Ezekiel 18:6

6 He does not eat at the mountain [shrines] or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife^[a] or come near a woman during her menstrual impurity.^[b]

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 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Ezekiel 18:6 In-Context

4 Look, every life belongs to Me. The life of the father is like the life of the son-both belong to Me. The person who sins is the one who will die.

5 "Now suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right:

6 He does not eat at the mountain [shrines] or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife or come near a woman during her menstrual impurity.

7 He doesn't oppress anyone but returns his collateral to the debtor. He does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.

8 He doesn't lend at interest or for profit but keeps his hand from wrongdoing and carries out true justice between men.

Footnotes

• [a] Ex 20:17; Lv 20:10
• [b] Lv 18:19