Ezekiel 20:42 kjv
And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.
Ezekiel 20:42 nkjv
Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers.
Ezekiel 20:42 niv
Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors.
Ezekiel 20:42 esv
And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your fathers.
Ezekiel 20:42 nlt
Then when I have brought you home to the land I promised with a solemn oath to give to your ancestors, you will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 20 42 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 12:7 | "To your offspring I will give this land." | Initial land promise to Abraham |
| Gen 15:18 | "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates..." | Formal covenant oath on land boundaries |
| Gen 17:8 | "I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings... for an everlasting possession" | Land as an everlasting possession |
| Gen 22:16-18 | "By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD... I will surely bless you... your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies" | God's ultimate oath confirmed |
| Exo 6:8 | "I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD." | Recalls oath and links it to "I am the LORD" |
| Lev 26:44-45 | "But for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them... and will not break my covenant with them..." | God remembers His covenant despite sin |
| Num 14:30 | "Not one of you shall come into the land in which I swore to make you dwell..." | Oath of judgment, exception for Caleb and Joshua |
| Deut 30:3-5 | "...the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you... and bring you home again." | Prophecy of return from exile |
| Ps 105:8-11 | "He remembers his covenant forever... the oath he swore to Isaac, confirmed to Jacob as a statute..." | God's enduring faithfulness to His oath |
| Isa 11:11-12 | "The Lord will extend his hand yet a second time... to recover the remnant... and will gather the dispersed of Judah..." | Prophecy of gathering Israel from exile |
| Jer 29:10-14 | "...after seventy years are completed... I will bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you..." | Specific promise of return from Babylonian exile |
| Jer 31:33-34 | "...this is the covenant that I will make... they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD." | New Covenant: intimate knowledge of God |
| Jer 32:41 | "I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness with all my heart and all my soul." | God's joyful act of restoration and replanting |
| Eze 11:17 | "I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries... and give you the land of Israel." | Echoes the restoration theme in Ezekiel |
| Eze 34:13 | "I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them into their own land..." | Shepherd motif: gathering the scattered |
| Eze 36:24-28 | "I will take you from the nations... bring you into your own land... and you shall be my people, and I will be your God." | Extensive prophecy of spiritual and physical return |
| Joel 3:1 | "For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem..." | Prophecy of final restoration |
| Amos 9:14-15 | "I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel... I will plant them upon their land, and they shall never again be uprooted..." | Promise of ultimate and secure dwelling |
| Hos 6:3 | "...let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn..." | Emphasizes the pursuit of experiential knowledge |
| Hos 6:6 | "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." | Priority of knowing God over ritual |
| Mal 3:6 | "For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed." | God's unchanging nature ensures promises |
| Rom 11:26-27 | "And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 'The Deliverer will come from Zion...'" | Ultimate salvation and restoration of Israel |
| Heb 6:13-18 | "...when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself..." | God's oath provides sure hope |
| Heb 8:10-12 | "...they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities..." | New Covenant fulfills the knowledge of God |
| Jn 17:3 | "And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." | Experiential knowledge of God linked to eternal life |
| 1 Jn 4:13 | "By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit." | Holy Spirit as the means to know God |
Ezekiel 20 verses
Ezekiel 20 42 Meaning
Ezekiel 20:42 declares that through God's faithful act of returning His people, Israel, to their ancestral land, they will experientially "know" His true identity as Yahweh, the sovereign, covenant-keeping God. This return fulfills the solemn oath He swore to their patriarchs, affirming His unchangeable nature and the certainty of His divine promises, despite Israel's persistent rebellion. This restoration demonstrates God's unique power and faithfulness, leading His people to acknowledge Him as their exclusive and true deity.
Ezekiel 20 42 Context
Ezekiel chapter 20 presents a severe indictment of Israel's long history of rebellion against God, stretching from their time in Egypt through the wilderness and into the land of Canaan. Despite repeated warnings and acts of judgment, they consistently rejected God's commands and pursued idolatry. This lengthy sermon to the elders seeking counsel paints a picture of pervasive faithlessness. However, woven through this narrative of judgment is God's unwavering commitment to His own name and covenant. He refrains from total destruction for His own honor. By the latter part of the chapter (verses 40-44), a future hope of restoration emerges. A cleansed remnant will be gathered from among the nations, brought back to the holy mountain, and there they will worship Him. Verse 42 directly confirms the mechanism of this ultimate knowledge: the physical return to the specific land of Israel, fulfilling the foundational oath given to their forefathers, which will result in their experiential recognition of God's unique identity.
