The Meaning of Ezekiel 14:1 Explained

Ezekiel 14:1

KJV: Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.

YLT: And come in unto me do certain of the elders of Israel, and sit before me.

Darby: And there came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.

ASV: Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then came  certain  of the elders  of Israel  unto me, and sat  before  me. 

What does Ezekiel 14:1 Mean?

Context Summary

Ezekiel 14:1-6 - 12-23, Reaping As We Sow
It is useless to approach God with prayers and inquiries for guidance, as long as our hearts are filled with secret sins and cherished idols. If we regard iniquity in our hearts God cannot hear us. It often happens when men purpose a certain evil course, that everything seems to favor them. For a striking example of this, see 1 Kings 22:6; 1 Kings 22:15. The second paragraph describes the inveteracy of their sin. Jeremiah had affirmed that Judah's guilt was too great to be pardoned upon the intercession of Moses or of Samuel, Jeremiah 14:2; Jeremiah 15:1. Ezekiel adds three other revered names. In the four hypothetical cases of famine, noisome beasts, the sword, and pestilence, such men would succeed only in saving their own lives; but even in such cases there would be an elect remnant, who would be comforted as they recognized the evidences of the divine rectitude. Yes, as we look back on the history of our race we shall be comforted; we shall feel that God could have done no other; we shall reap the blessing which has been evolved out of events and movements that we had misunderstood or feared. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 14

1  God answers idolaters according to their own heart
6  They are exhorted to repent, for fear of judgments, by means of seduced prophets
12  God's irrevocable sentence of famine
15  of wild beasts
17  of the sword
19  and of pestilence
22  A remnant shall be reserved for example of others

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 14:1 mean?

And came to me some of the elders of Israel and sat before me -
וַיָּב֤וֹא אֵלַי֙ אֲנָשִׁ֔ים מִזִּקְנֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּ לְפָנָֽי פ

וַיָּב֤וֹא  And  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֵלַי֙  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אֲנָשִׁ֔ים  some 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
מִזִּקְנֵ֖י  of  the  elders 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: זָקֵן  
Sense: old.
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.
וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּ  and  sat 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
לְפָנָֽי  before  me 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation