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Ezekiel 20

KJV · Chapter 20/48

1And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the Lord, and sat before me.

2Then came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,

3Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you.

4Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:

5And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the Lord your God;

6In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:

7Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

8But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

9But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.

10Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.

11And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.

12Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.

13But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

14But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.

15Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;

16Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.

17Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.

18But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:

19I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;

20And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.

21Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.

22Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.

23I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;

24Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.

25Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;

26And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the Lord.

27Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.

28For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.

29Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.

30Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations?

31For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you.

32And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.

33As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:

34And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.

35And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.

36Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God.

37And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:

38And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

39As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.

40For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.

41I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.

42And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.

43And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.

44And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God.

45Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

46Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;

47And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

48And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.

49Then said I, Ah Lord God! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God recounts the entire history of Israel's rebellion from Egypt up to that moment, but ends by promising to gather the scattered people and purify them so they may serve God in their own land.

Explanation

When the elders come to consult Ezekiel, God responds with a painful historical review: even in Egypt, even in the wilderness, even with the law given at Sinai, the people continually chose idols. The repeated phrase 'for my name's sake' (v.9,14,22) explains why God did not completely destroy Israel earlier: His reputation among the nations was at stake, showing that divine patience is not weakness but faithfulness to His own character. The chapter ends with real hope of restoration, showing that the pattern of human failure does not have the final word over God's plan.

