Ezekiel 14:23 Explained in Context

Read It With

• Ezekiel 14:12–23

Read Ezekiel 14:23 with 14:12–23. By itself, “And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, date, exilic horizon, visionary movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: Four judgments are imagined in turn; even three exemplary righteous figures could save only themselves, yet a remnant reaching the exiles will show why Jerusalem's disaster was not without cause.

Why This Verse Appears Here

Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “Elders with Heart-Idols Receive a Direct Answer” into “Even Noah, Daniel, and Job Could Deliver Only Themselves.” Its non-interchangeable contribution is: Four judgments are imagined in turn; even three exemplary righteous figures could save only themselves, yet a remnant reaching the exiles will show why Jerusalem's disaster was not without cause. This verse's placement is specific: The prophetic word through Ezekiel carries the next action, claim, image, or measurement through “And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings” at Ezekiel 14:23 as part of “Even Noah, Daniel, and Job Could Deliver Only Themselves.”