Those who stayed in the land thought the exiles were far from the Lord, with no one to protect their family land. Normally, relatives (literally men of your redemption) would have redeemed Ezekiel’s family property if he faced debt or trouble. Since the exiles left as family groups, no one remained in Judah to guard their inherited properties.
this land has been given to us as a possession: Those who stayed thought the exiles were under God's judgment and had lost their ancestral lands. The opposite was true. Israel's future was with the distant exiles, as the Lord went with them and would be a sanctuary during their exile (see Ezekiel 11:22–23).