Ezekiel 20:31

31 and in the offering of your gifts, when ye led over your sons by fire, ye be defouled in all your idols till today, and shall I answer to you, the house of Israel? I live, saith the Lord God, for I shall not answer to you; (and in the offering of your gifts, when ye led your sons and your daughters through the fire, ye be defiled with all your idols unto this day, and so shall I answer you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I shall not answer you;)

Ezekiel 20:31 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 20:31

For when ye offer your gifts
And sacrifices to idols. The Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, the firstfruits of your gifts;
it may design their firstborn; see ( Ezekiel 20:26 ) as the following clause seems to explain it: when ye make your sons to pass through the fire;
or between two fires to Moloch, as their fathers had done before them; ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day;
by worshipping idols, or dunghill gods, as the word signifies, as often observed; they defiled themselves with those filthy things, which they continued to do to that very day, and so became more and more polluted; and were as their fathers had been, and therefore must expect to be used in like manner: and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel?
can you think that I will suffer you to come and inquire of me or to make your requests to me? or can you hope to have an answer from me; at least a favourable one, such as you could wish for? as I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you;
so confirming again with an oath what he had before declared, ( Ezekiel 20:3 ) , wherefore they might assure themselves that they would not be acceptable to him, neither their persons nor petitions, or be regarded by him.

Ezekiel 20:31 In-Context

29 And I said to them, What is the high thing, to which ye enter? And the name thereof is called High Thing till to this day. (And I said to them, What is the high place, or the hill shrine, to which ye enter? And its name is called High Place/Hill Shrine, or Bamah, unto this day.)

30 Therefore say thou to the house of Israel, The Lord God saith these things, Certainly ye be defouled in the way of your fathers, and ye do fornication after the offendings of them, (And so say thou to the house of Israel, The Lord God saith these things, Truly ye be defiled in the ways of your forefathers, and ye do fornication, or idolatry, after their abominations,)

31 and in the offering of your gifts, when ye led over your sons by fire, ye be defouled in all your idols till today, and shall I answer to you, the house of Israel? I live, saith the Lord God, for I shall not answer to you; (and in the offering of your gifts, when ye led your sons and your daughters through the fire, ye be defiled with all your idols unto this day, and so shall I answer you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I shall not answer you;)

32 neither the thought of your soul shall be done, that say, We shall be as heathen men, and as [the] nations of earth, that we worship trees and stones. (nor shall the thoughts of your souls be done, that say, We shall be like the heathen, and like the nations of the earth, so that we worship wood and stones.)

33 (As) I live, saith the Lord God, for in strong hand, and in arm stretched forth, and in strong vengeance shed out, I shall reign [up]on you (I shall rule over you).