Ezekiel 20:8

8 But they rebelled against me, and they were not willing to listen to me; each [one] {did not throw away} the detestable things of their eyes; and {they did not abandon} the idols of Egypt, and I decided to pour out my rage on them, to fully vent my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

Ezekiel 20:8 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 20:8

But they rebelled against me
All sin is rebellion against God, an act of hostility, especially idolatry; it is refusing homage and casting off allegiance to him: and would not hearken unto me;
to his word by his prophets; so the Targum,

``they rebelled against my word, and would not receive my prophets:''

they did not every man cast away the abominations of his eyes, neither
did they forsake the idols of the Gentiles;
whence it appears that there were some among them that did give in to the idolatry of the Egyptians; and could not be prevailed upon to relinquish it, notwithstanding the favours shown them, and the promises made unto them. The Jewish writers, Jarchi and Kimchi, say that there were many of these wicked men among the Israelites when Moses was sent to them; and that they died in the time of the three days' darkness, so that the Egyptians did not see their fall, and rejoice at it; then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them;
he threatened them, by his prophets, that he would bring down deserved wrath upon them, like a mighty shower of rain: to accomplish mine anger against them;
to bring it upon them to the utmost, and consume them with it: in the midst of the land of Egypt;
and so not bring them forth from thence, is he had promised; but cut them off in it, for their sins and rebellions.

Ezekiel 20:8 In-Context

6 On that day {I swore} to them to bring them out from the land of Egypt to [the] land that I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey--it [is the most] beautiful of all of the lands.

7 Then I said to them, '[Let] each [one] throw away the detestable things of his eyes, and you must not make yourselves unclean with the idols of Egypt! I [am] Yahweh your God.'

8 But they rebelled against me, and they were not willing to listen to me; each [one] {did not throw away} the detestable things of their eyes; and {they did not abandon} the idols of Egypt, and I decided to pour out my rage on them, to fully vent my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

9 "But I acted for the sake of my name {to keep it from being profaned} before the eyes of the nations {among whom they lived}, where I made known to them before their eyes, to bring them out from the land of Egypt.

10 And I brought them out from the land of Egypt, and I brought them to the desert,

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "not they threw away"
• [b] Literally "not they abandoned"