Ezekiel 20 28

Ezekiel 20:28 kjv

For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.

Ezekiel 20:28 nkjv

When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings.

Ezekiel 20:28 niv

When I brought them into the land I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings.

Ezekiel 20:28 esv

For when I had brought them into the land that I swore to give them, then wherever they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices and there they presented the provocation of their offering; there they sent up their pleasing aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings.

Ezekiel 20:28 nlt

for when I brought them into the land I had promised them, they offered sacrifices on every high hill and under every green tree they saw! They roused my fury as they offered up sacrifices to their gods. They brought their perfumes and incense and poured out their liquid offerings to them.

Ezekiel 20 verses

Ezekiel 20 28 Meaning

Ezekiel 20:28 describes Israel's immediate and ungrateful turning to idolatry upon entering the Promised Land, which God had sworn to give them. They actively sought out the places of pagan worship—every prominent high hill and lush tree—to offer their sacrifices. These acts were not merely rituals but grave provocations and offenses against the Lord, defiling the land and transforming what should have been worship pleasing to God into detestable practices offered to false gods. The verse underscores Israel's consistent pattern of rebellion and spiritual unfaithfulness despite divine provision and blessing.

Ezekiel 20 28 Context

Ezekiel chapter 20 begins with elders of Israel approaching Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. Instead of a direct answer, God sends a message through Ezekiel recounting Israel's history of rebellion, focusing on their unfaithfulness from their time in Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land. This historical survey serves to justify the impending judgment of exile. Verses 25-26 mention God giving them "statutes that were not good," interpreted as the consequences of their actions or further revelations exposing their depravity, culminating in child sacrifice. Verse 28, therefore, highlights the next stage of their rebellion, illustrating that immediately upon inheriting the promised land, their spiritual fidelity did not improve but devolved into widespread, entrenched pagan worship at Canaanite sites. It shows a persistent pattern of turning away from God despite His continuous grace and provision, illustrating the deep-rooted nature of their spiritual defilement that warranted divine judgment.

Ezekiel 20 28 Word analysis

• When I brought them into the land which I swore to give to them:
  • "brought" (הֵבֵאתִי - hevêti): This active verb emphasizes God's direct, faithful action in delivering Israel. It contrasts sharply with their immediate unfaithfulness.
  • "swore to give" (נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לָתֵת - nishbaʻti lātēt): Highlights the covenant faithfulness of God, whose promise was secured by an oath, making Israel's subsequent betrayal even more egregious.
• then they saw every high hill and every leafy tree:
  • "high hill" (כָּל־גִּבְעָה רָמָה - kol-giv'āh rāmāh): Literally "every high hill" or "raised place." The Hebrew term for high place (bāma), though not explicitly used here, is implied by "high hill," a common location for illicit cultic worship in the ancient Near East, particularly among Canaanites. These were elevated sites often considered sacred.
  • "leafy tree" (וְכָל־עֵץ רַעֲנָן - veḵol-ʻēṣ raʻănān): "Every lush tree" or "green tree." Sacred groves or individual trees were also central to Canaanite fertility cults, associated with nature deities like Baal and Asherah. They symbolized life and fertility. The people, rather than eradicating these as commanded, adopted them.
• and there they offered their sacrifices:
  • "offered their sacrifices" (וַיַּעֲלוּ שָׁם אֶת־זִבְחֵיהֶם - vayyaʻalū shām ’et-zivḥêhem): The verb ʻālāh (to offer/bring up) is the standard term for bringing offerings to God. Zevaḥîm (sacrifices) is a general term for cultic animal offerings. In this context, these sacrifices, though using the same terminology as for Yahweh worship, were directed towards other gods, making them abominable.
• and there they presented the provocation of their offering:
  • "provocation" (מִכְשׁוֹל עֲוֺנָם - mikhshôl ‘ăwōnām): Literally, "stumbling block of their iniquity/sin." This is a strong, negative term indicating deep offense and the resultant divine displeasure. Their offerings were not pleasing but a source of intense grievance for God, rooted in their rebellion and turning away.
• there also they made their soothing aroma and there they poured out their drink offerings:
  • "soothing aroma" (רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ - rêaḥ nîḥōaḥ): This phrase in the Pentateuch (e.g., Ex 29:18; Lev 1:9) specifically describes offerings made to Yahweh that are pleasing and acceptable to Him. Its use here for pagan sacrifices is deeply ironic and sarcastic. It highlights the profound perversion of true worship – Israel was giving to idols what should have been for the Lord, and it was a "soothing aroma" to them, but a stench to God.
  • "poured out their drink offerings" (וַיַּסִּיכוּ שָׁם נִסְכֵּיהֶם - vayyassîkhū shām niskeihem): Nesāḵîm (drink offerings) were liquid libations (wine, oil, or water) used in both Yahweh worship (Num 28:7-8) and pagan rituals throughout the ancient Near East. Their deployment for idol worship signifies the adoption of pagan practices in full.

Ezekiel 20 28 Bonus section

The term "high places" (related to givʻāh rāmāh) and the association with trees had deep theological and practical significance. For Canaanites, these were integral to fertility worship, believing they connected with cosmic forces ensuring agricultural and human fecundity. Israel's participation was often driven by a syncretistic desire to secure such blessings from both Yahweh and the local deities, despite Yahweh's explicit prohibition of syncretism and idolatry. The prophets frequently condemned these sites not merely as locations of alternative worship but as centers of immorality, injustice, and practices abhorrent to God, including ritual prostitution and child sacrifice (cf. Eze 16, 23). The irony of using "soothing aroma," a term loaded with positive covenantal meaning, for these vile practices, further stresses the deliberate nature of their rebellion and their fundamental misunderstanding, or willful rejection, of God's character and His call to exclusive devotion.

Ezekiel 20 28 Commentary

Ezekiel 20:28 powerfully exposes Israel's pervasive and immediate spiritual infidelity after inheriting the Promised Land. This was not a gradual apostasy, but an eager embrace of the very idolatry they were commanded to eradicate. The landscape itself, with its "high hills" and "leafy trees," became a symbolic stage for their betrayal, embodying the adoption of Canaanite cultic sites and rituals. The description of their sacrifices as "provocation" and their pagan offerings as "soothing aroma" underscores the profound blasphemy and divine offense. They took the language and forms of legitimate worship to God and inverted them for false deities, revealing a heart profoundly resistant to Yahweh's exclusive claim. This deep-seated idolatry directly contrasts with God's unwavering covenant faithfulness, as He had delivered them and given them the land, highlighting the persistent cycle of divine grace met with human rebellion that defined Israel's history and led to the current judgment.