New King James Version
Ezekiel 20:4
4Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.
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 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, saying, 3“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord God, “I will not be inquired of by you.” ’ Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers. 5“Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God.’ 6On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands.
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 it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord God.
- Ezekiel 22:2“Now, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations!
- Ezekiel 23:36The Lord also said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.
- Isaiah 5:3“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
- Jeremiah 7:16“Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you.
- Jeremiah 11:14“So do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble.
- Jeremiah 14:11Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for this people, for their good.
- Jeremiah 15:1Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth.
- 1 Corinthians 6:2Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
- Ezekiel 16:2“Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
- Matthew 23:29“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
- Luke 11:47Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
- Luke 13:33Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.
- Acts 7:51“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries