Ezekiel 22:18

“Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross, &c.] Vile, despicable, useless, and unprofitable; to which the wicked of the earth are compared, (<19B9119>Psalm 119:119) and here the Lord’s professing people, they differing nothing from them, being sadly degenerated; formerly they were as silver, and so they might be reckoned among themselves; but to God, who is omniscient, the searcher of the hearts and reins, who saw all their actions, and knew the spring of them, in his sight they were as dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace: or “crucible”f338; where they are put together, in order to be set in the furnace, and melted down. It is not…”

“dross . . . brass--Israel has become a worthless compound of the dross of silver (implying not merely corruption, but degeneracy from good to bad, Isa 1:22, especially offensive) and of the baser metals. Hence the people must be thrown into the furnace of judgment, that the bad may be consumed, and the good separated (Jer 6:29-30).”

“The fifth word of judgment. The furnace. In the besieged city the people shall be tried and purged. Ezekiel 22:18 Dross - A frequent metaphor which denotes not only the corruption of the people, who have become like base metal, but also a future purification whereby, the “dross” being burned away, the remnant of good may appear. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Dross - Utterly degenerate, and base metal. The furnace - The afflictions I have laid upon them have not bettered them. The dross - While they loved mercy, did justly, walked humbly with their God, they were as silver; now they are but dross. Ezekiel 22:19”

“the house: Psa 119:119; Isa 1:22; Jer 6:28-30 brass: Eze 22:20; Isa 48:4; Lam 4:1, Lam 4:2 in the midst: Pro 17:3; Isa 31:9, Isa 48:10 dross: Heb. drosses Ezekiel 22:19”