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Ezekiel 20

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The Elders Seek an Oracle 1–3

1
And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifthmonth, the tenthdayof the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of Jehovah, and sat before me. ​
2
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
3
Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Is it to inquire of me that ye are come? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you. ​

Israel's Rebellion in Egypt 4–9

4
Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers; ​
5
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day when I chose Israel, and sware unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I sware unto them, saying, I am Jehovah your God; ​
6
in that day I sware unto them, to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands.
7
And I said unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am Jehovah your God. ​
8
But 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 would pour out my wrath upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
9
But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, among which they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. ​

Rebellion in the Wilderness (First Generation) 10–17

10
So I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.
11
And I gave them my statutes, and showed them mine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live in them. ​
12
Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am Jehovah that sanctifieth them. ​
13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they rejected mine ordinances, which if a man keep, he shall live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. ​
14
But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.
15
Moreover also I sware 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;
16
because they rejected mine ordinances, and walked not in my statutes, and profaned my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
17
Nevertheless mine eye spared them, and I destroyed them not, neither did I make a full end of them in the wilderness.

Second Generation's Idolatry and Punishment 18–26

18
And I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols. ​
19
I am Jehovah your God: walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them;
20
and hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am Jehovah your God.
21
But the children rebelled against me; they walked not in my statutes, neither kept mine ordinances to do them, which if a man do, he shall live in them; they profaned my sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness. ​
22
Nevertheless I withdrew my hand, and wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them forth.
23
Moreover I sware unto them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations, and disperse them through the countries;
24
because they had not executed mine ordinances, but had rejected my statutes, and had profaned my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.
25
Moreover also I gave them statutes that were not good, and ordinances wherein they should not live; ​
26
and 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 Jehovah. ​

Rebellion in the Promised Land 27–32

27
Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In this moreover have your fathers blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me. ​
28
For when I had brought them into the land, which I sware to give unto them, then they saw every high hill, and every thick tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering; there also they made their sweet savor, and they poured out there their drink-offerings. ​
29
Then I said unto them, What meaneth the high place whereunto ye go? So the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.
30
Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Do ye pollute yourselves after the manner of your fathers? and play ye the harlot after their abominations?
31
and when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, do ye pollute yourselves with all your idols unto this day? and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you; ​
32
and that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, in that ye say, We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone. ​

Future Judgment and Restoration 33–44

33
As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, will I be king over you. ​
34
And I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out;
35
and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I enter into judgment with you face to face. ​
36
Like as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I enter into judgment with you, saith the Lord Jehovah.
37
And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; ​
38
and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me; I will bring them forth out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. ​
39
As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Go ye, serve every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me; but my holy name shall ye no more profane with your gifts, and with your idols. ​
40
For in my holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them, serve me in the land: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the first-fruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. ​
41
As a sweet savor will I accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you in the sight of the nations.
42
And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country which I sware to give unto your fathers.
43
And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have polluted yourselves; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.
44
And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have dealt with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah. ​

Prophecy Against the South 45–49

45
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, ​
46
Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the field in the South;
47
and say to the forest of the South, Hear the word of Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, 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 burnt thereby. ​
48
And all flesh shall see that I, Jehovah, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.
49
Then said I, Ah Lord Jehovah! they say of me, Is he not a speaker of parables? ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Ezekiel 20

Verse 1

the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day — Dated, like the book’s other messages, from the captivity of Jehoiachin (1:2), nearly a year after the elders of Judah ‘sat before me’ in 8:1. These elders come as others did in 14:1, ‘Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me’, to enquire of the LORD.

Verse 3

I will not be enquired of by you — Darash, to seek out, is the word for seeking the LORD, and here he refuses it with an oath, ‘As I live’, as God ‘sware by himself’ (Heb 6:13). The same question lay behind 14:3, ‘should I be enquired of at all by them?’ The reason is given in the history of vv.5–31, and v.31 returns to the refusal in the same words.

Verse 4

Wilt thou judge them… the abominations of their fathers — The prophet is asked to plead the case as the LORD’s advocate, with the same question put in 22:2 and 23:36, ‘wilt thou judge…?’ ‘Abominations’ (to’ebah) are what the LORD abhors, and the mention of the ‘fathers’ takes the review back to Egypt (v.5).

Verse 5

lifted up mine hand — The gesture of an oath, as in ‘For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever’ (Deut 32:40). The oath to Israel is recalled in Ex 6:8, ‘concerning the which I did swear’. In Egypt the LORD ‘made myself known’ by the words ‘I am the LORD’ (Ex 6:6–7), which end this verse as ‘I am the LORD your God’.

Verse 7

the idols of Egypt — The review begins with idolatry in Egypt itself: ‘put away the gods which your fathers served… in Egypt’ (Josh 24:14). Gillulim, ‘idols’, is Ezekiel’s own word, found in 36 of his verses and in nine elsewhere in Scripture. The command echoes Lev 18:3, ‘After the doings of the land of Egypt… shall ye not do’.

Verse 9

for my name’s sake — The reason Israel was spared in Egypt, and the refrain of the chapter (vv.9, 14, 22, 44). The LORD’s concern is ‘that it should not be polluted before the heathen’, the ground of Moses’ plea, ‘Wherefore should the Egyptians speak…?’ (Ex 32:12). ‘Polluted’ is chalal, to profane.

Verse 11

he shall even live in them — The words are those of Lev 18:5, ‘which if a man do, he shall live in them’. The sentence recurs in vv.13 and 21 as what Israel despised. Paul quotes it for the law’s own terms, ‘The man that doeth them shall live in them’ (Gal 3:12; cf. Rom 10:5). ‘Statutes’ (chuqqim) and ‘judgments’ (mishpatim) are the law given at Sinai.

Verse 12

my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them — The sabbath is ‘a sign between me and you’ (Ex 31:13), given ‘that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you’. Qadash, ‘sanctify’, is to set apart. The sign is named again in v.20, ‘hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you’.

Verse 13

I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness — Marah, ‘rebelled’, opens the wilderness history, in which the LORD ‘said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach’ (Ps 106:23). The sabbath was among the things ‘greatly polluted’: ‘some of the people’ went out on the seventh day (Ex 16:27).

Verse 18

their children in the wilderness — The generation born there, of whom the LORD had said ‘your little ones… them will I bring in’ (Num 14:31), is warned first: ‘Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers’. Zechariah’s later word to the returned is the same, ‘Be ye not as your fathers’ (Zech 1:4).

Verse 21

the children rebelled against me — The second generation repeats the first almost word for word (vv.13, 21). Their record includes Baalpeor: ‘Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor’ (Num 25:3). The anger is again held back: ‘I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name’s sake’ (v.22). ‘To accomplish’ (kalah) is to bring to an end.

Verse 25

statutes that were not good — After Israel despised the LORD’s statutes (v.24), he ‘gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust’ (Ps 81:12), as Paul says of the nations, ‘God also gave them up’ (Rom 1:24). The verb nathan, ‘gave’, is the one used of the law in v.11, and here it stands for a judgment: ways that could not bring life were all they were given.

Verse 26

all that openeth the womb — The firstborn the LORD claimed, ‘Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb’ (Ex 13:2), were passed ‘through the fire’ instead, in Molech’s rites (Lev 18:21; 2 Kgs 17:17). The LORD ‘polluted them in their own gifts’: the offerings made them unclean. The aim is still ‘that they might know that I am the LORD’.

Verse 27

have blasphemed me — Gadaph, to revile, is the sin of the soul that ‘doeth ought presumptuously’ and ‘reproacheth the LORD’ (Num 15:30). ‘Trespass’ is ma’al, breach of faith, the word of 15:8. Here it is tied to the worship at the high places that v.28 describes.

Verse 28

every high hill, and all the thick trees — The places the law ordered destroyed: ‘upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree’ (Deut 12:2). The LORD’s own term for acceptable sacrifice, ‘sweet savour’ (Lev 1:9), was given to idols, as in 6:13, ‘sweet savour to all their idols’. The offering is a ‘provocation’ (ka’as), what stirs anger.

Verse 31

make your sons to pass through the fire — The rite of Molech (Lev 18:21), carried on at Tophet ‘to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not’ (Jer 7:31). ‘Even unto this day’ makes the elders before Ezekiel heirs of the fathers’ sins, and the refusal of v.3 returns in the same words, ‘I will not be enquired of by you.’

Verse 32

We will be as the heathen — The exiles’ thought was to settle into the nations’ ways, ‘to serve wood and stone’. Moses had foretold that service in exile: ‘there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone’ (Deut 4:28). ‘Cometh into your mind’ is literally ‘goes up upon your spirit’; the LORD says it ‘shall not be at all’.

Verse 33

with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm — The language of the exodus (Deut 4:34), turned toward Israel with ‘fury poured out’. ‘Rule’ is malak, to reign as king: the LORD will be king over a people who had served idols. The hand and arm that brought them out of Egypt now bring judgment.

Verse 35

the wilderness of the people — Literally ‘of the peoples’, the lands of the nations among which the exiles are scattered. There ‘will I plead with you face to face’, with shaphat, the verb of ‘judge’ in v.4; v.36 compares it to the wilderness of Egypt, ‘Like as I pleaded with your fathers’. Hosea has a wilderness of speaking too: ‘speak comfortably unto her’ (Hos 2:14).

Verse 37

pass under the rod — The shepherd’s count: ‘whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD’ (Lev 27:32), and ‘the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth them’ (Jer 33:13). The rod is shebet. Masoreth, ‘bond’, occurs only here in Scripture: the covenant is a bond that holds the counted flock.

Verse 38

purge out from among you the rebels — Barar, to separate out, with the picture of Amos 9:9, ‘I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve’. Those removed ‘shall not enter into the land of Israel’, as with the wilderness generation, to whom the LORD ‘sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest’ (Ps 95:11).

Verse 39

Go ye, serve ye every one his idols — A permission that is itself judgment, as in the days of the judges, ‘Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen’ (Judg 10:14). What the LORD requires is that they ‘pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts’, since an offering joined to idols (v.31) profanes the name (chalal, as in v.9).

Verse 40

in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel — The holy mountain, Zion, is also the place of the planting in 17:23, ‘In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it’. The service scattered over ‘every high hill’ (v.28) is gathered to it, with ‘firstfruits’ and ‘holy things’ accepted, as the LORD promises in Isa 56:7, ‘Even them will I bring to my holy mountain’.

Verse 44

for my name’s sake — The refrain closes the review: the LORD deals with Israel ‘not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings’. ‘Corrupt’ is shachath, the verb of Gen 6:12, ‘all flesh had corrupted his way’. The same ground is given in 36:22, ‘I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake’.

Verse 45

the word of the LORD came unto me — In the Hebrew Bible this verse begins chapter 21; the KJV numbers vv.45–49 here as the close of chapter 20. The new word, against ‘the forest of the south’, is short and turns from the history of vv.5–44 to the fire that is coming.

Verse 47

every green tree… and every dry tree — The fire takes both, as the sword of 21:3 will ‘cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked’, and ‘all faces from the south to the north’ answers ‘all flesh from the south to the north’ (21:4). Christ uses the pair on the way to the cross: ‘if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?’ (Luke 23:31).

Verse 49

Doth he not speak parables? — Mashal, a figure or proverb. The complaint is that Ezekiel speaks only in figures, and the book has given the vine (ch. 15), a riddle and parable (17:2) and the lions (ch. 19). The sword oracle of 21:2–5 follows at once. Christ met the same hearing, ‘because they seeing see not’ (Matt 13:13).