Ezekiel 20:39

As 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.

As for you, O house {H1004} of Israel {H3478}, thus saith {H559} the Lord {H136} GOD {H3069}; Go {H3212} ye, serve {H5647} ye every one {H376} his idols {H1544}, and hereafter {H310} also, if ye will not hearken {H8085} unto me: but pollute {H2490} ye my holy {H6944} name {H8034} no more with your gifts {H4979}, and with your idols {H1544}.

"As for you, house of Isra'el, here is what Adonai ELOHIM says: 'Go on serving your idols, every one of you! But afterwards, [I swear that] you will listen to me, and you will no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and with your idols.

And as for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Lord GOD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you. But afterward, you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.

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.

Ezekiel 20:39 delivers a potent and deeply sarcastic rebuke from the Lord GOD to the house of Israel. It expresses divine exasperation with their persistent idolatry and hypocrisy, where they attempted to serve both God and pagan deities simultaneously. The verse is a stark command born out of frustration: if they insist on serving their idols, they should do so fully, but cease defiling God's sacred name by mixing their pagan practices with offerings meant for Him.

Context of Ezekiel 20:39

Chapter 20 of Ezekiel is a powerful historical recounting of Israel's rebellious journey from their time in Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the promised land. God details their repeated defiance, particularly their inclination towards idolatry, despite His covenant faithfulness and provision. Each generation, God recounts, refused to follow His statutes and instead pursued the practices of the nations around them. Verse 39 comes as a climax to this historical indictment, immediately preceding God's declaration of gathering Israel from the nations and bringing them into a future judgment in the wilderness, ultimately leading to their restoration (Ezekiel 20:40-44). It highlights God's demand for exclusive worship and His intolerance for spiritual compromise.

Key Themes and Messages

  • God's Demand for Exclusive Worship: The verse underscores God's absolute sovereignty and His requirement for undivided devotion. He is a jealous God who will not share His glory with idols (Exodus 34:14). The command to "serve ye every one his idols" is not an endorsement, but a biting challenge to their half-hearted commitment to Him.
  • Profanation of God's Holy Name: The core of God's complaint is that Israel's mixed worship "pollute[d] my holy name." By bringing gifts and offerings to the Lord while also worshipping idols, they treated God's sacredness as common or defiled it, implying that He was just one deity among many. This was an affront to His unique holiness.
  • Rejection of Hypocrisy: God abhors hypocrisy in worship. He would rather Israel openly serve their idols than pretend to worship Him while their hearts were far from Him and their actions devoted to other gods. This challenges any form of spiritual duplicity.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word translated as "pollute" or "profane" is chalal (חָלַל). It signifies to make common, defile, or desecrate something that is holy or sacred. In this context, Israel's actions, particularly their "gifts" (sacrifices) offered alongside idol worship, were not merely misguided but actively defiled the sanctity of God's name and presence. It's a strong term indicating a grave offense against divine holiness, similar to how God's name was profaned in Leviticus 18:21 regarding child sacrifice.

Practical Application

Ezekiel 20:39 serves as a timeless warning against spiritual compromise and hypocrisy. For believers today, while overt idol worship may be less common, modern "idols" can take many forms: materialism, career success, comfort, self-worship, or anything that takes precedence over God in our lives. This verse calls us to examine our own hearts and ask if we are truly giving God our undivided devotion, or if we are attempting to serve two masters, as Jesus warned in Matthew 6:24. It reminds us that genuine faith requires wholehearted commitment and that our actions must align with our profession of faith, honoring God's holy name in all we do.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.
  • Ezekiel 43:7

    ¶ And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, [neither] they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.
  • Isaiah 1:13

    Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; [it is] iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
  • Isaiah 1:15

    And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
  • Hosea 4:17

    Ephraim [is] joined to idols: let him alone.
  • Ezekiel 20:25

    Wherefore I gave them also statutes [that were] not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;
  • Ezekiel 20:26

    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] the LORD.
  • Judges 10:14

    Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

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