Ezekiel 20 40

Ezekiel 20:40 kjv

For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.

Ezekiel 20:40 nkjv

For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel," says the Lord GOD, "there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things.

Ezekiel 20:40 niv

For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD, there in the land all the people of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices.

Ezekiel 20:40 esv

"For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings.

Ezekiel 20:40 nlt

For on my holy mountain, the great mountain of Israel, says the Sovereign LORD, the people of Israel will someday worship me, and I will accept them. There I will require that you bring me all your offerings and choice gifts and sacrifices.

Ezekiel 20 verses

Ezekiel 20 40 Meaning

This verse signifies the complete and utter rejection of Israel by God. It declares their perpetual exile and removal from God's presence due to their unfaithfulness and rebellion throughout history. The reference to "Mount Zion" emphasizes the divine appointment and holy nature of Jerusalem, which they have defiled.

Ezekiel 20 40 Context

Ezekiel chapter 20 records a lengthy dialogue between God and the elders of Israel. God recounts Israel's repeated disobedience and rebellion from the Exodus to their present exile in Babylon. He reiterates His faithfulness despite their transgressions. Verse 40 marks a transition in God's message, shifting from the retrospective of their sin to the decisive declaration of their future consequences. The entire chapter builds towards this pronouncement of final judgment and purification, which is then tempered by a future hope of restoration, but not in the land or in the same nationalistic sense previously understood. The prophecy is given during the Babylonian exile, a period of great national crisis and questioning of God's promises.

Ezekiel 20 40 Word Analysis

• "So" (לכן - lakén): Therefore, consequently. This word acts as a logical connector, drawing a direct consequence from the preceding accusations of rebellion and unfaithfulness.
• "shall ye": Future tense indicating a pronouncement of what will happen.
• "be": State of being.
• "no more": Signifies finality, a cessation.
• "scattered" (לָנָד - lanad): To wander, to go to and fro, to be dispersed. This relates to being driven away from their homeland and community.
• "with": Accompaniment or connection.
• "the hand": Symbolizes power, authority, and action. God's hand can be for judgment or blessing. Here it's the hand of removal.
• "of your": Possessive, indicating ownership or relation.
• "captivity" (שְׁבִי - shəḇî): The state of being taken captive, spoils, captives. This refers to the condition of being removed by force, particularly in exile.
• "among the nations": In the midst of gentile peoples, signifying loss of national identity and divine favor in a public sense.
• "unto": Direction or destination.
• "Mount Zion": Refers specifically to Jerusalem, the holy city, the place of God's dwelling.
• "your": Again, possessive.
• "fatherland" (מוֹלֶדֶת - moḇaledeṯ): Birthplace, native land, inheritance. This is the land given to Abraham and his descendants.
• "and": Conjunction.
• "mine": Referring to God.
• "inheritance" (נַחֲלָה - naḥălaṯ): Possession, heritage, estate. This is God's promised land.
• "ye": You (plural).
• "with": In the company of.
• "wickedness" (עֹלְלֹת - ʿŏlĕlōṯ): Acts of doing violence or injury, deeds; often referring to gross sin or atrocity. It implies a pervasive corruption.
• "for": Reason or cause.
• "I": God speaking.
• "will": Indicates future action.
• "give": To bestow, grant, or appoint.
• "you": The Israelites addressed.
• "even": Even so, indeed. Used for emphasis.
• "you": Israel.
• "to be": To exist in a certain state.
• "scattered": As above.
• "in the midst of": Within the surroundings of.
• "the land": The land of Israel, but here implying it's in a context that alienates them from it.

Word-group analysis:

• "scattered with the hand of your captivity": This phrase strongly implies that their captivity is the instrument through which they are dispersed, driven by God's judgment.
• "Mount Zion your fatherland, and mine inheritance": This pairing highlights the profound connection between the land, its divinely appointed city (Zion), and God's own ownership, emphasizing what Israel has lost due to their sin.
• "with wickedness... give you... scattered": This sequence emphasizes that their scattering (judgment) is a direct result of their sinful deeds and their pervasive corruption. The "give" is not a gracious gift but a handing over to the consequences of their sin.

Ezekiel 20 40 Bonus Section

The phrase "scattered with the hand of your captivity" is a strong personification of God's judgment as an active force, wielding the very act of captivity as a tool of dispersal. This echoes earlier prophetic pronouncements where God spoke of using foreign armies as instruments of His wrath. While this verse states a lack of gathering to Zion as their inheritance, it sets the stage for a deeper theological understanding of restoration that transcends a mere return to the land. It speaks to a re-gathering in Christ and an inheritance not of soil, but of spiritual reality within the heavenly Jerusalem, where God's presence is omnipresent. The focus on "Mount Zion" being desecrated implies that their rejection is a rejection of God's dwelling place, a severe consequence of defiling His holy ground.

Ezekiel 20 40 Commentary

This verse is a pivotal statement of God's final judgment upon disobedient Israel within the historical covenant. It’s not about an unending rejection of all Israelites but a judgment upon the generation that perpetuated rebellion, leading to perpetual scattering from their specific inheritance. The use of "Mount Zion" as both their fatherland and God's inheritance underscores the depth of their failure; they defiled the very place God had chosen for Himself and the people He had designated as His possession. The prophecy emphasizes that their wicked deeds directly lead to this ultimate consequence of being dispersed among nations, alienated from the land of promise and God’s special presence. This pronouncement is a stark reality check during the Babylonian exile, reinforcing the severity of their national sin. While this pronouncement details a finality in their earthly inheritance and the localized presence of God's glory, later prophecies (as seen in cross-references) offer a vision of a renewed covenant and spiritual fulfillment in Christ, where worship is not bound to a physical location and believers become part of a spiritual inheritance.