What is the meaning of Ezekiel 22:5? Those near and far • The prophecy stretches beyond Jerusalem’s walls. God declares that people “near”—neighboring nations like Edom, Ammon, and Moab—and those “far”—distant observers in lands that barely know Judah—will take note (Isaiah 5:26; Jeremiah 25:15-26). • Such wide publicity fulfills Deuteronomy 28:37, where Israel is warned she will become “an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule to all the nations.” • Distance does not diminish accountability; sin in God’s covenant city becomes a worldwide lesson (Psalm 67:1-2; Ezekiel 36:22-23). Will mock you • Mockery signals shame. Once the city bearing God’s name becomes corrupt, the nations laugh rather than revere (Psalm 79:4; Lamentations 2:15-16). • This ridicule is a measured judgment: what Judah sowed in contempt for God, she reaps in contempt from man (Galatians 6:7; Proverbs 1:24-27). • Mocking underscores that divine discipline is public, intended to call both Israel and the Gentiles to acknowledge the LORD’s righteousness (Ezekiel 36:20-23). O infamous city • “Infamous” points to a reputation earned by persistent rebellion—bloodshed, idolatry, oppression (Ezekiel 22:2-12). • Comparable labels include “Sodom” (Isaiah 1:10) and “Babylon the Great” (Revelation 17:5); God’s people risk identification with the worst of pagan corruption when they forsake Him. • The city’s infamy contrasts sharply with God’s original design: Jerusalem meant to be “a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:7). Full of turmoil • Turmoil describes inward moral chaos that spills into public disorder—violence in the streets, injustice in the courts (Jeremiah 6:7; Micah 3:9-11). • Instead of the peace (shalom) God intended, the city bubbles like a cauldron of strife (Ezekiel 24:3-6). • This turmoil both results from and accelerates divine judgment (Isaiah 57:20-21; Ezekiel 7:23-27), showing that sin is inherently destabilizing. summary Ezekiel 22:5 announces that Jerusalem’s widespread sin has turned her from a light to the nations into a spectacle of ridicule. Those near and far witness her fall; their mockery highlights God’s justice. The once-honored city now carries an infamous name, overrun with upheaval born of rebellion. The verse warns that when God’s people trade holiness for corruption, their testimony shifts from glory to shame, yet even that shame serves God’s larger purpose: making His righteousness known to all peoples. |
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