Ezekiel 14 — Idols in the heart and the limits of intercession — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 14:8
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Ezekiel 14 — Idols in the heart and the limits of intercession
14:1–14:5 — The elders and their inward allegiance
Verse 14:1 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:1] Men from Israel’s elders came to me and sat before me.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:1] Men from Israel’s elders came to me and sat before me.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The elders’ arrival corresponds.
Verse 14:2 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:2] YHWH’s word came to me, saying,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:2] The Lord’s word came to me, saying,
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The word formula agrees.
Verse 14:3 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:3] “Son of man, these men have raised their idols upon their heart and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let them inquire of Me?
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:3] “Son of man, these men have set their thoughts upon their hearts and set the punishment of their injustices before their faces. Shall I indeed answer them?
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew idols/stumbling block/inquiry contrasts with Greek thoughts/punishment/answering. The Greek thought terms are not silently changed into idols.
Verse 14:4 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:4] Therefore speak with them and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord YHWH: Anyone of the house of Israel who raises his idols upon his heart, sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet—I, YHWH, will answer him through it, according to the multitude of his idols,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:4] Therefore speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: Anyone of the house of Israel who sets his thoughts upon his heart, places the punishment of his injustice before his face, and comes to the prophet—I, the Lord, will answer him in the things in which his mind is entangled,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew continues idols and a stumbling block, including an obscure through-it pronoun; Greek gives thoughts, punishment and an entangled mind.
Verse 14:5 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:5] so as to seize the house of Israel by their heart, all of whom have estranged themselves from Me through their idols.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:5] so that it may turn the house of Israel aside in accordance with their hearts, alienated from Me through their reflections.’
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew seizes Israel’s heart; Greek has a third-person turning-aside clause with no newly named subject and speaks of alienated hearts and reflections.
14:6–14:11 — Turn away from idols
Verse 14:6 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:6] Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord YHWH: Turn back and turn away from your idols; turn your faces away from all your abominations.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:6] Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord, the Lord: Turn back and turn away from your practices and all your impieties, and turn your faces.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek retains the doubled Lord and practice/impiety terms, with a separate final turn-your-faces command.
Verse 14:7 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:7] For anyone of the house of Israel or of the sojourners living in Israel who separates himself from following Me, raises his idols upon his heart, sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself—I, YHWH, will answer him Myself.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:7] For anyone of the house of Israel or of the sojourners living among Israel who becomes alienated from Me, sets his reflections upon his heart, places the punishment of his injustice before his face, and comes to the prophet to question him concerning Me—I, the Lord, will answer him in that in which he is entangled.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: The idol/thought and stumbling-block/punishment distinctions recur. Greek questions the prophet concerning God and ends with entanglement, against Hebrew’s divine answer by Himself.
Verse 14:8 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:8] I will set My face against that man, make him a sign and a byword, and cut him off from the midst of My people. You will know that I am YHWH.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:8] I will set My face firmly against that person, make him a wilderness and a devastation, and remove him from the midst of My people. You will recognize that I am the Lord.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew sign and proverbial example becomes Greek wilderness and devastation. Both retain divine opposition and removal.
Verse 14:9 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:9] If the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, YHWH, have deceived that prophet. I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from the midst of My people Israel.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:9] If the prophet is led astray and speaks, I, the Lord, have led that prophet astray. I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from the midst of My people Israel.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both explicitly ascribe the prophet’s deception or misdirection to God; no merely permitted wording is substituted.
Verse 14:10 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:10] They will bear their iniquity; as the iniquity of the inquirer, so will be the iniquity of the prophet,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:10] They will receive their injustice; according to the inquirer’s offense and according to the offense, it will likewise be for the prophet,
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both make inquirer and prophet share liability; Greek retains its repeated offense construction.
Verse 14:11 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:11] so that the house of Israel may no longer wander from following Me or defile themselves with any of their transgressions. They will be My people, and I will be their God, declares Lord YHWH.’”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:11] so that the house of Israel may no longer wander from Me or be defiled by any of their transgressions. They will be My people, and I will be their God, says the Lord.’”
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The purpose and covenant relationship correspond.
14:12–14:20 — Noah, Danel and Job
Verse 14:12 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:12] YHWH’s word came to me, saying,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:12] The Lord’s word came to me, saying,
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The renewed word formula agrees.
