Ezekiel 20:19 kjv
I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;
Ezekiel 20:19 nkjv
I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them;
Ezekiel 20:19 niv
I am the LORD your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Ezekiel 20:19 esv
I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules,
Ezekiel 20:19 nlt
'I am the LORD your God,' I told them. 'Follow my decrees, pay attention to my regulations,
Ezekiel 20 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exodus 15:26 | "If you diligently obey the Lord your God, and do what is right in his eyes... I will not put on you any of the diseases that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer." | God's promise for obedience |
| Leviticus 18:4-5 | "You shallMy mishpatim and My statutes, you shall observe them... For I am the Lord your God." | Mandate to follow laws |
| Leviticus 19:36 | "You shall have just balances, just weights, just ephahs, and just hins. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt." | Emphasis on righteous dealings |
| Deuteronomy 5:29 | "Oh, that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their children forever!" | God's desire for obedient hearts |
| Deuteronomy 6:25 | "And righteousness will be ours when we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as he commanded us." | Righteousness through obedience |
| Psalm 119:4 | "You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently." | Command for diligence |
| Psalm 119:6 | "Then I shall not be put to shame, when I keep all your commandments." | Shame avoided through obedience |
| Psalm 119:138 | "Your testimonies are righteous and altogether trustworthy." | Testimony of God's statutes |
| Proverbs 2:6 | "For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;" | Source of wisdom |
| Isaiah 1:16 | "Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil," | Call to ethical living |
| Isaiah 5:24 | "therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as the dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will become rot, and their blossom will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts..." | Consequences of rejecting law |
| Jeremiah 7:23 | "But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may go well with you.’" | Condition for relationship |
| Matthew 7:21 | "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of the heavens, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." | Obedience to God's will |
| Matthew 22:37-40 | "And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." | Essence of the law |
| John 14:15 | "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." | Love demonstrated by obedience |
| John 14:21 | "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." | Manifestation through keeping |
| 1 Corinthians 7:19 | "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters." | Importance of obedience |
| 1 John 2:3-4 | "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him," | Knowing God through obedience |
| 1 John 5:2-3 | "By this we know that we love the children of God, by loving God and carrying out his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome." | Burden of God's commandments |
Ezekiel 20 verses
Ezekiel 20 19 Meaning
This verse instructs the Israelites to "walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances" (my mishpatim u-shmoru et-hukkotai). It is a direct command from God, emphasizing the importance of obedience to His laws and commandments, not merely outwardly but with diligent adherence. The implication is a call to a life lived in consistent faithfulness and attentiveness to divine instruction, both in judgment (statutes) and in the precise details of observance (ordinances).
Ezekiel 20 19 Context
Ezekiel 20 is part of a larger prophetic discourse delivered to the exiled Israelites in Babylon. The chapter recounts God's historical dealings with Israel, highlighting their repeated acts of rebellion and idolatry, which ultimately led to their exile. In this context, Ezekiel is reminded of God's faithfulness despite Israel's unfaithfulness. Verse 19 is part of a series of pronouncements where God instructs Ezekiel to reiterate the foundational covenantal responsibilities to the people. The focus is on renewing their commitment to God's law and statutes as the path back to spiritual purity and future restoration, contrasting their current predicament with the divine expectations that were laid out at their very inception as a nation. The people's historical tendency to follow other gods and their corrupted practices in Egypt and the wilderness are being addressed, necessitating a strong call for present and future obedience.
Ezekiel 20 19 Word Analysis
- "And" (וְ – wə): A conjunctive particle, indicating continuation and connection to the preceding statements, which likely recount their past failings or God's faithfulness.
- "you shall walk" (לְכוּ – lkhu): Imperative plural of the verb הָלַךְ (halakh), meaning "to go" or "to walk." In a covenantal context, "walking" signifies living, conduct, and following a particular way or path.
- "in my statutes" (בְּחֻקֹּתַי – bḥuqqōṯai): The preposition בְּ (bə) means "in" or "with." חֻקִּים (ḥuqqīm) refers to statutes, ordinances, decrees, or carved enactments. These are the divine laws and judgments set forth by God. The suffix -ַי (-ai) indicates "my."
- "and be careful" (וּשְׁמֹרוּ – ūšmə‘ōrū): The conjunction וּ (ū) means "and." שָׁמַר (shamar) means "to guard," "to keep," "to observe diligently," "to pay heed." This imperative implies active vigilance and preservation of God's commands.
- "to observe" (לְשָׁמֹר – ləšāmor): The infinitive form of שָׁמַר (shamar), reiterating the call for diligent observance.
- "my ordinances" (אֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַי – ’et-mišpāṭai): The direct object marker אֶת (’et) precedes the noun. מִשְׁפָּטִים (mišpāṭīm) denotes judgments, laws, or legal decisions, often referring to the social, ethical, and ritual laws governing the community. The suffix -ַי (-ai) again signifies "my." The pairing of ḥuqqīm (statutes/decrees) and mišpāṭīm (ordinances/judgments) covers the breadth of God's regulatory will for His people.
Phrase/Passage Analysis:
- "walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances": This parallel structure highlights two crucial aspects of obedience: the general direction of one's life ("walk") guided by God's enacted decrees ("statutes"), and the diligent, careful application of the specifics of God's judgment and law ("be careful to observe my ordinances"). It's not just about following a path but also about meticulous adherence to every detail. This echoes the Deuteronomic call to "love the LORD your God... and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cleave to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 10:12).
Ezekiel 20 19 Bonus Section
The pairing of "statutes" (ḥuqqōt) and "ordinances" (mišpāṭim) is common in the Pentateuch and prophetic literature. While often used interchangeably or together to encompass the entirety of God's law, some scholars differentiate: ḥuqqōt might refer to those divine statutes whose reason is not immediately apparent to human understanding (like certain ritual laws), whereas mišpāṭim could refer to those laws based on principles of justice and righteousness understandable to the human conscience. Regardless of the subtle distinction, the composite meaning is the complete body of God's law, demanding both reverence and meticulous execution. This emphasizes that God's expectation extends beyond mere ceremonial adherence to encompass ethical and moral conduct, as well as a deep commitment to His prescribed way of life.
Ezekiel 20 19 Commentary
This verse serves as a timeless mandate for God's people across generations. It underscores that a true relationship with God is demonstrated through a life of active, conscientious obedience to His revealed will. "Statutes" (ḥuqqōt) represent God's divinely established order and decree, while "ordinances" (mišpāṭim) refer to His just rulings and judgments in practice. The command to "walk" signifies a continuous lifestyle, and "be careful to observe" demands attentive and diligent keeping of these divine laws. It is a call not to nominal adherence but to wholehearted devotion expressed through faithful living, mirroring the expectation of love for God expressed through obedience in the New Testament (John 14:15).