New International Version
Ezekiel 20:18
18I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols.
Ezekiel 20:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
- English Standard Version (ESV)"And I said to their children in the wilderness, 'Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“Then I warned their children not to follow in their parents’ footsteps, defiling themselves with their idols.
Context of Ezekiel 20:18
16because they rejected my laws and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to their idols. 17Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or put an end to them in the wilderness. I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols. 19I am the Lord your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 20Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”
Read all of Ezekiel 20Ezekiel 20:18 word by word
וָאֹמַ֤ר אֶל־בְּנֵיהֶם֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר בְּחוּקֵּ֤י אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙ אַל־תֵּלֵ֔כוּ וְאֶת־מִשְׁפְּטֵיהֶ֖ם אַל־תִּשְׁמֹ֑רוּ וּבְגִלּוּלֵיהֶ֖ם אַל־תִּטַּמָּֽאוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- But I saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto their childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- in the wildernessמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
- Walkיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- ye not in the statutesחֹקchôq · statute: decreeH2706
- of your fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
- neither observeשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: obeyH8104
- their judgmentsמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
- nor defileטָמֵאţâmê' · to defileH2930
- yourselves with their idolsגִּלּוּלgillûl gillûl · idolH1544
Cross-references for Ezekiel 20:18
- Numbers 14:32But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness.
- Numbers 32:13The Lord’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.
- Deuteronomy 4:3You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor,
- Psalms 78:6so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.
- Zechariah 1:2“The Lord was very angry with your ancestors.
- Luke 11:47“Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them.
- Acts 7:51“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!
- 1 Peter 1:18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,
- Ezekiel 20:7And 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.”
- Jeremiah 2:7I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable.
- Jeremiah 3:9Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood.
Commentaries on Ezekiel 20:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18But I said unto their children - These I chose in their fathers' stead; and to them I purposed to give the inheritance which their fathers by disobedience lost.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10-26Verses 10-26 The probation in the wilderness. The promise was forfeited by those to whom it was first conditionally made, but was renewed to their children. Ezekiel 20:11 The “statutes” were given on Mount Sinai, and repeated by Moses before his death (Exodus 20:1 ff; Deuteronomy 4:8). In them - Or, through them: and in Ezekiel 20:13. Ezekiel 20:12 See Exodus 31:13. The Sabbath was a sign of a special people, commemorative of the work of creation, and…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-26Verses 10-26 . The history of Israel in the wilderness is referred to in the new Testament as well as in the Old, for warning. God did great things for them. He gave them the law, and revived the ancient keeping of the sabbath day. Sabbaths are privileges; they are signs of our being his people. If we do the duty of the day, we shall find, to our comfort, it is the Lord that makes us holy, that is, truly happy, here; and prepares us to be happy, that is…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8-21Each generation of Israelites rebelled against the Lord. They refused to obey the commandments he gave them. Each time, the Lord warned that he would pour out his fury (his strong anger) on them (Ezekiel 20:8, 13, 21). But he held back his judgment. He did this for the honor of his name. If he had destroyed them, the surrounding nations might have thought he was too weak to bring his people into the promised land.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. I said unto their children--being unwilling to speak any more to the fathers as being incorrigible. Walk ye not in ... statutes of ... fathers--The traditions of the fathers are to be carefully weighed, not indiscriminately followed. He forbids the imitation of not only their gross sins, but even their plausible statutes [Calvin].Read the comment
Topics related to Ezekiel 20:18
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
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