Ezekiel 22:9
In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.
Original Language Analysis
אַנְשֵׁ֥י
In thee are men
H582
אַנְשֵׁ֥י
In thee are men
Strong's:
H582
Word #:
1 of 14
properly, a mortal (and thus differing from the more dignified h0120); hence, a man in general (singly or collectively)
הָ֥יוּ
H1961
הָ֥יוּ
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
3 of 14
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
לְמַ֣עַן
H4616
לְמַ֣עַן
Strong's:
H4616
Word #:
5 of 14
properly, heed, i.e., purpose; used only adverbially, on account of (as a motive or an aim), teleologically, in order that
שְׁפָךְ
to shed
H8210
שְׁפָךְ
to shed
Strong's:
H8210
Word #:
6 of 14
to spill forth (blood, a libation, liquid metal; or even a solid, i.e., to mound up); also (figuratively) to expend (life, soul, complaint, money, etc
דָּ֑ם
blood
H1818
דָּ֑ם
blood
Strong's:
H1818
Word #:
7 of 14
blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshe
הֶֽהָרִים֙
upon the mountains
H2022
הֶֽהָרִים֙
upon the mountains
Strong's:
H2022
Word #:
9 of 14
a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively)
Cross References
Hosea 4:14I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.Leviticus 19:16Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.Hosea 4:2By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.Hosea 4:10For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.Ezekiel 16:43Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord GOD: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.Ezekiel 18:6And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,Ezekiel 18:11And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife,
Historical Context
Eating 'upon the mountains' recalls Israel's recurring high-place worship (1 Kings 14:23, 2 Kings 17:10). Despite Josiah's reforms (621 BC), these practices resumed under Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. Archaeological excavations at Tel Arad and other sites confirm incense altars and figurines from this period, physical evidence of syncretistic worship.
Questions for Reflection
- How do false witness and bloodshed demonstrate the social consequences of breaking the ninth and sixth commandments together?
- What modern equivalents exist for 'eating upon the mountains'—mixing worship with cultural practices that compromise covenant loyalty?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood—anshei rakil (אַנְשֵׁי רָכִיל), 'men of slander,' who use false testimony to execute innocent people (cf. 1 Kings 21:10-13, Naboth's murder). Legal systems corrupted by perjury produce judicial bloodshed.
In thee they eat upon the mountains refers to idolatrous feasts at high places, combining false worship with ritual meals. In the midst of thee they commit lewdness (zimmah, זִמָּה)—premeditated sexual wickedness, often linked with Canaanite fertility cults. Jerusalem's center hosted what should have been peripheral sins, inverting the city's moral geography.