Ezekiel 20:24 kjv
Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.
Ezekiel 20:24 nkjv
because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers' idols.
Ezekiel 20:24 niv
because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes lusted after their parents' idols.
Ezekiel 20:24 esv
because they had not obeyed my rules, but had rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, and their eyes were set on their fathers' idols.
Ezekiel 20:24 nlt
because they did not obey my regulations. They scorned my decrees by violating my Sabbath days and longing for the idols of their ancestors.
Ezekiel 20 24 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 20:3-5 | "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image..." | Commandment against idolatry |
| Exod 31:13-17 | "...for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you." | Sabbath as covenant sign |
| Deut 4:1-2 | "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you... You shall not add to the word that I command you..." | Command to obey laws fully |
| Deut 8:11 | "Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His rules, and His statutes, which I command you today." | Warning against forgetting/disobeying |
| Deut 28:15 | "But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all His commandments and His statutes... then all these curses shall come upon you..." | Curses for disobedience |
| 2 Kings 17:7-18 | Describes Israel's rejection of God's statutes, walking after customs of nations, worshipping idols, and consequent exile. | Historical account of rebellion |
| Jer 2:27-28 | "who say to a tree, 'You are my father,' and to a stone, 'You gave me birth'... But where are your gods that you made for yourself?" | Accusation of ancestral idolatry |
| Jer 5:23 | "But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away." | Describing Israel's heart problem |
| Jer 17:21-27 | God warns against profaning the Sabbath by carrying burdens, emphasizing the severe consequences of continued Sabbath desecration. | Warning about Sabbath breaking |
| Neh 9:16-17 | Nehemiah's prayer recounting Israel's pride, stiff-neckedness, refusal to obey, yet God's gracious forbearance. | Rebellion against God's laws |
| Isa 1:10 | "Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!" | Israel likened to pagan cities due to sin |
| Isa 58:13-14 | Promises blessings if Israel guards the Sabbath from their own pleasure, finding delight in God's holy day. | Blessing for Sabbath observance |
| Hos 4:6 | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you..." | Rejection of divine instruction |
| Amos 2:4 | "Thus says the LORD: 'For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept His statutes...'" | Judah's rejection of God's law |
| Mal 3:7 | "From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you..." | Generational unfaithfulness |
| Psa 78:56-58 | "Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God, and did not keep His testimonies... They vexed Him with their high places and provoked Him to jealousy with their carved images." | Historical rebellion & idolatry |
| Psa 119:10-11 | "With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." | Opposite: Desire to keep God's law |
| Acts 7:42-43 | Stephen recounts Israel's persistent idolatry in the wilderness, referring to "figures that you made to worship." | Persistent idolatry of forefathers |
| Rom 1:21-23 | Describes how suppressing truth leads to futile thinking, foolish hearts, and worshipping created things rather than the Creator. | Consequences of rejecting God |
| Rom 7:12 | "So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good." | Law's inherent goodness |
| Heb 4:6-10 | Discusses entry into God's rest, linking it to the Sabbath rest, implying that persistent disobedience (like in the wilderness) keeps one from entering. | Unbelief hinders entering rest (Sabbath) |
| 1 John 5:3 | "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." | Obedience as sign of love |
| 2 Tim 3:16 | "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." | Value of God's instructions |
| Col 3:5 | "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." | Idolatry in various forms |
Ezekiel 20 verses
Ezekiel 20 24 Meaning
Ezekiel 20:24 provides a foundational explanation for God's judgment and severe discipline upon the house of Israel. It declares that their disobedience stemmed from a consistent and deliberate rejection of His divine authority across multiple aspects of their covenant relationship. They failed to uphold His moral and legal requirements (ordinances), spurned His divine decrees (statutes), profaned His sacred days of rest (Sabbaths), and critically, maintained a devotion to the worthless idols inherited from their ancestors, demonstrating a heart profoundly turned away from the One True God. This comprehensive breach of covenant justified the consequences they faced, notably the exile.
Ezekiel 20 24 Context
Ezekiel chapter 20 begins with elders of Israel coming to inquire of the LORD. However, God, through Ezekiel, refuses to be consulted because of their persistent idolatry. The chapter then becomes a historical indictment of Israel's unfaithfulness, chronicling their rebellion from Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the land of Canaan. Each period is marked by their failure to reject the idols of their past and obey God's commands, statutes, and Sabbaths. This verse, Ezekiel 20:24, stands as a concise summary of the reasons for God's indignation and His earlier (and present) judgments upon them. It underlines the comprehensive nature of their spiritual defection—a total disregard for His covenant, leading to a justifying narrative for their current state of exile in Babylon. The historical context is crucial; Ezekiel speaks to exiles, reminding them that their current suffering is not arbitrary but a direct consequence of their ancestral and current rebellion against the divine covenant.
Ezekiel 20 24 Word analysis
- because (יַעַן - yaʿan): Introduces the reason or justification for God's previous statements and actions, emphasizing the direct causal link between their behavior and divine judgment.
- they had not executed (לֹא עָשׂוּ - lo ʿaśu): "Not done" or "failed to perform." This signifies an active neglect or omission, a lack of adherence to required actions, not merely an intellectual disagreement but a practical failure.
- My ordinances (מִשְׁפָּטַי - mishpaṭay): Refers to God's just rulings, legal directives, or societal decrees. These were often rooted in ethical justice and designed to ensure order and righteousness within the community, reflecting God's own character.
- but had rejected (וּבְחֻקֹּתַי מָאָסוּ - uḇẖuqqōtay māʾasu): "Rejected" (maʾasu) is a strong verb indicating disdain, spurning, or a complete repudiation. It's not just a failure to perform but an active scorn, viewing God's laws as contemptible.
- My statutes (חֻקֹּתַי - ẖuqqōtay): Refers to divine prescriptions, often laws that are simply declared by God, which may not have an immediately obvious human rationale. They demand faith and obedience, typically covering ceremonial, ritual, or symbolic aspects of the covenant.
- and had profaned (וְאֶת שַׁבְּתוֹתַי חִלְּלוּ - wĕʾet šabbǝtôṭay ḥillĕlû): "Profaned" (ḥillĕlû) means to treat as common or ordinary that which is sacred. It's a desecration, diminishing the holiness of something set apart by God.
- My Sabbaths (שַׁבְּתוֹתַי - šabbǝtôṭay): Plural, emphasizing not just one specific Sabbath day, but the entire concept of the Sabbath principle, encompassing weekly Sabbaths, possibly Sabbatical years, and other sacred times of rest dedicated to God. The Sabbath was a primary sign of the covenant between God and Israel (Exod 31:13).
- and their eyes were on (וְאַחֲרֵי גִּלּוּלֵיהֶם הָיוּ עֵינֵיהֶם - wĕʾaḥărê gillûlêhem hāyû ʿêneyhem): A vivid idiomatic expression. "Eyes were on" signifies fixation, devotion, following, or longing after. It portrays deep attachment and loyal pursuit, indicating a profound spiritual idolatry.
- their fathers' idols (גִּלּוּלֵיהֶם - gillûlêhem): A derogatory term Ezekiel frequently uses for idols, often implying "dung-gods" or "worthless things." This phrase highlights the inherited and persistent nature of their idolatry, demonstrating a lack of discontinuity with ancestral sins.
Ezekiel 20 24 Bonus section
- The deliberate profaning of "My Sabbaths" (plural) reveals the deep-seated disrespect for God's time. The Sabbath was meant to be a weekly reminder of God as Creator and Redeemer, a sanctified space for communion. To desecrate it was to reject this divine rhythm and purpose for their lives.
- The progression from "not executed My ordinances" to "rejected My statutes" to "profaned My Sabbaths" and finally to "their eyes were on their fathers' idols" demonstrates a spiritual decline. It begins with a lack of performance, escalates to active repudiation, further degrades into sacrilege, and culminates in a deep-seated idolatry—the very antithesis of their covenant identity.
- The phrase "fathers' idols" underscores the powerful, often generational, influence of cultural and religious traditions, even when those traditions directly contradict divine revelation. It speaks to the insidious nature of inherited sin patterns and the human tendency to cleave to the familiar, rather than embrace radical obedience to God.
Ezekiel 20 24 Commentary
Ezekiel 20:24 incisively summarizes the chronic spiritual condition of Israel that necessitated God's judgments. Their failure was comprehensive: encompassing ethical and moral codes ("ordinances"), ritual and spiritual directives ("statutes"), and the essential covenant sign of the Sabbath. This wasn't merely a lapse in memory or occasional transgression, but a deep-seated rejection and active desecration. Most significantly, their hearts remained tethered to the "fathers' idols," implying a generational transmission of spiritual apostasy and a profound lack of wholehearted commitment to the exclusive worship of Yahweh. The phrase "their eyes were on" powerfully illustrates a continued longing and loyalty toward these worthless entities, highlighting a spiritual blindness that obscured the glory of God. This persistent idolatry, alongside the flouting of divine law and profanation of sacred space/time, signified a complete breakdown of their covenant relationship, making divine judgment both just and inevitable for the purification of His people and the upholding of His holiness.