The Meaning of Ezekiel 33:20 Explained

Ezekiel 33:20

KJV: Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

YLT: And ye have said: The way of the Lord is not pondered, Each according to his ways do I judge you, O house of Israel.'

Darby: Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

ASV: Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Yet ye say,  The way  of the Lord  is not equal.  O ye house  of Israel,  I will judge  you every one  after his ways. 

What does Ezekiel 33:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The people persisted in claiming that the Lord"s ways of dealing with them were not just. Yet Yahweh assured them that He would deal with each of them fairly, according to their own individual behavior. God does not blame one person for another person"s sins.
In our day many people refuse to take personal responsibility for their lives and chose rather to blame someone else for the way they live (e.g. a parent, employer, teacher, abuser, the devil, God). We may not be responsible for the actions of others that have resulted in our present condition, but we are responsible for how we conduct ourselves in our present condition.
This message repeats God"s appointment of Ezekiel as a watchman over Israel (ch3) and His assurance of personal responsibility (chs3,18). Evidently the exiles had difficulty accepting this revelation. They tended to view Ezekiel as an entertainer ( Ezekiel 33:30-32) and God as unfair.

Chapter Summary: Ezekiel 33

1  According to the duty of a watchman in warning the people
7  Ezekiel is admonished of his duty
10  God shows the justice of his ways toward the penitent and toward revolters
17  He maintains his justice
21  Upon the news of the taking of Jerusalem
25  he prophecies the desolation of the land
30  God's judgment upon the mockers of the prophets

What do the individual words in Ezekiel 33:20 mean?

And yet you say not is fair The way of Yahweh every one according to his own ways I will judge of you house of Israel -
וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֕ם לֹ֥א יִתָּכֵ֖ן דֶּ֣רֶךְ אֲדֹנָ֑י אִ֧ישׁ כִּדְרָכָ֛יו אֶשְׁפּ֥וֹט אֶתְכֶ֖ם בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל פ

וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֕ם  And  yet  you  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יִתָּכֵ֖ן  is  fair 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: תָּכַן  
Sense: to regulate, measure, estimate, ponder, balance, make even, level, weigh, be equal, be weighed out, test, prove.
דֶּ֣רֶךְ  The  way 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
אֲדֹנָ֑י  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
אִ֧ישׁ  every  one 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
כִּדְרָכָ֛יו  according  to  his  own  ways 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
אֶשְׁפּ֥וֹט  I  will  judge 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁפַט  
Sense: to judge, govern, vindicate, punish.
אֶתְכֶ֖ם  of  you 
Parse: Direct object marker, second person masculine plural
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
בֵּ֥ית  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל  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.
פ    - 
Parse: Punctuation