Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.

EZEKIEL 12:23KJV
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Ezekiel 12:23 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 12:23 mean?

Ezekiel 12:23 means that God is telling the people of Israel that He will put an end to a common saying or proverb they have been using, which suggested that prophetic warnings would never come true. Instead, God insists that the time for these prophecies to be fulfilled is very near, and every vision will soon have its effect.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the Israelites, who were in exile and had grown skeptical about the warnings from prophets. The people had a proverb that dismissed these prophecies as empty threats that would never happen. God firmly corrects this attitude, declaring that the days of waiting are over and that His words will soon come to pass.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 12:23

  • "Proverb" (מָשָׁל, mashal): This word refers to a saying or a common expression. In this context, it highlights how the people used a dismissive phrase to avoid taking God's warnings seriously.
  • "Cease" (שָׁבַת, shavat): This word means to stop or bring to an end. God is making it clear that He will put a stop to the people's dismissive attitude.
  • "Effect" (דָּבָר, davar): Often translated as "word" or "matter," here it points to the actual fulfillment or outcome of the visions, emphasizing that what God has spoken will truly happen.
  • "Vision" (חָזוֹן, chazon): This word means a prophetic revelation. God is stressing that these visions are not just dreams or empty threats, but real events that will soon take place.

Why Ezekiel 12:23 matters

  • Ezekiel 12:23 clears up the misunderstanding that God's warnings are empty or far off; it insists that God’s words are reliable and will be fulfilled soon.
  • The verse shifts the focus from skepticism to urgency, warning the people that they can no longer ignore or delay responding to God's messages.
  • This verse connects to the larger theme in Ezekiel, where God confronts the people's disbelief and prepares them for the coming judgment and eventual restoration.

Where else these words appear

“proverb” Hebrew H4911 · used in 15 verses

  • Numbers 21:27 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared:
  • Psalms 49:20 Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
  • Ezekiel 17:2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

“vision” Hebrew H2377 · used in 34 verses

  • 1 Samuel 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
  • Ezekiel 7:26 Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.
  • Daniel 8:26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.

“proverb” Hebrew H4912 · used in 39 verses

  • Numbers 23:7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.
  • 2 Chronicles 7:20 Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.
  • Proverbs 26:9 As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

“cease” Hebrew H7673 · used in 67 verses

  • Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
  • 2 Chronicles 36:21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
  • Jeremiah 48:33 And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.