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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Ezekiel 20:18 In the wilderness I said to their children: 'Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/ezekiel/20-18.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/18/26_Ezk_20_18.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Ezekiel 20:18 - Israel's Rebellion in the Wilderness" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="In the wilderness I said to their children: 'Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their 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class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/ezekiel/20.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/ezekiel/20.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />I said to their children in the wilderness, &#8220Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/ezekiel/20.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />“Then I warned their children not to follow in their parents’ footsteps, defiling themselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/ezekiel/20.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />“And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, nor defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/ezekiel/20.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/ezekiel/20.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/ezekiel/20.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />“But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/ezekiel/20.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />“Instead, I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/ezekiel/20.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220I said to their children in the wilderness, &#8216Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/ezekiel/20.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, or keep their ordinances, or defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/ezekiel/20.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />“I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers and do not keep their judgments and do not defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/ezekiel/20.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers nor observe their ordinances nor defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/ezekiel/20.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />“ ‘Then I said to their children in the wilderness, “Don’t follow the statutes of your fathers, defile yourselves with their idols, or keep their ordinances.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/ezekiel/20.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then I said to their children in the wilderness: Don&#8217t follow the statutes of your fathers, defile yourselves with their idols, or keep their ordinances.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/ezekiel/20.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />And I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/ezekiel/20.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />So I warned the children not to act like their parents or follow their evil ways or worship their idols. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/ezekiel/20.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />And I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/ezekiel/20.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />I said to their children in the desert, "Don't live by the laws of your ancestors. Don't obey their rules or dishonor yourselves with their disgusting idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/ezekiel/20.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Instead, I warned the young people among them: Do not keep the laws your ancestors made; do not follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/ezekiel/20.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />I told their children in the wilderness, 'You are not to follow the statutes of your ancestors, observe their ordinances, or be defiled by their idols. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/ezekiel/20.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />In the wilderness I said to their children: ?Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/ezekiel/20.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />"'But I said to their children in the wilderness, "Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations, nor defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/ezekiel/20.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />"'"I said to their children in the wilderness, 'Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/ezekiel/20.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />But I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/ezekiel/20.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Don’t walk in the statutes of your fathers. Don’t observe their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/ezekiel/20.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />And I say to their sons in the wilderness: Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, "" And do not observe their judgments, "" And do not defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/ezekiel/20.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> And I say to their sons in the wilderness: In the statutes of your fathers ye walk not, And their judgments ye do not observe, And with their idols ye are not defiled.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/ezekiel/20.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And saying to their sons in the desert Ye shall not go in the laws of your fathers, and their judgments ye shall not watch, and with their blocks ye shall not be defiled.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/ezekiel/20.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />And I said to their children in the wilderness: Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, and observe not their judgments, nor be ye defiled with their idols: <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/ezekiel/20.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Then I said to their sons in the wilderness: ‘Do not choose to advance by the precepts of your fathers, nor should you observe their judgments. And do not be defiled by their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/ezekiel/20.