Ezekiel 20:7 kjv
Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Ezekiel 20:7 nkjv
Then I said to them, 'Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.'
Ezekiel 20:7 niv
And I said to them, "Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God."
Ezekiel 20:7 esv
And I said to them, 'Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.'
Ezekiel 20:7 nlt
Then I said to them, 'Each of you, get rid of the vile images you are so obsessed with. Do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt, for I am the LORD your God.'
Ezekiel 20 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 20:7 | "and I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the detestable things that are in your sight, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’" | Command to renounce idols |
| Exodus 20:3-5 | "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourselves an idol..." | The First and Second Commandments |
| Deuteronomy 7:25-26 | "The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them to take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it. For it is an abomination to the LORD your God." | Destroying idols is God's command |
| Isaiah 2:20 | "In that day man shall cast his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which he made to worship, to the moles and to the bats," | Prophecy of idol abandonment |
| Jeremiah 10:14 | "Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; for his molten image is a falsehood, and there is no breath in them." | The futility of idols |
| 1 Corinthians 6:18 | "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." | Idolatry often linked with immorality |
| 1 Corinthians 10:14 | "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." | Direct exhortation to avoid idolatry |
| 1 John 5:21 | "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." | Final warning against idolatry |
| Romans 1:23 | "...and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." | Idolatry is a perversion of God's glory |
| Joshua 24:14 | "Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in truth. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD." | Joshua's charge to Israel |
| 2 Kings 17:17 | "And they burned their sons and their enchantments." | Depravity linked to idol worship |
| Leviticus 18:30 | "You shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments and not practice any of these abominations... so that the land does not vomit you out when you defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you." | Consequences of detestable practices |
| Psalm 97:7 | "Be ashamed, all ye that serve graven images: that boast of idols: worship him, all ye gods." | Worship due to God alone |
| Jeremiah 16:18 | "I will first surely recompense their iniquity and their sin double, because they have defiled my land with the carcass of their detestable and abominable things..." | God's recompense for defiling the land |
| Acts 15:20 | "...but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood." | Council of Jerusalem's decree |
| Romans 2:22 | "You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?" | Rebuke of hypocritical piety |
| 1 Corinthians 8:1 | "Now concerning things sacrificed to idols: we know that all of us possess knowledge. This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." | Addressing participation in idol feasts |
| Ezekiel 18:31 | "Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves new hearts and new spirits! Why will you die, O house of Israel?" | Call to repent and turn from sin |
| Deuteronomy 18:9-10 | "When you go into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abomination of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who passes his son or his daughter through the fire, or who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer..." | Warnings against Canaanite practices |
| Revelation 2:14 | "But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to throw a stumbling block before the people of Israel, that they might eat meat sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality." | Balaam's deceptive counsel |
Ezekiel 20 verses
Ezekiel 20 7 Meaning
This verse declares God's removal of detestable practices from Israel. It signifies a deliberate purging of idolatry and forbidden customs from the land. God sought to establish His pure covenant presence among them.
Ezekiel 20 7 Context
Ezekiel 20 takes place during the Babylonian exile, a period of deep distress for the Judean people. The prophet is addressing the elders of Israel who have come to inquire of the LORD. God, through Ezekiel, recounts Israel's history of rebellion and disobedience, highlighting their persistent failure to adhere to His commands, particularly regarding idolatry and the observance of the Sabbath. This chapter serves as a divine indictment of their unfaithfulness and a justification for the judgment that had befallen them. Verse 7 fits into this narrative as God confronts them with their historical propensity for embracing detestable practices, even while living in the land, and their continued attraction to the idolatry of Egypt from which they were delivered.
Ezekiel 20 7 Word Analysis
- “And I said unto them”: This phrase introduces a direct divine address. God speaks through His prophet Ezekiel.
- “each man” (אִ֣ישׁ): (ish) Signifies every individual within the community.
- “cast ye away” (מִשְׁלְכ֛וּ): (mishluḵu) Imperative verb, commanding them to discard or throw away.
- “from your eyes” (מֵעֵינֵיכֶ֖ם): (me'einēḵem) Refers to things visible and prominent in their sight. It emphasizes the act of visually recognizing and then actively rejecting something.
- “the detestable things” (שִׁקּוּצֵ֣י): (shiqquṣē) A strong term for abominations, often associated with idols and forbidden practices that defile.
- “of Egypt” (מִצְרָ֑יִם): (Miṣrāyim) Refers to Egypt, the nation from which God delivered them, highlighting the very source of some of the detestable things they were prone to adopt.
- “and defile not yourselves” (וְגִאֻלִ֖י): (wəḡi'ŏlū) Imperative verb meaning to become unclean or to defile oneself.
- “with the idols of Egypt” (בְּשִׁקּוּצֵ֣י מִצְרָ֑יִם): (bəšikquṣē Miṣrāyim) Directly links the detestable things to the idolatrous practices prevalent in Egypt.
- “I [am] the LORD” (אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה): (Anī Yahweh) A crucial affirmation of God's identity and authority.
- “your God” (אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם): (Ĕlōhēḵem) Emphasizes the covenant relationship, reinforcing His claim and expectation upon them.
Word Group Analysis:
- “cast ye away from your eyes the detestable things of Egypt”: This entire phrase powerfully captures God's call for a radical rejection of the cultural and religious pollution associated with Egyptian polytheism. It's not just about an internal change but an outward, visible renunciation of what is loathsome to God.
- “defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt”: This reinforces the call to purity. Idols represent a spiritual impurity and a betrayal of their exclusive covenant with the LORD. Defilement leads to separation from God.
- “I [am] the LORD your God”: This declaration anchors the command. Their obedience is to be rooted in who God is—their Creator, Redeemer, and Covenant Lord—and His absolute authority over their lives.
Ezekiel 20 7 Bonus Section
The specific mention of "the idols of Egypt" is significant because Egypt was a cradle of powerful and pervasive polytheistic worship. When Israel was delivered from Egypt, they carried with them, or were influenced by, the very cultural and religious baggage they were supposed to leave behind. This highlights that even after divine redemption, the process of sanctification and separation from sin and false worship is a continuous struggle, often involving turning away from deeply ingrained cultural norms and attractive worldly systems of belief. The verse speaks to the enduring need for vigilance against spiritual compromise, especially when encountering or adopting the "detestable things" of the societies in which believers live. The LORD’s identity statement serves as both a basis for the command and a promise; because He is their God, He is committed to them, but this commitment requires their faithful response.
Ezekiel 20 7 Commentary
The verse begins with a stark command for individual and corporate introspection and rejection. God’s people are called to critically examine what they have embraced that is abominable in His sight. This "casting away" is not passive; it’s an active, decisive disposal of idolatrous objects and practices that had infiltrated their lives, particularly those inherited from Egypt. This verse emphasizes a crucial principle in the covenant: maintaining purity from surrounding nations’ corrupt practices was essential for remaining in covenant relationship with Yahweh. Egypt, despite being the place of deliverance, also represented a significant source of the spiritual pollution that Israel was commanded to renounce entirely. The phrase "defile not yourselves" highlights the consequence of engaging with such abominations, which would result in spiritual impurity and alienation from God. The verse concludes with a foundational affirmation of God's identity, "I am the LORD your God," which underscores the basis of this command. Their obligation stemmed directly from His unique role as their God, who had redeemed them and established a unique relationship with them, demanding their exclusive allegiance. This directive echoes throughout scripture, from the Ten Commandments to the final warnings of the New Testament, underscoring the perennial battle against idolatry in all its forms.