That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.

EZEKIEL 14:11KJV
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Ezekiel 14:11 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 14:11 mean?

Ezekiel 14:11 states that God’s purpose in His warnings and judgments is to stop the people of Israel from turning away from Him and to cleanse them from their wrongdoings, so that they can truly belong to Him and He can be their God. The verse emphasizes restoration and a renewed relationship between God and Israel.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Israel, who have been unfaithful and have worshipped other gods. The context is a time of warning, but also of hope: God wants His people to stop straying ("go no more astray") and to no longer be "polluted" by their "transgressions." The ultimate goal is a restored covenant relationship, where Israel is God’s people and He is their God.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 14:11

  • "Astray" (תָּעָה, ta‘ah, H8582) means to wander or go astray, often used for sheep that have lost their way. Here, it highlights Israel’s spiritual wandering from God.
  • "Polluted" (נָטַמֵּא, nitammē’, H2930) means to become defiled or unclean, especially in a moral or religious sense. This word stresses how serious their wrongdoing is in God’s eyes.
  • "Transgressions" (פֶּשַׁע, pesha‘, H6588) refers to rebellious acts or breaches of trust, not just accidental mistakes. It points to deliberate disobedience.
  • "People" (עַם, ‘am, H5971) and "God" (אֱלֹהִים, ’Elohim, H430) both appear here, underlining the covenant relationship God desires to restore.

Why Ezekiel 14:11 matters

  • Ezekiel 14:11 clarifies that God’s discipline is not just about punishment, but about bringing His people back into a right relationship with Him.
  • The verse shows that God’s ultimate goal is restoration, not rejection, even after repeated unfaithfulness.
  • This verse connects to the wider message of Ezekiel, where God repeatedly calls Israel to repentance and promises to be their God if they turn back to Him.

Where else these words appear

“astray” Hebrew H8582 · used in 45 verses

  • Genesis 20:13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
  • Psalms 119:110 The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.
  • Isaiah 30:28 And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

“transgressions” Hebrew H6588 · used in 90 verses

  • Genesis 31:36 And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
  • Psalms 51:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
  • Lamentations 1:5 Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.

“polluted” Hebrew H2930 · used in 142 verses

  • Genesis 34:5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
  • Leviticus 15:19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.
  • Numbers 35:34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.