Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: You eat flesh with the blood and lift up your eyes to your idols and shed blood; shall you then possess the land?
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse reveals that their "possession" of the land isn't a given; it hinges on obeying God's laws, which they've violated by eating blood, a practice linked to idolatry. The prophet is directly confronting their false assumption that their heritage alone secures their future, when their actions clearly disqualify them.
Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: You eat flesh with the blood and lift up your eyes to your idols and shed blood; shall you then possess the land?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The city of Jerusalem has fallen, and survivors are bringing the grim news to Ezekiel. Yet, the people who remained in the land, and even some of those in exile, are clinging to a false hope of continued favor, assuming their lineage guarantees possession of the land. Ezekiel is commanded to strip away this dangerous pride by exposing their deep corruption: they practice forbidden rites like eating flesh with blood and openly worship idols, while also committing murder. The prophet asks a searing question: how can they possibly expect to inherit the land when their actions are so flagrantly opposed to God's commands and the covenant He made?
The people remaining in the land felt secure, but God's message to Ezekiel cuts through their false confidence. What were they doing wrong, and why did it disqualify them from the land?
In Ezekiel 33:25, God confronts the people with three grievous sins: eating flesh with the blood, looking to idols, and shedding innocent blood.
Eating With the Blood
This practice was strictly forbidden by Mosaic Law (Leviticus 19:26) and even earlier, given to Noah (Genesis 9:4). It wasn't just a dietary law; it was often tied to idolatrous rituals, as ancient Near Eastern cultures believed consuming blood could commune with spirits or demons. The scholars note it was seen as abominable and connected to pagan practices.
Looking to Idols
This signifies a complete turning away from the Lord. Instead of seeking guidance and protection from God, they were offering devotion and prayers to lifeless idols, essentially placing their hope in false gods.
Shedding Innocent Blood
This points to murder and violence, a direct violation of God's command to love your neighbor. It signifies a deep corruption of justice and morality.
The rhetorical question, 'shall ye possess the land?', reveals that these actions directly violated the covenant conditions under which God had given them the land. Their 'carnal confidence' was entirely misplaced because their behavior was the antithesis of the holy people God required them to be.
Ask a follow-up
The verse links eating with blood and looking to idols. What does this connection reveal about the nature of their sin and their mistaken beliefs?
The combination of eating with the blood and looking to idols in Ezekiel 33:25 isn't accidental; it highlights a deep entanglement with pagan practices.
Scholarly insights suggest that eating blood was often part of ancient idolatrous rituals. Some cultures believed that by consuming blood, they could commune with spirits or demons, or that it was food for these spiritual beings. The text implies that the people remaining in the land had adopted these very practices, seeking spiritual connection and power through forbidden means.
This alliance between seemingly different sins shows a total disregard for God's covenant. They weren't just breaking a dietary law; they were actively engaging in worship that was meant to replace or rival God's authority. Their 'lifting up eyes to idols' meant their allegiance, their hope, and their worship were directed away from the One true God and towards deceptive, false powers.
God's rhetorical question, 'shall ye possess the land?', hangs heavy. It challenges their deepest assumptions about their relationship with God and their future.
The question 'shall ye possess the land?' is the climax of Ezekiel's message in this verse. It's not a genuine inquiry seeking an answer; it's a divine pronouncement of their ineligibility.
The land of Canaan was a gift from God, given to Abraham and his descendants under specific conditions. These conditions weren't just about rituals; they involved being a 'holy people' set apart for God (Leviticus 11:45). The sins listed – eating with blood, idolatry, and murder – were direct violations of this covenant faithfulness.
When the people continued in these gross sins, they forfeited their claim to the land. Their 'carnal confidence,' as the commentators note, was utterly baseless. They were acting like those who 'stand upon their sword,' relying on their own strength and desires rather than God's law. God's question serves as a stark reminder that possession of His promises is tied to obedience and faithfulness, not to inherited status alone.
Understand the original words
Adonay YHWH · Hebrew Noun phrase
The Sovereign Lord, Master, or Controller. The Hebrew title 'Adonay YHWH' emphasizes God's absolute authority, lordship, and rights over His creation and His covenant people.
gillulim · Hebrew Noun
Any object, image, or concept placed in the position of supreme importance, thereby usurping God's place. Idolatry is defined by the Bible as the fundamental sin of elevating created things above the Creator, which always leads to spiritual ruin.
