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:
• 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.
• New Living Translation (NLT)“Son of man, bring charges against them and condemn them. Make them realize how detestable the sins of their ancestors really were.

Context of Ezekiel 20:4

2Then the word of the Lord came to me: 3“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Have you come to inquire of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign Lord.’ “Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors 5and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the Lord your God.” 6On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands.

Ezekiel 20:4 word by word

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• Wilt thou judgeשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
• them, sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• cause them to knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• the abominationsתּוֹעֵבַהtô‛êbah tô‛êbah · abominationH8441
• of their fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1

Cross-references for Ezekiel 20:4

• Ezekiel 14:14even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.
• Ezekiel 22:2“Son of man, will you judge her? Will you judge this city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her detestable practices
• Ezekiel 23:36The Lord said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their detestable practices,
• Isaiah 5:3“Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
• Jeremiah 7:16“So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you.
• Jeremiah 11:14“Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.
• Jeremiah 14:11Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being 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 go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go!
• 1 Corinthians 6:2Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
• Ezekiel 16:2“Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices
• Matthew 23:29“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
• Luke 11:47“Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them.
• Luke 13:33In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!
• 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!

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