Ezekiel 5:14-15
Moreover, I will make you a desolation and an object of reproach among the nations all around you and in the sight of all who pass by. You shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations all around you, when I execute judgments on you in anger and fury, and with furious rebukes—I am the LORD; I have spoken—
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This isn't just about being ruined; it's about becoming a public spectacle of failure. God declares that Israel's desolation will be so stark that passersby won't just see an empty land, they'll see a living, breathing warning sign, a taunt whispered by every foreigner who witnesses their shame.
God is declaring a severe judgment on Jerusalem, which He has set in the center of many nations. He's detailing how He will punish its sin, using a vivid prophecy of a devastating sword, famine, and pestilence. This verse explains that the land itself will become desolate and a public spectacle, a place people will point to with scorn, just as they did to Jerusalem in the book of Lamentations.
What does it mean for a land to be 'waste'? It wasn't just about emptiness, but a profound desolation that spoke volumes.
God declares through Ezekiel that Jerusalem and its land will become 'waste'. This wasn't merely a temporary abandonment, but a sustained emptiness.
A Land Without Life
The inhabitants, who were meant to till and care for the land, would be removed. This meant fields left unplanted, vineyards untended, and cities standing silent. The very earth, blessed by God for their sustenance, would lie fallow and unproductive.
Visible Desolation
This waste would be a stark, visible testament to their sin and God's judgment. It was a sign to all surrounding nations and travelers that something catastrophic had befallen Jerusalem.
Judgment on Jerusalem wasn't meant to be private; it was a public spectacle for all to see and mock.
The verse emphasizes that Jerusalem's desolation would be a 'reproach among the nations... in the sight of all who pass by.' This wasn't just about suffering, but about becoming a byword and object of ridicule.
Mockery and Taunts
As people traveled past the desolate city, they would point, laugh, and use Jerusalem's fate as a curse or a warning. The nations, some of whom Israel had even imitated in their idolatry, would now exult in their downfall.
The Shame of Judgment
This public shame was a deeply painful aspect of God's judgment. It meant their sin and its consequences were on display for the whole world, highlighting their failure to be the distinct people God intended them to be.
Understand the original words
chorebah · Hebrew Noun
A state of being laid waste or ruined, often applied to a city or land that has been judged for sin.
cherpah · Hebrew Noun
The state of being an object of shame, disgrace, or public scorn, often occurring when God withdraws His favor from a rebellious people.
mishpat · Hebrew Noun
The righteous sentences and divine actions taken by God against sin, designed to uphold His holiness and justice.
Ezekiel's prophecy of being made a desolation and a reproach echoes the historical experience of Jerusalem and its people during the Babylonian exile, where their land was left empty and they themselves became objects of scorn among the surrounding nations.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Under King Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon conquered Judah and deported a number of its leading citizens, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon.
597 BC— this verse
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a revolt, Jerusalem was besieged, and King Jehoiachin and many more prominent Judeans were exiled to Babylon, including the prophet Ezekiel.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Babylonian forces, under Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, and deported most of the remaining population to Babylon.
c. 586 BC - 539 BC
The Babylonian Exile
The majority of the Judean people lived in exile in Babylonia, facing hardship and mockery from their captors.
This passage parallels Ezekiel's prophecy by describing how the exiles will be given 'for a curse and a horror, and a proverb and a byword' among the nations.
Lamentations 2:15-16These verses vividly describe the taunting and mockery from surrounding nations that Ezekiel's prophecy foretold, showing people clapping and wagging their heads at Jerusalem's desolation.
Lamentations 1:12This passage expresses a similar theme of public suffering and astonishment, where the narrator asks if anyone passing by can comprehend Jerusalem's pain, reflecting the 'sight of all who pass by' in Ezekiel.
Zechariah 8:13This verse offers a stark contrast, promising that Judah will become a blessing and no longer a curse, directly addressing the 'reproach' mentioned in Ezekiel and showing God's ultimate redemptive plan.
pooleEzekiel 5:14: "Moreover I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by."
Judgments should empty the land of men that might till and manure it, and so your fruitful land shall be turned and continued a waste and desolate land. A reproach, Jeremiah 24:9 29:18,22 ; a reproach or curse; men should taunt at them, and, in wishing the worst they can, wish their enemies like the Jews. So it was Lamentations 2:15,16 .
henryEzekiel 5:5-17: "Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her."
5:5-17 The sentence passed upon Jerusalem is very dreadful, the manner of expression makes it still more so. Who is able to stand in God's sight when he is angry? Those who live and die impenitent, will perish for ever unpitied; there is a day coming when the Lord will not spare. Let not persons or churches, who change the Lord's statutes, expect to esc…
This isn't just about being ruined; it's about becoming a public spectacle of failure. God declares that Israel's desolation will be so stark that passersby won't just see an empty land, they'll see a living, breathing warning sign, a taunt whispered by every foreigner who witnesses their shame.
God is declaring a severe judgment on Jerusalem, which He has set in the center of many nations. He's detailing how He will punish its sin, using a vivid prophecy of a devastating sword, famine, and pestilence. This verse explains that the land itself will become desolate and a public spectacle, a place people will point to with scorn, just as they did to Jerusalem in the book of Lamentations.
God is declaring a severe judgment on Jerusalem, which He has set in the center of many nations. He's detailing how He will punish its sin, using a vivid prophecy of a devastating sword, famine, and pestilence. This verse explains that the land itself will become desolate and a public spectacle, a place people will point to with scorn, just as they did to Jerusalem in the book of Lamentations.
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"Moreover, I will make you a desolation and an object of reproach among the nations all around you and in the sight of all who pass by. You shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations all around you, when I execu…" — This isn't just about being ruined; it's about becoming a public spectacle of failure. God declares that Israel's desolation will be so stark that passersby won't just see an empty land, they'll see…
