Ezekiel 18:6

6 if he 1does not eat upon the mountains or 2lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, 3does not defile his neighbor's wife 4or approach 5a woman in her time of menstrual impurity,

Ezekiel 18:6 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 18:6

[And] hath not eaten upon the mountains
Where temples and altars were built for idols, and sacrifices offered up to them; and where feasts were kept to the honour of them, and the sacrifices to them eaten; see ( Ezekiel 6:13 ) ; for otherwise it was not unlawful to eat common food on mountains, as well as on other places; but here it denotes idolatrous practices; and the Targum is,

``and hath not served idols on the mountains:''
neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel;
their "dunghill gods" F4 as the word signifies; as not to the idols of the Gentiles, so not to those of Israel, as the calves at Dan and Bethel; these he does not worship, nor pray unto, or invoke, nor even give a pleasant and favourable look unto; but turned from them with abhorrence and contempt: neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife;
been guilty of adultery, by lying with another man's wife; or by marrying one divorced, not having committed fornication; which divorces were common among the Jews, and marrying such so divorced, ( Matthew 19:19 ) ; neither hath come near to a menstruous woman:
a woman in her monthly courses, even his own wife; who, according to the law, was set apart for her uncleanness for a certain term of time; during which she was not to be touched, nor anything she sat or lay upon; and all conjugal acts to be abstained from, ( Leviticus 15:19-24 ) ( 18:19 ) ( 20:18 ) .
FOOTNOTES:

F4 (ylwlg la) "ad stercoreos deos", Junius & Tremellius, Polanus; "ad stercora", Piscator, Cocceius.

Ezekiel 18:6 In-Context

4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.
5 "If a man is righteous and does what is just and right--
6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman in her time of menstrual impurity,
7 does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,
8 does not lend at interest or take any profit, withholds his hand from injustice, executes true justice between man and man,

Cross References 5

  • 1. ver. 11, 15; Ezekiel 22:9
  • 2. Ezekiel 33:25
  • 3. ver. 11, 15; [Ezekiel 22:11]
  • 4. Leviticus 18:19
  • 5. Ezekiel 22:10
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.