Ezekiel 18:6

6 (and) eateth not in [the] hills, and raiseth not his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel; and defouleth not the wife of his neighbour, and nigheth not to a woman defouled with unclean blood;

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 Lo! all souls be mine; as the soul of the father, so and the soul of the son is mine (like the father's soul, so also the son's soul is mine). That soul that doeth sin, shall die.
5 And if a man is just, and doeth doom and rightfulness, (But if a man is righteous, and doeth what is just and right, or honest,)
6 (and) eateth not in [the] hills, and raiseth not his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel; and defouleth not the wife of his neighbour, and nigheth not to a woman defouled with unclean blood;
7 and maketh not a man sorry, yieldeth the wed to the debtor, ravisheth nothing by violence, giveth his bread to the hungry, and covereth a naked man with a cloth; (and maketh not a man sorrowful, but giveth back the pledge to the debtor, taketh nothing by force, giveth his bread to the hungry, and covereth a naked person with a cloak;)
8 lendeth not to usury, and taketh not more; turneth away his hand from wickedness, and maketh true doom betwixt man and man; (lendeth not for usury, and taketh not more than is just, or is right; turneth away his hand from wickedness, and maketh true justice between one person and another;)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.