Reference

Ezekiel 14:4

Israel as Distinct Literal Fulfillment Israel-Specific Promises Prophetic Methods of Communication

“Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;”

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?

Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Prophetic Methods of Communication

Keyword Match

70% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Israel as Distinct

The verse does not explicitly state anything about Israel's distinct promises, land covenant, or future prophetic role separate from the Church. Instead, it addresses the individual spiritual state of "every man of the house of Israel" who engages in idolatry. The focus is on individual accountability and God's response to their hypocrisy when they seek a prophet while harboring idols in their hearts. The passage is a warning about the consequences of insincere worship and does not inherently de

Literal Fulfillment

The verse describes a spiritual state of idolatry ("idols in his heart") and iniquity, and God's response is framed in terms of judgment that may not be exclusively literal in its fulfillment but could also refer to spiritual consequences or the nature of divine justice.

Israel-Specific Promises

The verse describes a judgment against individuals within the "house of Israel" who engage in idolatry, rather than a promise, prophecy, or covenant specifically for the nation of Israel. It speaks of God's response to their sin, not a unique blessing or future for the ethnic group.

Prophetic Methods of Communication

This verse describes God's response to individuals who approach a prophet, rather than detailing the methods God uses to communicate *to* the prophet. The focus is on the people's actions and God's judgment, not on the prophet's reception of revelation.

Israel as Distinct

Cross-References

2 Timothy 3:7Thematic

“Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Job 36:21Thematic

“Take heed, regard not iniquity: for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.”

Ezekiel 6:9Thematic

“And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.”

Ezekiel 8:1Thematic

“And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me.”

Ezekiel 14:3Thematic

“Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?”

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Thematic Connections