Ezekiel 22:11 describes sexual sin spreading through the leaders and people of Jerusalem, with men committing adultery, incest and abuse against their own families and neighbors. The prophet is showing that the city has become morally corrupt, and that God takes these sins seriously. The words come from God, spoken through the prophet Ezekiel to the exiles and the people still living in Jerusalem before its fall to Babylon in 586 BC.
One has committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife; and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law. Another in you has humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.
Ezekiel 22:11 (WEB)
What Ezekiel 22:11 Means
The verse gives three examples of sexual wrongdoing. First, a man sleeps with his neighbor’s wife, which the text calls an “abomination,” a word the Old Testament uses for things that are deeply offensive to God. Second, a man violates his daughter-in-law, a serious betrayal of a family bond. Third, a man humbles his own half-sister, which breaks both the marriage and family boundaries that God set in the law.
The verse does not describe a few isolated acts. It shows a pattern of sin across the community, which is why the lines that follow in the chapter speak about the whole city. It also does not offer a comfort or a promise on its own. Its purpose is to name the sin clearly so the reader sees why judgment is coming.
The Context of Ezekiel 22:11
Ezekiel was a priest taken into exile in Babylon, and he prophesied to the Judean community there and to those still in Jerusalem. Chapter 22 is a long indictment, a list of charges against the city. Just before verse 11, the prophet accuses the people of despising God’s holy things and profaning the Sabbath. Verses 9 and 10 describe violence, false eating of sacrificial meals, and sexual sin, and verse 11 continues that same list.
The verses that follow move from sins of sex to sins of money and violence, including bribery and oppression of the poor, and end with God declaring that he will act against the city. Read this way, the verse is one part of a larger picture: a society where worship, justice, sexual faithfulness and care for the vulnerable have all broken down together.
Key Phrases in Ezekiel 22:11
Leviticus 18:6
“‘None of you shall approach any close relatives, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.
(WEB)
This verse lays down the law that forbids approaching a close relative sexually. Ezekiel 22:11 is an accusation that the people have broken exactly this kind of boundary, so reading the law beside the prophecy shows what the prophet is condemning.
Exodus 20:14
“You shall not commit adultery.
(WEB)
The seventh commandment forbids adultery, the same sin the verse names when it speaks of a man with his neighbor’s wife. It shows that faithfulness in marriage has been part of God’s will from the start of the covenant with Israel.
A Short Prayer From Ezekiel 22:11
Lord, you see what is hidden in our homes and hearts, and nothing is concealed from you. Forgive me where I have treated your holiness lightly or excused sin in myself or others. Make my desires clean, make my relationships faithful, and give me courage to speak up when someone is being harmed. Restore what has been broken in families and communities near me, and draw us back to you. Amen.
