Ezekiel 20:15

15 " ' "I also raised my hand and took an oath in the desert. I told my people I would not bring them into the land I had given them. It had plenty of milk and honey. It was the most beautiful land of all.

Ezekiel 20:15 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 20:15

Yet also I lifted up mine hand unto them in the wilderness,
&c.] Swore unto them, as in ( Ezekiel 20:5 Ezekiel 20:6 ) ; that I would not bring them into the land which I had given [them];
by promise to their fathers, and to them. This is to be understood of the generation that came out of Egypt, that received the ill report the spies made, and murmured against the Lord; wherefore he swore in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest; or he would not bring them into the land of Canaan, save Caleb and Joshua; and accordingly none else entered but them, though their posterity did; and so both his oath to them, that they should not enter, and his oath to Abraham, that he would give to his seed the land, had their accomplishment, ( Numbers 14:23 Numbers 14:24 Numbers 14:30 ) ; a land flowing with milk and honey, which [is] the glory of all lands;
(See Gill on Ezekiel 20:6).

Ezekiel 20:15 In-Context

13 " ' "But the people of Israel refused to obey me in the desert. They did not follow my rules. They turned their backs on my laws. The one who obeys them will live by them. They totally misused my Sabbath days. So I said I would pour out my burning anger on them. I would destroy them in the desert.

14 " ' "But I wanted my name to be honored. I kept it from being treated as if it were not holy. I did not want that to happen in front of the nations. They had seen me bring Israel out of Egypt.

15 " ' "I also raised my hand and took an oath in the desert. I told my people I would not bring them into the land I had given them. It had plenty of milk and honey. It was the most beautiful land of all.

16 But they turned their backs on my laws. They did not follow my rules. They misused my Sabbaths. Their hearts were committed to worshiping the statues of their gods.

17 " ' "Then I felt sorry for them. So I did not destroy them. I did not put an end to them in the desert.