The Meaning of Ezekiel 22:12 Explained

Ezekiel 22:12

KJV: In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.

YLT: A bribe they have taken in thee to shed blood, Usury and increase thou hast taken, And cuttest off thy neighbour by oppression, And Me thou hast forgotten, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!

Darby: In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast overreached thy neighbours by oppression, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord Jehovah.

ASV: In thee have they taken bribes to shed blood; thou hast taken interest and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by oppression, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

In thee have they taken  gifts  to shed  blood;  thou hast taken  usury  and increase,  and thou hast greedily gained  of thy neighbours  by extortion,  and hast forgotten  me, saith  the Lord  GOD. 

What does Ezekiel 22:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Taking bribes to kill people, taking interest and making a profit at the expense of a fellow Israelite, and oppressing a neighbor for personal gain also took place there (cf. Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 23:19-20; Deuteronomy 24:6; Deuteronomy 24:10-12; Deuteronomy 27:25). At the heart of all this, the Jerusalemites had forgotten about Yahweh. This was the root problem, and the Lord presented it as the last nail in Jerusalem"s coffin.
"Since God is at the center of all moral relations, all social and moral rights and proprieties are secure only when God is recognized in His sovereign rule." [1]

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 22

1  A catalogue of sins in Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jews in consequence
17  God will burn them as dross in his furnace
23  The general corruption of prophets, priests, princes, and the people

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 22:12 mean?

Bribes they take in you to shed blood usury and increase you take and you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion and Me have forgotten says the Lord GOD
שֹׁ֥חַד לָֽקְחוּ־ בָ֖ךְ לְמַ֣עַן שְׁפָךְ־ דָּ֑ם נֶ֧שֶׁךְ וְתַרְבִּ֣ית לָקַ֗חַתְּ וַתְּבַצְּעִ֤י רֵעַ֙יִךְ֙ בַּעֹ֔שֶׁק וְאֹתִ֣י שָׁכַ֔חַתְּ נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה

שֹׁ֥חַד  Bribes 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֹׁחַד  
Sense: present, bribe.
לָֽקְחוּ־  they  take 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
בָ֖ךְ  in  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
שְׁפָךְ־  shed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שֶׂפֶק 
Sense: to pour, pour out, spill.
דָּ֑ם  blood 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.
נֶ֧שֶׁךְ  usury 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נֶשֶׁךְ  
Sense: interest, usury.
וְתַרְבִּ֣ית  and  increase 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: תַּרְבִּית  
Sense: increment, usury, interest, bonus.
לָקַ֗חַתְּ  you  take 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
וַתְּבַצְּעִ֤י  and  you  have  made  profit  from 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: בָּצַע  
Sense: to cut off, break off, gain by unrighteous violence, get, finish, be covetous, be greedy.
רֵעַ֙יִךְ֙  your  neighbors 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: רֵעַ  
Sense: friend, companion, fellow, another person.
בַּעֹ֔שֶׁק  by  extortion 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹשֶׁק  
Sense: oppression, extortion, injury.
וְאֹתִ֣י  and  Me 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Direct object marker, first person common singular
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
שָׁכַ֔חַתְּ  have  forgotten 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: כָּשַׁח 
Sense: to forget, ignore, wither.
נְאֻ֖ם  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
אֲדֹנָ֥י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יְהוִֽה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.