Ezekiel 20:4

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 word of the Lord came to me, saying, 3“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Do you yourselves come to inquire of Me? As I live,” declares the Lord God, “I certainly will not be inquired of by you.”’ Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? Make known to them the abominations of their fathers; 5and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “On the day when I chose Israel and swore to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God, 6on that day I swore to them, to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had selected for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all the lands.

Ezekiel 20:4 word by word

הֲתִשְׁפֹּ֣ט אֹתָ֔ם הֲתִשְׁפּ֖וֹט בֶּן־אָדָ֑ם אֶת־תּוֹעֲבֹ֥ת אֲבוֹתָ֖ם הוֹדִיעֵֽם׃Read the interlinear

• Will you judgeשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
• sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• Make knownיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• to them the abominationsתּוֹעֵבַהtô‛êbah tô‛êbah · abominationH8441
• of their fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1

Cross-references for Ezekiel 20:4

• Ezekiel 14:14even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only save themselves,” declares the Lord God.
• Ezekiel 22:2“And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then inform her of all her abominations.
• Ezekiel 23:36Moreover, the Lord said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.
• Isaiah 5:3“And now, you inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, Judge between Me and My vineyard.
• Jeremiah 7:16“As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not plead with Me; for I am not listening to you.
• Jeremiah 11:14“So as for you, do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.
• Jeremiah 14:11So the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for a good outcome on behalf of this people.
• Jeremiah 15:1Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people. Send them away from My presence and have them go!
• 1 Corinthians 6:2Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to form the smallest law courts?
• Ezekiel 16:2“Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations,
• Matthew 23:29“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
• Luke 11:47Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.
• Luke 13:33Nevertheless I must go on My journey today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside Jerusalem.
• Acts 7:51“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.

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

• Son of man
• Defile
• Purge
• God
• Grace
• Leviticus
• Salvation

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