Ezekiel 20:31-44

31 When you offer your gifts—the sacrifice of your children in the fire—you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. Am I to let you inquire of me, you Israelites? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will not let you inquire of me.

32 “ ‘You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen.

33 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.

34 I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered—with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.

35 I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment upon you.

36 As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign LORD.

37 I will take note of you as you pass under my rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.

38 I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

39 “ ‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols.

40 For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD, there in the land all the people of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts,^[a] along with all your holy sacrifices.

41 I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations.

42 Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors.

43 There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done.

44 You will know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.’ ”

Ezekiel 20:31-44 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 20

The prophecy in this chapter is occasioned by some of the elders of Israel coming to inquire of the Lord; when the prophet is bid to tell them that he would not be inquired of by them. The reason of which were their abominations he is ordered to make known unto them, Eze 20:1-4; and then proceeds the narration of them; first of what their fathers committed in Egypt; of God's goodness to them, and their ingratitude; how that though he promised and swore that he would bring them from thence, when he charged them to abstain from the idolatry of that people where they were, nevertheless they did not, for which he threatened them with his wrath to consume them; yet such was his goodness as to spare them, and bring them out of that land, Eze 20:5-9; being brought out of Egypt into the wilderness, the Lord gave them statutes and ordinances to observe, particularly sabbaths, as a sign between him and them, but these they despised and broke; wherefore the Lord threatened to consume them in the wilderness, and not bring them into the land of Canaan; yet such was his kindness and mercy to them, that he did not make an utter end of them in the wilderness, Eze 20:10-17; and whereas he exhorted their posterity not to imitate their parents, but to walk in his statutes and judgments, and observe his sabbaths, yet they would not; which drew out his resentment against them, and he threatened to scatter them among the Heathens; but, for his name's sake, that that might not be polluted among the heathen, he spared them, and did not cut them off, only gave them up to do things very pernicious to them, Eze 20:18-26; and even when they were brought into the land of Canaan, they were guilty of blasphemy against God, and of idolatry on every high hill they saw, Eze 20:27-29; but whereas it might be objected, what is all this to the present generation? it is observed, that they imitated their fathers, and were guilty of the same idolatries, and therefore the Lord would not be inquired of by them, Eze 20:30,31; and threatens to rule them with fury, and plead with them, as he had pleaded with their fathers in the wilderness, Eze 20:32-36; nevertheless he suggests that there would be a remnant among them, when he should have purged the rebels and transgressors from them, that he would deal graciously with in a covenant way; who should serve him in his holy mountain, where he would require and accept their sacrifices, in whom he would be sanctified; and who should know him, and loathe themselves, when made sensible of the distinguishing favours bestowed upon them, Eze 20:37-44; and the chapter is closed with a prophecy dropped against Jerusalem, denouncing utter destruction on it, Eze 20:45-49.

reign, and of the captivity of Jeconiah; from whence the dates of Ezekiel's visions and prophecies are taken, Eze 1:2, 8:1; two years, one month, and five days, after Ezekiel began to prophesy, and eleven months and five days after the preceding prophecy:

\\in the fifth [month], the tenth [day] of the month\\; the month Ab, which answers to our July and August; on this day afterwards Jerusalem was twice destroyed, first by the Chaldeans, and then by the Romans:

\\[that] certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord\\; by the prophet; these were either some of the elders that were carried captive, who came to inquire how long they should continue in this state; or what methods they should use to free themselves from it; or what they should do while they were in it; whether it would be advisable that they should conform to the customs of the Heathens among whom they were; or what would be the case of those that were left in Judea: or else these were sent by Zedekiah to pay the king of Babylon his tax, or to negotiate some affair with him relating to the captives; and who took this opportunity of consulting the Lord by the prophet what methods should be taken to throw off the yoke, and to know what was the mind of God in it; but these things are uncertain, as are also the persons the inquirers; though the Jews say {e} they were Ananias, Azarias, and Misael; which is not probable, since they were good men, whereas these seem to be hypocritical persons:

\\and sat before me\\; with great seriousness and devotion seemingly, waiting for an answer.

{e} Seder Olam Rabba apud Abarbinel in loc.

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Cross References

• 1. S Ezekiel 16:20
• 2. Psalms 106:37-39; S Jeremiah 7:31; S Ezekiel 14:3; Amos 8:12; Zechariah 7:13
• 3. S Ezekiel 16:27
• 4. Jeremiah 21:5; Ezekiel 25:16
• 5. 2 Corinthians 6:17*
• 6. S Deuteronomy 30:4; S Psalms 106:47
• 7. S Isaiah 31:3
• 8. Isaiah 27:12-13; S Jeremiah 44:6; S Lamentations 2:4; S Ezekiel 6:14
• 9. S Ezekiel 19:13
• 10. S 1 Samuel 12:7; S Job 22:4; S Jeremiah 2:35
• 11. Numbers 11:1-35; Numbers 14:28-30; 1 Corinthians 10:5-10
• 12. S Leviticus 27:32; Jeremiah 33:13
• 13. S Ezekiel 16:62
• 14. Ezekiel 34:17-22; Amos 9:9-10
• 15. Psalms 95:11; Jeremiah 44:14; S Ezekiel 13:9; Ezekiel 23:49; Hosea 2:14; Zechariah 13:8-9; Malachi 3:3; Malachi 4:1-3; Hebrews 4:3
• 16. S Jeremiah 44:25
• 17. S Exodus 20:7; S Ezekiel 13:19
• 18. Isaiah 1:13; Ezekiel 43:7; Amos 4:4
• 19. S Ezekiel 17:22; Ezekiel 34:14
• 20. S Isaiah 60:7
• 21. S Isaiah 56:7; Malachi 3:4
• 22. S 2 Corinthians 2:14
• 23. S Deuteronomy 30:4
• 24. Ezekiel 28:25; Ezekiel 36:23
• 25. S Isaiah 5:16; S Ezekiel 11:17; 2 Corinthians 6:17
• 26. Ezekiel 38:23
• 27. S Jeremiah 23:8; Ezekiel 34:13; Ezekiel 36:24
• 28. Jeremiah 30:3; Ezekiel 34:27; Ezekiel 37:21
• 29. Ezekiel 14:22
• 30. S Leviticus 26:41
• 31. S Ezekiel 6:9; S Ezekiel 16:61; Hosea 5:15
• 32. Psalms 109:21; Isaiah 43:25; Ezekiel 36:22
• 33. S Ezekiel 16:62; Ezekiel 36:32; Ezekiel 24:24

Footnotes

• [a] Or "and the gifts of your firstfruits"