The Meaning of Ezekiel 11:5 Explained

Ezekiel 11:5

KJV: 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.

YLT: And fall upon me doth the Spirit of Jehovah, and He saith unto me, 'Say: Thus said Jehovah: Rightly ye have said, O house of Israel, And the steps of your spirit I have known.

Darby: And the Spirit of Jehovah fell on me, and said unto me, Speak, Thus saith Jehovah: Thus have ye said, O house of Israel; and the things that come into your mind, I know them.

ASV: And the Spirit of Jehovah fell upon me, and he said unto me, Speak, Thus saith Jehovah: Thus have ye said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Ezekiel 11:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Ezekiel 11:5-25 - A New Heart Promised
The Spirit of God led the prophet to the East Gate of the Temple, where the Shekinah had settled, Ezekiel 10:19. There He uttered the divine verdict on the priesthood. They had ridiculed Jeremiah's letter to the captives, among whom Ezekiel lived, Jeremiah 29:5; and had made merry at his comparison between the city and a caldron, Jeremiah 1:13. It was to these scornful men that Ezekiel uttered the scathing denunciations of Ezekiel 11:7-18. The sudden death of Pelatiah, the ringleader of the scorners, gave terrible emphasis to the prophet's words. Ezekiel was told to look for his true kinsmen not among the doomed priesthood, but among his fellow-exiles whom they of Jerusalem despised. Spiritual ties must supersede natural ones, when the two clash. They might be far removed from the outer Temple, but God would be their asylum and sanctuary. What a sweet promise Ezekiel 11:16 provides for those who are compelled to go far from home! They may always meet their dear ones in God. Note the inclusive promise of Ezekiel 11:19 -unity, newness, and sensitiveness to the least touch of the divine nature. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 11

1  The presumption of the princes
4  Their sin and judgment
13  Ezekiel complaining, God shows him his purpose in saving a remnant
22  The glory of God leaves the city
24  Ezekiel is returned to the captivity

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 11:5 mean?

And fell upon me the Spirit of Yahweh and said to me speak thus says Yahweh thus you have said house of Israel and the [things] that come into your mind for I know
וַתִּפֹּ֣ל עָלַי֮ ר֣וּחַ יְהוָה֒ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֗י אֱמֹר֙ כֹּה־ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה כֵּ֥ן אֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וּמַעֲל֥וֹת רֽוּחֲכֶ֖ם אֲנִ֥י יְדַעְתִּֽיהָ

וַתִּפֹּ֣ל  And  fell 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
עָלַי֮  upon  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
ר֣וּחַ  the  Spirit 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
יְהוָה֒  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵלַ֗י  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אֱמֹר֙  speak 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
כֹּה־  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֣ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
כֵּ֥ן  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
אֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם  you  have  said 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בֵּ֣ית  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וּמַעֲל֥וֹת  and  the  [things]  that  come  into 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: מַעֲלָה 
Sense: what comes up, thoughts.
רֽוּחֲכֶ֖ם  your  mind 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine plural
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
אֲנִ֥י  for  I 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
יְדַעְתִּֽיהָ  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular, third person feminine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.