Ezekiel 20 · Verse 5

Ezekiel 20:5

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;
Ezekiel 20:5, King James Version

Ezekiel 20:5 in other translations

BSBand 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.’
WEBTell them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “In the day when I chose Israel, and swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God;’
ASVand 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;
YLTand thou hast said unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: In the day of My fixing on Israel, I lift up My hand, To the seed of the house of Jacob, And am known to them in the land of Egypt, And I lift up My hand to them, Saying, I am Jehovah your God.
DARBYand say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up my hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up my hand unto them, saying, I am Jehovah your God,
BBEAnd say to them, This is what the Lord has said: In the day when I took Israel for myself, when I made an oath to the seed of the family of Jacob, and I gave them knowledge of myself in the land of Egypt, saying to them with an oath, I am the Lord your God;
WebsterAnd say to them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up my hand to the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up my hand to them, saying, I am the LORD your God;

What does Ezekiel 20:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 20:5-6
5-6. The thrice lifting up of God's hand (the sign of His oath, Re 10:5, 6; Ex 6:8, Margin; Nu 14:30; to which passages the form of words here alludes) implies the solemn earnestness of God's purpose of grace to them. made myself known unto them--proving Myself faithful and true by the actual fulfilment of My promises (Ex 4:31; 6:3); revealing Myself as "Jehovah," that is, not that the name was unknown before, but that then first the force of that name was manifested in the promises of God then being realized in performances.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 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.

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 20:5 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.

וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ve.'a.mar.Taand you will sayH559
אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם'a.lei.Hemto themH413
כֹּֽה\־koh-thusH3541
אָמַר֮'a.Marhe saysH559
אֲדֹנָ֣י'a.do.Nai[the] LordH136
יְהוִה֒Yah.wehYahwehH3069
בְּיוֹם֙be.yOmon [the] dayH3117
בָּחֳרִ֣יbo.cho.Richose IH977
בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔לve.Yis.ra.'El<in> IsraelH3478
וָאֶשָּׂ֣אva.'e.Sa'and I lifted upH5375
יָדִ֗יya.Dihand myH3027
לְזֶ֙רַע֙le.Ze.ra'to [the] offspring ofH2233
בֵּ֣יתbeit[the] house ofH1004
יַֽעֲקֹ֔בya.'a.KoJacobH3290
וָאִוָּדַ֥עva.'i.va.Da'and I made myself knownH3045
לָהֶ֖םla.Hemto them
בְּאֶ֣רֶץbe.'E.retzin [the] land ofH776
מִצְרָ֑יִםmitz.Ra.yimEgyptH4714
וָאֶשָּׂ֨אva.'e.Sa'and I lifted upH5375
יָדִ֤יya.Dihand myH3027
לָהֶם֙la.Hemto them
לֵאמֹ֔רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
אֲנִ֖י'a.NiIH589
יְהוָ֥הYah.weh[am] YahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם\׃'e.lo.hei.KhemGod yourH430

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

Cross references for Ezekiel 20:5

  • Ezekiel 20:15

    Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;

  • Exodus 3:8

    And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

  • Exodus 6:6-7

    Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

  • Deuteronomy 7:6

    For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

  • Ezekiel 47:14

    And ye shall inherit it, one as well as another: concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your fathers: and this land shall fall unto you for inheritance.

  • Exodus 4:31

    And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

  • Genesis 14:22

    And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

  • Ezekiel 20:23

    I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;

  • Deuteronomy 4:34

    Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

  • Deuteronomy 32:40

    For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.

  • Exodus 19:4-6

    Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

  • Jeremiah 33:24

    Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the Lord hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
In the.
Ex 6:6,7; 19:4-6; De 4:37; 7:6; 14:2; Ps 33:12; Isa 41:8,9; 43:10
Isa 44:1,2; Jer 33:24; Mr 13:20
lifted up mine hand. or, sware. (and so ver. 6, etc.Ex 6:8, 9.)
15,23; 47:14; Ge 14:22; De 32:40; Re 10:5
and made.
35:11; Ex 3:8; 4:31; De 4:34; 11:2-7; Ps 103:7
I am.
Ex 3:6,16; 20:2,3

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

Context

  • Ezekiel 20:4

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

  • Ezekiel 20:5

    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;

  • Ezekiel 20:6

    In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:

Read all of Ezekiel 20

Ezekiel 20:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y diles: Así ha dicho el Señor Jehová: El día que escogí á Israel, y que alcé mi mano por la simiente de la casa de Jacob, y que fuí conocido de ellos en la tierra de Egipto, cuando alcé mi mano á ellos, diciendo: Yo soy Jehová vuestro Dios;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
et dis-leur: Ainsi dit le Seigneur, l’ Éternel: Au jour où je choisis Israël, et que je levai ma main à la semence de la maison de Jacob, et que je me fis connaître à eux dans le pays d’Égypte, et que je leur levai ma main, disant: Je suis l’ Éternel, votre Dieu,
German
Elberfelder 1871
und sprich zu ihnen: So spricht der Herr, Jehova: An dem Tage, da ich Israel erwählte, und ich meine Hand dem Samen des Hauses Jakob erhob und ihnen im Lande Ägypten mich kundgab, und meine Hand ihnen erhob und sprach: Ich bin Jehova, euer Gott-
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et dices ad eos: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: In die qua elegi Israël, et levavi manum meam pro stirpe domus Jacob, et apparui eis in terra Ægypti, et levavi manum meam pro eis, dicens: Ego Dominus Deus vester: