Ezekiel 20:4

4 “Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors

Ezekiel 20:4 in Other Translations

4 Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:

4 Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Let them know the abominations of their fathers,

4 “Son of man, bring charges against them and condemn them. Make them realize how detestable the sins of their ancestors really were.

4 "Son of man, why don't you do it? Yes, go ahead. Hold them accountable. Confront them with the outrageous obscenities of their parents.

4 "Will you pass judgment against them, will you pass judgment, son of man? Explain to them the abominations of their fathers.

Ezekiel 20:4 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 20:4

Wilt thou judge them, son of man?
&c.] Excuse them, patronise them, defend their cause, and plead for them? surely thou wilt not; or rather, wilt thou not reprove and correct them, judge and condemn them, for their sins and wickedness? this thou oughtest to do: wilt thou judge [them]?
this is repeated, to show the vehemency of the speaker, and the duty of the prophet: cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:
the sins they committed, which were abominable in themselves, and rendered them abominable unto God, and what came upon them for them; by which they would be led to see the abominable evils which they also had been guilty of, in which they had imitated their fathers, and what they had reason to expect in consequence of them.

Ezekiel 20:4 In-Context

2 Then the word of the LORD came to me:

3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Have you come to inquire of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign LORD.’

4 “Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors

5 and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the LORD your God.”

6 On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.

Cross References

• 1. S Ezekiel 16:2; Ezekiel 22:2; Matthew 23:32