Ezekiel 20:2-14

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 20:1-4

Here is, 1. The occasion of the message which we have in this chapter. That sermon which we had Ezek. 18:1-32 was occasioned by their presumptuous reflections upon God; this was occasioned by their hypocritical enquiries after him. Each shall have his own. This prophecy is exactly dated, in the seventh year of the captivity, about two years after Ezekiel began to prophesy. God would have them to keep account how long their captivity lasted, that they might see how the years went on towards... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 20:5-9

The history of the ingratitude and rebellion of the people of Israel here begins as early as their beginning; so does the history of man's apostasy from his Maker. No sooner have we read the story of our first parents? creation than we immediately meet with that of their rebellion; so we see here it was with Israel, a people designed to represent the body of mankind both in their dealings with God and in his with them. Here is, I. The gracious purposes of God's law concerning Israel in Egypt,... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 20:10-26

The history of the struggle between the sins of Israel, by which they endeavoured to ruin themselves, and the mercies of God, by which he endeavoured to save them and make them happy, is here continued: and the instances of that struggle in these verses have reference to what passed between God and them in the wilderness, in which God honoured himself and they shamed themselves. The story of Israel in the wilderness is referred to in the New Testament (1 Cor. 10:1-33; Heb. 3:1-19), as well as... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 20:2

Then came the word of the Lord unto me ,.... While the elders were sitting before him, by an impulse upon his mind, dictating things unto him: saying : as follows: read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 20:3

Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them ,.... Give them this for an answer from me: thus saith the Lord God, are ye come to inquire of me ? no; not seriously, heartily, and in good earnest, determining to abide by the advice and counsel that might be given; or how can you have the face to inquire of me, when guilty of such abominations? as I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you ; knowing their wickedness and hypocrisy, which were... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 20:4

Wilt thou judge them, son of man ?.... Excuse them, patronise them, defend their cause, and plead for them? surely thou wilt not; or rather, wilt thou not reprove and correct them, judge and condemn them, for their sins and wickedness? this thou oughtest to do: wilt thou judge them ? this is repeated, to show the vehemency of the speaker, and the duty of the prophet: cause them to know the abominations of their fathers : the sins they committed, which were abominable in themselves,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 20:5

And say unto them, thus saith the Lord God ,.... Here begins the account of their fathers; of God's unmerited goodness to them, and of their sins and transgressions against him, and how it fared with them: in the day when I chose Israel ; to be his peculiar people, above all people on the face of the earth; when he declared his choice of them, and made it appear that he had chosen them, and distinguished them, by special blessings and favours bestowed on them: and lifted up mine hand... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 20:6

In the day that I lifted up my hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt ,.... Not only promised and swore to it, but exerted his power in the miracles he wrought, by bringing plagues upon the Egyptians, to oblige them to let them go forth from thence: into a land that I had espied for them ; which he had in his eye and in his heart for them; which he had in his mind provided for them, and was determined in his purposes to bring them to; and which he, as it were, looked... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 20:7

Then I said unto them ,.... Having promised and swore to do such great and good things for them; which must lay them under an obligation to regard what he should command them: promises and blessings of goodness are great incentives to duty, and lay under great obligation to it: cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes ; which should be so, meaning idols; but which his eyes were taken with, and were lifted up unto, as his gods; though they ought to have been rejected with the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 20:8

But they rebelled against me ,.... All sin is rebellion against God, an act of hostility, especially idolatry; it is refusing homage and casting off allegiance to him: and would not hearken unto me ; to his word by his prophets; so the Targum, "they rebelled against my word, and would not receive my prophets:' they did not every man cast away the abominations of his eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of the Gentiles ; whence it appears that there were some among them that did... read more

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