Text -- Ezekiel 20:28-49 (NET)

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. 20:43 And there you will remember your conduct and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves. You will despise yourselves because of all the evil deeds you have done. 20:44 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for the sake of my reputation and not according to your wicked conduct and corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord.’”

Prophecy Against the South

20:45 The word of the Lord came to me: 20:46 “Son of man, turn toward the south, and speak out against the south. Prophesy against the open scrub land of the Negev, 20:47 and say to the scrub land of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, I am about to start a fire in you, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The flaming fire will not be extinguished, and the whole surface of the ground from the Negev to the north will be scorched by it. 20:48 And everyone will see that I, the Lord, have burned it; it will not be extinguished.’” 20:49 Then I said, “O sovereign Lord! They are saying of me, ‘Does he not simply speak in eloquent figures of speech?’”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Eze 20:28

¹ tn Heb “which I lifted up my hand.”

NET Notes: Eze 20:29

¹ tn The Hebrew word (“Bamah”) means “high place.”

NET Notes: Eze 20:30

¹ tn Heb “in the way of your fathers.”

NET Notes: Eze 20:31

¹ tn Or “gifts.”

² tn Or “Will I reveal myself to you?”

³ tn Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”

NET Notes: Eze 20:32

¹ tn Heb “what comes upon your mind.”

² tn The Hebrew could also read: “Let us be.”

³ tn Heb “serving wood and stone.”

sn This verse echoes the content of 1 Sam 8:20.

NET Notes: Eze 20:33

¹ sn This phrase occurs frequently in Deuteronomy (Deut 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 11:2; 26:8).

NET Notes: Eze 20:37

¹ tn This is the same Hebrew verb used to describe the passing of the children through the fire.

² sn 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.

NET Notes: Eze 20:38

¹ tn See the note at 2:3.

NET Notes: Eze 20:39

¹ sn Compare the irony here to Amos 4:4 and Jer 44:25.

² tn Heb “and after, if you will not listen to me.” The translation leaves out “and after” for smoothness. The text is difficult. M. Greenberg (Ezekiel [AB], 1:374) suggests that it may mean “but afterwards, if you will not listen to me…” with an unspoken threat.

³ sn A similar concept may be found in Lev 18:21; 20:3.

⁴ tn Or “gifts.”

NET Notes: Eze 20:40

¹ tn Heb “all of it.”

NET Notes: Eze 20:42

¹ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”

NET Notes: Eze 20:43

¹ tn Heb “ways.”

² tn Heb “loathe yourselves in your faces.”

NET Notes: Eze 20:45

¹ sn Beginning with 20:45, the verse numbers through 21:32 in the English Bible differ by five from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 20:45 ET = 21:1 HT, 20:46 ET = 21:2 HT, 21:1 ET = 21:6 HT etc., through 21:32 ET = 21:37 HT. Beginning with 22:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.

NET Notes: Eze 20:46

¹ tn Heb “set your face toward.” This expression occurs as well in Ezek 6:2; 13:17.

² tn Or “the way toward the south,” or “the way toward Teman.” Teman is in the south and may be a location or the direction.

³ tn Or “toward Darom.” Darom may mean the south or a region just north of southern city of Beer Sheba. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:417-18.

⁴ tn The Hebrew term can also mean “forest,” but a meaning of uncultivated wasteland fits the Negev region far better. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:418.

NET Notes: Eze 20:47

¹ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.

² tn Fire also appears as a form of judgment in Ezek 15:4-7; 19:12, 14.

NET Notes: Eze 20:48

¹ tn Heb “all flesh.”