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Text -- Ezekiel 20:1-42 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
Israel’s Rebellion
20:1 In the seventh year , in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month , some of the elders of Israel came to seek the Lord , and they sat down in front of me.
20:2 The word of the Lord came to me:
20:3 “Son of man , speak to the elders of Israel , and tell them: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says : Are you coming to seek me? As surely as I live , I will not allow you to seek me, declares the sovereign Lord .’
20:4 “Are you willing to pronounce judgment ? Are you willing to pronounce judgment , son of man ? Then confront them with the abominable practices of their fathers ,
20:5 and say to them: “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says : On the day I chose Israel I swore to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt . I swore to them, “I am the Lord your God .”
20:6 On that day I swore to bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land which I had picked out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey , the most beautiful of all lands .
20:7 I said to them, “Each of you must get rid of the detestable idols you keep before you , and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt ; I am the Lord your God .”
20:8 But they rebelled against me, and refused to listen to me; no one got rid of their detestable idols , nor did they abandon the idols of Egypt . Then I decided to pour out my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt .
20:9 I acted for the sake of my reputation , so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived, before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt .
20:10 “‘So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them to the wilderness .
20:11 I gave them my statutes and revealed my regulations to them. The one who carries them out will live by them!
20:12 I also gave them my Sabbaths as a reminder of our relationship, so that they would know that I , the Lord , sanctify them.
20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness ; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations (the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths . So I decided to pour out my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them.
20:14 I acted for the sake of my reputation , so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out .
20:15 I also swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them to the land I had given them– a land flowing with milk and honey , the most beautiful of all lands .
20:16 I did this because they rejected my regulations , did not follow my statutes , and desecrated my Sabbaths ; for their hearts followed their idols .
20:17 Yet I had pity on them and did not destroy them, so I did not make an end of them in the wilderness .
20:18 “‘But I said to their children in the wilderness , “Do not follow the practices of your fathers ; do not observe their regulations , nor defile yourselves with their idols .
20:19 I am the Lord your God ; follow my statutes , observe my regulations , and carry them out .
20:20 Treat my Sabbaths as holy and they will be a reminder of our relationship, and then you will know that I am the Lord your God .”
20:21 “‘But the children rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes , did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths . I decided to pour out my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness .
20:22 But I refrained from doing so, and acted instead for the sake of my reputation , so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out .
20:23 I also swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands .
20:24 I did this because they did not observe my regulations , they rejected my statutes , they desecrated my Sabbaths , and their eyes were fixed on their fathers ’ idols .
20:25 I also gave them decrees which were not good and regulations by which they could not live .
20:26 I declared them to be defiled because of their sacrifices – they caused all their first born to pass through the fire– so that I would devastate them, so that they will know that I am the Lord .’
20:27 “Therefore , speak to the house of Israel , son of man , and tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says : In this way too your fathers blasphemed me when they were unfaithful to me.
20:28 I brought them to the land which I swore to give them, but whenever they saw any high hill or leafy tree , they offered their sacrifices there and presented the offerings that provoke me to anger . They offered their soothing aroma there and poured out their drink offerings .
20:29 So I said to them, What is this high place you go to ?’” (So it is called “High Place ” to this day .)
20:30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel , ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says : Will you defile yourselves like your fathers and engage in prostitution with detestable idols ?
20:31 When you present your sacrifices – when you make your sons pass through the fire – you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day . Will I allow you to seek me, O house of Israel ? As surely as I live , declares the sovereign Lord , I will not allow you to seek me!
20:32 “‘What you plan will never happen . You say , “We will be like the nations , like the clans of the lands , who serve gods of wood and stone .”
20:33 As surely as I live , declares the sovereign Lord , with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm , and with an outpouring of rage , I will be king over you.
20:34 I will bring you out from the nations , and will gather you from the lands where you are scattered , with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm and with an outpouring of rage !
20:35 I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations , and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face .
20:36 Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt , so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the sovereign Lord .
20:37 I will make you pass under the shepherd’s staff , and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant .
20:38 I will eliminate from among you the rebels and those who revolt against me. I will bring them out from the land where they have been residing , but they will not come to the land of Israel . Then you will know that I am the Lord .
20:39 “‘As for you , O house of Israel , this is what the sovereign Lord says : Each of you go and serve your idols , if you will not listen to me. But my holy name will not be profaned again by your sacrifices and your idols .
20:40 For there on my holy mountain , the high mountain of Israel , declares the sovereign Lord , all the house of Israel will serve me, all of them in the land . I will accept them there , and there I will seek your contributions and your choice gifts , with all your holy things .
20:41 When I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the lands where you are scattered , I will accept you along with your soothing aroma . I will display my holiness among you in the sight of the nations .
20:42 Then you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you to the land of Israel , to the land I swore to give to your fathers .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Idolatry |
GOD, 2 |
LEVITICUS, 2 |
God |
Sabbath |
Bamah |
Wicked |
DETESTABLE, THINGS |
Impenitence |
Honey |
Israel |
Milk |
ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION |
PRIMOGENITURE |
PLEAD |
Egypt |
FIRE |
Government |
ABOMINATION |
Blasphemy |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Eze 20:1; Eze 20:1; Eze 20:1; Eze 20:3; Eze 20:4; Eze 20:5; Eze 20:5; Eze 20:5; Eze 20:6; Eze 20:6; Eze 20:6; Eze 20:7; Eze 20:8; Eze 20:8; Eze 20:9; Eze 20:9; Eze 20:9; Eze 20:11; Eze 20:11; Eze 20:11; Eze 20:11; Eze 20:12; Eze 20:12; Eze 20:12; Eze 20:13; Eze 20:13; Eze 20:15; Eze 20:16; Eze 20:16; Eze 20:17; Eze 20:18; Eze 20:18; Eze 20:20; Eze 20:20; Eze 20:21; Eze 20:21; Eze 20:21; Eze 20:22; Eze 20:23; Eze 20:23; Eze 20:24; Eze 20:24; Eze 20:25; Eze 20:25; Eze 20:25; Eze 20:26; Eze 20:26; Eze 20:26; Eze 20:28; Eze 20:29; Eze 20:30; Eze 20:31; Eze 20:31; Eze 20:31; Eze 20:32; Eze 20:32; Eze 20:32; Eze 20:32; Eze 20:33; Eze 20:37; Eze 20:37; Eze 20:38; Eze 20:39; Eze 20:39; Eze 20:39; Eze 20:39; Eze 20:40; Eze 20:42
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NET Notes: Eze 20:4 Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “ju...
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NET Notes: Eze 20:6 The phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey,” a figure of speech describing the land’s abundant fertility, occurs in v. 15 as wel...
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NET Notes: Eze 20:7 Heb “each one, the detestable things of his eyes, throw away.” The Pentateuch does not refer to the Israelites worshiping idols in Egypt, ...
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NET Notes: Eze 20:9 Heb “to whom I made myself known before their eyes to bring them out from the land of Egypt.” The translation understands the infinitive c...
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NET Notes: Eze 20:12 Or “set them apart.” The last phrase of verse 12 appears to be a citation of Exod 31:13.
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NET Notes: Eze 20:16 Heb “for after their idols their heart was going.” The use of the active participle (“was going”) in the Hebrew text draws att...
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NET Notes: Eze 20:23 Though the Pentateuch does not seem to know of this episode, Ps 106:26-27 may speak of God’s oath to exile the people before they had entered Ca...
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NET Notes: Eze 20:24 Or “they worshiped” (NCV, TEV, CEV); Heb “their eyes were on” or “were after” (cf. v. 16).
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NET Notes: Eze 20:25 The Hebrew term חֻקּוֹת (khuqot; translated “statutes” elsewhere in this chapter) is normally fe...
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NET Notes: Eze 20:26 God sometimes punishes sin by inciting the sinner to sin even more, as the biblical examples of divine hardening and deceit make clear. See Robert B. ...
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NET Notes: Eze 20:33 This phrase occurs frequently in Deuteronomy (Deut 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 11:2; 26:8).
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NET Notes: Eze 20:37 The metaphor may be based in Lev 27:32 (see also Jer 33:13; Matt 25:32-33). A shepherd would count his sheep as they passed beneath his staff.
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