Ezekiel 14:5

“That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, &c.] By which they are ensnared, and drawn aside to their ruin; being given up to strong delusions, to believe a lie, and worship idols; God threatening to answer them by righteous judgments, and thereby take the wickedness, the hypocrisy, and idolatry, that were in their hearts, and expose and make it manifest unto others; or, by punishing them, to draw out the corruption and sin that were in them, that it might be seen what a wicked people they were. The Targum interprets the text in another way, “that I may bring near the house of Israel, and put repentance into their hearts;” because they are all estranged from me through their…”

“That I may take--that is, unveil and overtake with punishment the dissimulation and impiety of Israel hid in their own heart. Or, rather, "That I may punish them by answering them after their own hearts"; corresponding to "according to the multitude of his idols" (see on Eze 14:4); an instance is given in Eze 14:9; Rom 1:28; Th2 2:11, God giving them up in wrath to their own lie. idols--though pretending to "inquire" of Me, "in their hearts" they are "estranged from Me," and love "idols."”

“That I may take ... - i. e., that I may take them, as in a snare, deceived by their own heart. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Take - That I may lay open what is in their heart, and discover their hypocrisy, and impiety. Through their idols - It is always through some idol or other, that the hearts of men are estranged from God: some creature has gained that place in the heart, which belongs to none but God. Ezekiel 14:7”

“I may: Eze 14:9, Eze 14:10; Hos 10:2; Zac 7:11-14; Th2 2:9-11 estranged: Deu 32:15, Deu 32:16; Isa 1:4 \*marg. Jer 2:5, Jer 2:11-13, Jer 2:31, Jer 2:32; Zac 11:8; Rom 1:21-23, Rom 1:28, Rom 1:30, Rom 8:7; Gal 6:7; Eph 4:18; Col 1:21; Heb 3:12 Ezekiel 14:6”