7:2 the land of Israel Ezekiel’s prophecy of destruction against Judah is addressed to the land itself, though the punishment is meant for the inhabitants.

comes, the end Ezekiel’s rhythmic expression in this passage centers on the repetition of the words and sounds of the phrase qets ba haqqets, meaning “an end, the end comes.” See Ezek 7:6 and note.

7:3 I will judge you according to your ways The judgment is still addressed to the land. The pronouns for “you” are feminine singular, as is the word adamah. Compare Ezek 18:30.

your detestable things The Hebrew term here can refer to anything offensive. In context, it refers to sacrilegious offenses. See note on 5:9.

7:4 my eye will not take pity on you An expression characteristic of Ezekiel (see note on 5:11).

you will know that I am Yahweh Again, the divine recognition formula structures the oracle (see note on 5:13).

7:5 Disaster after disaster Ezekiel frequently uses the literary devices of assonance and alliteration, as is the case here. This phrase reads ra'ah achath ra'ah.

7:6 The end comes This verse exemplifies Ezekiel’s wordplay in this chapter. In Hebrew, the full verse reads qets ba ba haqqets heqits elayikh hinneh ba'ah. The repetition emphasizes the word qets (“end”) and forms of the verb bo (“come”). See note on v. 2.

7:10 day In the prophets, references to “the day” or “that day” usually refer to the Day of Yahweh—the day when Yahweh comes in wrath. His judgment may be directed against Israel or against the nations (see note on vv. 1–27).

7:11 has grown to become a staff of wickedness The violence of the people is turned on them in judgment.

7:12 let not the buyer rejoice, and let the seller not mourn The same fate will fall on everyone. Generally, a buyer would be excited about his purchase and the seller sad would be that he had to sell his property (compare Isa 24:2).

7:15 plague and the famine are inside These disasters—invasion, disease, and hunger—appear in Ezek 5:2, 12; 6:11. They allude to the covenant curses of Lev 26.

Famines in the Bible Table

7:16 survivors The remnant that survives the judgment. Ezekiel symbolizes their selection in Ezek 5:3. Their survival is not a sign of merit. See 6:8 and note; 6:9 and note.

mountains The survivors have fled the inhabited land and take refuge in the mountains. This resembles Lot’s flight to the hills after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Gen 19:30.

like the doves of the valley Fugitives are compared to birds (compare Isa 16:2; Jer 48:28). The parallel in Jer 48:28 matches Ezekiel’s imagery closely, with doves nested on the heights of a cliff.

groaning, each because of his guilt The remnant is depicted as repentant and remorseful in Ezek 6:9 as well.

7:17 All of the hands will hang limp Even survivors experience loss of physical strength and loss of resolve or courage.

7:18 And they will wear sackcloth Sackcloth and baldness were signs of mourning (see Isa 22:12; and see note on Job 16:15).

7:19 Their silver they will discard on the streets When disaster comes, the desire to survive overcomes that of keeping valuable possessions, especially heavy precious metals. In Isaiah’s description of the Day of Yahweh, the people throw away their idols of silver and gold (see Isa 2:20).

silver and their gold will not be able to rescue Ezekiel’s reference is more likely to idols of silver and gold than to economic status (see Zeph 1:18). Even so, the wealthy and the poor are now equal; riches cannot deliver anyone from God’s wrath.

the day of the wrath of Yahweh Explicitly identifies the Day of Yahweh as the day of His wrath (see note on Ezek 7:10).

7:20 the beauty of its ornament Likely refers to the decorations in the temple; used to represent the temple itself (compare Isa 64:11).

their vile idols The Hebrew uses a term to convey “abominable.” See note on Ezek 5:9.

their detestable things Hebrew shiqquts. See note on 5:11.

7:22 I will turn my face from them The “face” symbolizes presence. Yahweh removes His presence from the temple, allowing foreigners to defile and destroy it.

my treasured place The Jerusalem temple.

7:23 is full of violence Compare Isaiah’s accusation to Israel that their “hands are full of blood” (Isa 1:15).

7:24 the worst of the nations The Babylonians, among whom Israel is exiled.

7:26 Calamity upon calamity will come Similar thematically to Ezek 7:5 but using a different phrase, howah al-howah tavo.

they will seek a vision from a prophet The people desperately seek divine guidance from the prophets, priests, and elders.

but instruction will perish from the priest In Jer 18:18, the people confidently express that the law would never perish from the priest. The failure of prophet, priest, and elders here closely resembles imagery in Jer 18:18.

7:27 king will mourn Political leadership has also failed.