God’s Word Translation
Ezekiel 20:4
4“Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Tell them about the disgusting things their ancestors did.
Ezekiel 20:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:
- New International Version (NIV)“Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors
- English Standard Version (ESV)Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Let them know the abominations of their fathers,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.
Context of Ezekiel 20:4
2Then the Lord spoke his word to me. He said, 3“Son of man, speak to the leaders of Israel. Tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: Are you coming to ask me for help? As I live, declares the Almighty Lord, you will not be allowed to ask me for help.’ “Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Tell them about the disgusting things their ancestors did. 5Tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: When I chose Israel, I raised my hand and swore an oath to the descendants of Jacob’s family. I made myself known to them in Egypt. I made a promise to them and said, “I am the Lord your God.” 6At that time I promised to bring them out of Egypt to a land that I had chosen for them. This land is the most beautiful land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Read all of Ezekiel 20Ezekiel 20:4 word by word
הֲתִשְׁפֹּ֣ט אֹתָ֔ם הֲתִשְׁפּ֖וֹט בֶּן־אָדָ֑ם אֶת־תּוֹעֲבֹ֥ת אֲבוֹתָ֖ם הוֹדִיעֵֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ezekiel 20:4
- Ezekiel 14:14Even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in that country, they would, by their righteousness, rescue only themselves,” declares the Almighty Lord.
- Ezekiel 22:2“Will you judge, son of man? Will you judge the city of murderers? Then tell it about all the disgusting things that it has done.
- Ezekiel 23:36The Lord said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah and tell them about their disgusting practices?
- Isaiah 5:3Now then, you inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah, judge between me and my vineyard!
- Jeremiah 7:16“Jeremiah, don’t pray for these people. Don’t cry or pray for them. Don’t plead with me, because I will not listen to you.
- Jeremiah 11:14Jeremiah, don’t pray for these people. Don’t cry or pray for them. I won’t listen when they call to me for help in times of trouble.
- Jeremiah 14:11The Lord said to me, “Don’t pray for the good of these people.
- Jeremiah 15:1Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel were standing in front of me, I would not feel sorry for these people. Send them away from me, and let them go.
- 1 Corinthians 6:2Don’t you know that God’s people will judge the world? So if you’re going to judge the world, aren’t you capable of judging insignificant cases?
- Ezekiel 16:2“Son of man, make known to the people of Jerusalem the disgusting things they have done.
- Matthew 23:29“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of those who had God’s approval.
- Luke 11:47“How horrible it will be for you! You build the monuments for the prophets. But it was your ancestors who murdered them.
- Luke 13:33But I must be on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day. It’s not possible for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem.
- Acts 7:51“How stubborn can you be? How can you be so heartless and disobedient? You’re just like your ancestors. They always opposed the Holy Spirit, and so do you!
Commentaries on Ezekiel 20:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Wilt thou judge them - If thou wilt enter into any discussion with them, show them the abomination of their fathers. The whole chapter is a consecutive history of the unfaithfulness ingratitude, rebellion, and idolatry of the Jews, from the earliest times to that day; and vindicates the sentence which God had pronounced against them, and which he was about to execute more fully in delivering them and the city into the hands of the Chaldeans.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Wilt thou judge them? - We should rather say, Wilt thou not judge them? i. e., wilt thou not pronounce sentence upon them? Compare Ezekiel 22:2.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-26The Lord refused to answer their question. But this did not mean he had nothing to say. Instead, God gave them a different message through Ezekiel. Ezekiel would describe the sinful and detestable actions of their ancestors. He would place these past sins clearly before the people.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Wilt thou judge? ... judge--The emphatical repetition expresses, "Wilt thou not judge? yes, judge them. There is a loud call for immediate judgment." The Hebrew interrogative here is a command, not a prohibition [Maurer]. Instead of spending time in teaching them, tell them of the abomination of their fathers, of which their own are the complement and counterpart, and which call for judgment.Read the comment
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ezekiel 20
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries