And He said to me: “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city,
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity, and who give wicked counsel in this city;
- KJV Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city:
- BSB And the LORD said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plot evil and give wicked counsel in this city.
- NASB Then He said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise wrongdoing and give evil advice in this city,
- NLT The Spirit said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are planning evil and giving wicked counsel in this city.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God identifies these men as those who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel. It names the leaders' sin of misleading the city.
Overview
These princes are charged with plotting evil and steering Jerusalem with godless advice. Counsel shapes a nation, and corrupt counsel leads people astray from God. Their influence makes them especially culpable for the city's coming ruin. In contrast, Christ is called Wonderful Counselor, whose guidance leads to life rather than destruction.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Isa 30:1“Woe to the rebellious children”, says Yahweh, “who take counsel, but not from me; and who make an alliance, but not with my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin,
- Ps 52:2Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
- Ps 2:1–2Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?
- Jer 5:5I will go to the great men, and will speak to them; for they know the way of Yahweh, and the law of their God.” But these with one accord have broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.
- Isa 59:4No one sues in righteousness, and no one pleads in truth. They trust in vanity, and speak lies. They conceive mischief, and give birth to iniquity.
- Mic 2:1–2Woe to those who devise iniquity and work evil on their beds! When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.
- Ps 36:4He plots iniquity on his bed. He sets himself in a way that is not good. He doesn’t abhor evil.
- Jer 18:18Then they said, “Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.”
- Esth 8:3Esther spoke yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and begged him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 11:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.