The people Ezekiel addresses are those who remained in the land after the deportations, or perhaps those who were already in exile and clinging to a false sense of security. They were engaging in blatant violations of God's law—eating blood (a practice forbidden since Noah and explicitly linked to idolatry) and shedding innocent blood—while presumptuously believing they would retain possession of the land.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports the first wave of Judean captives, including members of the royal family and educated elite, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a revolt, Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, to Babylon. This event deepens the despair and questions about God's promises among the exiles.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
Babylonian forces destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, deporting most of the remaining population. This catastrophic event shatters any lingering hopes of immediate return and leads to widespread spiritual crisis.
c. 580 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Ministry in Exile
Ezekiel, living among the exiles in Babylon, receives visions and prophecies from God. He confronts the people's sins and false hopes, emphasizing God's justice and the need for true repentance.
c. 539 BC
Fall of Babylon
The Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon. This geopolitical shift eventually leads to the decree allowing the Judean exiles to return to their land.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus the Great issues a decree permitting the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marks the beginning of the return from exile.
This passage lays down the foundational prohibition against eating flesh with the blood still in it, establishing a universal moral standard that the Israelites in Ezekiel's time were violating. It highlights the gravity of their sin as a transgression of God's original command to all humanity.
Leviticus 17:10-14This Levitical law explicitly connects the prohibition of eating blood to the life within it, stating that the 'life of the flesh is in the blood.' It emphasizes that blood was set apart for atonement on the altar, thus demonstrating how consuming blood was a direct affront to God's holy purposes.
Ezekiel 18:6This verse describes a similar pattern of sin where one 'does not eat food on the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,' drawing a parallel between outward religious practice and hidden corruption. It reinforces the theme that true relationship with God involves internal purity, not just outward observance, a point Ezekiel is making forcefully here.
Acts 15:20The apostles and elders at the Jerusalem Council reiterated the command not to eat blood, showing its continuing importance even in the early church, especially concerning Gentiles. This demonstrates that the sin Ezekiel condemns was not merely a ritual offense but a fundamental issue of obedience and reverence for God's order.
Jeremiah 42:5-6The people in Jeremiah's time, facing imminent destruction, claimed they would obey God, yet their hearts were far from it, seeking their own will and ignoring God's commands. This echoes the situation in Ezekiel 33 where the remnant professes hope for the land while engaging in practices that forfeit their claim, highlighting a pattern of hollow obedience.
bensonEzekiel 33:25: "Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land?"
Ezekiel 33:25-26 . Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord — Remove from them this destructive carnal confidence, and show them what they do, and how far they are from being Abraham’s genuine seed. Ye eat with the blood — Which was expressly forbidden in the Jewish law, as appears from Leviticus 7:26 , as well as that more a…
clarkeEzekiel 33:25: "Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land?"
Ye eat with the blood - Abraham was righteous, ye are unrighteous. Eating of blood, in any way dressed, or of flesh from which the blood had not been extracted, was and is in the sight of God abominable. All such practices he has absolutely and for ever forbidden. Let the vile blood-eaters hear and tremble. See the note…
This verse reveals that their "possession" of the land isn't a given; it hinges on obeying God's laws, which they've violated by eating blood, a practice linked to idolatry. The prophet is directly confronting their false assumption that their heritage alone secures their future, when their actions clearly disqualify them.
The city of Jerusalem has fallen, and survivors are bringing the grim news to Ezekiel. Yet, the people who remained in the land, and even some of those in exile, are clinging to a false hope of continued favor, assuming their lineage guarantees possession of the land. Ezekiel is commanded to strip away this dangerous pride by exposing their deep corruption: they practice forbidden rites like eating flesh with blood and openly worship idols, while also committing murder. The prophet asks a searing question: how can they possibly expect to inherit the land when their actions are so flagrantly opposed to God's commands and the covenant He made?
The city of Jerusalem has fallen, and survivors are bringing the grim news to Ezekiel. Yet, the people who remained in the land, and even some of those in exile, are clinging to a false hope of continued favor, assuming their lineage guarantees possession of the land. Ezekiel is commanded to strip away this dangerous pride by exposing their deep corruption: they practice forbidden rites like eating flesh with blood and openly worship idols, while also committing murder. The prophet asks a searing question: how can they possibly expect to inherit the land when their actions are so flagrantly opposed to God's commands and the covenant He made?
"Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: You eat flesh with the blood and lift up your eyes to your idols and shed blood; shall you then possess the land?" — This verse reveals that their "possession" of the land isn't a given; it hinges on obeying God's laws, which they've violated by eating blood, a practice linked to idolatry. The prophet is directly c…
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Last reviewed October 2026