Ezekiel 22:10 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 22:10 mean?

Ezekiel 22:10 accuses the people of Jerusalem of serious moral failures, saying they have exposed their fathers’ nakedness and violated women who were considered unclean. The verse points to acts of sexual immorality and disrespect for boundaries that were meant to protect family and community honor.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Jerusalem, listing their sins as part of a larger judgment. The phrase about “discovering their fathers’ nakedness” refers to forbidden sexual relations within the family, while “humbled her that was set apart for pollution” means forcing or violating a woman during her menstrual impurity, which was strictly forbidden in Israelite law.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 22:10

• “discovered” (גָּלָה, galah): This word means to uncover or expose. Here, it emphasizes the serious violation of exposing something that should remain private, especially in a family context.
• “fathers’” (אָב, av): This refers to one’s own father, highlighting that the sin involves close family relationships, making the offense even more serious.
• “nakedness” (עֶרְוָה, ervah): This word often refers to sexual exposure or shame. In this context, it points to forbidden sexual acts, especially those that break family boundaries.
• “humbled” (עָנָה, anah): This word can mean to afflict or violate. Here, it carries the sense of forcing or humiliating someone, especially in a sexual context.
• “apart” (נִדָּה, niddah): This term means someone set apart due to ritual impurity, specifically a woman during her menstrual period.
• “pollution” (טָמֵא, tame): This word means ritual impurity. The verse refers to violating someone who is in a state that the law said should be respected and left alone.

Why Ezekiel 22:10 matters

• Ezekiel 22:10 shows that the people’s sins were not just general wrongdoing, but specific violations of laws meant to protect family and community purity.
• The verse highlights the seriousness with which God viewed both sexual sins and the breaking of ritual boundaries, showing that these were seen as offenses against both individuals and the whole community.
• This accusation is part of a larger list in Ezekiel 22, where God lays out the reasons for Jerusalem’s coming judgment, making clear that the city’s problems were deep and widespread.