And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.
Parallel translations
- WEB I gave them my statutes, and showed them my ordinances, which if a man does, he shall live in them.
- BSB And I gave them My statutes and made known to them My ordinances—for the man who does these things will live by them.
- NKJV And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’
- NASB I gave them My statutes and informed them of My ordinances, which, if a person follows them, then he will live by them.
- NLT There I gave them my decrees and regulations so they could find life by keeping them.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God gave Israel His statutes and ordinances, by which a person who keeps them shall live. His law was a gracious gift meant to lead to life.
Overview
At Sinai God revealed His good law as the path of life and blessing for His redeemed people (Leviticus 18:5). The law was not given to enslave but to guide His people in the way of flourishing fellowship with Him. Israel's failure to keep it exposes humanity's need for the righteousness of Christ, who alone perfectly fulfilled the law and gives life to all who trust Him (Romans 10:5; Galatians 3:12).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Lev 18:5Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.
- Rom 10:5For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
- Deut 4:8And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?
- Luke 10:28And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
- Gal 3:12And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
- Ezek 20:13But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
- Neh 9:13–14Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
- Ps 147:19–20He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.
- Deut 20:15–16Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.
- Ezek 20:21Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
- Rom 3:2Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
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Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 20:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.