Ezekiel 14:6 kjv
Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Ezekiel 14:6 nkjv
"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.
Ezekiel 14:6 niv
"Therefore say to the people of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!
Ezekiel 14:6 esv
"Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Ezekiel 14:6 nlt
"Therefore, tell the people of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent and turn away from your idols, and stop all your detestable sins.
Ezekiel 14 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezek 14:1 | Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. | Setting the Scene |
| Ezek 14:3 | "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put a stumbling block of their iniquity before them. | Idolatry of Heart |
| Ezek 14:4 | therefore speak to them, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: “Any man of the house of Israel who sets up idols in his heart and puts a stumbling block of his iniquity before him... | Addressing Idolatry |
| Ezek 14:7 | "For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, who separates himself from me... | Separation from God |
| Ezek 14:10 | they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the one who seeks me shall be the same as the punishment of the one who seeks me not, or who consults a medium or a spirit... | Shared Guilt/Judgment |
| Ezek 14:11 | so that the house of Israel may be led astray no more from following me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions... | Purity of Nation |
| Ezek 20:3 | "Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD... | Similar Address |
| Ezek 20:7 | and I said to them, ‘Abhor the detestable things that your eyes detest, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ | Forsaking Idolatry |
| Jer 7:30 | for the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, declares the Lord. They have set their abominations in the house that is called by my name, to make it unclean. | Temple Defiled |
| Jer 10:23 | I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not his own; it is not for man who walks to direct his steps. | Human Limitation |
| Hos 2:14 | therefore, behold, I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. | God's Discipline |
| Amos 8:11 | "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. | Famine of Hearing |
| Matt 7:7 | "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. | Promise to Seekers |
| Matt 15:8 | ‘this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, | Hypocritical Worship |
| John 4:24 | God is a Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” | True Worship |
| 1 Cor 10:21 | You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. | Divided Loyalty |
| Rev 2:14 | But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel... | Stumbling Block |
| Deut 18:10 | There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer... | Prohibited Practices |
| Ps 95:10 | For forty years I was grieved by this generation, and said, “They are always wandering in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.” | Wandering Hearts |
| Isa 29:13 | And the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by... | Heart's Deception |
Ezekiel 14 verses
Ezekiel 14 6 Meaning
The Lord commands Ezekiel to tell the elders of Israel that He will not be sought by them. Their idolatrous practices and turning away from God have made Him unwilling to respond to their inquiries. God considers their pursuit of Him through divination and false means an affront and a rejection of His covenant.
Ezekiel 14 6 Context
This verse is situated within the prophecy delivered by Ezekiel to the elders of Israel who had come to inquire of the Lord through him. The broader context is God's judgment upon Israel due to their persistent idolatry and spiritual adultery. Chapter 14 highlights the futility of seeking God when one's heart is filled with detestable idols. The elders are seeking guidance from God, but their actions, including seeking divine counsel through illicit means and harboring idols in their hearts, render their inquiries void and met with God's refusal to be consulted. This refusal signifies a breach of relationship and a consequence of their covenant unfaithfulness. Historically, this occurs during the Babylonian exile, a period when Jerusalem was captured and many of the Jewish leaders were in exile. Their desire to seek God in these dire circumstances is understandable, but their internal disposition disqualifies them from receiving a divine response.
Ezekiel 14 6 Word Analysis
- Therefore (וְעַתָּה - wə‘attâ): "And now." This conjunction signifies a logical conclusion based on the preceding declarations about their idolatry and impurity.
- I (אָנֹכִי - ’ānōḵî): Emphatic personal pronoun "I." Highlights God's personal stance and agency in this matter.
- will not (לֹא - lō): Absolute negation. God's refusal is definitive.
- be (אֶהְיֶה - ’ehyeh): Future tense of "to be." Expresses His state of being or willingness.
- inquired (דָּרַשׁ - dāraš): "to seek out," "to inquire," "to ask of," "to require." A strong term for earnestly seeking or demanding something, particularly from God. The Hebrew word used here for seeking emphasizes a more active, perhaps even demanding, quest.
- of (מִן - min): Preposition indicating source or origin. God will not be the source from whom they inquire.
- them (הֵמָּה - hēmmâ): Plural pronoun referring back to the elders of Israel.
Words-Group Analysis
- "I will not be inquired of them": This phrase conveys God's resolute decision not to answer or respond to the inquiries of these particular elders. It’s not a universal abandonment of Israel but a specific judgment upon those who approach Him with impure hearts and a double mind, seeking God while cleaving to idolatry. It reflects the principle that God’s communication is contingent upon the disposition and faithfulness of the one seeking Him.
Ezekiel 14 6 Bonus Section
The concept of God not allowing Himself to be inquired of by certain people highlights the conditional nature of access to God’s presence and favor. This is seen elsewhere when God’s face is turned away from His people due to their sin (Deuteronomy 31:18). The elders here are acting as intermediaries for the people, but their own sin corrupts their role and their ability to truly represent the people before God. Their reliance on forms of divination mentioned in earlier verses, as opposed to sincere prayer and repentance, further solidifies God’s refusal to be consulted by them in their current state. The emphasis is on the purity of heart required to approach the Divine.
Ezekiel 14 6 Commentary
The verse states God’s refusal to be sought by the elders due to their ingrained idolatry. This is a severe indictment of their spiritual condition. They are seeking divine insight or approval, but their hearts are entrenched in forbidden practices and attachments to idols, which represent foreign gods or misplaced loyalties. God is a holy God and cannot commune with or be sought acceptably by those who defile themselves with sin and rebellion. The inability or refusal of God to be sought signifies His rejection of their worship and their prayers because they are not offered in genuine repentance and sincerity. This is a warning against syncretism and the vain effort to serve both God and idols. God’s demand is for wholehearted devotion.
- Seeking God while cherishing known sin renders the seeking hollow and offensive.
- God's promise to be found (Jeremiah 29:13) is conditioned on seeking Him with the whole heart.
- Idolatry in any form (material idols or affections placed elsewhere) creates a barrier to genuine fellowship.