Ezekiel 22:29
New International Version
The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice.

New Living Translation
Even common people oppress the poor, rob the needy, and deprive foreigners of justice.

English Standard Version
The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice.

Berean Standard Bible
The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and have exploited the foreign resident without justice.

King James Bible
The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

New King James Version
The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger.

New American Standard Bible
The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery, and they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have oppressed the stranger without justice.

NASB 1995
“The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice.

NASB 1977
“The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice.

Legacy Standard Bible
The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have mistreated the afflicted and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice.

Amplified Bible
The people of the land have practiced oppression and extortion and have committed robbery; they have wronged the poor and needy and they have oppressed the stranger without justice.

Christian Standard Bible
The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and unlawfully exploited the resident alien.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and unlawfully exploited the foreign resident.

American Standard Version
The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery; yea, they have vexed the poor and needy, and have oppressed the sojourner wrongfully.

Contemporary English Version
The people themselves cheat and rob; they abuse the poor and take advantage of foreigners.

English Revised Version
The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery; yea, they have vexed the poor and needy, and have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The common people oppress and rob others. They do wrong to humble people and to poor people. They oppress foreigners for no reason.

Good News Translation
The wealthy cheat and rob. They mistreat the poor and take advantage of foreigners.

International Standard Version
The people of the land were vigorously oppressive and took possession of plunder by violence. They've afflicted the poor and the needy and unjustly treated the foreigner.

Majority Standard Bible
The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and have exploited the foreign resident without justice.

NET Bible
The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have wronged the poor and needy; they have oppressed the foreigner who lives among them and denied them justice.

New Heart English Bible
The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery; yes, they have troubled the poor and needy, and have oppressed the foreigner wrongfully.

Webster's Bible Translation
The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have oppressed the poor and needy: yes, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

World English Bible
The people of the land have used oppression and exercised robbery. Yes, they have troubled the poor and needy, and have oppressed the foreigner wrongfully.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
The people of the land have used oppression, "" And have taken plunder away violently, "" And have oppressed humble and needy, "" And oppressed the sojourner without judgment.

Young's Literal Translation
The people of the land have used oppression, And have taken plunder violently away, And humble and needy have oppressed, And the sojourner oppressed -- without judgment.

Smith's Literal Translation
The people of the land oppressed with violence and stripped off robbery, and oppressed the poor and needy, and did violence to the stranger without judgment.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The people of the land have used oppression, and committed robbery: they afflicted the needy and poor, and they oppressed the stranger by calumny without judgment.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The people of the land have oppressed with slander and have seized with violence. They have afflicted the needy and the poor, and they have oppressed the new arrival by accusations without judgment.

New American Bible
The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they wrong the poor and the needy, and oppress the resident alien without justice.

New Revised Standard Version
The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery; they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the alien without redress.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
They have oppressed the people of the land and humiliated them; and have extorted from the poor and needy; yea, they have oppressed wrongfully the proselyte.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
They have defrauded and they have oppressed the people of the land, and have wronged the poor and the afflicted, and those who converted to me they oppressed without justice
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have wronged the poor and needy, and have oppressed the stranger unlawfully.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
That sorely oppress the people of the land with injustice, and commit robbery; oppressing the poor and needy, and not dealing justly with the stranger.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Sins of Prophets, Priests, Princes
28Her prophets whitewash these deeds by false visions and lying divinations, saying, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken. 29The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and have exploited the foreign resident without justice. 30I searched for a man among them to repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, so that I should not destroy it. But I found no one.…

Cross References
Isaiah 1:23
Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.

Jeremiah 5:28
They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.

Micah 3:1-3
Then I said: “Hear now, O leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Should you not know justice? / You hate good and love evil. You tear the skin from my people and strip the flesh from their bones. / You eat the flesh of my people after stripping off their skin and breaking their bones. You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a cauldron.”

Amos 8:4-6
Hear this, you who trample the needy, who do away with the poor of the land, / asking, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales. / Let us buy the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the chaff with the wheat!”

Zephaniah 3:3-4
Her princes are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, leaving nothing for the morning. / Her prophets are reckless, faithless men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence to the law.

Proverbs 22:22-23
Do not rob a poor man because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate, / for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who rob them.

Isaiah 10:1-2
Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees, / to deprive the poor of fair treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to make widows their prey and orphans their plunder.

Jeremiah 22:3
This is what the LORD says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place.

Habakkuk 1:4
Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

Malachi 3:5
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.

Matthew 23:14
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.

Luke 11:39-42
Then the Lord said, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. / You fools! Did not the One who made the outside make the inside as well? / But give as alms the things that are within you, and behold, everything will be clean for you. ...

James 5:1-6
Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. / Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. / Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days. ...

Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Luke 20:46-47
“Beware of the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, and they love the greetings in the marketplaces, the chief seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets. / They defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”


Treasury of Scripture

The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yes, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

people

Ezekiel 22:7
In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.

Ezekiel 18:12
Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,

Isaiah 5:7
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

oppression.

Ezekiel 22:7
In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.

Exodus 22:21
Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Exodus 23:9
Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

wrongfully [heb]

Jump to Previous
Acting Alien Commit Committed Cruelly Exercised Extorted Extortion Force Foreigner Goods Hard Justice Mistreat Need Needy Oppress Oppressed Oppression Poor Practice Practiced Redress Robbery Sojourner Strange Stranger Troubled Used Vexed Wrong Wronged Wrongfully
Jump to Next
Acting Alien Commit Committed Cruelly Exercised Extorted Extortion Force Foreigner Goods Hard Justice Mistreat Need Needy Oppress Oppressed Oppression Poor Practice Practiced Redress Robbery Sojourner Strange Stranger Troubled Used Vexed Wrong Wronged Wrongfully
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














The people of the land
This phrase refers to the general populace of Israel, not just the leaders or priests. In Hebrew, "am ha'aretz" often denotes the common people. Historically, this term can also imply those who are not particularly religious or who are secular in their practices. The phrase sets the stage for understanding that the corruption and sinfulness were widespread, not limited to a specific group. It serves as a reminder that societal decay often begins at the grassroots level, emphasizing the need for personal holiness and integrity among all believers.

have practiced extortion
The Hebrew word for "extortion" here is "osheq," which implies oppression or unjust gain. This practice involves taking advantage of others through coercion or deceit. In the biblical context, extortion is a grave sin because it violates the principles of justice and righteousness that God commands His people to uphold. It reflects a heart that is far from God, prioritizing personal gain over the well-being of others. This serves as a warning to believers to guard against greed and to ensure that their dealings with others are fair and just.

and committed robbery
The act of robbery, "gazal" in Hebrew, involves taking what belongs to another by force or threat. This is a direct violation of the Eighth Commandment, "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:15). Robbery not only harms the victim but also disrupts the social order and trust within a community. In a spiritual sense, it represents a heart that is willing to disregard God's laws for personal benefit. Believers are called to respect the property and rights of others, reflecting God's justice and love in their interactions.

They have oppressed the poor and needy
Oppression of the poor and needy is a recurring theme in the prophetic books, highlighting God's concern for justice and care for the vulnerable. The Hebrew word "ashaq" means to press down or exploit. This phrase underscores the moral failure of the people, as they were expected to protect and support those who were less fortunate. In the broader biblical narrative, God consistently calls His people to defend the rights of the poor and to act with compassion and mercy. This serves as a call to action for believers to advocate for social justice and to care for those in need.

and have exploited the foreign resident
The exploitation of the foreign resident, or "ger" in Hebrew, is particularly egregious because the Israelites themselves were once foreigners in Egypt. God commanded them to treat foreigners with kindness and fairness (Leviticus 19:34). This exploitation indicates a failure to remember their own history and to live out the compassion that God showed them. For contemporary believers, this serves as a reminder to welcome and support those who are different or marginalized, reflecting God's inclusive love.

without justice
The absence of justice, "mishpat" in Hebrew, is a critical indictment. Justice is a foundational attribute of God's character and a central theme in Scripture. The lack of justice in the land signifies a departure from God's ways and a breakdown of societal order. For believers, this highlights the importance of pursuing justice in all areas of life, ensuring that their actions align with God's righteous standards. It is a call to be agents of change, promoting fairness and equity in their communities.

(29) The people of the land,--i.e., the common people, not belonging to any of the above classes. In regard to their general corruption see Ezekiel 18

Verse 29. - From the classes, the prophet turns to the masses. The people of the land, the common people (2 Kings 25:3, 19), come under the same condemnation. Greed of gain, the oppression of the poor and the stranger, were seem everywhere.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The people
עַ֤ם (‘am)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

of the land
הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

have practiced
עָ֣שְׁקוּ (‘ā·šə·qū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6231: To press upon, oppress, defraud, violate, overflow

extortion
עֹ֔שֶׁק (‘ō·šeq)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6233: Injury, fraud, distress, unjust gain

and committed robbery.
וְגָזְל֖וּ (wə·ḡā·zə·lū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1497: To pluck off, to flay, strip, rob

They have oppressed
הוֹנ֔וּ (hō·w·nū)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3238: To rage, be violent, to suppress, to maltreat

the poor
וְעָנִ֤י (wə·‘ā·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 6041: Poor, afflicted, humble

and needy,
וְאֶבְיוֹן֙ (wə·’eḇ·yō·wn)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 34: In want, needy, poor

and exploited
עָשְׁק֖וּ (‘ā·šə·qū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6231: To press upon, oppress, defraud, violate, overflow

the foreign resident
הַגֵּ֥ר (hag·gêr)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1616: A guest, a foreigner

without
בְּלֹ֥א (bə·lō)
Preposition-b | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

justice.
מִשְׁפָּֽט׃ (miš·pāṭ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 22:29 The people of the land have used (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 22:28
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