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Then I said to their children in the wilderness: Do not follow the statutes of your parents. Do not keep their ordinances. Do not defile yourselves with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/ezekiel/20.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not follow the statutes of your parents, nor observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/ezekiel/20.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />But I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments nor defile yourselves with their idols;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/ezekiel/20.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And I said to their children in the wilderness: “You shall not walk in the commandments of your fathers and you shall not keep their judgments, and you shall not be defiled by their idols<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/ezekiel/20.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />And I said unto their children in the wilderness: Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/ezekiel/20.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />And I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk not ye in the customs of your fathers, and keep not their ordinances, and have no fellowship with their practices, nor defile yourselves <i>with them</i>.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/ezekiel/20-18.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vET3Gmwku4s?start=5210" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/ezekiel/20.htm">Israel's Rebellion in the Wilderness</a></span><br> <span class="reftext">18</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/4057.htm" title="4057: bam·miḏ·bār (Prep-b, Art:: N-ms) -- A pasture, a desert, speech. From dabar in the sense of driving; a pasture; by implication, a desert; also speech.">In the wilderness</a> <a href="/hebrew/559.htm" title="559: wā·’ō·mar (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConsecImperf-1cs) -- To utter, say. A primitive root; to say.">I said</a> <a href="/hebrew/413.htm" title="413: ’el- (Prep) -- To, into, towards. ">to</a> <a href="/hebrew/1121.htm" title="1121: bə·nê·hem (N-mpc:: 3mp) -- Son. From banah; a son, in the widest sense (like 'ab, 'ach, etc.).">their children:</a> <a href="/hebrew/408.htm" title="408: ’al- (Adv) -- Not (a subjective neg.). A negative particle; not; once as a noun, nothing.">‘Do not</a> <a href="/hebrew/1980.htm" title="1980: tê·lê·ḵū (V-Qal-Imperf-2mp) -- To go, come, walk. Akin to yalak; a primitive root; to walk.">walk</a> <a href="/hebrew/853.htm" title="853: wə·’eṯ- (Conj-w:: DirObjM) -- Apparent contracted from 'owth in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self."></a> <a href="/hebrew/2706.htm" title="2706: bə·ḥūq·qê (Prep-b:: N-mpc) -- Something prescribed or owed, a statute. From chaqaq; an enactment; hence, an appointment.">in the statutes</a> <a href="/hebrew/1.htm" title="1: ’ă·ḇō·w·ṯê·ḵem (N-mpc:: 2mp) -- Father. A primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application).">of your fathers</a> <a href="/hebrew/8104.htm" title="8104: tiš·mō·rū (V-Qal-Imperf-2mp) -- To keep, watch, preserve. A primitive root; properly, to hedge about, i.e. Guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.">or keep</a> <a href="/hebrew/4941.htm" title="4941: miš·pə·ṭê·hem (N-mpc:: 3mp) -- Judgment. ">their ordinances</a> <a href="/hebrew/408.htm" title="408: ’al- (Adv) -- Not (a subjective neg.). A negative particle; not; once as a noun, nothing."></a> <a href="/hebrew/2930.htm" title="2930: tiṭ·ṭam·mā·’ū (V-Hitpael-Imperf-2mp) -- To be or become unclean. A primitive root; to be foul, especially in a ceremial or moral sense.">or defile</a> <a href="/hebrew/1544.htm" title="1544: ū·ḇə·ḡil·lū·lê·hem (Conj-w, Prep-b:: N-mpc:: 3mp) -- An idol. Or gillul; from galal; properly, a log; by implication, an idol.">yourselves with their idols.</a> <a href="/hebrew/408.htm" title="408: ’al- (Adv) -- Not (a subjective neg.). A negative particle; not; once as a noun, nothing."></a> </span><span class="reftext">19</span>I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/5-32.htm">Deuteronomy 5:32-33</a></span><br />So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left. / You must walk in all the ways that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/78-8.htm">Psalm 78:8</a></span><br />Then they will not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose heart was not loyal, whose spirit was not faithful to God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/7-23.htm">Jeremiah 7:23-24</a></span><br />but this is what I commanded them: Obey Me, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. You must walk in all the ways I have commanded you, so that it may go well with you. / Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/30-1.htm">Isaiah 30:1</a></span><br />“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/17-15.htm">2 Kings 17:15</a></span><br />They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/11-7.htm">Jeremiah 11:7-8</a></span><br />For from the time I brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt until today, I strongly warned them again and again, saying, ‘Obey My voice.’ / Yet they would not obey or incline their ears, but each one followed the stubbornness of his evil heart. So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant I had commanded them to follow but they did not keep.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/exodus/23-2.htm">Exodus 23:2</a></span><br />You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/1-15.htm">Proverbs 1:15</a></span><br />my son, do not walk the road with them or set foot upon their path.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/1-19.htm">Isaiah 1:19-20</a></span><br />If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land. / But if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/16-11.htm">Jeremiah 16:11-12</a></span><br />Then you are to answer them: ‘It is because your fathers have forsaken Me, declares the LORD, and followed other gods, and served and worshiped them. They abandoned Me and did not keep My instruction. / And you have done more evil than your fathers. See how each of you follows the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of obeying Me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/15-3.htm">Matthew 15:3-9</a></span><br />Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? / For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ / But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/7-6.htm">Mark 7:6-9</a></span><br />Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ / You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.” ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/12-2.htm">Romans 12:2</a></span><br />Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/10-6.htm">1 Corinthians 10:6-11</a></span><br />These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did. / Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” / We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/3-7.htm">Hebrews 3:7-11</a></span><br />Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, / do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness, / where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works. ...</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">But I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk you not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:</p><p class="hdg">I said</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/numbers/14-32.htm">Numbers 14:32,33</a></b></br> But <i>as for</i> you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/numbers/32-13.htm">Numbers 32:13-15</a></b></br> And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/4-3.htm">Deuteronomy 4:3-6</a></b></br> Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you… </p><p class="hdg">the statues</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/zechariah/1-2.htm">Zechariah 1:2-4</a></b></br> The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47,48</a></b></br> Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/acts/7-51.htm">Acts 7:51</a></b></br> Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers <i>did</i>, so <i>do</i> ye.</p><p class="hdg">defile</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/ezekiel/20-7.htm">Ezekiel 20:7</a></b></br> Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I <i>am</i> the LORD your God.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/2-7.htm">Jeremiah 2:7</a></b></br> And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/3-9.htm">Jeremiah 3:9</a></b></br> And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/ezekiel/18-31.htm">Children</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-7.htm">Defile</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-7.htm">Defiled</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-17.htm">Desert</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-4.htm">Fathers</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-16.htm">Follow</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-16.htm">Guided</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-16.htm">Idols</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-7.htm">Images</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-16.htm">Judgments</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-16.htm">Laws</a> <a href="/ezekiel/18-19.htm">Observe</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-16.htm">Orders</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-16.htm">Ordinances</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-16.htm">Rules</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-16.htm">Statutes</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-14.htm">Unclean</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-16.htm">Walk</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-17.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-17.htm">Wilderness</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-7.htm">Yourselves</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/ezekiel/20-21.htm">Children</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-26.htm">Defile</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-26.htm">Defiled</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-23.htm">Desert</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-24.htm">Fathers</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-19.htm">Follow</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-19.htm">Guided</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-24.htm">Idols</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-24.htm">Images</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-19.htm">Judgments</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-19.htm">Laws</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-19.htm">Observe</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-19.htm">Orders</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-19.htm">Ordinances</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-19.htm">Rules</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-19.htm">Statutes</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-22.htm">Unclean</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-19.htm">Walk</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-23.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-21.htm">Wilderness</a> <a href="/ezekiel/20-30.htm">Yourselves</a><div class="vheading2">Ezekiel 20</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/ezekiel/20-1.htm">God refuses to be consulted by the elders of Israel</a></span><br><span class="reftext">4. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/ezekiel/20-4.htm">He shows the story of their rebellions in Egypt</a></span><br><span class="reftext">19. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/ezekiel/20-19.htm">in the desert</a></span><br><span class="reftext">27. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/ezekiel/20-27.htm">and in the land</a></span><br><span class="reftext">33. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/ezekiel/20-33.htm">He promises to gather them by the Gospel</a></span><br><span class="reftext">45. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/ezekiel/20-45.htm">Under the name of a forest he shows the destruction of Jerusalem</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/ezekiel/20.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/ezekiel/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/ezekiel/20.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>In the wilderness</b><br>The wilderness refers to the period of Israel's history after the Exodus from Egypt, when the Israelites wandered for 40 years before entering the Promised Land. This time was marked by testing and rebellion, as seen in various accounts in Exodus and Numbers. The wilderness symbolizes a place of both physical and spiritual trial, where God provided for His people but also disciplined them for their disobedience.<p><b>I said to their children</b><br>This phrase indicates a direct communication from God to the next generation of Israelites. It highlights the importance of passing down God's commandments and the consequences of disobedience. The children of the rebellious generation were being warned to avoid the mistakes of their parents, emphasizing the continuity of God's covenant and expectations across generations.<p><b>Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers</b><br>The statutes of their fathers refer to the sinful practices and traditions that the previous generation had adopted, which were contrary to God's laws. This warning underscores the need for each generation to evaluate their practices against God's standards rather than blindly following ancestral customs. It echoes the call for repentance and renewal found throughout the prophetic literature.<p><b>or keep their ordinances</b><br>Ordinances here refer to the specific rules and practices that the Israelites' ancestors followed, which were often influenced by surrounding pagan cultures. This admonition serves as a reminder of the distinctiveness of God's law and the call to holiness, as seen in <a href="/leviticus/18-3.htm">Leviticus 18:3-5</a>, where God commands His people to live differently from the nations around them.<p><b>or defile yourselves with their idols</b><br>Idolatry was a persistent issue for Israel, as they frequently turned to the gods of neighboring nations. This phrase warns against the spiritual corruption that comes from idol worship, which is a recurring theme in the Old Testament. The prohibition against idolatry is rooted in the first two commandments (<a href="/exodus/20-3.htm">Exodus 20:3-4</a>) and is a call to exclusive devotion to Yahweh. The New Testament continues this theme, with Paul warning against idolatry in passages like <a href="/1_corinthians/10-14.htm">1 Corinthians 10:14</a>.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/e/ezekiel.htm">Ezekiel</a></b><br>A prophet during the Babylonian exile, Ezekiel is tasked with delivering God's messages to the Israelites, often focusing on their rebellion and the need for repentance.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_children_of_israel.htm">The Children of Israel</a></b><br>The descendants of the Israelites who were led out of Egypt. In this context, they are the generation in the wilderness, receiving guidance from God through Moses and later through prophets like Ezekiel.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_wilderness.htm">The Wilderness</a></b><br>A significant place in Israel's history, representing both physical and spiritual testing. It is where the Israelites wandered for 40 years due to their disobedience.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_fathers.htm">The Fathers</a></b><br>Refers to the ancestors of the Israelites who were disobedient to God, often turning to idolatry and failing to keep His commandments.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/i/idols.htm">Idols</a></b><br>Objects of worship that the Israelites were warned against. Idolatry was a recurring sin that led to their downfall and separation from God.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/r/rejecting_ancestral_sin.htm">Rejecting Ancestral Sin</a></b><br>We must be vigilant not to repeat the sins of our predecessors, especially in areas where they turned away from God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_danger_of_idolatry.htm">The Danger of Idolatry</a></b><br>Idolatry is not just about physical idols but anything that takes the place of God in our lives. We must identify and remove these idols.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/o/obedience_to_god's_commands.htm">Obedience to God’s Commands</a></b><br>True worship involves obedience to God's statutes, which requires knowing His Word and applying it to our lives.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/generational_influence.htm">Generational Influence</a></b><br>Our actions and faithfulness to God can influence future generations positively or negatively. We should strive to leave a legacy of faith.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/spiritual_wilderness.htm">Spiritual Wilderness</a></b><br>Times of testing can be opportunities for growth if we choose to follow God’s guidance rather than the flawed paths of the past.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_ezekiel_20.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Ezekiel 20</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_ezekiel_20_25_align_with_god's_justice.htm">Ezekiel 20:25 mentions God giving Israel “statutes that were not good”; how does this align with the concept of a just and unchanging God elsewhere in Scripture? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_to_reconcile_ezekiel_18_20_with_exodus_20_5.htm">Ezekiel 18:20 - If individuals alone bear their own guilt, how do we reconcile this with Exodus 20:5, which speaks of generational punishment?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/is_ezekiel_20_5-8's_claim_credible.htm">In Ezekiel 20:5-8, how credible is the claim that the Israelites rebelled immediately after God's promise to deliver them from Egypt, given the differing details in Exodus?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what's_zoar's_role_in_the_bible.htm">What are the 'not good' statutes in Ezekiel 20:25?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/ezekiel/20.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(18) <span class= "bld">Unto their children.</span>--The prophet comes now to the third part of his historical retrospect (<a href="/context/ezekiel/20-18.htm" title="But I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk you not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:">Ezekiel 20:18-26</a>)--the generation which grew up in the free air of the wilderness, and under the influence of the legislation and institutions given at Sinai. At the same time, it would be a mistake to confine what he says exclusively to that generation. In this, as in the other parts of the discourse, he regards Israel as a whole, and while speaking of one period of their history especially, yet treats of national characteristics which may have come to their most marked development only at a later time. This generation was very earnestly warned against the sins of their fathers, and exhorted to obedience to the Divine law. The whole Book of Deuteronomy is the comment on <a href="/context/ezekiel/20-18.htm" title="But I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk you not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:">Ezekiel 20:18-20</a>.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/ezekiel/20.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 18.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">I said unto their children,</span> etc. The words can refer to nothing but the great utterance of the Book of Deuteronomy as addressed to the children of those who had perished in the wilderness. That utterance also, it is implied, as indeed the Baal-peor history at the close of the forty years showed, fell on deaf ears. Then also there was, once again, in the inevitable anthropomorphic language, a change of purpose, from that of a rigorous judgment to the mercy which prevailed against it. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/ezekiel/20-18.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">In the wilderness</span><br /><span class="heb">בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר</span> <span class="translit">(bam·miḏ·bār)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4057.htm">Strong's 4057: </a> </span><span class="str2">A pasture, a desert, speech</span><br /><br /><span class="word">I said</span><br /><span class="heb">וָאֹמַ֤ר</span> <span class="translit">(wā·’ō·mar)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_559.htm">Strong's 559: </a> </span><span class="str2">To utter, say</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to</span><br /><span class="heb">אֶל־</span> <span class="translit">(’el-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_413.htm">Strong's 413: </a> </span><span class="str2">Near, with, among, to</span><br /><br /><span class="word">their children:</span><br /><span class="heb">בְּנֵיהֶם֙</span> <span class="translit">(bə·nê·hem)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1121.htm">Strong's 1121: </a> </span><span class="str2">A son</span><br /><br /><span class="word">“Do not</span><br /><span class="heb">אַל־</span> <span class="translit">(’al-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_408.htm">Strong's 408: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not</span><br /><br /><span class="word">walk</span><br /><span class="heb">תֵּלֵ֔כוּ</span> <span class="translit">(tê·lê·ḵū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1980.htm">Strong's 1980: </a> </span><span class="str2">To go, come, walk</span><br /><br /><span class="word">in the statutes</span><br /><span class="heb">בְּחוּקֵּ֤י</span> <span class="translit">(bə·ḥūq·qê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2706.htm">Strong's 2706: </a> </span><span class="str2">Something prescribed or owed, a statute</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of your fathers</span><br /><span class="heb">אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙</span> <span class="translit">(’ă·ḇō·w·ṯê·ḵem)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1.htm">Strong's 1: </a> </span><span class="str2">Father</span><br /><br /><span class="word">or keep</span><br /><span class="heb">תִּשְׁמֹ֑רוּ</span> <span class="translit">(tiš·mō·rū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8104.htm">Strong's 8104: </a> </span><span class="str2">To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to</span><br /><br /><span class="word">their ordinances</span><br /><span class="heb">מִשְׁפְּטֵיהֶ֖ם</span> <span class="translit">(miš·pə·ṭê·hem)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4941.htm">Strong's 4941: </a> </span><span class="str2">A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style</span><br /><br /><span class="word">or defile</span><br /><span class="heb">תִּטַּמָּֽאוּ׃</span> <span class="translit">(tiṭ·ṭam·mā·’ū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - second person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2930.htm">Strong's 2930: </a> </span><span class="str2">To be or become unclean</span><br /><br /><span class="word">yourselves with their idols.</span><br /><span class="heb">וּבְגִלּוּלֵיהֶ֖ם</span> <span class="translit">(ū·ḇə·ḡil·lū·lê·hem)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1544.htm">Strong's 1544: </a> </span><span class="str2">A log, an idol</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/ezekiel/20-18.htm">Ezekiel 20:18 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/ezekiel/20-18.htm">Ezekiel 20:18 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/ezekiel/20-18.htm">Ezekiel 20:18 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/ezekiel/20-18.htm">Ezekiel 20:18 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/ezekiel/20-18.htm">Ezekiel 20:18 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/ezekiel/20-18.htm">Ezekiel 20:18 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/ezekiel/20-18.htm">Ezekiel 20:18 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/ezekiel/20-18.htm">Ezekiel 20:18 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/ezekiel/20-18.htm">Ezekiel 20:18 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/ezekiel/20-18.htm">Ezekiel 20:18 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/ezekiel/20-18.htm">OT Prophets: Ezekiel 20:18 I said to their children (Ezek. Eze Ezk) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/ezekiel/20-17.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Ezekiel 20:17"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Ezekiel 20:17" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/ezekiel/20-19.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Ezekiel 20:19"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Ezekiel 20:19" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>