But 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:
But I said {H559} unto their children {H1121} in the wilderness {H4057}, Walk {H3212} ye not in the statutes {H2706} of your fathers {H1}, neither observe {H8104} their judgments {H4941}, nor defile {H2930} yourselves with their idols {H1544}:
"'I said to their children in the desert, "Don't live by the laws of your fathers, observe their rulings or defile yourselves with their idols.
In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.
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.
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Ezekiel 20:7
Then 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. -
Deuteronomy 4:3
Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you. -
Deuteronomy 4:6
Keep therefore and do [them]; for this [is] your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation [is] a wise and understanding people. -
1 Peter 1:18
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers; -
Zechariah 1:2
The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers. -
Zechariah 1:4
Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and [from] your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. -
Luke 11:47
Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
Ezekiel 20:18 captures a pivotal moment in God's historical recounting of Israel's persistent rebellion, delivered through the prophet Ezekiel to the exiles in Babylon. Here, God addresses the generation that grew up in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt, urging them not to repeat the sins of their parents.
Context
This verse is part of a longer prophetic message in Ezekiel chapter 20, where God reviews Israel's history of disobedience from their time in Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land. Despite God's faithfulness and provision, each generation showed a tendency to rebel and pursue idolatry. In verse 18, the focus shifts to the children of the generation that rebelled in the wilderness, emphasizing God's direct command to them to break the cycle of sin. This divine instruction highlights God's continuous effort to call His people to a righteous path, even as He recounts their deep-seated pattern of unfaithfulness, which ultimately led to the Babylonian exile.
Key Themes
Linguistic Insights
Practical Application
Ezekiel 20:18 serves as a powerful reminder for all generations: