Ezekiel 20:5

5 And thou shalt say to them, The Lord God saith these things, In the day in which I chose Israel, and raised mine hand for the generation of the house of Jacob, and I appeared to them in the land of Egypt, and I raised mine hand for them, and I said, I am your Lord God, (And thou shalt say to them, The Lord God saith these things, On the day on which I chose Israel, and raised up my hand for the descendants of the house of Jacob, and I appeared to them in the land of Egypt, and I raised up my hand for them, and I said, I am the Lord your God,)

Ezekiel 20:5 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 20:5

And say unto them, thus saith the Lord God
Here begins the account of their fathers; of God's unmerited goodness to them, and of their sins and transgressions against him, and how it fared with them: in the day when I chose Israel;
to be his peculiar people, above all people on the face of the earth; when he declared his choice of them, and made it appear that he had chosen them, and distinguished them, by special blessings and favours bestowed on them: and lifted up mine hand to the seed of the house of Jacob;
the posterity of Jacob or Israel, to whom the Lord swore that he would do such and such things for them; of which the lifting up the hand was a token; it is a gesture used in swearing, ( Daniel 12:7 ) ; and so the Targum,

``and I swore unto them by my word:''

and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt:
by his name Jehovah; by the prophets he sent unto them, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam; and by the miracles he wrought among them: when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I [am] the Lord your God:
making promise of it, declaring it unto them, confirming it with an oath; see ( Hebrews 6:17 Hebrews 6:18 ) .

Ezekiel 20:5 In-Context

3 Son of man, speak thou to the elder men of Israel; and thou shalt say to them, The Lord God saith these things, Whether ye came to ask me? I live, for I shall not answer to you, saith the Lord God. (Son of man, speak thou to the elders of Israel; and thou shalt say to them, The Lord God saith these things, Did ye come here to ask me something? As I live, I shall not answer you, saith the Lord God.)

4 Son of man, if thou deemest them, if thou deemest, show thou to them the abominations of their fathers. (Son of man, if thou judgest them, yea, if thou judgest them, show thou to them their forefathers? abominations.)

5 And thou shalt say to them, The Lord God saith these things, In the day in which I chose Israel, and raised mine hand for the generation of the house of Jacob, and I appeared to them in the land of Egypt, and I raised mine hand for them, and I said, I am your Lord God, (And thou shalt say to them, The Lord God saith these things, On the day on which I chose Israel, and raised up my hand for the descendants of the house of Jacob, and I appeared to them in the land of Egypt, and I raised up my hand for them, and I said, I am the Lord your God,)

6 in that day I raised mine hand for them, that I should lead them out of the land of Egypt (on that day that I raised up my hand for them, that I would lead them out of the land of Egypt), into the land which I had purveyed for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, which is noble among all lands.

7 And I said to them, Each man cast away the offences of his eyes, and do not ye be defouled in the idols of Egypt; I am your Lord God. (And I said to them, Each person throw away the abominations before his eyes, and do not ye be defiled with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.)