The Meaning of Ezekiel 11:13 Explained

Ezekiel 11:13

KJV: And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

YLT: And it cometh to pass, at my prophesying, that Pelatiah son of Benaiah is dying, and I fall on my face, and cry -- a loud voice -- and say, 'Ah, Lord Jehovah, an end Thou art making of the remnant of Israel.'

Darby: And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. And I fell down on my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah, Lord Jehovah! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

ASV: And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord Jehovah! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it came to pass, when I prophesied,  that Pelatiah  the son  of Benaiah  died.  Then fell I down  upon my face,  and cried  with a loud  voice,  and said,  Ah  Lord  GOD!  wilt thou make  a full end  of the remnant  of Israel? 

What does Ezekiel 11:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

In his vision Ezekiel saw Pelatiah ("Yahweh rescues" or "Yahweh provides escape") die (cf. Ezekiel 11:1). Evidently Pelatiah really did die in Jerusalem when Ezekiel saw this vision or shortly after that. Ezekiel was able to see this real event happening in Jerusalem. This was a sign that God would judge the people as He had said.
"Because Pelatiah"s name means "the Lord rescues," perhaps Ezekiel saw his death as an ironic and bad omen." [1]
Pelatiah"s death greatly affected Ezekiel (cf. Acts 5:5). He wondered if God would deliver anyone in Jerusalem. He fell on his face before the Lord and asked Him if He was going to destroy the godly remnant of the nation as well as the wicked (cf. Ezekiel 9:8). The compassion of Ezekiel came out again as he saw God judging the sinful Jews of Jerusalem.
"Perhaps Ezekiel felt that Pelatiah"s sudden death signaled a decision by God that there would be no remnant, hence his cry, "Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?" ( Ezekiel 11:13)." [2]
All societies tend to put in leadership or allow to rise to leadership individuals who reflect, appeal to, and will carry out the expectations and values of the majority. These judgments on Israel"s leaders view them as reflections of and manifestations of a corrupt society. Ezekiel saw in the death of its leaders the death of all the people, whom the leaders represented.

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 11:13 mean?

And it came to pass while I was prophesying that Pelatiah son of Benaiah died And I fell on my face and cried with a voice loud and said Ah Lord GOD a complete end You will make - of the remnant of Israel -
וַֽיְהִי֙ כְּהִנָּ֣בְאִ֔י וּפְלַטְיָ֥הוּ בֶן־ בְּנָיָ֖ה מֵ֑ת וָאֶפֹּ֨ל עַל־ פָּנַ֜י וָאֶזְעַ֣ק קוֹל־ גָּד֗וֹל וָאֹמַר֙ אֲהָהּ֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י ! יְהוִ֔ה כָּלָה֙ אַתָּ֣ה עֹשֶׂ֔ה אֵ֖ת שְׁאֵרִ֥ית ؟ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל פ

וַֽיְהִי֙  And  it  came  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כְּהִנָּ֣בְאִ֔י  while  I  was  prophesying 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Nifal, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: נָבָא  
Sense: to prophesy.
וּפְלַטְיָ֥הוּ  that  Pelatiah 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: פְּלַטְיָה 
Sense: son of Hananiah and grandson of Zerubbabel.
בֶן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
בְּנָיָ֖ה  of  Benaiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בְּנָיָה 
Sense: one of David’s mighty warriors, son of Jehoiada the chief priest, a Levite, set by David over his bodyguard, later having remained faithful to Solomon during Adonijah’s attempt on the crown, was raised into the place of Joab as commander-in-chief of the army.
מֵ֑ת  died 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
וָאֶפֹּ֨ל  And  I  fell 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
פָּנַ֜י  my  face 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
וָאֶזְעַ֣ק  and  cried 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: זָעַק  
Sense: to cry, cry out, call, call for help.
קוֹל־  with  a  voice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
גָּד֗וֹל  loud 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
וָאֹמַר֙  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲהָהּ֙  Ah 
Parse: Interjection
Root: אֲהָהּ  
Sense: alas!, oh!, ah!.
אֲדֹנָ֣י  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
! יְהוִ֔ה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
כָּלָה֙  a  complete  end 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: כָּלָה  
Sense: completion, termination, full end, complete destruction, consumption, annihilation.
עֹשֶׂ֔ה  will  make 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
אֵ֖ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
שְׁאֵרִ֥ית  of  the  remnant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שְׁאֵרִית  
Sense: rest, residue, remainder, remnant.
؟ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל  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.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation