Ezekiel 11:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Those who inquire, ‘Isn’t this the dwelling where the homes unite? We will not fall by the sword, nor will we be captured. And if we should die, death brings us solace, for we remember the trials that our forebears faced in bondage.

And the Spirit lifted me, said the prophet, and brought me to the entrance of the Lord's house, facing the east. Behold, there stood twenty-five men before the gate, and among them I saw Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, and Phaltiah, the elder of the people. And the Lord spoke to me, Son of man, these individuals harbor emptiness and engage in wicked counsel in this city, declaring, Is it not a new house? This is the place of our sustenance. He charges both the leaders and those under them with planning to act against God, disregarding the Prophets, and failing to recognize that they would be handed over to their foes, while instead hoping to remain in the city until the end of their days. They claim, 'The houses are newly constructed; here we shall dwell, and here we shall conclude our lives.' In anger at this, God reveals through the Prophet the impending invasion of their adversaries. For the Prophet proclaims: