Ezekiel 20:15-18

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 20:15

Yet also I lifted up mine hand unto them in the wilderness ,.... Swore unto them, as in Ezekiel 20:5 ; that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them ; by promise to their fathers, and to them. This is to be understood of the generation that came out of Egypt, that received the ill report the spies made, and murmured against the Lord; wherefore he swore in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest; or he would not bring them into the land of Canaan, save... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 20:16

Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths ,.... Which were just causes of divine resentment and anger; See Gill on Ezekiel 20:13 ; for their heart went after their idols ; which they had served in Egypt; and that led them off from the true worship and service of God; no man can serve two masters; if he holds to the one, and his heart is towards him, he will despise the other; and yet these idols were no other, as the word signifies,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 20:17

Nevertheless, mine eye spared them from destroying them ,.... Utterly, so as to leave neither root nor branch; for though the whole generation died excepting two, either by the immediate hand of God in wrath, or else by ordinary deaths; yet there was a generation raised up in their stead, to whom mercy was shown: neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness ; that they should be no more a nation and people; though the carcasses of them that believed not fell in the wilderness, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 20:18

But I said unto their children in the wilderness ,.... Or, "then I said" F11 ואמר "postea dixi", Piscator. ; his judgments and statutes being neglected and despised by them, and good instructions and kind providences being of no use unto them, the Lord turns to their posterity while yet in the wilderness: what follows seems to refer to those directions, instructions, and exhortations given in the book of Deuteronomy by Moses, in the plains of Moab, a little before the children of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 20:15

I lifted up my hand - Their provocations in the wilderness were so great, that I vowed never to bring them into the promised land. I did not consume them, but I disinherited them. See the note on Ezekiel 20:5 ; (note). read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 20:18

But 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 more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 20:15

Verse 15 God here shows that his threats were ineffectual, even when he inflicted severe punishment, yet the people were not broken down and subdued: and this is a sign of a most perverse disposition. The foolish are at length corrected with rods, but when those who are chastised become worse instead of repenting, they betray their desperate character. God therefore here signifies that the Israelites were of an abandoned disposition, because there were no means of bringing them back to good... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 20:16

Verse 16 The reason of the oath of which mention has been made is expressed by Moses, because being frightened by a false report they wished to return to Egypt: but here a cause is assigned to their superstitions. (Numbers 13:32, and Numbers 14:1.) But it suits each case well, since if they had been sincerely obedient to God, they would never have refused to remove their camp, and fearlessly to proceed where he commanded them. But since they first detested the land, and then terror and despair... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 20:17

Verse 17 This is added, because God often afflicted the people with heavy punishments, but he restrained himself, that he should not utterly destroy both their persons and their name. He says, then, that he spared them through respect for his own name, as he formerly said, that he should not execute consumption on them; that is, that he should not utterly blot out the memory of them. He did not spare them entirely to foster their depravity by his indulgence, but as we shall afterwards see, he... read more

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