Ezekiel 20 29

Ezekiel 20:29 kjv

Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name whereof is called Bamah unto this day.

Ezekiel 20:29 nkjv

Then I said to them, 'What is this high place to which you go?' So its name is called Bamah to this day." '

Ezekiel 20:29 niv

Then I said to them: What is this high place you go to?'?" (It is called Bamah to this day.)

Ezekiel 20:29 esv

(I said to them, 'What is the high place to which you go?' So its name is called Bamah to this day.)

Ezekiel 20:29 nlt

I said to them, 'What is this high place where you are going?' (This kind of pagan shrine has been called Bamah ? 'high place' ? ever since.)

Ezekiel 20 verses

Ezekiel 20 29 Meaning

Ezekiel 20:29 captures a pivotal moment of divine confrontation and historical indictment. God recounts Israel's persistent idolatry after entering the Promised Land, specifically their inclination to worship on "high places." This verse features a rhetorical question from God: "What is the high place to which you go?" This question, rather than seeking information, highlights the obviousness of their transgression and their willful disobedience. The immediate explanation that "its name is called Bamah to this day" serves as an ironic and condemnatory wordplay, solidifying "Bamah" (Hebrew for high place) as a lasting symbol of Israel's spiritual rebellion and self-chosen paganism, observed and condemned by God throughout their history.

Ezekiel 20 29 Context

Ezekiel chapter 20 delivers a scathing indictment of Israel's long history of rebellion against God, recounted as a chronological chain of apostasy stretching from Egypt to Ezekiel's present day. The chapter is framed by elders of Israel seeking counsel from the Lord, to which God responds by refusing their inquiry and instead listing their ancestral sins, emphasizing that His actions were always for the sake of His holy name, not due to Israel's merit.

Verse 29 is situated within God's historical review of Israel's actions after entering the Promised Land (Eze 20:27-28). Upon taking possession of the land flowing with milk and honey, God reminds them, they saw every "high hill and every leafy tree" and there "offered their sacrifices, brought the provocation of their offering, there also they presented their sweet aroma, and poured out there their drink offerings." Having provided them a land free from the former inhabitants and their idolatrous practices, Israel promptly adopted and propagated them. Verse 29 immediately follows this description, with God rhetorically questioning their consistent and intentional pilgrimage to these defiling worship sites, culminating in an etymological pun that solidifies "Bamah" as a perpetual reminder of their spiritual defilement.

Ezekiel 20 29 Word analysis

• Then I said to them, (וָאֹמַר לָהֶם - wa’omar lahem): This introduces God's direct speech, indicating a divine pronouncement or confrontation. It's a question aimed at revealing their conscience, not eliciting new information.
• 'What (מָה - mah): This Hebrew interrogative particle for "what?" introduces a rhetorical question. It highlights God's exasperation and the self-evident nature of Israel's sin; He already knows the answer. It is pivotal for the subsequent wordplay.
• is the high place (הַבָּמָה - habbamah): בָּמָה (bamah) refers to a "high place" or "sacred mound." Originally, these could have been legitimate cult sites before the centralization of worship, but post-Deuteronomy 12, they universally became synonymous with forbidden, often pagan, worship sites throughout Israel's history. Its specific, singular usage here generalizes all such sites.
• to which you go?' (אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם הַשָּׁמִּים - asher attem hashshamim): "to which you are going there." This emphasizes their habitual, intentional, and repeated pilgrimages to these places, signifying deliberate defiance against God's law for monotheistic worship at a single chosen sanctuary.
• So its name is called Bamah (וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמָהּ בָּמָה - wayyiqra shemah Bamah): This is a polemical wordplay or ironic etymology. God, by asking "What (Mah) is the high place (Bamah)?", directly links the rhetorical question (mah) to the resulting perpetual naming of the site as Bamah, meaning their own actions and choices led to the very definition of these idolatrous locations.
• to this day. (עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה - ad hayyom hazzeh): This common phrase denotes enduring reality or historical permanence. Here, it signifies that the designation and condemnation of "Bamah" as an idolatrous high place persists through time, validating the timeless nature of God's judgment on their sin and the continuing nature of Israel's problem with idolatry.

Words-group analysis:

• 'What is the high place to which you go?': This forms a divine challenge. It is not an information-gathering query, but rather a direct accusation designed to highlight the profound, willful apostasy of Israel in their worship choices, contrasting it with the true worship required by God.
• 'So its name is called Bamah to this day.': This phrase immediately follows the rhetorical question as an answer or commentary. It demonstrates a prophetic play on words, transforming the neutral geographic term "high place" into a perpetual identifier of Israel's sin. Their question, "What is (Mah) the high place (Bamah)?" becomes the very etymological origin and condemnation of their persistent idolatry, etched into history.

Ezekiel 20 29 Bonus section

• Polemical Etymology: The use of mah (what?) and Bamah in close proximity (Mah Bamah leading to its name is called Bamah) is a form of prophetic etymology. This is a deliberate wordplay intended not for historical accuracy of the name's origin, but for strong polemic. It serves to emphasize that Israel's actions provided the self-condemning name for their places of worship, underscoring their guilt.
• Nature of Idolatry: This verse, within Ezekiel 20, illustrates that idolatry wasn't a one-off event but a persistent, systemic issue ingrained in Israel's spiritual fabric, inherited across generations despite God's repeated interventions. It highlights a recurring pattern of turning from the Living God to physical objects and forbidden practices, demonstrating humanity's perennial temptation to worship created things rather than the Creator.
• Prophet's Voice: Through God's lament and rhetorical questioning, Ezekiel amplifies the gravity of Israel's historical unfaithfulness, speaking directly to his exiled audience in Babylon. The prophecy reinforces the justice of their exile as a consequence of this continuous defilement, including the stubborn adherence to high places throughout their history.

Ezekiel 20 29 Commentary

Ezekiel 20:29 captures the tragic essence of Israel's historical relationship with God: constant rebellion met with divine long-suffering. After recounting how Israel profaned the Sabbaths and lusted after idols in Egypt and the wilderness, God points out their immediate lapse upon entering the Promised Land. Instead of destroying the pagan sites as commanded, they embraced them, performing illicit offerings on every "high hill and leafy tree." God's rhetorical question, "What is the high place to which you go?", is laden with poignant irony and exasperation. It isn't an inquiry for information but a profound statement of divine lament over Israel's spiritual blindness and deep-seated idolatry.

The immediate follow-up, "So its name is called Bamah to this day," underscores a crucial theological point: their sin named the place. Through a striking Hebrew wordplay (מָה הַבָּמָה, mah habbamah, "What is the high place?", answered by וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמָהּ בָּמָה, wayyiqra shemah Bamah, "its name was called Bamah"), God reveals that their actions defined the sites. The very word "Bamah" became indelibly associated with illicit, defiant worship. This serves as a stark warning against syncretism and disobedience, reminding us that persistent choices against God's will leave a lasting stain, not only on practice but even on memory and language, testifying to ongoing rebellion across generations. The verse is a powerful illustration of self-condemnation through action, leaving an enduring historical marker of unfaithfulness.