Ezekiel 11:1

King James Version (KJV)

Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the Lord’s house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

Adam Clarke
Bible Commentary

At the door of the gate five and twenty men - The same persons, no doubt, who appear, Ezekiel 8:16, worshipping the sun.

Jaazaniah the son of Azur - In Ezekiel 8:16, we find a Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. If Shaphan was also called Azur, they may be the same person. But it is most likely that there were two of this name, and both chiefs among the people.

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Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole Bible

The gate - The gate of the templecourt. The gate was the place of judgment.

Five and twenty men - Not the same men as in Ezekiel 8:16. There they were representatives of the “priests,” here of the “princes.” The number is, no doubt, symbolic, made up, probably, of 24 men and the king. The number 24 points to the tribes of undivided Israel.

Jaazaniah … Pelatiah - We know nothing more of these men. The former name was probably common at that time Ezekiel 8:11. In these two names there is an allusion to the false hopes which they upheld. “Jaazaniah” (Yah (weh) listeneth) “son of Azur” (the Helper); “Pelatiah” (Yah (weh) rescues) “son of Benaiah” (Yah (weh) builds). In the latter case, death Ezekiel 11:13 turned the allusion into bitter irony.

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Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary

Where Satan cannot persuade men to look upon the judgment to come as uncertain, he gains his point by persuading them to look upon it as at a distance. These wretched rulers dare to say, We are as safe in this city as flesh in a boiling pot; the walls of the city shall be to us as walls of brass, we shall receive no more damage from the besiegers than the caldron does from the fire. When sinners flatter themselves to their own ruin, it is time to tell them they shall have no peace if they go on. None shall remain in possession of the city but those who are buried in it. Those are least safe who are most secure. God is often pleased to single out some sinners for warning to others. Whether Pelatiah died at that time in Jerusalem, or when the fulfilment of the prophecy drew near, is uncertain. Like Ezekiel, we ought to be much affected with the sudden death of others, and we should still plead with the Lord to have mercy on those who remain.

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