The Meaning of Ezekiel 14:5 Explained

Ezekiel 14:5

KJV: That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

YLT: in order to catch the house of Israel by their heart, in that they have become estranged from off me by their idols -- all of them.

Darby: that I may take the house of Israel by their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

ASV: that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

That I may take  the house  of Israel  in their own heart,  because they are all estranged  from me through their idols. 

What does Ezekiel 14:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Eze 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: Eze 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 14:5 mean?

that I may seize - the house of Israel by their heart because they are estranged from Me by their idols all -
לְמַ֛עַן תְּפֹ֥שׂ אֶת־ בֵּֽית־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּלִבָּ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָזֹ֙רוּ֙ מֵֽעָלַ֔י בְּגִלּֽוּלֵיהֶ֖ם כֻּלָּֽם ס

לְמַ֛עַן  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
תְּפֹ֥שׂ  I  may  seize 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: תָּפַשׂ  
Sense: to catch, handle, lay hold, take hold of, seize, wield.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
בֵּֽית־  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  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.
בְּלִבָּ֑ם  by  their  heart 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
אֲשֶׁ֤ר  because 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
נָזֹ֙רוּ֙  they  are  estranged 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: זוּר 
Sense: to be strange, be a stranger.
מֵֽעָלַ֔י  from  Me 
Parse: Preposition-m, 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.
בְּגִלּֽוּלֵיהֶ֖ם  by  their  idols 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: גִּלּוּלִים  
Sense: idols.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation