Ezekiel 20:5
in Ezekiel 20and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt. With an uplifted hand I said to them, ‘I am the LORD your God.’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day when I chose Israel, and sware unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I sware unto them, saying, I am Jehovah your God;
KJV
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the Lord your God;
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This verse in Ezekiel 20
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The children of Israel in Egypt were warned to abstain from the idolatry of the pagan. This purpose they lost sight of, yet God spared them and brought them into another state of probation. Eze 20:5 Lifted up mine hand - i. e., sware, because the hand was lifted up in adjuration. Eze 20:8 Idols of Egypt - These incidental notices show the children of Israel in Egypt to have been addicted to idolatry. Compare Jos 24:
This site's exposition
In the day when I chose Israel
on Ezekiel 20:5-6
The Lord dates his own choice of Israel to the day in Egypt when he lifted up his hand, the gesture of a sworn oath. Keil ties the phrase to the same oath formula repeated at verses fifteen and twenty three, the hinge on which the chapter turns.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
A commentator
John ChrysostomDISCOURSES AGAINST JUDAIZING CHRISTIANS 6:2.5 · Written before 407.
proposed
Is it not true that from the beginning and long before today you lived with countless transgressions of the law? Did not the prophet Ezekiel accuse you ten thousand times when he brought in the two harlots, Oholah and Oholibah, and said, "You built a brothel in Egypt, you passionately loved barbarians, and you worshiped strange gods."
(Verses 5, 6.) Thus says the Lord God: In the day that I chose Israel, and raised my hand for the offspring of the house of Jacob, and appeared to them in the land of Egypt, and raised my hand for them, saying: I am the Lord your God. In that day I raised my hand for them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into the land which I provided for them, flowing with milk and honey: which is excellent among all lands.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
He made over himself to them as their God in covenant: I lifted up my hand unto them, saying it, and confirming it with an oath. " I am the Lord your God, to whom you are to pay your homage, and from whom and in whom you are to expect your bliss." 4. He promised to bring them out of Egypt; and made good what he promised.
Lifted up my hand - Or stretched out and made bare my arm; that is, magnified my power for their deliverance. When I lifted up mine hand - Shewed my power in performing my oath, and assuring them of doing what was farther promised.
And say unto them, thus saith the Lord God,....
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
I chose Israel - They did not choose me for their God, till I had chosen them to be my people. I lifted up mine hand - I bound myself in a covenant to them to continue to be their God, if they should be faithful, and continue to be my people. Among the Jews the juror lifted up his right hand to heaven; which explains Psa 144:8: “Their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” This is a form used in England, Scotland, and Ireland.
The words behind it
25 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ | veamarta | and you will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם | ʾaleihem | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
| כֹּֽה־ | koh- | thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| אָמַר֮ | ʾamar | he says | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲדֹנָ֣י | ʾadonai | [the] Lord | H136 → | 440 times |
| יְהוִה֒ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3069 → | 306 times |
| בְּיוֹם֙ | beyom | on [the] day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| בָּחֳרִ֣י | bochori | chose I | H977 → | |
| בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | veyisrael | <in> Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וָאֶשָּׂ֣א | vaesa' | and I lifted up | H5375 → | 656 times |
| יָדִ֗י | yadi | hand my | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| לְזֶ֙רַע֙ | lezera' | to [the] offspring of | H2233 → | 229 times |
| בֵּ֣ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב | yaako | Jacob | H3290 → | 350 times |
| וָאִוָּדַ֥ע | vaivada' | and I made myself known | H3045 → | 945 times |
| לָהֶ֖ם | lahem | to them | ||
| בְּאֶ֣רֶץ | beeretz | in [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מִצְרָ֑יִם | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| וָאֶשָּׂ֨א | vaesa' | and I lifted up | H5375 → | 656 times |
| יָדִ֤י | yadi | hand my | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| לָהֶם֙ | lahem | to them | ||
| לֵאמֹ֔ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲנִ֖י | ʾani | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| יְהוָ֥ה | yahweh | [am] Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ | ʾeloheikhem | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣and you will say
veamartaH559 →5305 times
אֲלֵיהֶ֗םto them
ʾaleihemH413 →5510 times
כֹּֽה־thus
koh-H3541 →577 times
אָמַר֮he says
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
אֲדֹנָ֣י[the] Lord
ʾadonaiH136 →440 times
יְהוִה֒Yahweh
yahwehH3069 →306 times
בְּיוֹם֙on [the] day
beyomH3117 →2304 times
בָּחֳרִ֣יchose I
bochoriH977 →
בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל<in> Israel
veyisraelH3478 →2507 times
וָאֶשָּׂ֣אand I lifted up
vaesa'H5375 →656 times
יָדִ֗יhand my
yadiH3027 →1618 times
לְזֶ֙רַע֙to [the] offspring of
lezera'H2233 →229 times
בֵּ֣ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
יַֽעֲקֹ֔בJacob
yaakoH3290 →350 times
וָאִוָּדַ֥עand I made myself known
vaivada'H3045 →945 times
לָהֶ֖םto them
lahem
בְּאֶ֣רֶץin [the] land of
beeretzH776 →2504 times
מִצְרָ֑יִםEgypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
וָאֶשָּׂ֨אand I lifted up
vaesa'H5375 →656 times
יָדִ֤יhand my
yadiH3027 →1618 times
לָהֶם֙to them
lahem
לֵאמֹ֔ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
אֲנִ֖יI
ʾaniH589 →874 times
יְהוָ֥ה[am] Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃God your
ʾeloheikhemH430 →2601 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 3:8I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and…
it leads to
- Genesis 50:24
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac,…
- Exodus 3:17
And I have promised to bring you up out of your affliction in Egypt, into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’
- Genesis 15:18–21
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—
- Exodus 13:5
And when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites—the land He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and…
- Deuteronomy 1:25
They took some of the fruit of the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us word: “It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.”
- Genesis 50:24
Through
Ezekiel 20:23However, with an uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands.
it leads to
- Leviticus 26:33
But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste.
- Deuteronomy 28:64–68
Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you…
- Leviticus 26:33
Through
Ezekiel 47:14You are to divide it equally among them. Because I swore with an uplifted hand to give it to your forefathers, this land will fall to you as an inheritance.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 20:5–6
and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to…
- Ezekiel 20:5–6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
About Ezekiel

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Ezekiel; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Chrysostom, DISCOURSES AGAINST JUDAIZING CHRISTIANS 6:2.5; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
