Ezekiel 20 26

Ezekiel 20:26 kjv

And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 20:26 nkjv

and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the LORD." '

Ezekiel 20:26 niv

I defiled them through their gifts?the sacrifice of every firstborn?that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the LORD.'

Ezekiel 20:26 esv

and I defiled them through their very gifts in their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it that they might know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 20:26 nlt

I let them pollute themselves with the very gifts I had given them, and I allowed them to give their firstborn children as offerings to their gods ? so I might devastate them and remind them that I alone am the LORD.

Ezekiel 20 verses

Ezekiel 20 26 Meaning

Ezekiel 20:26 states that God gave His people statutes that were not good, and by which they could not live. This signifies that God, in His judgment, allowed them to pursue ways that led to their destruction, reflecting their persistent disobedience and turning away from His covenant. It’s an expression of God’s judicial action in response to their repeated defilement.

Ezekiel 20 26 Context

This verse is found within Ezekiel chapter 20, a significant portion of the prophet's message delivered to the exiled Israelites in Babylon. The chapter details God's long-suffering with Israel's history of rebellion and idolatry, juxtaposed with His faithfulness to His covenant promises. Ezekiel is reminding them of their ancestors’ repeated transgressions, tracing them from Egypt through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. Chapter 20 specifically highlights Israel’s stubborn resistance to God's commands and the resulting judgment of exile. Verse 26, therefore, is part of a retrospective on how God's turning away from them was a judicial consequence of their turning away from Him and embracing corrupt practices. This was not an initiation of evil by God, but His allowing them to reap the destructive consequences of their own sinful choices.

Ezekiel 20 26 Word Analysis

• "Moreover" (Hebrew: וְעוֹד - we‘od): Indicates an addition or continuation of the thought, further emphasizing Israel's transgressions and God's responses. It suggests building upon the previous points of their idolatry.

• "I gave" (Hebrew: נָתַ֕נְתִּי - natatti): First-person singular perfect form of "nathan," meaning to give, put, set. This highlights God's direct agency. In this context, it refers to permitting or allowing statutes that would prove destructive.

• "them" (Hebrew: לָהֶ֖ם - lahem): Refers back to the Israelites being addressed.

• "also" (Hebrew: גַּ֣ם - gam): Reinforces the idea that these statutes were an additional form of God's dealing with their rebellion, not the primary or good commands.

• "statutes" (Hebrew: חֻקִּ֥ים - chuqqim): Plural of "chuqqah," meaning statute, ordinance, custom. In this case, it denotes the decree or law itself, which in its consequence became detrimental.

• "that were not good" (Hebrew: אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹ֥א טֹ֖בוּ - asher lo tovu): The key phrase indicating the negative nature of these ordinances. "Tov" (good) can relate to moral goodness, benefit, or pleasantness. Here, it signifies that these practices were detrimental, not beneficial, and did not lead to life. This reflects ordinances leading to spiritual or physical demise, not divine blessing.

• "and" (Hebrew: וּבְהֶ֕ם - uvehem): Connects the statutes to the ordinances that followed.

• "by which" (Hebrew: בָּהֶ֗ם - vahem): Indicates the means or instrument.

• "they could not live" (Hebrew: לֹ֥א יִחְי֖וּ - lo yichyeh): Future imperfect tense of "chayah," meaning to live, be alive, sustain life. This emphasizes that these particular enactments or practices would lead to death, not life, highlighting a severe consequence of sin. It can refer to a cessation of physical life, loss of covenant life, or spiritual death.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "I gave them also statutes that were not good": This construction suggests a passive role by God, a judicial permission or abandonment to certain courses of action that inherently led to ruin. It's not that God ordained them as inherently evil from His perspective, but rather as measures within His judgment that exposed their ungodliness and resulted in their demise. Scholars note this can be seen as God permitting them to go down paths that revealed their depraved hearts, or ordinances that, when followed, inevitably led away from Him.
  • "and ordinances by which they could not live": This directly links the failure to "live" (spiritually or temporally) to these particular statutes and ordinances. It’s a reversal of His earlier commands, like Leviticus 18:5, which promised life through obedience to His good statutes. Here, the pattern is inverted; compliance with these destructive statutes seals their fate. This points to a form of divine retribution where God ceases to strive for their well-being through these avenues, and instead, their engagement with them seals their doom.

Ezekiel 20 26 Bonus Section

This verse stands as a significant theological point in understanding divine judgment and human free will. It contrasts sharply with God’s positive commands that lead to life (Leviticus 18:5). The "statutes that were not good" likely refer to either:

1. The practice of religious rites that were subtly influenced by surrounding pagan cultures, thus polluting true worship and leading away from God.
2. The consequences of their own self-imposed legalisms or sinful practices that they mistook for valid ways before God, but which, in reality, alienated them further.
3. A judicial allowance for their misguided or idolatrous worship, effectively abandoning them to the inherent destitution of their chosen spiritual path.

This judicial abandonment is also seen in the New Testament, as Paul describes God giving people over to impurity, dishonorable passions, and a debased mind (Romans 1:24-28) due to their rejection of Him. This indicates a continuity in God’s method of dealing with persistent rebellion across both covenants: judgment can involve allowing humanity the full consequence of its apostasy. The context of Ezekiel’s prophecy strongly suggests these "not good" statutes were not original commands from God, but rather a consequence of Israel’s syncretistic practices and overall rebellion, to which God, in His justice, permitted them to be bound, thus reaping the death associated with them.

Ezekiel 20 26 Commentary

This verse expresses a stark reality of God’s judgment. When humanity persistently rejects God’s life-giving commands, God, in His justice, can withdraw His sustaining grace. He permits or even directs them into patterns of behavior and legal frameworks that, by their very nature, lead to death, apostasy, and ruin. This isn’t God authoring sin, but rather allowing the natural, deadly consequences of sin to unfold. It signifies God handing over individuals or nations to their chosen path of destruction. This can manifest as a spiritual hardening or a national downfall due to following what seems expedient but is ultimately anti-God. For believers, it's a solemn reminder of the vitality and life found only in God's true statutes and ordinances.

• Practical Usage: When facing decisions that seem to offer easy or appealing paths but deviate from God’s clear principles, one should recognize the danger. Similarly, seeing societal trends that are clearly contrary to God’s word and observing the negative outcomes reinforces this understanding. It calls for a discernment of God’s ways versus the ways that lead to destruction.