3 Son H1121 of man, H120 speak H1696 unto the elders H2205 of Israel, H3478 and say H559 unto them, Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Are ye come H935 to enquire H1875 of me? As I live, H2416 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD, H3069 I will not be enquired H1875 of by you.
Then shall the seers H2374 be ashamed, H954 and the diviners H7080 confounded: H2659 yea, they shall all cover H5844 their lips; H8222 for there is no answer H4617 of God. H430
And when Saul H7586 enquired H7592 of the LORD, H3068 the LORD H3068 answered H6030 him not, neither by dreams, H2472 nor by Urim, H224 nor by prophets. H5030
And call H7121 upon me in the day H3117 of trouble: H6869 I will deliver H2502 thee, and thou shalt glorify H3513 me. But unto the wicked H7563 God H430 saith, H559 What hast thou to do to declare H5608 my statutes, H2706 or that thou shouldest take H5375 my covenant H1285 in thy mouth? H6310 Seeing thou hatest H8130 instruction, H4148 and castest H7993 my words H1697 behind H310 thee. When thou sawest H7200 a thief, H1590 then thou consentedst H7521 with him, and hast been partaker H2506 with adulterers. H5003 Thou givest H7971 thy mouth H6310 to evil, H7451 and thy tongue H3956 frameth H6775 deceit. H4820 Thou sittest H3427 and speakest H1696 against thy brother; H251 thou H5414 slanderest H1848 thine own mother's H517 son. H1121 These things hast thou done, H6213 and I kept silence; H2790 thou thoughtest H1819 that I was altogether H1961 such an one as thyself: but I will reprove H3198 thee, and set them in order H6186 before thine eyes. H5869
The sacrifice H2077 of the wicked H7563 is an abomination H8441 to the LORD: H3068 but the prayer H8605 of the upright H3477 is his delight. H7522
When ye come H935 to appear H7200 before H6440 me, who hath required H1245 this at your hand, H3027 to tread H7429 my courts? H2691
And when ye spread forth H6566 your hands, H3709 I will hide H5956 mine eyes H5869 from you: yea, when ye make many H7235 prayers, H8605 I will not hear: H8085 your hands H3027 are full H4390 of blood. H1818
Son H1121 of man, H120 these men H582 have set up H5927 their idols H1544 in their heart, H3820 and put H5414 the stumblingblock H4383 of their iniquity H5771 before H5227 their face: H6440 should I be enquired H1875 of at all H1875 by them? Therefore speak H1696 unto them, and say H559 unto them, Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Every man H376 of the house H1004 of Israel H3478 that setteth up H5927 his idols H1544 in his heart, H3820 and putteth H7760 the stumblingblock H4383 of his iniquity H5771 before H5227 his face, H6440 and cometh H935 to the prophet; H5030 I the LORD H3068 will answer H6030 him that cometh H935 according to the multitude H7230 of his idols; H1544
For every one H376 of the house H1004 of Israel, H3478 or of the stranger H1616 that sojourneth H1481 in Israel, H3478 which separateth H5144 himself from me, H310 and setteth up H5927 his idols H1544 in his heart, H3820 and putteth H7760 the stumblingblock H4383 of his iniquity H5771 before H5227 his face, H6440 and cometh H935 to a prophet H5030 to enquire H1875 of him concerning me; I the LORD H3068 will answer H6030 him by myself: And I will set H5414 my face H6440 against that man, H376 and will make H8074 him a sign H226 and a proverb, H4912 and I will cut him off H3772 from the midst H8432 of my people; H5971 and ye shall know H3045 that I am the LORD. H3068
For when ye offer H5375 your gifts, H4979 when ye make your sons H1121 to pass through H5674 the fire, H784 ye pollute H2930 yourselves with all your idols, H1544 even unto this day: H3117 and shall I be enquired H1875 of by you, O house H1004 of Israel? H3478 As I live, H2416 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD, H3069 I will not be enquired H1875 of by you.
But G1161 when he saw G1492 many G4183 of the Pharisees G5330 and G2532 Sadducees G4523 come G2064 to G1909 his G846 baptism, G908 he said G2036 unto them, G846 O generation G1081 of vipers, G2191 who G5101 hath warned G5263 you G5213 to flee G5343 from G575 the wrath G3709 to come? G3195
This G3778 people G2992 draweth nigh G1448 unto me G3427 with their G846 mouth, G4750 and G2532 honoureth G5091 me G3165 with their lips; G5491 but G1161 their G846 heart G2588 is G568 far G4206 from G575 me. G1700 But G1161 in vain G3155 they do worship G4576 me, G3165 teaching G1321 for doctrines G1319 the commandments G1778 of men. G444
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Ezekiel 20
Commentary on Ezekiel 20 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 20
In this chapter,
Eze 20:1-4
Here is,
Eze 20:5-9
The history of the ingratitude and rebellion of the people of Israel here begins as early as their beginning; so does the history of man's apostasy from his Maker. No sooner have we read the story of our first parents' creation than we immediately meet with that of their rebellion; so we see here it was with Israel, a people designed to represent the body of mankind both in their dealings with God and in his with them. Here is,
Eze 20:10-26
The history of the struggle between the sins of Israel, by which they endeavoured to ruin themselves, and the mercies of God, by which he endeavoured to save them and make them happy, is here continued: and the instances of that struggle in these verses have reference to what passed between God and them in the wilderness, in which God honoured himself and they shamed themselves. The story of Israel in the wilderness is referred to in the New Testament (1 Co. 10 and Heb. 3), as well as often in the Old, for warning to us Christians; and therefore we are particularly concerned in these verses. Observe,
Eze 20:27-32
Here the prophet goes on with the story of their rebellions, for their further humiliation, and shows,
Eze 20:33-44
The design which was now on foot among the elders of Israel was that the people of Israel, being scattered among the nations, should lay aside all their peculiarities and conform to those among whom they lived; but God had told them that the design should not take effect, v. 32. Now, in these verses, he shows particularly how it should be frustrated. They aimed at the mingling of the families of Israel with the families of the countries; but it will prove in the issue that the wicked Israelites, notwithstanding their compliances, shall not mingle with them in their prosperity, but shall be distinguished from them for destruction; for idolatrous Israelites, that are apostates from God, shall be sooner and more sorely punished than idolatrous Babylonians that never knew the way of righteousness. Read and tremble at the doom here passed upon them; it is backed with an oath not to be reversed: As I live, saith the Lord God, thus and thus will I deal with you. They think to make both Jerusalem and Babylon their friends by halting between two; but God threatens that neither of them shall serve for a rest or refuge for them.
Eze 20:45-49
We have here a prophecy of wrath against Judah and Jerusalem, which would more fitly have begun the next chapter than conclude this; for it has no dependence on what goes before, but that which follows in the beginning of the next chapter is the explication of it, when the people complained that this was a parable which they understood not. In this parable,
Now observe,