Ezekiel 20 · Verse 3

Ezekiel 20:3

Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you.
Ezekiel 20:3, King James Version

Ezekiel 20:3 in other translations

BSB“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Have you come to inquire of Me? As surely as I live, I will not be consulted by you, declares the Lord GOD.
WEB“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Is it to inquire of me that you have come? As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will not be inquired of by you.”’
ASVSon of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Is it to inquire of me that ye are come? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.
YLT‘Son of man, speak with the elders of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, Thus said the Lord Jehovah: To seek Me are ye coming in? I live--I am not sought by you--an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.
DARBYSon of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Are ye come to inquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.
BBESon of man, say to the responsible men of Israel, This is what the Lord has said: Have you come to get directions from me? By my life, says the Lord, you will get no directions from me.
WebsterSon of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to inquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.

What does Ezekiel 20:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
3. The chapter falls into two great parts: Eze 20:1-32, the recital of the people's rebellions during five distinct periods: in Egypt, the wilderness, on the borders of Canaan when a new generation arose, in Canaan, and in the time of the prophet. I will not be inquired of by you--because their moral state precluded them from capability of knowing the will of God (Psa 66:18; Pr 28:9; Joh 7:17).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 I will not be inquired of by you - I will not hear you. I will have nothing to do with you.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ezekiel 20:1-9

The elders of Israel are reminded of the idolatry in Egypt. (Ezek 20:1-9) In the wilderness. (Ezek 20:10-26) In Canaan. (Ezek 20:27-32) God promises to pardon and restore them. (Ezek 20:33-44) Prophecy against Jerusalem. (Ezek 20:45-49) Verses 1-9 . Those hearts are wretchedly hardened which ask God leave to go on in sin, and that even when suffering for it; see Ezek 20:32. God is justly angry with those who are…

Read the full comment on Ezekiel 20:1-9 →

Ezekiel 20:3 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

בֶּן\־ben-O son ofH1121
אָדָ֗ם'a.DamhumankindH120
דַּבֵּ֞רda.BerspeakH1696
אֶת\־'et-withH854
זִקְנֵ֤יzik.Nei[the] elders ofH2205
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Yis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ve.'a.mar.Taand you will sayH559
אֲלֵהֶ֔ם'a.le.Hemto themH413
כֹּ֤הkohthusH3541
אָמַר֙'a.Marhe saysH559
אֲדֹנָ֣י'a.do.Nai[the] LordH136
יְהוִ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3069
הֲלִדְרֹ֥שׁha.lid.Rosh¿ to consultH1875
אֹתִ֖י'o.Ti<obj.> meH853
אַתֶּ֣ם'a.Tem[are] youH859
בָּאִ֑יםba.'ImcomingH935
חַי\־chai-[by] [the] lifeH2416
אָ֙נִי֙'a.niof meH589
אִם\־'im-ifH518
אִדָּרֵ֣שׁ'i.da.ReshI will let myself be consultedH1875
לָכֶ֔םla.Khemby you
נְאֻ֖םne.'Um[the] utterance ofH5002
אֲדֹנָ֥י'a.do.Nai[the] LordH136
יְהוִֽה\׃Yah.wehYahwehH3069

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ezekiel 20:3

  • Psalms 50:15-21

    And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. …

  • Proverbs 28:9

    He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

  • Matthew 15:8-9

    This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

  • Micah 3:7

    Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.

  • Ezekiel 20:31

    For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you.

  • Isaiah 1:12

    When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

  • Proverbs 15:8

    The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

  • Ezekiel 14:7-8

    For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the Lord will answer him by myself: And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

  • Isaiah 1:15

    And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

  • Matthew 3:7

    But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

  • 1 Samuel 28:6

    And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

  • Ezekiel 14:3-4

    Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Are.
Isa 1:12; Mt 3:7; Lu 3:7
As I.
31; 14:3,4,7,8; 1Sa 28:6; Ps 50:15-21; Pr 15:8; 21:27; 28:9
Isa 1:15; Mic 3:7; Mt 15:8,9; Joh 4:24

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ezekiel 20:2

    Then came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,

  • Ezekiel 20:3

    Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you.

  • Ezekiel 20:4

    Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:

Read all of Ezekiel 20

Ezekiel 20:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Hijo del hombre, habla á los ancianos de Israel, y diles: Así ha dicho el Señor Jehová: ¿A consultarme venís vosotros? Vivo yo, que yo no os responderé, dice el Señor Jehová.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Fils d’homme, parle aux anciens d’Israël, et dis-leur: Ainsi dit le Seigneur, l’ Éternel: Êtes-vous venus pour me consulter? Je suis vivant, dit le Seigneur, l’ Éternel, si je suis consulté par vous!
German
Elberfelder 1871
Menschensohn, rede zu den Ältesten Israels und sprich zu ihnen: So spricht der Herr, Jehova: Um mich zu befragen, seid ihr gekommen? So wahr ich lebe, wenn ich mich von euch befragen lasse! spricht der Herr, Jehova.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Fili hominis, loquere senioribus Israël, et dices ad eos: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Numquid ad interrogandum me vos venistis? vivo ego quia non respondebo vobis, ait Dominus Deus.