Ezekiel 22:31

So I have poured out My indignation upon them and consumed them with the fire of My fury. I have brought their ways down upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — God speaks to Ezekiel and the exiled community immediately after declaring He found no intercessor to spare the land. He announces the execution of judgment following the failed search for a righteous stand-in.

The words — The Hebrew verb שָׁפַךְ (shāpaḵ) translates literally as "I have poured out," paired with אֵשׁ (’ēsh), "fire," to describe the active, uncontainable nature of divine wrath. The phrase דַּרְכָּם בְּרֹאשָׁם (darkām bərōšām) means "their conduct on their own head," indicating self-inflicted consequence.

The thread — This judgment motif recurs in Ezekiel 7:8, where God vows to pour out wrath and judge according to ways, and in Ezekiel 9:10, where He refuses pity and brings deeds upon their heads. It aligns with Ezekiel 16:43, which links forgotten covenant history to the return of their own deeds.

Why it lands — The text states that God’s fury consumes the people because no intercessor was found, and their own conduct is returned to them. It demands recognition that collective rebellion leaves no room for mediation and forces accountability upon the perpetrators.

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

וָאֶשְׁפֹּ֤ךְva./'esh.Pokhand/ I have poured out עֲלֵיהֶם֙'a.lei./Hemon/ them זַעְמִ֔יza'.M/iindignation/ my בְּאֵ֥שׁbe./'Eshwith/ [the] fire of עֶבְרָתִ֖י'ev.ra.T/iwrath/ my כִּלִּיתִ֑יםki.li.Ti/mI have made an end of/ them דַּרְכָּם֙dar.Ka/mconduct/ their בְּרֹאשָׁ֣םbe./ro.Sha/mon/ own head/ their נָתַ֔תִּיna.Ta.tiI have requited נְאֻ֖םne.'Um[the] utterance of אֲדֹנָ֥י'a.do.Nai[the] Lord יְהֹוִֽה׃ פYah.wehYahweh

King James Version

Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.

Cross-references

Ezekiel 7:8 Very soon I will pour out My wrath upon you and vent My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and repay you for all your abominations.
Ezekiel 9:10 But as for Me, I will not look on them with pity, nor will I spare them. I will bring their deeds down upon their own heads.”
Ezekiel 16:43 Because you did not remember the days of your youth, but enraged Me with all these things, I will surely bring your deeds down upon your own head, declares the Lord GOD. Have you not committed this lewdness on top of all your other abominations?
Ezekiel 7:3 The end is now upon you, and I will unleash My anger against you. I will judge you according to your ways and repay you for all your abominations.
Romans 2:8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger.
Ezekiel 11:21 But as for those whose hearts pursue detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 22:21 Yes, I will gather you together and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted within the city.