Ezekiel 14:4

Ezekiel 14:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;
• New International Version (NIV)Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols,
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols,

Context of Ezekiel 14:4

2Then the Lord gave this message to me: 3‘Son of man, these men like to worship idols. They allow those idols to cause them to do wicked things. So I should not allow them to ask me anything. You must speak to them. Say, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: One of these men who like to worships idols may want to ask me something. Those men allow their idols to cause them to do wicked things. So if one of them goes to a prophet to find out something, I will give him an answer! I will give him the answer that he deserves because of his many idols! 5Israel's people have turned away from me because of their idols. So I will give them an answer that will bring them back to worship me.” 6Say to Israel's people, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: Turn back to me and stop worshipping idols. Stop doing the disgusting things that you have been doing.”

Ezekiel 14:4 word by word

לָכֵ֣ן דַּבֵּר־א֠וֹתָם וְאָמַרְתָּ֨ אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר׀ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֗ה אִ֣ישׁ אִ֣ישׁ מִבֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֡ל אֲשֶׁר֩ יַעֲלֶ֨ה אֶת־גִּלּוּלָ֜יו אֶל־לִבּ֗וֹ וּמִכְשׁ֤וֹל עֲוֹנוֹ֙ יָשִׂים֙ נֹ֣כַח פָּנָ֔יו וּבָ֖א אֶל־הַנָּבִ֑יא אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֗ה נַעֲנֵ֧יתִי ל֦וֹ בָ֖א בְּרֹ֥ב גִּלּוּלָֽיו׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Therefore speakדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• unto them, and sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• the Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
• Godיְהֹוִהyehôvih · YHWH/GodH3069
• Every manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• of the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• that setteth upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: establishH5927
• his idolsגִּלּוּלgillûl gillûl · idolH1544
• in his heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• and puttethשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
• the stumblingblockמִכְשׁוֹלmikshôl mikshôl · stumblingH4383
• of his iniquityעָוֺן‛âvôn ‛âvôn · iniquity: crimeH5771
• beforeנֹ֫כַחnôkach · beforeH5227
• his faceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
• and comethבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• to the prophetנָבִיאnâbîy' · prophetH5030
• I the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• will answerעָנָה‛ânâh · to answerH6030
• according to the multitudeרֹבrôb · abundanceH7230

Cross-references for Ezekiel 14:4

• Ezekiel 2:7You must speak my words to them, whether they listen to you or not. They are people who refuse to obey me.
• Ezekiel 3:4Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, now go to Israel's people and speak my words to them.
• Ezekiel 14:7An Israelite or a foreigner who lives in Israel may not want to serve me. He may choose to worship idols and do wicked things. If anyone like that goes to a prophet to find out something from me, I will answer him. Yes, I myself, the Lord, will answer him!
• 1 Kings 21:20When Elijah met Ahab, Ahab said to him, ‘So, my enemy, now you have found me!’ Elijah answered, ‘Yes, I have found you to warn you! You have decided to do things that the Lord says are evil.
• 2 Kings 1:16Elijah said to the king, ‘This is what the Lord says: You sent men to speak to Ekron's god, Baal-Zebub, to find out what would happen to you. Did you think that there is no God in Israel? You did not ask him what would happen. Because of that, you will not leave the bed that you are lying on. You will certainly die.’
• Isaiah 3:11But it will be very bad for the wicked people. They will receive the punishment that they deserve.
• Isaiah 66:4So I will cause great trouble to come to them. It will be the trouble that they are so afraid of. When I called out to them, nobody answered me. When I spoke to them, nobody listened. They did evil things against me. They chose to do things that I would hate.’

Commentaries on Ezekiel 14:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4According to the multitude of his idols - I will treat him as an idolater, as a flagrant idolater.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Omit “that cometh.” According to the multitiude of his idols - i. e., I will give him an answer as delusive as the idols which he serves. Compare Micaiah‘s answer to Ahab 1 Kings 22:15.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-5The exiles acted as if they were seeking the Lord. But they were only going through the motions. They performed the outward actions, yet their hearts had turned away from him. They were worshiping idols, which the Lord calls detestable (deeply hateful and unclean). It was easy for them to think that Babylon’s many military victories proved something. They could begin to believe that real power belonged to the Babylonian gods, not to the Lord.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. and cometh--and yet cometh, reigning himself to be a true worshipper of Jehovah. him that cometh--so the Hebrew Margin reads. But the Hebrew text reading is, "according to it, according to the multitude of his idols"; the anticipative clause with the pronoun not being pleonastic, but increasing the emphasis of the following clause with the noun. "I will answer," literally, reflexively, "I will Myself (or for Myself) answer him." according to…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezekiel 14:4

• Hypocrisy
• Idolatry
• Stumbling

In the dictionaries

• God
• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Lothing
• Idolatry
• Resurrection

Commentaries on Ezekiel 14

• 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