Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? Confront them with the abominations of their fathers
Parallel translations
- WEB “Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers;
- KJV Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:
- NKJV Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.
- NASB Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? Make known to them the abominations of their fathers;
- NLT “Son of man, bring charges against them and condemn them. Make them realize how detestable the sins of their ancestors really were.
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 calls Ezekiel to judge the people by confronting them with the sins of their ancestors. The coming history lesson is meant to expose their inherited and ongoing rebellion.
Overview
The doubled 'will you judge them' is an emphatic charge for the prophet to act as God's prosecutor. By recounting the fathers' abominations, Ezekiel shows that the present generation walks in the same well-worn path of sin. This sets up the chapter's pattern of grace met by repeated rebellion, underscoring the need for a deeper heart change that only God can give.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ezek 22:2“As for you, son of man, will you judge her? Will you pass judgment on the city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her abominations
- Ezek 23:36Then the LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.
- Ezek 23:45But righteous men will sentence them to the punishment of those who commit adultery and bloodshed, because they are adulteresses with blood on their hands.
- Luke 11:47–51Woe to you! You build tombs for the prophets, but it was your fathers who killed them.
- Matt 23:29–37Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.
- 1 Cor 6:2Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
- Isa 5:3“And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard.
- Jer 11:14As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will not be listening when they call out to Me in their time of disaster.
- Acts 7:51–52You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.
- Jer 15:1Then the LORD said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them from My presence, and let them go.
- Ezek 14:20then as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they could not deliver their own sons or daughters. Their righteousness could deliver only themselves.
- Ezek 14:14then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, their righteousness could deliver only themselves, declares the Lord GOD.
- Ezek 16:2–3“Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her abominations
- Jer 7:16As for you, do not pray for these people, do not offer a plea or petition on their behalf, and do not beg Me, for I will not listen to you.
- Jer 14:11–14Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people.
- Luke 13:33–35Nevertheless, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not admissible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.
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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 20:4 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.