So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.

EZEKIEL 5:15KJV
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Ezekiel 5:15 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 5:15 mean?

Ezekiel 5:15 says that Jerusalem will become a source of shame, ridicule, warning, and shock to the surrounding nations when God brings severe judgment on the city in anger. God declares that these events will serve as a lesson and a sign to others of His seriousness about justice.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Jerusalem, warning them about the consequences of their unfaithfulness. The verse explains that the punishment coming to Jerusalem will be so severe that other nations will take notice, seeing it as both a warning and something astonishing. The language highlights the intensity of God’s anger and the certainty of His judgment.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 5:15

  • "Reproach" (חֶרְפָּה, ḥerpah) means disgrace or shame. Here, it shows that Jerusalem’s fate will be seen as humiliating by others.
  • "Taunt" (קָלָּס, qallās) refers to being mocked or ridiculed. This word underlines that other nations will openly scorn Jerusalem.
  • "Instruction" (מוּסָר, musar) often means discipline or warning. In this context, Jerusalem’s judgment is meant to teach or warn other nations.
  • "Astonishment" (מְשַׁמָּה, meshammāh) means something shocking or appalling. The destruction will be so extreme that it will leave others stunned.

Why Ezekiel 5:15 matters

  • This verse clarifies that God’s judgment on Jerusalem is not only for punishment but also to serve as a visible warning to other nations.
  • The strong language shows how seriously God views the people’s unfaithfulness and how public the consequences will be.
  • Ezekiel 5:15 connects to the wider passage by explaining the purpose behind the coming disaster: it is meant to instruct and sober both Israel and its neighbors.

Where else these words appear

“astonishment” Hebrew H4923 · used in 7 verses

  • Isaiah 15:6 For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.
  • Ezekiel 6:14 So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
  • Ezekiel 33:29 Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.

“judgments” Hebrew H8201 · used in 16 verses

  • Exodus 6:6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
  • Proverbs 19:29 Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.
  • Ezekiel 25:11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

“rebukes” Hebrew H8433 · used in 28 verses

  • 2 Kings 19:3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
  • Proverbs 1:30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
  • Proverbs 15:31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.

“instruction” Hebrew H4148 · used in 50 verses

  • Deuteronomy 11:2 And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,
  • Proverbs 7:22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
  • Proverbs 23:12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.