Ezekiel 20:39
in Ezekiel 20And as for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Lord GOD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you. But afterward, you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Go ye, serve every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me; but my holy name shall ye no more profane with your gifts, and with your idols.
KJV
As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.
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This verse in Ezekiel 20
Commentary
6 notes on this verse(Verse 39.) And you, house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: each one of you after your idols walk, and serve them. But if you will not listen to me even in this, and you will further defile my holy name in your gifts and in your idols. LXX: And you, house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: Each one of you take away your inventions, and after this, if you will listen to me, and you will no longer defile my holy name in your gifts and in your pursuits.
This site's exposition
Go ye, serve ye every one his idols
on Ezekiel 20:39-42
The Lord tells Israel to go and serve their idols, but he adds the one condition that still stands, pollute my holy name no more. The turn comes at mine holy mountain, where all the house of Israel is promised full acceptance, offerings, firstfruits, and holy things once again received.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), as Elijah had done in his name: " If the Lord be God, then follow him, but, if Baal, then follow him; if you will serve your idols, do, and take what comes of it; but then do not pretend relation to God and a religious regard to him, nor pollute his holy name with your gifts at his altar." Spiritual judgments are the sorest judgments.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
As for you, O house of Israel,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Equivalent to, "I would rather have you open idolaters than hypocrites, fancying you can worship Me and yet at the same time serve idols" (Am 5:21, 22, 25, 26; compare 1Ki 18:21; Go ye, serve--This is not a command to serve idols, but a judicial declaration of God's giving up of the half-idol, half-Jehovah worshippers to utter idolatry, if they will not serve Jehovah alone (Ps 81:12;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Go ye, serve ye every one his idols - Thus, God gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they could not live, by thus permitting them to take their own way, serve their gods, and follow the maxims and rites of that abominable worship.
The words behind it
24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַתֶּ֨ם | veatem | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| בֵּֽית־ | beit- | O house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| כֹּֽה־ | koh- | thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| אָמַ֣ר׀ | ʾamar | he says | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲדֹנָ֣י | ʾadonai | [the] Lord | H136 → | 440 times |
| יְהֹוִ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3069 → | 306 times |
| אִ֤ישׁ | ʾish | everyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| גִּלּוּלָיו֙ | gilulav | idols his | H1544 → | 48 times |
| לְכ֣וּ | lekhu | go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| עֲבֹ֔דוּ | ʾavodu | serve | H5647 → | 288 times |
| וְאַחַ֕ר | veachar | and after | H310 → | 715 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| אֵינְכֶ֖ם | ʾeinkhem | not you | H369 → | 789 times |
| שֹׁמְעִ֣ים | shomeim | [will be] listening | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אֵלָ֑י | ʾelai | to me | H413 → | 5510 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שֵׁ֤ם | shem | [the] name of | H8034 → | 864 times |
| קָדְשִׁי֙ | kodshi | holiness my | H6944 → | 469 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תְחַלְּלוּ־ | techalelu- | you will profane | H2490 → | 143 times |
| ע֔וֹד | od | again | H5750 → | 490 times |
| בְּמַתְּנֽוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם | bematenoteikhem | by gifts your | H4979 → | 17 times |
| וּבְגִלּוּלֵיכֶֽם׃ | uvegiluleikhem | and by idols your | H1544 → | 48 times |
וְאַתֶּ֨םand you
veatemH859 →1094 times
בֵּֽית־O house of
beit-H1004 →2046 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֜לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
כֹּֽה־thus
koh-H3541 →577 times
אָמַ֣ר׀he says
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
אֲדֹנָ֣י[the] Lord
ʾadonaiH136 →440 times
יְהֹוִ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3069 →306 times
אִ֤ישׁeveryone
ʾishH376 →1663 times
גִּלּוּלָיו֙idols his
gilulavH1544 →48 times
לְכ֣וּgo
lekhuH1980 →1546 times
עֲבֹ֔דוּserve
ʾavoduH5647 →288 times
וְאַחַ֕רand after
veacharH310 →715 times
אִם־if
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
אֵינְכֶ֖םnot you
ʾeinkhemH369 →789 times
שֹׁמְעִ֣ים[will be] listening
shomeimH8085 →1159 times
אֵלָ֑יto me
ʾelaiH413 →5510 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
שֵׁ֤ם[the] name of
shemH8034 →864 times
קָדְשִׁי֙holiness my
kodshiH6944 →469 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תְחַלְּלוּ־you will profane
techalelu-H2490 →143 times
ע֔וֹדagain
odH5750 →490 times
בְּמַתְּנֽוֹתֵיכֶ֖םby gifts your
bematenoteikhemH4979 →17 times
וּבְגִלּוּלֵיכֶֽם׃and by idols your
uvegiluleikhemH1544 →48 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
Ezekiel 43:7and He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the Israelites forever. The house…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 43:9
Now let them remove far from Me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will dwell among them forever.
- Psalms 47:8
God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.
- Leviticus 26:30
I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and heap your lifeless bodies on the lifeless remains of your idols; and My soul will despise you.
- Ezekiel 43:9
Through
Hosea 4:17Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone!
it leads to
- Psalms 81:12
So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
- Revelation 22:11
Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.”
- Psalms 81:12
Through
Judges 10:14Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble.”
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:37–38
He will say: “Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge,
- Jeremiah 2:28
But where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them rise up in your time of trouble and save you if they can; for your gods are as numerous as your cities, O…
- Proverbs 1:25–27
because you neglected all my counsel, and wanted none of my correction,
- Deuteronomy 32:37–38
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; 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.