“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Is it to inquire of me that you have come? As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “I will not be inquired of by you.”’
Parallel translations
- KJV 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.
- 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.
- NKJV “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord God, “I will not be inquired of by you.” ’
- NASB “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Do you yourselves come to inquire of Me? As I live,” declares the Lord God, “I certainly will not be inquired of by you.” ’
- NLT “Son of man, tell the leaders of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: How dare you come to ask me for a message? As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I will tell you nothing!’
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 refuses to be inquired of by the unrepentant elders. Their show of seeking Him is hollow because their hearts cling to sin.
Overview
The Lord swears by His own life ('As I live') that He will not let such inquirers receive guidance as though all were well. Seeking God while persisting in idolatry is an offense, not true worship. The verse warns that God will not be used as a religious convenience by those unwilling to repent (compare Isaiah 1:15).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Prov 28:9He who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.
- Matt 15:8–9‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
- Mic 3:7The seers shall be disappointed, and the diviners confounded. Yes, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer from God.”
- Ps 50:15–21Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
- John 4:24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
- 1 Sam 28:6When Saul inquired of Yahweh, Yahweh didn’t answer him by dreams, by Urim, or by prophets.
- Ezek 14:7–8“‘“For everyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live in Israel, who separates himself from me, and takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I Yahweh will answer him by myself.
- Luke 3:7He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
- Ezek 20:31When you offer your gifts, when you make your sons to pass through the fire, do you pollute yourselves with all your idols to this day? Shall I be inquired of by you, house of Israel? As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, I will not be inquired of by you!
- Matt 3:7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
- Ezek 14:3–4“Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face. Should I be inquired of at all by them?
- Prov 15:8The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
- Isa 1:15When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
- Isa 1:12When you come to appear before me, who has required this at your hand, to trample my courts?
- Prov 21:27The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind!
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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 20:3 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.