Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
Study Note
Study Note
The retrospective of divine patience in Ezekiel's historical review — 'but the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them' — applies the Pentateuchal wilderness apostasy tradition to Ezekiel's generation as evidence of a consistent pattern of failure. The pivotal phrase 'which if a man do, he shall even live in them' cites Leviticus 18:5's covenant principle of life-through-obedience, which Paul cites in Galatians 3:12 and Romans 10:5 as the principle the Law announces but cannot supply without the Spirit. The narrative structure of Ezekiel 20's recapitulation serves to intensify the judgment of Ezekiel's contemporaries by establishing the depth and consistency of Israel's unfaithfulness across its entire history.
Other Translations
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they rejected mine ordinances, which if a man keep, he shall live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
And--rebel against me do the house of Israel in the wilderness, In My statutes they have not walked, And My judgments they have despised, Which the man who doth--liveth by them. And My sabbaths they have greatly polluted, And I say to pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them.
But the children of Israel would not be controlled by me in the waste land: they were not guided by my rules, and they were turned away from my orders, which, if a man does them, will be life to him; and they had no respect for my Sabbaths: then I said that I would let loose my passion on them in the waste land, and put an end to them.
Cross References
And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, …
And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?
They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, …
Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and …
And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do …
The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and …
And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere …
I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier …
Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the …
Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from …