousness: Noah, Daniel (or Dan'el), and Job (vv. 14, 20). These three represent different eras and backgrounds—Noah from primeval history, Job as a non-Israelite from the land of Uz, and Daniel. The Daniel mentioned here may be the legendary wise figure Dan'el known from Ugaritic texts from the 13th century BCE, rather than the biblical Daniel (who was a contemporary of Ezekiel). In the Ugaritic Aqhat epic, Dan'el is described as a righteous judge who defends widows and orphans. The spelling in the Hebrew text shows both the shorter form דנאל (ketiv) and the longer form דָּנִיֵּאל (qere), which has contributed to discussion about his identity. By choosing three non-Israelite or pre-Israelite righteous figures, Ezekiel emphasizes the universal character of the message.

Events and Customs

The opening of the chapter describes a typical prophetic consultation in which Israel's elders come to the prophet to "seek the Lord" (vv. 1, 7). This was an established practice where leaders sought out prophets to receive divine guidance. However, Ezekiel reveals that these elders simultaneously "have taken their idols into their hearts" (v. 3). The expression describes an inner devotion to other gods while outwardly maintaining worship of Yahweh—a form of religious duplicity that was widespread among the exiles. The practice of consulting multiple deities at once was common in the ancient Near East, where people sought answers from various sources to ensure their safety.

Key Terms

The Hebrew word "gillulim" (גִּלּוּלֵיהֶם, "idols") appears several times in this chapter (vv. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). The term is a derogatory expression likely derived from "gelal" (dung/excrement) and is used almost exclusively by Ezekiel to emphasize the worthlessness and uncleanness of idols. The phrase "mikshol avon" (מִכְשׁוֹל עֲוֺנָם, "stumbling block of iniquity") is distinctive to Ezekiel and describes how idolatry becomes an obstacle that causes the people to fall.

The four judgments—sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence (v. 21)—constitute a traditional listing of covenant curses, known from Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. In the Babylonian context, these four plagues were also well-known as instruments of divine punishment, making the message understandable to the exiles in their new surroundings.

Personen3

Job2 Noah2 Daniel2

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Schlüsselwörter9

Prophecy — Prediction or revelation of future events, often given by God through a prophet.
Ezekiel — A prophet in the Old Testament who received visions and messages from God.
Idol — An image or object that people worship as a god instead of the true God.
Sin — Violation of God's law, moral failure, or evil action.
Punishment — Consequences or suffering resulting from sin or injustice.
Repent — To change one's mind, attitude, or behavior, especially toward God and His ways.
Righteous — To be morally upright and act in accordance with God's will.
Salvation — God's act of saving people from punishment and the consequences of their sin.
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