Ezekiel 20:25
Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;
Original Language Analysis
וְגַם
H1571
וְגַם
Strong's:
H1571
Word #:
1 of 11
properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as correl. both...and
נָתַ֣תִּי
Wherefore I gave
H5414
נָתַ֣תִּי
Wherefore I gave
Strong's:
H5414
Word #:
3 of 11
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
חֻקִּ֖ים
them also statutes
H2706
חֻקִּ֖ים
them also statutes
Strong's:
H2706
Word #:
5 of 11
an enactment; hence, an appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or usage)
לֹ֣א
H3808
לֹ֣א
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
6 of 11
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
טוֹבִ֑ים
that were not good
H2896
טוֹבִ֑ים
that were not good
Strong's:
H2896
Word #:
7 of 11
good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good
וּמִ֨שְׁפָּטִ֔ים
and judgments
H4941
וּמִ֨שְׁפָּטִ֔ים
and judgments
Strong's:
H4941
Word #:
8 of 11
properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, ind
לֹ֥א
H3808
לֹ֥א
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
9 of 11
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
Cross References
Psalms 81:12So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.Isaiah 66:4I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.Ezekiel 20:39As 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.Deuteronomy 28:36The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.Ezekiel 20:26And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.
Historical Context
Verse 26 specifies that this involved child sacrifice, which God had forbidden (Leviticus 18:21, 20:2-5) but which Israel adopted from Canaanite worship. God's 'giving them over' to these practices doesn't mean He commanded child sacrifice but that He judicially allowed their idolatry to run its full destructive course.
Questions for Reflection
- How do we understand God's judicial hardening without making Him the author of sin?
- What does Romans 1:18-32's progression of giving people over to sin teach about this principle?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
'Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live.' One of Scripture's most difficult verses. God 'gave them statutes that were not good'—likely referring to judicial hardening, giving them over to their desired idolatrous practices (Romans 1:24-28). When people persistently reject God's good law, He withdraws restraint, allowing them to follow destructive paths. This is judgment through abandonment.