The Meaning of Ezekiel 8:18 Explained

Ezekiel 8:18

KJV: Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

YLT: And I also deal in fury, Mine eye doth not pity, nor do I spare, and they have cried in Mine ears -- a loud voice -- and I do not hear them.'

Darby: And I also will deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.

ASV: Therefore will I also deal in wrath; mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Therefore will I also deal  in fury:  mine eye  shall not spare,  neither will I have pity:  and though they cry  in mine ears  with a loud  voice,  [yet] will I not hear  them. 

What does Ezekiel 8:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord promised to deal with the Jerusalemites in His wrath and not to pity or spare them even though they would cry to Him loudly for mercy. He would not listen to them.
We must remember that what Ezekiel saw he saw in a vision ( Ezekiel 8:3). Therefore it may not be that the abominations he saw were really taking place in Jerusalem just as he saw them in his vision. The practices he saw represented to him the rampant idolatry of all the people, the civic leaders, the women, and the priests. The exclusive worship of Yahweh had broken down completely in the "holy" city.
"The principle crime of the human race, the highest guilt charged upon the world, the whole procuring cause of judgment, is idolatry." [1]

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 8

1  Ezekiel, in a vision of God at Jerusalem
5  is shown the image of jealousy
7  the chambers of imagery
13  the mourners for Tammuz
16  the worshippers toward the sun
17  God's wrath for their idolatry

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 8:18 mean?

Therefore also I will act in fury Not will spare My eye nor will I have pity and though they cry in My ears with a voice loud and not I will hear them
וְגַם־ אֲנִי֙ אֶעֱשֶׂ֣ה בְחֵמָ֔ה לֹֽא־ תָח֥וֹס עֵינִ֖י וְלֹ֣א אֶחְמֹ֑ל וְקָרְא֤וּ בְאָזְנַי֙ ק֣וֹל גָּד֔וֹל וְלֹ֥א אֶשְׁמַ֖ע אוֹתָֽם

וְגַם־  Therefore  also 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
אֲנִי֙  I  will 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
אֶעֱשֶׂ֣ה  act 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
בְחֵמָ֔ה  in  fury 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֵמָא 
Sense: heat, rage, hot displeasure, indignation, anger, wrath, poison, bottles.
תָח֥וֹס  will  spare 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: חוּס  
Sense: (Qal) to pity, have compassion, spare, look upon with compassion.
עֵינִ֖י  My  eye 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
וְלֹ֣א  nor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
אֶחְמֹ֑ל  will  I  have  pity 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: חָמַל 
Sense: (Qal) to spare, pity, have compassion on.
וְקָרְא֤וּ  and  though  they  cry 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
בְאָזְנַי֙  in  My  ears 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, fdc, first person common singular
Root: אֹזֶן  
Sense: ear, as part of the body.
ק֣וֹל  with  a  voice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
גָּד֔וֹל  loud 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
וְלֹ֥א  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
אֶשְׁמַ֖ע  I  will  hear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.