Bible Strands
Ezekiel 11:5
And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me and told me to declare that this is what the LORD says: “That is what you are thinking, O house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that arise in your minds.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Spirit of Yahweh falls upon Ezekiel, compelling him to deliver a divine declaration to the exiled house of Israel. This occurs immediately after God commands the prophet to prophesy against the city's leaders.
The words — ר֣וּחַ (Ru.ach) denotes the spirit or wind of Yahweh, while וַ/תִּפֹּ֣ל (va./ti.Pol) literally means "and it fell upon" the prophet. These terms describe the sudden, forceful divine empowerment that precedes the message.
The thread — This theme of divine omniscience regarding human thoughts appears in Jeremiah 17:10, which states God searches the heart and examines the mind, and Jeremiah 16:17, which notes that human guilt is not hidden from His eyes. The motif of the Spirit empowering prophetic speech also echoes Ezekiel 2:2.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that human intentions are fully known to God before any action is taken. It requires the reader to cease assuming private thoughts are concealed from divine judgment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the Lord; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 17:10 I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.
- Jeremiah 16:17 For My eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from My face, and their guilt is not concealed from My eyes.
- Ezekiel 2:2 And as He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me.
- Revelation 2:23 Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
- Numbers 11:25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed that Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but they never did so again.
- 1 Samuel 10:6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be transformed into a different person.
- 1 Samuel 10:10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them.
- 1 Chronicles 28:9 As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
- Psalms 7:9 Put an end to the evil of the wicked, but establish the righteous, O righteous God who searches hearts and minds.
- Psalms 50:21 You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But now I rebuke you and accuse you to your face.