The Meaning of Ezekiel 20:31 Explained

Ezekiel 20:31

KJV: For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.

YLT: And in the offering of your gifts, In causing your sons to pass through fire, Ye are defiled by all your idols to this day, And I am sought by you, O house of Israel! I live -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, I am not sought by you.

Darby: And when ye offer your gifts, making your sons to pass through the fire, ye defile yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day; and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.

ASV: and when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, do ye pollute yourselves with all your idols unto this day? and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For when ye offer  your gifts,  when ye make your sons  to pass through  the fire,  ye pollute  yourselves with all your idols,  even unto this day:  and shall I be enquired  of by you, O house  of Israel?  [As] I live,  saith  the Lord  GOD,  I will not be enquired  of by you. 

What does Ezekiel 20:31 Mean?

Verse Meaning

They were defiling themselves by practicing child sacrifice. For this reason the Lord would not give them the answers to the questions that they brought to him (cf. Ezekiel 20:1; Ezekiel 20:3).

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 20

1  God refuses to be consulted by the elders of Israel
4  He shows the story of their rebellions in Egypt
19  in the desert
27  and in the land
33  He promises to gather them by the Gospel
45  Under the name of a forest he shows the destruction of Jerusalem

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 20:31 mean?

And for when you offer your gifts and make pass your sons through the fire you defile yourselves with all your idols even to this day So I shall be inquired of by you house of Israel live [As] I says the Lord GOD not I will be inquired of by you
וּבִשְׂאֵ֣ת מַתְּנֹֽתֵיכֶ֡ם בְּֽהַעֲבִיר֩ בְּנֵיכֶ֨ם בָּאֵ֜שׁ אַתֶּם֩ נִטְמְאִ֤֨ים לְכָל־ גִּלּֽוּלֵיכֶם֙ עַד־ הַיּ֔וֹם וַאֲנִ֛י אִדָּרֵ֥שׁ לָכֶ֖ם בֵּ֣ית ؟ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל חַי־ אָ֗נִי נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה אִם־ אִדָּרֵ֖שׁ לָכֶֽם

וּבִשְׂאֵ֣ת  And  for  when  you  offer 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
מַתְּנֹֽתֵיכֶ֡ם  your  gifts 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: מַתָּנָה  
Sense: gift.
בְּֽהַעֲבִיר֩  and  make  pass 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.
בְּנֵיכֶ֨ם  your  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
בָּאֵ֜שׁ  through  the  fire 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
נִטְמְאִ֤֨ים  defile  yourselves 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: טָמֵא 
Sense: to be unclean, become unclean, become impure.
לְכָל־  with  all 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
גִּלּֽוּלֵיכֶם֙  your  idols 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: גִּלּוּלִים  
Sense: idols.
עַד־  even  to 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
הַיּ֔וֹם  this  day 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
וַאֲנִ֛י  So  I 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
אִדָּרֵ֥שׁ  shall  be  inquired 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: דַּרְיׄושׁ 
Sense: to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require.
לָכֶ֖ם  of  by  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
בֵּ֣ית  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
؟ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
חַי־  live 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
אָ֗נִי  [As]  I 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
נְאֻם֙  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
אֲדֹנָ֣י  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יְהוִ֔ה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
אִדָּרֵ֖שׁ  I  will  be  inquired 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: דַּרְיׄושׁ 
Sense: to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require.
לָכֶֽם  of  by  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural