Ezekiel 20:25-26
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God sometimes "gives" people what isn't good, not because He commands it, but because He justly allows them to pursue the wicked ways they choose, leading them to destruction as a consequence of their rebellion. This wasn't about His own law being bad, but about the devastating consequences of turning to the practices of the nations around them.
Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life, and I defiled them through their very gifts in their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it that they might know that I am the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Ezekiel is recounting Israel's history of rebellion, showing how God, despite His attempts to guide them, continually encountered their disobedience. In this passage, Ezekiel describes not God's good laws, but the corrupt practices and idolatrous "statutes" that the Israelites adopted from surrounding nations as a consequence of their own sin and rebellion. The text shows that God, in His justice, "gave them up" to these destructive ways, which ultimately led to their ruin and exile.
How can God 'give' statutes that are 'not good' and lead to death? This verse sounds like God is the author of evil!
This verse is one of the most challenging in Scripture, but the context clarifies a crucial point: God isn't commanding evil. Instead, He is enacting a form of divine justice called 'giving up.'
A Just Consequence
When people repeatedly reject God's good ways and rebel against His clear commands, God doesn't force them to obey. Instead, He withdraws His restraining grace and allows them to be consumed by their own sinful desires and the corrupting influences around them.
Think of it like this: If you keep touching a hot stove, eventually your parents might just let you touch it without stopping you, because they've warned you so many times. The pain that follows isn't caused by the parent's 'giving' you the stove; it's the natural consequence of your persistent disobedience.
The 'Giving Up' Cycle
This 'giving up' isn't arbitrary. It's a consequence of rebellion. The scholars note that this happens when people:
When this happens, God permits them to fall into idolatry and destructive practices, making them 'desolate' and driving them to 'know that I am the Lord.' It's a severe form of discipline, revealing the true, deadly nature of sin when God steps back.
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The verse contrasts 'statutes that were not good' with those 'whereby they should not live.' What does this 'death' look like?
The Bible consistently contrasts God's life-giving commands with the death-dealing nature of sin and disobedience. Ezekiel 20:25 highlights this stark reality.
The Contrast with God's Law
Ezekiel himself refers to God's true statutes earlier in the chapter (verses 11, 13, 21) as those 'by which a man may live.' These are God's righteous commands that lead to flourishing, health, and a right relationship with Him.
The 'Not Good' Statutes
The 'statutes that were not good' in verse 25 are not part of God's Mosaic Law. Instead, they refer to:
The Result: Death
These 'not good' statutes led to 'death' in several ways:
It's a grim picture, but it underscores the life-giving power of God's true law when contrasted with the deadly consequences of human sin.
Understand the original words
ṭāmēʾ · Hebrew Verb
To make ceremonially or ritually impure, unclean, or common, often through sinful actions or contact with idols. It signifies a loss of holiness and separation from God's presence.
mattānāh · Hebrew Noun
Material goods, sacrifices, or acts of service presented to God or an idol. In a covenantal context, these are meant to be expressions of devotion, but they can be corrupted by misplaced worship.
ʿāḇar · Hebrew Verb
The act of passing through fire or slaughtering as an offering; in this context, it refers specifically to the gruesome practice of human sacrifice to false gods, which was strictly forbidden by the Mosaic Law.
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The personal name of the God of Israel, YHWH, revealed to Moses; it signifies His eternal, self-existent, and covenant-keeping nature.
Ezekiel speaks these powerful words during the Babylonian exile, a time when Israel's history was marked by devastating loss and divine judgment. The 'statutes that were not good' weren't from God's original law but represented the corrupted practices Israel adopted from surrounding nations, a tragic consequence of their rebellion and God's subsequent abandonment to their sinful choices.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the deportation of many Israelites. This event marked a significant loss of national sovereignty and increased fear of foreign domination.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and deports a portion of the population, including noble youths like Daniel. This marked the beginning of Babylonian dominance over Judah.
c. 597 BC— this verse
Second Babylonian Deportation
Babylon deports more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin. This further weakened the kingdom and intensified the sense of impending doom.
c. 587/586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
Babylon destroys Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple, exiling most of the remaining population. This was the catastrophic climax of God's judgment on Judah's unfaithfulness.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest and Decree of Return
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon. He issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple.
This passage echoes Ezekiel by describing how God 'gave them up' to impurity because of their persistent sin, illustrating the concept of God allowing people to follow their corrupted desires as a consequence of their choices.
Deuteronomy 4:28This verse prophesies that as a punishment for idolatry, Israel would be forced to serve other gods, which ties into Ezekiel's message about God giving them 'statutes that were not good' as a form of judgment.
Jeremiah 7:31Jeremiah vehemently condemns the practice of passing children through the fire as a sacrifice, a stark example of the 'statutes that were not good' that Ezekiel refers to, highlighting God's utter disapproval of such abominations.
Psalm 81:11-12This psalm describes God giving His people over to the desires of their hearts when they refused to listen to Him, which parallels Ezekiel's statement about God giving them 'judgments whereby they should not live' due to their disobedience.
2 Thessalonians 2:11Paul speaks of God sending a powerful delusion for those who reject the truth, a concept similar to Ezekiel's idea of God judicially giving people over to false ways that lead to destruction.
ellicottEzekiel 20:25: "Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;"
(25) Statutes that were not good. —In this verse the general statement is made of which a particular instance is given in the next. The “statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live,” cannot be the same with those described in Ezekiel 20:11 as “judgments which, if a man do, he shall even live in them.” They are not, therefore, to be understood (as many…
bensonEzekiel 20:25: "Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;"
Ezekiel 20:25-26 . Wherefore I gave them statutes that were not good, &c. — This some understand of the ceremonial law, as if it were given purely to be a check and restraint to that perverse people, consisting of numerous rites and observances, many of which had no intrinsic good in them. “But I conceive,” says Lowth, “the statutes here spoken of to be of a different nature from…
God sometimes "gives" people what isn't good, not because He commands it, but because He justly allows them to pursue the wicked ways they choose, leading them to destruction as a consequence of their rebellion. This wasn't about His own law being bad, but about the devastating consequences of turning to the practices of the nations around them.
The prophet Ezekiel is recounting Israel's history of rebellion, showing how God, despite His attempts to guide them, continually encountered their disobedience. In this passage, Ezekiel describes not God's good laws, but the corrupt practices and idolatrous "statutes" that the Israelites adopted from surrounding nations as a consequence of their own sin and rebellion. The text shows that God, in His justice, "gave them up" to these destructive ways, which ultimately led to their ruin and exile.
The prophet Ezekiel is recounting Israel's history of rebellion, showing how God, despite His attempts to guide them, continually encountered their disobedience. In this passage, Ezekiel describes not God's good laws, but the corrupt practices and idolatrous "statutes" that the Israelites adopted from surrounding nations as a consequence of their own sin and rebellion. The text shows that God, in His justice, "gave them up" to these destructive ways, which ultimately led to their ruin and exile.
"Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life, and I defiled them through their very gifts in their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it that they might know…" — God sometimes "gives" people what isn't good, not because He commands it, but because He justly allows them to pursue the wicked ways they choose, leading them to destruction as a consequence of thei…
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Last reviewed October 2026
