And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

EZEKIEL 11:13KJV
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Ezekiel 11:13 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 11:13 mean?

Ezekiel 11:13 describes how, as Ezekiel was delivering God’s message, a man named Pelatiah, son of Benaiah, died. Seeing this, Ezekiel fell on his face and cried out loudly to God, asking if He was going to destroy all the remaining people of Israel.

Ezekiel is the speaker, acting as a prophet among the exiles in Babylon. The death of Pelatiah, a leader among the people, happens suddenly while Ezekiel is prophesying, which deeply shocks him. Ezekiel’s reaction shows his concern for the survival of Israel’s remnant, fearing that God’s judgment might wipe out everyone left.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 11:13

  • "prophesied" (נָבָא, nava’): This word means to speak or act as a prophet, delivering a message believed to be from God. Here, it emphasizes that Pelatiah’s death occurs in direct connection with Ezekiel’s prophetic activity.
  • "end" (כָּלָה, kalah): This word means a complete destruction or finishing off. Ezekiel’s question uses this word to ask if God intends to bring total destruction to the remaining Israelites, highlighting the seriousness of his fear.
  • "remnant" (שְׁאֵרִית, she’erit): This term refers to those who are left after disaster or judgment. Ezekiel’s plea focuses on whether even this small surviving group will be wiped out.

Why Ezekiel 11:13 matters

  • Ezekiel’s emotional response shows that even God’s prophets can be deeply troubled by the severity of judgment, and they intercede for the people rather than standing apart from their fate.
  • The death of Pelatiah, a leader, signals that God’s judgment is not just theoretical but real and immediate, affecting even those in positions of power.
  • This verse connects to the broader message of Ezekiel 11, where God warns of judgment but also hints at hope for a faithful remnant; Ezekiel’s plea sets up God’s response about the future of Israel.

Where else these words appear

“Pelatiah” Hebrew H6410 · used in 5 verses

  • 1 Chronicles 3:21 And the sons of Hananiah; Pelatiah, and Jesaiah: the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shechaniah.
  • 1 Chronicles 4:42 And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.
  • Nehemiah 10:22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

“Ah” Hebrew H162 · used in 15 verses

  • Joshua 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
  • 2 Kings 6:5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
  • Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

“end” Hebrew H3617 · used in 20 verses

  • Genesis 18:21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
  • Isaiah 28:22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.
  • Ezekiel 13:13 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.

“Benaiah” Hebrew H1141 · used in 41 verses

  • 2 Samuel 8:18 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief rulers.
  • 1 Kings 2:29 And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.
  • 1 Chronicles 16:5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals;