Ezekiel 20 · Verse 7

Ezekiel 20:7

Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Ezekiel 20:7, King James Version

Ezekiel 20:7 in other translations

BSBAnd I said to them: ‘Each of you must throw away the abominations before his eyes, and you must not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’
WEBI said to them, ‘Each of you throw away the abominations of his eyes. Don’t defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’
ASVAnd I said unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am Jehovah your God.
YLTAnd I say unto them, Let each cast away the detestable things of his eyes, And with the idols of Egypt be not defiled, I am Jehovah your God.
DARBYand I said unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God.
BBEAnd I said to them, Let every man among you put away the disgusting things to which his eyes are turned, and do not make yourselves unclean with the images of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.
WebsterThen said I to them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

What does Ezekiel 20:7 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
7. Moses gives no formal statement of idolatries practised by Israel in Egypt. But it is implied in their readiness to worship the golden calf (resembling the Egyptian ox, Apis) (Ex 32:4), which makes it likely they had worshipped such idols in Egypt. Also, in Le 17:7, "They shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils (literally, seirim, 'he-goats,' the symbol of the false god, Pan), after whom they have gone awhoring." The call of God by Moses was as much to them to separate from idols and follow Jehovah, as it was to Pharaoh to let them go forth. Ex 6:6, 7 and Jos 24:14, expressly mention their idolatry "in Egypt." Hence the need of their being removed out of the contagion of Egyptian idolatries by the exodus. every man--so universal was the evil. of his eyes--It was not fear of their Egyptian masters, but their own lust of the eye that drew them to idols (Eze 6:9; 18:6).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 7 Cast ye away - the abominations - Put away all your idols; those incentives to idolatry that ye have looked on with delight.

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 20:7 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.

וָאֹמַ֣רva.'o.Marand I saidH559
אֲלֵהֶ֗ם'a.le.Hemto themH413
אִ֣ישׁ'isheveryoneH376
שִׁקּוּצֵ֤יshi.ku.Tzei[the] detestable things ofH8251
עֵינָיו֙'ei.Naveyes hisH5869
הַשְׁלִ֔יכוּhash.Li.khuthrow awayH7993
וּבְגִלּוּלֵ֥יu.ve.gi.lu.Leiand by [the] idols ofH1544
מִצְרַ֖יִםmitz.Ra.yimEgyptH4714
אַל\־'al-may notH408
תִּטַּמָּ֑אוּti.ta.Ma.'uyou make yourselves uncleanH2930
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 20:7

  • Leviticus 18:3

    After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.

  • Ezekiel 20:8

    But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

  • Leviticus 11:44

    For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

  • Ezekiel 18:31

    Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

  • Deuteronomy 29:16-18

    (For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by; And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:) Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;

  • Exodus 20:2

    I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

  • Joshua 24:14

    Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.

  • Ezekiel 14:6

    Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

  • Ezekiel 23:8

    Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.

  • Isaiah 2:20-21

    In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

  • Isaiah 31:7

    For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin.

  • Ezekiel 23:3

    And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Cast.
8; 18:6,15,31; Isa 2:20,21; 31:7
the abominations.
6:9; 14:6; 2Ch 15:8
defile.
23:3,8; Le 17:7; 18:3; De 29:16-18; Jos 24:14
I am.
19; Ex 16:12; Le 11:44; 20:7

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

Context

  • 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:

  • Ezekiel 20:7

    Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

  • Ezekiel 20:8

    But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

Read all of Ezekiel 20

Ezekiel 20:7 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Entonces les dije: Cada uno eche de sí las abominaciones de sus ojos, y no os contaminéis en los ídolos de Egipto. Yo soy Jehová vuestro Dios.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
et je leur dis: Que chacun de vous rejette les abominations que ses yeux regardent, et ne vous rendez pas impurs par les idoles de l’Égypte. Je suis l’ Éternel, votre Dieu.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und ich sprach zu ihnen: Werfet ein jeder die Scheusale seiner Augen weg, und verunreiniget euch nicht mit den Götzen Ägyptens; ich bin Jehova, euer Gott.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et dixi ad eos: Unusquisque offensiones oculorum suorum abjiciat, et in idolis Ægypti nolite pollui: ego Dominus Deus vester.