Bible Strands
Ezekiel 22:18
“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD speaks through Ezekiel to the house of Israel, delivering a judgment declaration immediately after the prophet receives the divine word (Ezekiel 22:17). This statement functions as the premise for the subsequent promise to gather the people into Jerusalem (Ezekiel 22:19).
The words — The Hebrew term סִיג (sug) translates literally as "dross" or "scum," denoting the impure residue remaining after metal is refined. The text explicitly identifies the house of Israel as this worthless dross mixed with copper, tin, iron, and lead inside a furnace.
The thread — This metallurgical metaphor for spiritual failure appears in Isaiah 1:22, where silver becomes dross, and Isaiah 48:10, where refining in a furnace represents testing. The imagery also parallels Psalm 119:119, which contrasts God discarding the wicked like dross with His love for His testimonies.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that Israel's collective condition is worthless and unrefined rather than pure. It demands acceptance that divine judgment and gathering are sequential, not simultaneous, actions.
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
Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.
Cross-references
- Psalms 119:119 All the wicked on earth You discard like dross; therefore I love Your testimonies.
- Isaiah 1:22 Your silver has become dross; your fine wine is diluted with water.
- Isaiah 48:10 See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
- Jeremiah 6:28 All are hardened rebels, walking around as slanderers. They are bronze and iron; all of them are corrupt.
- Proverbs 17:3 A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts.
- Isaiah 1:25 I will turn My hand against you; I will thoroughly purge your dross; I will remove all your impurities.
- Isaiah 31:9 Their rock will pass away for fear, and their princes will panic at the sight of the battle standard,” declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 48:4 For I knew that you are stubborn; your neck is iron and your forehead is bronze.
- Lamentations 4:1 How the gold has become tarnished, the pure gold has become dull! The gems of the temple lie scattered on every street corner.
- Ezekiel 22:20 Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to melt with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, leave you there, and melt you.