Ezekiel 20:15-31

15 Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands—

16 because they rejected my laws and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to their idols.

17 Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or put an end to them in the wilderness.

18 I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols.

19 I am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

20 Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.”

21 “ ‘But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws, of which I said, “The person who obeys them will live by them,” and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness.

22 But I withheld my hand, and for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

23 Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries,

24 because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes lusted after their parents’ idols.

25 So I gave them other statutes that were not good and laws through which they could not live;

26 I defiled them through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the LORD.’

27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In this also your ancestors blasphemed me by being unfaithful to me:

28 When I brought them into the land I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings.

29 Then I said to them: What is this high place you go to?’ ” (It is called Bamah^[a] to this day.)

Rebellious Israel Renewed

30 “Therefore say to the Israelites: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will you defile yourselves the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images?

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.

Ezekiel 20:15-31 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 Deuteronomy 1:34
• 2. Numbers 14:22-23; Psalms 95:11; Psalms 106:26; Hebrews 3:11
• 3. Jeremiah 11:8; Amos 2:4
• 4. S Numbers 15:39
• 5. ver 24; S Ezekiel 6:4; Amos 5:26
• 6. S Jeremiah 4:27
• 7. S 2 Chronicles 30:7; Zechariah 1:4
• 8. S Psalms 106:39
• 9. S Exodus 20:2
• 10. Deuteronomy 5:32-33; Deuteronomy 6:1-2; S Deuteronomy 8:1; Deuteronomy 11:1; S Deuteronomy 12:1
• 11. S Exodus 20:10
• 12. S Exodus 31:13
• 13. Jeremiah 17:22
• 14. S Jeremiah 7:26
• 15. Numbers 25:3
• 16. S Ezekiel 7:8
• 17. Psalms 78:38
• 18. S Isaiah 48:11
• 19. S Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 28:64; S Psalms 9:11
• 20. Amos 2:4
• 21. ver 13
• 22. S Ezekiel 6:9
• 23. S ver 16; S Ezekiel 2:3; S Ezekiel 18:6
• 24. S Psalms 81:12; Romans 1:28
• 25. Isaiah 66:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:11
• 26. S Leviticus 18:21
• 27. Leviticus 20:2-5; 2 Kings 17:17
• 28. S Psalms 78:57
• 29. S Numbers 15:30; Romans 2:24
• 30. S Ezekiel 18:24
• 31. Nehemiah 9:23; Psalms 78:55,58
• 32. S Jeremiah 2:7; S Jeremiah 3:6; S Jeremiah 19:13; S Ezekiel 6:13
• 33. Ezekiel 16:16; Ezekiel 43:7
• 34. ver 43
• 35. S Judges 2:16-19; S Jeremiah 16:12
• 36. S Ezekiel 16:20
• 37. Psalms 106:37-39; S Jeremiah 7:31; S Ezekiel 14:3; Amos 8:12; Zechariah 7:13

Footnotes

• [a] "Bamah" means "high place."