Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me. All of them are brass, tin, iron, and lead in the middle of the furnace. They are the dross of silver.
- BSB “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver.
- NKJV “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver.
- NASB “Son of man, the house of Israel has become waste metal to Me; all of them are bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the smelting furnace; they are the waste metal of silver.
- NLT “Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over—a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead.
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 declares that Israel has become mere dross, base metals in the furnace rather than pure silver. The people who should be precious have become worthless.
Overview
Once meant to be God's treasured silver, Israel is now the slag left over from smelting. The metaphor exposes how far they have fallen from their intended value and purity. It sets up the furnace of judgment as the means by which God will deal with their impurity.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Isa 1:22Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:
- Ps 119:119Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies.
- Jer 6:28–30They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters.
- Isa 48:10Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
- Prov 17:3The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.
- Lam 4:1–2How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street.
- Isa 31:9And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.
- Isa 1:25And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
- Ezek 22:20As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.
- Isa 48:4Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;
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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 22:18 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
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