Ezekiel 33:31
And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
Study Note
Study Note
Ezekiel's complaint about auditors who come to hear him as entertainment — 'they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but they will not do them' — provides one of the most penetrating biblical analyses of superficial religiosity. The phrase 'with their lips they express devotion, but their hearts are devoted to their own gain' anticipates Jesus's citation of Isaiah 29:13 in Matthew 15:8 about those who honor God with lips while hearts are far away. The image of the prophet as 'a singer of love songs, one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument' (verse 32) captures the danger of aesthetic engagement replacing moral transformation. James 1:22-25 develops the same theme with the mirror metaphor: hearing without doing is self-deception.
Other Translations
And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but do them not; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their gain.
And they come in unto thee as the coming in of a people, And they sit before thee--My people, And have heard thy words, and they do them not, For doting loves with their mouth they are making, After their dishonest gain their heart is going.
And they come to you as my people come, and are seated before you as my people, hearing your words but doing them not: for deceit is in their mouth and their heart goes after profit for themselves.
Cross References
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And the Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the Lord said unto me, …
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