Ezekiel 16:20

Ezekiel 16:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
• New International Version (NIV)“ ‘And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough?
• English Standard Version (ESV)And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter,

Context of Ezekiel 16:20

18Then you took your embroidered clothing to cover them and set my oil and incense before them. 19The food that I gave you — the fine flour, oil, and honey that I fed you — you set it before them as a pleasing aroma. That is what happened. This is the declaration of the Lord God. “‘You even took your sons and daughters you bore to me and sacrificed them to these images as food. Wasn’t your prostitution enough? 21You slaughtered my children and gave them up when you passed them through the fire to the images. 22In all your detestable practices and acts of prostitution, you did not remember the days of your youth when you were stark naked and thrashing around in your blood.

Ezekiel 16:20 word by word

וַתִּקְחִ֞י אֶת־בָּנַ֤יִךְ וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָלַ֣דְתְּ לִ֔י וַתִּזְבָּחִ֥ים לָהֶ֖ם לֶאֱכ֑וֹל הַמְעַ֖ט מִתַּזְנוּתָֽיִךְ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Moreover thou hast takenלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• thy sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• and thy daughtersבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• whom thou hast borneיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
• unto me, and these hast thou sacrificedזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
• unto them to be devouredאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• of thy whoredomsתַּזְנוּתtaznûth taznûth · fornicationH8457
• a small matterמְעַטme‛aţ me‛âţ · littleH4592

Cross-references for Ezekiel 16:20

• Ezekiel 16:21You slaughtered my children and gave them up when you passed them through the fire to the images.
• Ezekiel 23:4The older one was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They became mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah represents Samaria and Oholibah represents Jerusalem.
• Genesis 17:7I will confirm my covenant that is between me and you and your future offspring throughout their generations. It is a permanent covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you.
• Exodus 13:2“Consecrate every firstborn male to me, the firstborn from every womb among the Israelites, both man and domestic animal; it is mine.”
• Deuteronomy 29:11your dependents, your wives, and the resident aliens in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water —
• Ezekiel 20:26When they sacrificed every firstborn in the fire, I defiled them through their gifts in order to devastate them so they would know that I am the Lord.’
• Ezekiel 23:37For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; they have committed adultery with their idols. And the children they bore to me they have sacrificed in the fire as food for the idols.
• 2 Kings 16:3but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even sacrificed his son in the fire, imitating the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.
• 2 Chronicles 33:6He passed his sons through the fire in Ben Hinnom Valley. He practiced witchcraft, divination, and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did a huge amount of evil in the Lord’s sight, angering him.
• Psalms 106:37They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.
• Isaiah 57:5who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter children in the wadis below the clefts of the rocks?
• Jeremiah 7:31They have built the high places of Topheth in Ben Hinnom Valley in order to burn their sons and daughters in the fire, a thing I did not command; I never entertained the thought.
• Jeremiah 32:35They have built the high places of Baal in Ben Hinnom Valley to sacrifice their sons and daughters in the fire to Molech — something I had not commanded them. I had never entertained the thought that they do this detestable act causing Judah to sin!
• Micah 6:7Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the offspring of my body for my own sin?
• Ezekiel 8:17And he said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it not enough for the house of Judah to commit the detestable acts they are doing here, that they must also fill the land with violence and repeatedly anger me, even putting the branch to their nose?
• Jeremiah 2:34Moreover, your skirts are stained with the blood of the innocent poor. You did not catch them breaking and entering. But in spite of all these things

Commentaries on Ezekiel 16:20

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Borne unto me - me is emphatic. The children of Yahweh have been devoted to Moloch. The rites of Moloch were twofold; (1) The actual sacrifice of men and children as expiatory sacrifices to, false gods. (2) The passing of them through the fire by way of purification and dedication. Probably the first is alluded to in Ezekiel 16:20; the two rites together in Ezekiel 16:21.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20-22Jerusalem even sacrificed her sons and daughters to false gods. The nations around Israel practiced child sacrifice to show total commitment to a deity. This was common in the worship of the gods Molech and Chemosh (see Deuteronomy 12:31; 2 Kings 3:27). Israel sometimes took part in this terrible sin.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 20-2120-21. sons and ... daughters borne unto me--Though "thy children," yet they belong "unto Me," rather than to thee, for they were born under the immutable covenant with Israel, which even Israel's sin could not set aside, and they have received the sign of adoption as Mine, namely, circumcision. This aggravates the guilt of sacrificing them to Molech. to be devoured--not merely to pass through the fire, as sometimes children were made to do (Le 18:21)…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 16:20

• Children
• Idolatry
• Ingratitude
• Lasciviousness
• Molech
• Offerings

In the dictionaries

• Confound
• Eminent
• Equal
• Fornication
• Gird
• Justify
• Rest
• Solomon, Song of
• Children of God
• Crime; Crimes

Commentaries on Ezekiel 16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings