The Meaning of Ezekiel 11:18 Explained

Ezekiel 11:18

KJV: And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.

YLT: And they have gone in thither. And turned aside all its detestable things, And all its abominations -- out of it.

Darby: And they shall come thither, and they shall take away from thence all its detestable things and all its abominations.

ASV: And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they shall come  thither, and they shall take away  all the detestable things  thereof and all the abominations  thereof from thence. 

What does Ezekiel 11:18 Mean?

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 11:18 mean?

And they will go there and they will take away - all its detestable things and its abominations from there
וּבָ֖אוּ־ שָׁ֑מָּה וְהֵסִ֜ירוּ אֶת־ כָּל־ שִׁקּוּצֶ֛יהָ וְאֶת־ תּוֹעֲבוֹתֶ֖יהָ מִמֶּֽנָּה

וּבָ֖אוּ־  And  they  will  go 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
וְהֵסִ֜ירוּ  and  they  will  take  away 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
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.
שִׁקּוּצֶ֛יהָ  its  detestable  things 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: שִׁקּוּץ  
Sense: detestable thing or idol, abominable thing, abomination, idol, detested thing.
תּוֹעֲבוֹתֶ֖יהָ  its  abominations 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: תֹּועֵבָה  
Sense: a disgusting thing, abomination, abominable.
מִמֶּֽנָּה  from  there 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.