Verse 14:13 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:13] “Son of man, if a land sins against Me by acting unfaithfully, and I stretch My hand against it, break its staff of bread, send famine upon it, and cut off human and beast from it,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:13] “Son of man, if a land sins against Me by committing a transgression, and I stretch My hand against it, shatter its support of bread, send famine upon it, and remove human and livestock from it,
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The conditional famine judgment corresponds; Hebrew unfaithfulness becomes Greek transgression.
Verse 14:14 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:14] even if these three men—Noah, Danel and Job—were within it, they would rescue only their own lives by their righteousness, declares Lord YHWH.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:14] even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were within it, they themselves would be saved by their righteousness, says the Lord.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Hebrew names Danel with consonants d-n-ʾ-l; Greek explicitly has Daniēl. The historical identification is not settled by these renderings. Hebrew names rescuing their lives; Greek passive salvation.
Verse 14:15 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:15] If I make an evil beast pass through the land and it bereaves it, so that it becomes desolate, with no one passing through because of the beast,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:15] even if I bring evil beasts upon the land and punish it, so that it becomes a devastation and no one passes through because of the beasts,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew’s singular beast bereaves the land; Greek has plural beasts and God explicitly punishes it.
Verse 14:16 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:16] though these three men were within it, as I live, declares Lord YHWH, they would certainly not rescue sons or daughters. They alone would be rescued, and the land would be desolate.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:16] and these three men were within it, as I live, says the Lord, neither sons nor daughters would be saved; only they themselves would be saved, and the land would be destroyed.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The oath’s conditional idiom denies children’s rescue in both. Hebrew emphasizes the men’s inability to rescue; Greek the children’s not being saved.
Verse 14:17 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:17] Or if I bring a sword upon that land and say, ‘Let a sword pass through the land,’ and cut off human and beast from it,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:17] or even if I bring a sword upon that land and say, ‘Let a sword pass through the land,’ and remove human and livestock from it,
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The sword alternative corresponds.
Verse 14:18 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:18] though these three men were within it, as I live, declares Lord YHWH, they would not rescue sons and daughters; only they alone would be rescued.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:18] and these three men were within it, as I live, says the Lord, they certainly would not rescue sons or daughters; they alone would be saved.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The repeated limitation upon rescue is retained in full.
Verse 14:19 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:19] Or if I send pestilence upon that land and pour My fury upon it in blood, to cut off human and beast from it,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:19] or even if I send death upon that land and pour My wrath upon it in blood, to destroy human and livestock from it,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew pestilence becomes Greek death; both explicitly retain in blood.
Verse 14:20 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:20] though Noah, Danel and Job were within it, as I live, declares Lord YHWH, they would certainly not rescue son or daughter. They would rescue their own lives by their righteousness.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:20] and Noah, Daniel and Job were within it, as I live, says the Lord, neither sons nor daughters would be left; they would rescue their own lives by their righteousness.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Hebrew has singular son/daughter and their inability to rescue; Greek plural children and their not being left. The oath’s negative force is retained.
14:21–14:23 — Four judgments and the survivors
Verse 14:21 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:21] For thus says Lord YHWH: How much more when I send My four evil judgments—sword, famine, evil beast and pestilence—against Jerusalem, to cut off human and beast from her!
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:21] Thus says the Lord: Even if I send My four evil retributions—sword, famine, evil beasts and death—against Jerusalem, to destroy human and livestock from her,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew intensifies with how much more; Greek continues an even-if construction. The four named disasters are complete in both.
Verse 14:22 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:22] Yet behold, a remnant is left in her, sons and daughters being brought out. Behold, they are coming out to you. You will see their way and their deeds, and be comforted concerning the evil I brought upon Jerusalem—all that I brought upon her.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:22] and behold, her rescued survivors are left in her, bringing sons and daughters out of her. Behold, they are coming out to you. You will see their ways and their reflections and feel regret over the evils I brought upon Jerusalem—all the evils I brought upon her,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew describes children being brought out and consolation; Greek describes survivors bringing children out and metamelomai, feeling regret or reconsidering. Hebrew deeds contrasts with Greek reflections.
Verse 14:23 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
[14:23] They will comfort you when you see their way and their deeds, and you will know that I did not do without cause all that I did in her, declares Lord YHWH.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
[14:23] and they will comfort you, because you will see their ways and their reflections, and recognize that I have not done in vain all that I did in her, says the Lord.”
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both now explicitly name comfort. Hebrew without cause differs from Greek not in vain; the ways/deeds versus ways/reflections distinction continues.