Fun facts

  • The expression 'Bamah' (v.29), which literally means 'high place,' is used as a wordplay in Hebrew: God essentially asks, 'what height is this you go to?' — mocking the idolatrous practice.
  • The mention of the sabbaths as a special sign between God and Israel (v.12,20) is repeated three times in this chapter, showing their importance as a marker of the people's identity during the exile, when they could no longer offer sacrifices at the destroyed temple.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Ezekiel 20:1A new visit from elders of Israel opens the chapter, seeking a word from the Lord through Ezekiel — a scene similar to the one in chapter 14.
  2. Ezekiel 20:2Transition formula: before answering the elders, God prepares Ezekiel with a long review of the people’s history.
  3. Ezekiel 20:3God flatly refuses the elders’ request — before any consultation, they need to hear a long account of their ancestors’ own history of rebellion.
  4. Ezekiel 20:4The order, repeated twice, shows the seriousness of the task: Ezekiel must confront the elders with the complete record of their ancestors’ unfaithfulness.
  5. Ezekiel 20:5The chapter recalls that, as far back as Egypt, the people had already been ordered to abandon the local idols and had already disobeyed — the point is to show that Jerusalem’s rebellion is not a new problem, but the same pattern repeating since the very beginning of the people’s history.
  6. Ezekiel 20:6God recalls the promise made back in Egypt, even before the exodus: a good land, described with the classic phrase “flowing with milk and honey.”
  7. Ezekiel 20:7Even before leaving Egypt, the people were already instructed to abandon the Egyptian idols — the problem of idolatry goes back well before entering the promised land.
  8. Ezekiel 20:8Already at this first stage of the story, the people disobey — God even considers destroying them right there in Egypt, before the journey through the wilderness had even begun.
  9. Ezekiel 20:9God explains why He did not destroy the people on the spot: doing so would have kept His reputation intact before the other nations that already knew Him through the exodus from Egypt.
  10. Ezekiel 20:10Despite the rebellion, God follows through with the original plan and leads the people out of Egypt, toward the wilderness.
  11. Ezekiel 20:11In the wilderness, God gives the laws with a clear promise: keeping these statutes would bring full life to whoever practiced them.
  12. Ezekiel 20:12The Sabbath appears here as a “sign” between God and the people, something to be kept apart — profaning this specific day is treated, in the account, as central to the disobedience in the wilderness, alongside idolatry.
  13. Ezekiel 20:13Even in the wilderness, right after receiving the law, the people rebel again — the pattern of disobedience repeats generation after generation.
  14. Ezekiel 20:14Again, it is concern for His own name before the nations that keeps the people from total destruction at that moment.
  15. Ezekiel 20:15As a consequence of the rebellion in the wilderness, God decides that specific generation would not enter the promised land — a real judgment the Bible records elsewhere.
  16. Ezekiel 20:16The reason is clearly summed up: rejecting the laws, profaning the Sabbath, and a heart divided with idols — the same three problems that appear over and over in the book.
  17. Ezekiel 20:17Despite everything, God does not wipe out the people completely in the wilderness — compassion limits the reach of the judgment, even when it would be justified.
  18. Ezekiel 20:18The next generation receives a direct warning: do not repeat the parents’ mistakes — a call to individual responsibility that echoes the theme of chapter 18.
  19. Ezekiel 20:19It repeats the basic invitation of the covenant: keeping God’s laws was the way to maintain the relationship established from the start.
  20. Ezekiel 20:20The Sabbath is mentioned again as the specific sign of the covenant — a visible marker meant to set the people apart from the surrounding nations.
  21. Ezekiel 20:21The next generation repeats exactly the same mistake as their parents — the pattern of rebellion runs through the generations, despite the specific warnings given to each one.
  22. Ezekiel 20:22Once again, preserving God’s own name before the nations keeps total destruction at bay — a pattern that repeats three times in a row in this historical review.
  23. Ezekiel 20:23Even spared from immediate destruction, the people receive the announcement that they would later be scattered among the nations — a sentence that is fulfilled historically with the exile.
  24. Ezekiel 20:24The list of accusations repeats, almost word for word, the earlier ones — the text builds a deliberately repetitive pattern, showing how the disobedience kept repeating without any real change.
  25. Ezekiel 20:25“I gave them also statutes that were not good” is one of the most debated verses in the book — the most common reading among scholars is that it is ironic or judicial language: because of the people’s stubbornness, God let them go down a path of harsh consequences. There is no settled consensus on the exact meaning of the phrase.
  26. Ezekiel 20:26A difficult verse: God allows the people to sink even deeper into their own bad practices, including child sacrifice, as part of the judgment process that would lead to recognizing who He is.
  27. Ezekiel 20:27After the historical review of the wilderness, the speech moves on to the period already inside the promised land — a new phase of accusations.
  28. Ezekiel 20:28As soon as they enter the good land they were promised, the people rush to the idolatrous altars scattered on the hills — the blessing they received immediately becomes an occasion for unfaithfulness.
  29. Ezekiel 20:29“Bamah,” the name given to the place of the high places, is a Hebrew wordplay on the very word for “high place” — God asks, with irony, “What is the high place whereunto ye go?” mocking the custom.
  30. Ezekiel 20:30God directly links the current generation, the elders sitting before Ezekiel, to the same historical pattern of unfaithfulness that has just been described.
  31. Ezekiel 20:31God repeats the refusal from the start of the chapter, now with the full accusation laid out: as long as the idolatry continues to this day, there is no room for consultation as if nothing had happened.
  32. Ezekiel 20:32God anticipates and rejects an idea that had crossed the people’s minds: giving up on being different and simply adopting the gods of the neighboring nations.
  33. Ezekiel 20:33Instead of allowing that surrender, God reaffirms He will remain in control, with the same power He used to bring the people out of Egypt.
  34. Ezekiel 20:34The same language used to describe the exodus from Egypt is reapplied here to a future regathering of the people scattered among the nations.
  35. Ezekiel 20:35God announces something like a repeat of the wilderness experience, now with the scattered nations serving as the setting for a new, direct confrontation with the people.
  36. Ezekiel 20:36The historical parallel is stated openly: the coming judgment will follow the same pattern as the judgment in the wilderness after leaving Egypt.
  37. Ezekiel 20:37The image of passing under the rod comes from the shepherd’s practice of counting and sorting the flock — God will select and reaffirm the covenant individually with each one.
  38. Ezekiel 20:38Part of this process is a screening: whoever insists on rebellion will not make it back into the land, even while leaving exile together with the others.
  39. Ezekiel 20:39In an almost ironic tone of giving up, God tells the people to go serve their own idols, since they will not listen — but asks at least that they stop mixing that with the worship that should belong to Him alone.
  40. Ezekiel 20:40After the harsh tone, comes the promise of a fully restored future worship, centered on the holy mountain, without the division that marked the whole history told before.
  41. Ezekiel 20:41The restoration is described as something that will also affect God’s reputation before the other nations — the same reason used earlier to spare the people now appears tied to His future glory.
  42. Ezekiel 20:42The final recognition of who God is comes through the concrete fulfillment of the ancient promise made to the ancestors — the land promised centuries before.
  43. Ezekiel 20:43The restoration does not come with forgetting: the people will remember their own past and feel genuine shame over their own choices.
  44. Ezekiel 20:44The chapter closes reinforcing that the restoration is not a reward for good behavior — it is motivated by God’s own name, despite the people’s poor track record.
  45. Ezekiel 20:45Transition formula: introduces a short, different oracle, directed against a forest in the south.
  46. Ezekiel 20:46The target shifts: Ezekiel is ordered to announce judgment against a southern region, symbolically described as a forest.
  47. Ezekiel 20:47The fire that consumes green and dry trees alike is an image of total destruction, with no distinction between what still had life and what was already dead.
  48. Ezekiel 20:48God openly claims authorship of this symbolic fire — it is not a natural disaster, it is a deliberate act of judgment.
  49. Ezekiel 20:49Ezekiel reacts with a complaint: the people around him complain that he only speaks in riddles — a complaint that sets up the more direct explanation that comes right in the next chapter.

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