Ezekiel 20:4

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 20:1-26

Idolatry in the past (20:1-26)Ezekiel records another occasion when the leaders of the exiles came to him with certain questions. God told him not to waste time dealing with their questions (20:1-3). Rather Ezekiel was to deal with the more important issue of the people’s false understanding of God. Since wrong attitudes had been passed on from generation to generation, Ezekiel began to recount Israel’s history from the time the people were in Egypt (4-6). Even in Egypt they had been attracted... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Ezekiel 20:4

Wilt thou . . . wilt thou . . . ? Note the Figure of speech Epizeuxis ( App-6 ), for emphasis. read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Ezekiel 20:4

Ezekiel 20:4. Wilt thou judge them, &c.?— Wilt thou not judge them, &c.? Lowth. Make thyself, son of man, make thyself their judge: declare to them the abominations, &c. Houbigant. This whole chapter is a kind of decree; in which the prophet, after having set forth the crimes of the Jews, pronounces against them their rejection, and the things which God will do to a faithful people, who shall serve him truly on his holy mountain. See Eze 20:40 and Calmet. read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Ezekiel 20:4

4. 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 more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Ezekiel 20:1-4

The introduction to a history lesson 20:1-4 read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Ezekiel 20:1-44

1. The history of Israel’s rebellion and Yahweh’s grace 20:1-44The structure of this passage is quite clear. It consists of a review of Israel’s history with an introduction and a concluding application."The chapter is remarkable in that it shows a uniform moral plane sustained by the nation throughout its history." [Note: Feinberg, p. 108.] Other important themes in this chapter include God’s faithful grace in spite of Israel’s persistent rebelliousness, the repetition of a wilderness... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Ezekiel 20:2-4

In response to the request of these elders, God gave His prophet a message for them. He told Ezekiel to say that He would not satisfy their curiosity about the matters that concerned them. However, Ezekiel was to communicate another message to these elders, a message that included judgment because of the Israelites’ abominable idolatry throughout their history. The Lord’s repeated question has the effect of an emotional imperative: you must pass judgment on them. read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 20:1-27

§ 5. A Final series of Prophecies on the necessity of Israel’s Punishment and the Destruction of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 20-24)Date, Aug.-Sept. 590 b.c. to Jan.-Feb. 587 b.c.This group includes a warning to the exiles against idolatry (Ezekiel 20:1-44), a description of the sword of the Lord directed against Jerusalem (Ezekiel 20:45 to Ezekiel 21:27), a short prophecy against the Ammonites, connected with the foregoing (Ezekiel 21:28-32) an indictment of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 22), an allegorical... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 20:1-44

History Repeating itselfSome four years before the fall of Jerusalem the elders of Tel-abib again came to consult Ezekiel, who declared that God had no answer to give them. The reason was that their enquiry was insincere, and this passage is consequently an illustration of the principle of Ezekiel 14:3. The exiles were beginning to avow idolatrous tendencies (Ezekiel 20:32), with which the elders were in secret sympathy. Ezekiel recounted how God had dealt with Israel’s idolatrous spirit in the... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 20:1-49

§ 5. A Final series of Prophecies on the necessity of Israel's Punishment and the Destruction of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 20-24)Date, Aug.-Sept. 590 b.c. to Jan.-Feb. 587 b.c.This group includes a warning to the exiles against idolatry (Eze 20:1-44), a description of the sword of the Lord directed against Jerusalem (Eze 20:45 to Eze 21:27), a short prophecy against the Ammonites, connected with the foregoing (Eze 21:28-32) an indictment of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 22:0), an allegorical history of the sins... read more

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