Ezekiel 20 38

Ezekiel 20:38 kjv

And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 20:38 nkjv

I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 20:38 niv

I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 20:38 esv

I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 20:38 nlt

I will purge you of all those who rebel and revolt against me. I will bring them out of the countries where they are in exile, but they will never enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 20 verses

Ezekiel 20 38 Meaning

This verse declares God's determined purpose to separate the unfaithful and disobedient from within the community of His people. He vows to purge out, by divine judgment, those who have rebelled and transgressed against Him, removing them from the gathered multitude in a spiritual "wilderness trial." Critically, these purged individuals will be denied entry into the restored land of Israel, signifying exclusion from the fullness of God's covenant blessings and a pure fellowship with Him. This decisive act of judgment and purification will serve as a profound revelation, demonstrating God's justice, power, and sovereign nature, ensuring His people "know that I am the LORD."

Ezekiel 20 38 Context

Ezekiel chapter 20 presents a severe indictment against the elders of Israel who inquire of God, but are met with a recounting of Israel's pervasive idolatry and rebellion throughout its history, from Egypt, through the wilderness, to the prophet's contemporary Babylonian exile. Despite their consistent rejection of His laws and embrace of foreign gods, God consistently withheld His full wrath for the sake of His name, upholding His covenant promises. This specific verse, Ezekiel 20:38, follows God's declaration that He will regather His people, bringing them to the "wilderness of the peoples" (v. 35). This future wilderness journey mirrors the initial Exodus, but this time, it is not merely for journeying but for divine judgment and purification within the gathered exiles. God pledges to scrutinize and pass judgment "face to face" with His people, akin to how He judged their ancestors. Verse 38 concludes this segment by clarifying that this gathering is not a wholesale return for all, but a sifting where the unfaithful will be purged, denied entry into the promised land, thereby revealing God's absolute sovereignty and holiness.

Ezekiel 20 38 Word analysis

• And I will purge out (וּבָרֹתִי - uvaroti): Derived from barar (בָּרַר), meaning "to select," "to cleanse," "to purify," "to separate." This isn't just a simple removal but implies a deliberate act of sifting and refining, highlighting God's meticulous discernment and the transformative nature of His judgment. It's a selective process.
• from among you: Signifies that the separation is internal, within the professed covenant community, not merely from external enemies. It targets those who claim to be God's people but are disloyal.
• the rebels (מְרִדִים - meridim): From marad (מָרַד), "to rebel," "to revolt," "to be contentious." These are individuals characterized by open defiance and active resistance against God's authority and commands, much like political rebels against a king.
• and those who transgress against Me (וְהַפֹּושְׁעִים בִּי - vehaposh'im bi): From pasha (פָּשַׁע), "to transgress," "to revolt," "to commit treachery." This term often implies a breaking of a covenant or relationship, a deliberate violation of loyalty. It carries a strong sense of unfaithfulness against a rightful sovereign. The suffix "-bi" ("against Me") explicitly identifies God as the object of their transgression.
• I will bring them out (אוֹצִיא אוֹתָם - otzi otam): God's direct, sovereign action. This "bringing out" refers to their removal from the mixed multitude, perhaps out of their current dwelling place or the gathering process itself, towards their designated place of judgment, separate from the faithful.
• of the country where they dwell (מֵאֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵיהֶם - meeretz megureihem): Refers to the foreign land, likely Babylon or the lands where the scattered exiles currently reside. They will be removed from these nations as part of the initial gathering, but only to face judgment and not to enter the Holy Land.
• but they shall not enter (וְאֶל־אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יָבֹאוּ - ve'el-eretz yisra'el lo yavo'u): This is the stark consequence: exclusion from the most cherished covenant promise—the physical, spiritual, and blessed inheritance of the land. It represents a spiritual denial of full restoration and fellowship with God.
• the land of Israel (אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל - eretz yisrael): The promised land, the sacred inheritance given by God, symbolizing the covenant relationship, blessings, and dwelling with God. Exclusion from it signifies loss of privilege and spiritual separation.
• Thus you shall know (וִידַעְתֶּם - v'yeda'tem): From yada (יָדַע), "to know," which in Hebrew thought often means an experiential and relational knowledge, not merely intellectual assent. God's actions are pedagogical, designed to reveal His nature definitively.
• that I am the LORD (כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה - ki ani YHWH): The recurring "recognition formula" in Ezekiel. God's judgment and faithfulness in carrying out His promises serve to reveal His unique, sovereign, and unchanging identity as Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God.

Words-Group Analysis

• "And I will purge out... from among you the rebels and those who transgress against Me": This phrase underlines God's unwavering commitment to the purity of His covenant people. It's a divine separation process that roots out internal corruption. The parallelism of "rebels" and "transgressors" emphasizes both open defiance and deliberate breach of covenant.
• "I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel": This highlights a crucial two-stage process. First, there's an "out-gathering" from the diaspora, bringing everyone towards a place of reckoning, often referred to as "the wilderness of the peoples" (Ezek 20:35). The second stage is the decisive "exclusion" from the land, the ultimate sign of covenant disqualification. This creates a powerful tension: gathered, but then rejected from final entry.
• "Thus you shall know that I am the LORD": This concluding statement provides the ultimate purpose behind God's judgment and purification. Through His just and mighty acts, particularly in dealing with the disobedient among His own, His sovereignty, holiness, and reliability will be undeniably revealed and experientially understood by the surviving, purified remnant.

Ezekiel 20 38 Bonus section

The concept of the "wilderness of the peoples" (Ezek 20:35) is crucial for understanding verse 38. This is not the land of Israel, nor merely the "wilderness" of the first Exodus. It is a new, metaphorical wilderness – a place of intense scrutiny and judgment among the nations before the true return. Here, God will bring His people "under the rod" of the covenant (v. 37), signifying a close inspection and reckoning, where the "rebels" are "purged out." This imagery ties into agricultural practices of the shepherd's rod being used to count and select sheep, implying careful selection for entry. The rejection of entry into "the land of Israel" is thus not a rejection of the initial call to Abraham, but a refusal to allow unpurged defilement to profane His Holy Land in the new era. It establishes a powerful principle: physical descent does not guarantee spiritual inheritance or inclusion in the purified covenant community.

Ezekiel 20 38 Commentary

Ezekiel 20:38 encapsulates a profound truth about God's nature and His covenant relationship: His commitment to holiness demands the purification of His people. Faced with a history of persistent rebellion and transgression, God promises a future act of restorative judgment. He will regather His scattered people, not as a blanket amnesty, but to conduct a thorough sifting. This process, likened to a spiritual "wilderness trial," will distinguish the truly repentant and faithful from the impenitent "rebels and transgressors."

The ultimate consequence for the disobedient is severe: while brought out of their foreign dwellings, they will be explicitly denied entry into the restored land of Israel. This exclusion is a powerful symbol, signifying the loss of covenant blessings and true fellowship with God, an echoing parallel to the first generation in the wilderness who, due to their unbelief, never entered Canaan. God's purpose in this action is didactic: it will serve as an undeniable revelation of His divine sovereignty and unchallengeable authority ("that I am the LORD"). This verse therefore speaks to a selective restoration, where a purified remnant, rather than the entire ethnic body, will ultimately inherit the promises, illustrating the indispensable necessity of genuine faith and obedience within God's covenant people, both historically and eschatologically.