Ezekiel 20 42 Word analysis
- And you shall know (וִֽידַעְתֶּ֗ם / wi·yḏa‘·tem): From the Hebrew root yada, this "knowing" signifies much more than mere intellectual awareness. It implies an experiential, personal, and profound recognition, akin to acquaintance and acknowledgment. Through God's decisive act of bringing them back, Israel will perceive, acknowledge, and testify to His active presence and power in their history.
- that I am the LORD (כִּֽי־אֲנִ֤י יְהוָה֙ / kî ’ănî Yahweh): This is a powerful, recurring divine self-declaration in the Old Testament, especially in Ezekiel. "The LORD" translates God's covenant name, Yahweh (YHWH), emphasizing His self-existence, eternal nature, and covenant faithfulness. It directly challenges the legitimacy of all other deities, asserting His singular identity and supreme authority over all creation and history.
- when I bring you (בְּהָבִיאִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֔ם / bə·hā·ḇî·’î ’eṯ·ḵem): This phrase emphasizes God's direct, sovereign, and sole agency in the restoration. The return is not a result of human effort or strategic planning but a divine initiative of grace, executed by God's irresistible power, highlighting His redemptive plan despite human unworthiness.
- into the land of Israel (אֶל־אַדְמַ֥ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל / ’el-’aḏ·maṯ yiś·rā·’êl): The term admah (ground, soil) highlights the literal, physical, and agricultural aspects of the promised land. It speaks to the tangible reality of the restored territory, not merely a conceptual return but a rooted dwelling in the very soil dedicated to them. This specific phrasing emphasizes the deep connection between the people and their national, territorial identity.
- into the country (אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ / ’el-hā·’ā·reṣ): Ha'aretz is a broader term for 'the land' or 'the earth'. Its use alongside "the land of Israel" functions as an emphatic reaffirmation, ensuring no ambiguity. It reinforces that the entire territory designated by God's promise will be fully restored, encompassing both its physical fertility and its historical boundaries as the holy land.
- that I swore to give (אֲשֶׁ֤ר נִשֵּׂ֙אתִי֙ אֶת־יָדִ֣י לָתֵת֙ / ’ă·šer niś·śê·ṯî ’eṯ-yā·ḏî lā·ṯêṯ): Literally, "that I lifted My hand to give." This idiomatic expression denotes a solemn, unbreakable oath taken by invoking God's own name or being as the guarantee. It underscores the absolute certainty, immutability, and divine backing of God's promise, binding Him by His own character to fulfill His word regardless of human conditions.
- to your fathers (לַאֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ / la·’ă·ḇō·w·ṯê·ḵem): Refers directly to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs with whom the land covenant was originally established. This linkage firmly grounds the prophecy in the ancient, foundational covenant promises, emphasizing God's faithfulness and enduring commitment across generations. It asserts that the future restoration is not a new promise but the steadfast fulfillment of ancient vows.
Ezekiel 20 42 Bonus section
The "I am the LORD" formula, prevalent throughout Ezekiel, serves as a recurring theological anchor. It connects every divine action, whether punitive or redemptive, to the ultimate goal of unveiling God's singular identity and authority to a world often distracted by false gods and human pride. The promised return from exile, often referred to by scholars as a "new exodus," highlights God's initiative in rescuing His people just as He did from Egypt. This second act of deliverance confirms His omnipotence and unwavering commitment. Furthermore, the land of Israel here is more than mere geography; it is the arena for divine-human interaction, where God's holiness and His people's proper worship are meant to converge, anticipating the full, spiritual renewal of the New Covenant age where a new heart enables genuine worship and knowledge of God.
Ezekiel 20 42 Commentary
Ezekiel 20:42 delivers a powerful declaration of God's unwavering faithfulness amidst Israel's persistent unfaithfulness. While the chapter catalogues Israel's continuous rebellion and idolatry from Egypt onward, this verse pivots to divine grace. The exiled people, who doubted God's power and abandoned His laws, would eventually, through a divine act of restoration, be compelled to "know" Him experientially. This "knowing" implies a profound, convicting understanding of His unique identity as Yahweh, demonstrated through His bringing them back to the promised land. This return is not merited by Israel's righteousness, but driven by God's solemn oath to the patriarchs—a commitment made millennia prior and upheld solely by His immutable character. Thus, the physical restoration to admat Yisrael and ha'aretz serves as an undeniable, historical testament to God's sovereignty and His unshakeable covenant promises, ensuring that His people would ultimately acknowledge Him as their one true and living God. It offers profound assurance that God's word is reliable, and His ultimate purpose, which involves both judgment and restoration, will be perfectly accomplished.