Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know 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;
- BSB Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? Confront them with 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 22:2Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations.
- Ezek 23:36The LORD said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;
- Ezek 23:45And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood; because they are adulteresses, and blood is in their hands.
- Luke 11:47–51Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
- Matt 23:29–37Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
- 1 Cor 6:2Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
- Isa 5:3And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
- Jer 11:14Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.
- Acts 7:51–52Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
- Jer 15:1Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.
- Ezek 14:20Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
- Ezek 14:14Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.
- Ezek 16:2–3Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
- Jer 7:16Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
- Jer 14:11–14Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.
- Luke 13:33–35Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.