Ezekiel 33:24
New International Version
“Son of man, the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’

New Living Translation
“Son of man, the scattered remnants of Israel living among the ruined cities keep saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he gained possession of the entire land. We are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’

English Standard Version
“Son of man, the inhabitants of these waste places in the land of Israel keep saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he got possession of the land; but we are many; the land is surely given us to possess.’

Berean Standard Bible
“Son of man, those living in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’

King James Bible
Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

New King James Version
“Son of man, they who inhabit those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.’

New American Standard Bible
“Son of man, they who live in these ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one, yet he possessed the land; so to us who are many the land has been given as a possession.’

NASB 1995
“Son of man, they who live in these waste places in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one, yet he possessed the land; so to us who are many the land has been given as a possession.’

NASB 1977
“Son of man, they who live in these waste places in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one, yet he possessed the land; so to us who are many the land has been given as a possession.’

Legacy Standard Bible
“Son of man, they who inhabit these waste places in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one, yet he possessed the land; so to us who are many the land has been given as a possession.’

Amplified Bible
“Son of man, those [back in Palestine] who inhabit these ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was [only] one man and he took possession of the land, but we are many; the land has [most certainly] been given to us [to possess] as property.’

Christian Standard Bible
“Son of man, those who live in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one person, yet he received possession of the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Son of man, those who live in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one person, yet he received possession of the land. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.’

American Standard Version
Son of man, they that inhabit those waste places in the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

Contemporary English Version
Ezekiel, son of man, the people living in the ruined cities of Israel are saying, "Abraham was just one man, and the LORD gave him this whole land of Israel. There are many of us, and so this land must be ours."

English Revised Version
Son of man, they that inhabit those waste places in the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Son of man, those who live in the ruined cities in Israel are saying, 'Abraham was only one person, and he was given the land. But we are many. Certainly the land has been given to us.'

Good News Translation
"Mortal man," he said, "the people who are living in the ruined cities of the land of Israel are saying: 'Abraham was only one man, and he was given the whole land. There are many of us, so now the land is ours.'

International Standard Version
"Son of Man, those who are living among these ruins of the land of Israel keep saying, 'Abraham was only one man, but he was able to possess the land! As for us, we're a multitude, and the land has been given to us as an inheritance.'

Majority Standard Bible
“Son of man, those living in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’

NET Bible
"Son of man, the ones living in these ruins in the land of Israel are saying, 'Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land, but we are many; surely the land has been given to us for a possession.'

New Heart English Bible
"Son of man, they who inhabit those waste places in the land of Israel speak, saying, 'Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.'

Webster's Bible Translation
Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given to us for inheritance.

World English Bible
“Son of man, those who inhabit the waste places in the land of Israel speak, saying, ‘Abraham was one, and he inherited the land; but we are many. The land is given us for inheritance.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“Son of man, the inhabitants of these ruins on the ground of Israel are speaking, saying, Abraham has been alone—and he possesses the land, and we [are] many—the land has been given to us for a possession.

Young's Literal Translation
Son of man, the inhabitants of these wastes on the ground of Israel are speaking, saying: Alone hath been Abraham -- and he possesseth the land, and we are many -- to us hath the land been given for a possession.

Smith's Literal Translation
Son of man, they inhabiting these wastes upon the land of Israel say, saying, Abraham was one, and he will inherit the land: and we are many; the land was given to us for a possession.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Son of man, they that dwell in these ruinous places in the land of Israel, speak, saying: Abraham was one, and he inherited the land, but we are many, the land is given us in possession.

Catholic Public Domain Version
“Son of man, as for those who live in these ruinous ways on the soil of Israel, when speaking, they say: ‘Abraham was one man, and he possessed the land as an inheritance. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.’

New American Bible
Son of man, these who live among the ruins in the land of Israel are saying: “Abraham was only one person, yet he was given possession of the land. Since we are many, the land must be given to us as our possession.”

New Revised Standard Version
Mortal, the inhabitants of these waste places in the land of Israel keep saying, “Abraham was only one man, yet he got possession of the land; but we are many; the land is surely given us to possess.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Son of man, those who inhabit these waste places of the land of Israel are saying, Abraham was only one man, and yet he inherited the land; but we are many; are we not going to inherit it?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
“Son of man, those who dwell in these ruins of the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham, who was one, inherited the land. Why are we who are many not inheriting it?’
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Son of man, they that inhabit those waste places in the land of Israel speak, saying: Abraham was one, and he inherited the land; but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Son of man, they that inhabit the desolate places on the land of Israel say, Abram was one, and he possessed the land: and we are more numerous; to us the land is given for a possession.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Word of Jerusalem's Fall
23Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 24“Son of man, those living in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’ 25Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You eat meat with the blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?…

Cross References
Genesis 13:14-17
After Lot had departed, the LORD said to Abram, “Now lift up your eyes from the place where you are, and look to the north and south and east and west, / for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever. / I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if one could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. ...

Genesis 15:18-21
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates— / the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, / Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, ...

Genesis 17:8
And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”

Numbers 13:30-33
Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We must go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly conquer it!” / But the men who had gone up with him replied, “We cannot go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are!” / So they gave the Israelites a bad report about the land that they had spied out: “The land we explored devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw there are great in stature. ...

Numbers 14:6-9
Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes / and said to the whole congregation of Israel, “The land we passed through and explored is an exceedingly good land. / If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and He will give it to us. ...

Deuteronomy 1:34-36
When the LORD heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath, saying, / “Not one of the men of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your fathers, / except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”

Deuteronomy 9:4-6
When the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, “Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.” Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because of their wickedness. / It is not because of your righteousness or uprightness of heart that you are going in to possess their land, but it is because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is driving out these nations before you, to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. / Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.

Joshua 14:6-12
Then the sons of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh-barnea about you and me. / I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back to him an honest report. / Although my brothers who went with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear, I remained loyal to the LORD my God. ...

2 Kings 18:31-32
Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, / until I come and take you away to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey—so that you may live and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, for he misleads you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’

Isaiah 5:8-10
Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land. / I heard the LORD of Hosts declare: “Surely many houses will become desolate, great mansions left unoccupied. / For ten acres of vineyard will yield but a bath of wine, and a homer of seed only an ephah of grain.”

Isaiah 49:19-21
For your ruined and desolate places and your ravaged land will now indeed be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away. / Yet the children of your bereavement will say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; make room for us to live here.’ / Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. So who has reared them? Look, I was left all alone, so where did they come from?’”

Jeremiah 2:7
I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and bounty, but you came and defiled My land and made My inheritance detestable.

Jeremiah 7:5-7
For if you really correct your ways and deeds, if you act justly toward one another, / if you no longer oppress the foreigner and the fatherless and the widow, and if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place or follow other gods to your own harm, / then I will let you live in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.

Jeremiah 12:14-15
This is what the LORD says: “As for all My evil neighbors who attack the inheritance that I bequeathed to My people Israel, I am about to uproot them from their land, and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them. / But after I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them and return each one to his inheritance and to his land.

Matthew 3:9
And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.


Treasury of Scripture

Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.

they that.

Ezekiel 33:27
Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.

Ezekiel 5:3,4
Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts…

Ezekiel 34:2
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

wastes

Ezekiel 33:27
Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.

Ezekiel 36:4
Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about;

Abraham

Isaiah 51:2
Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

Acts 7:5
And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

but we

Micah 3:11
The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.

Matthew 3:9
And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Luke 3:8
Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

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Ezekiel 33
1. According to the duty of a watchman in warning the people
7. Ezekiel is admonished of his duty
10. God shows the justice of his ways toward the penitent and toward revolters
17. He maintains his justice
21. Upon the news of the taking of Jerusalem
25. he prophecies the desolation of the land
30. God's judgment upon the mockers of the prophets














Son of man
This phrase is a frequent designation for Ezekiel, emphasizing his humanity and role as a representative of the people. In Hebrew, "ben adam" underscores the prophet's connection to mankind, serving as a bridge between God and Israel. It reminds us of the humility required in service to God, as well as the responsibility to convey divine messages faithfully.

the people living in those ruins
This refers to the Israelites who remained in the land after the Babylonian conquest. The Hebrew word for "ruins" is "chorbah," indicating desolation and destruction. Historically, this paints a picture of a once-thriving nation now reduced to remnants. Spiritually, it serves as a metaphor for the consequences of turning away from God, yet also hints at the hope of restoration.

in the land of Israel
The land of Israel is not just a geographical location but a covenantal promise. It is the land given to Abraham and his descendants, symbolizing God's faithfulness. Despite the current devastation, the mention of the land serves as a reminder of God's enduring promises and the hope of future restoration.

are saying
This phrase introduces the thoughts and attitudes of the people. It reflects their mindset and provides insight into their spiritual condition. The Hebrew verb "amar" suggests ongoing speech, indicating a persistent belief or attitude among the people.

‘Abraham was only one man
Here, the people recall their patriarch, Abraham, who was indeed one individual. This reference to Abraham highlights the faith and obedience that led to God's promises. It serves as a reminder of the power of faith and the impact one person can have when aligned with God's will.

yet he possessed the land
Abraham's possession of the land was not through military might but through divine promise. This underscores the principle that God's promises are fulfilled not by human strength but by His sovereign will. It challenges the people to trust in God's promises despite their current circumstances.

But we are many
The people contrast their numbers with Abraham's singularity, implying that they should have even greater claim to the land. This reflects a misunderstanding of the basis of God's promises, which are rooted in faith and obedience rather than mere numbers or human reasoning.

surely the land has been given to us as a possession
This statement reveals a sense of entitlement among the people. While the land was indeed promised to Israel, the possession of it was contingent upon their faithfulness to God. This serves as a cautionary reminder that divine blessings require alignment with God's covenantal expectations.

(24) Inhabit those wastes.--It is said in 2Kings 25:12; 2Kings 25:22; Jeremiah 52:16, that the poor of the people were left in the land for vine-dressers and for husband. men, and that these were joined by fugitive Jews from Moab and Ammon and other places. It is to these that the present part of this prophecy (Ezekiel 33:23-29) is addressed, and it is plain that the murder of Gedaliah, and consequent flight into Egypt, had not yet taken place.

Abraham was one . . . we are many.--The argument used by these people was a simple one: the land was promised to Abraham and his seed in perpetuity. He was but one, and the promise was fulfilled; we, his seed, are many, and it cannot fail us. This disposition to rely upon their descent from Abraham was characteristic of the Jews in all ages (see Matthew 3:9; John 8:33-39). The same tendency to trust in the external privileges given them is apt to be found in all ages among those whose hearts are alienated from God. These Jews, to avoid the force of the prophet's reproofs, passed from one subterfuge to another. First it was that God would not abandon His holy city and Temple; then that the judgments were so far in the future that they need cause no present alarm; now, when these warnings had all been fulfilled, they clung to the fact that the land was theirs by promise, forgetting the conditions which had been attached from the first to its enjoyment. . . .

Verse 24. - They that inhabit thou wastes of the land. The utterance that follows was probably the direct result of what Ezekiel heard from the messenger. He it was who reported the boastful claims of those who had been left in the land by the Chaldean armies - the "bad figs" of Jeremiah's parable, the least worthy representatives of the seed of Abraham. the assassins of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 41:1, 2), who in these "waste places," the dens and eaves in which they found a refuge (or, it may be, the phrase describes the condition of the whole country), led the lives of outlaws and bandits. The very words of their boast are reproduced: "Abraham, when he was yet but one, received the premise of inheritance. We are comparatively many, and are left as the true seed of Abraham (comp. Matthew 3:9). The land is ours, and we will take possession of the estates of the exiles."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Son
בֶּן־ (ben-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of man,
אָדָ֗ם (’ā·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

those living
יֹ֠שְׁבֵי (yō·šə·ḇê)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

in the
הָאֵ֜לֶּה (hā·’êl·leh)
Article | Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

ruins
הֶחֳרָב֨וֹת (he·ḥo·rā·ḇō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 2723: Waste, desolation, ruin

in
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the land
אַדְמַ֤ת (’aḏ·maṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 127: Ground, land

of Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

are saying,
אֹמְרִ֣ים (’ō·mə·rîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘Abraham
אַבְרָהָ֔ם (’aḇ·rā·hām)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 85: Abraham -- 'exalted father', the father of the Jewish nation

was
הָיָ֣ה (hā·yāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

only one man,
אֶחָד֙ (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

yet he possessed
וַיִּירַ֖שׁ (way·yî·raš)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3423: To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish, to ruin

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

But we
וַאֲנַ֣חְנוּ (wa·’ă·naḥ·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common plural
Strong's 587: We

are many;
רַבִּ֔ים (rab·bîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7227: Much, many, great

[surely] the land
הָאָ֖רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

has been given
נִתְּנָ֥ה (nit·tə·nāh)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

to us
לָ֛נוּ (lā·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew

as a possession.’
לְמוֹרָשָֽׁה׃ (lə·mō·w·rā·šāh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4181: A possession


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 33:24 Son of man they who inhabit those (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 33:23
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