Ezekiel 20:31
When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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God's question, "shall I be inquired of by you?" isn't just about their sin, but the utter hypocrisy of coming to Him after offering their children to idols. It highlights that their "gifts" and inquiries are not genuine seeking but a perverse attempt to manipulate God, whom they have already profoundly rejected.
Ezekiel has been recounting Israel’s history of rebellion, detailing how their ancestors repeatedly defiled themselves with idols, even offering their children as sacrifices. Now, elders of Israel have come to inquire of the Lord through Ezekiel, but their very question is posed against the backdrop of their ongoing idolatry and their ancestors’ horrific practices. God declares that because they continue to defile themselves with idols, He will refuse to be sought out by them.
Imagine trying to serve two masters, offering gifts to God while secretly bowing to idols. That’s the twisted reality Ezekiel confronts.
The people in Ezekiel's day were engaging in what the commentators call "compendious" worship – a mixture of seemingly religious acts and outright idolatry. They were offering gifts and sacrifices, even going so far as to pass their children through fire (a horrifying practice of child sacrifice), all while claiming to be God's people. This wasn't just hypocrisy; it was a deliberate pollution of their worship, defiling themselves with their idols.
God's response highlights the impossibility of serving Him and idols simultaneously. He points out that their gifts and sacrifices were not offered in sincerity but were mixed with their idolatrous practices, effectively making their entire religious life an offense to Him.
You've been praying, perhaps even seeking God's wisdom, but what if the line of communication is effectively shut down?
The climax of Ezekiel 20:31 is God's powerful declaration: 'And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.' This isn't just a threat; it's a statement of consequence.
Because the people had so thoroughly defiled themselves with their idols and their corrupt worship, they had forfeited the right to approach God with their questions and requests. God wasn't ignoring them out of spite, but because their actions had created a spiritual chasm. They were seeking answers from the One they had so consistently rejected and offended. He swears by His own life that He will not answer them, meaning their attempts to inquire of Him were, at that moment, futile and would go unanswered because of their unrepentant state.
Understand the original words
mattanah · Hebrew Noun
Sacrificial offerings given to God or idols, typically involving crops, animals, or other valuable items, symbolizing devotion and dependence.
abar · Hebrew Verb
Ritual child sacrifice, a grave abomination practiced by pagan nations and strictly forbidden by God in the Law of Moses.
tame · Hebrew Verb
To make unclean, impure, or profane; in a religious sense, it refers to the state of being unfit for the presence of a holy God due to sin or ritual transgression.
gillul · Hebrew Noun
Anything that takes the place of the one true God, often represented by physical images, becoming the object of worship or ultimate trust.
The people of Israel, even in exile and facing God's judgment, were still practicing detestable idolatry and child sacrifice, mirroring the sins of their ancestors. God's rejection of their inquiries highlights the hypocrisy of seeking Him while clinging to abominations.
c. 732 BC
Assyrian Conquest of Northern Kingdom
Assyria conquers the northern kingdom of Israel, deporting many and resettling the land with foreigners. This event further scatters the people of God and creates a mixed religious and cultural landscape.
597 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Babylon, under Nebuchadnezzar II, conquers Jerusalem and deports King Jehoiachin and many of the skilled workers and nobles to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian Exile.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar II destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, carrying off most of the remaining population into exile. This is a catastrophic event for the Judean people and their faith.
c. 593 BC— this verse
Ezekiel's Call to Prophecy
Ezekiel, already in exile in Babylon, receives his prophetic call. He is commissioned to speak God's word to the exiles, confronting their sins and offering a message of future restoration.
This passage also condemns the horrific practice of offering children as sacrifices in the Valley of Hinnom, highlighting the deep-seated sin God's people were engaging in, which directly mirrors Ezekiel's accusation.
Micah 6:7Micah powerfully questions whether God desires such extreme offerings, like giving one's firstborn for transgression, showing this was a widely recognized abomination contrary to true worship.
Hosea 4:12Hosea points to how spiritual adultery leads people to seek counsel from 'a stick' and 'a staff,' illustrating the misguided worship and divination that Ezekiel's generation was resorting to instead of seeking God.
Romans 1:28Paul describes God giving people over to a 'depraved mind' when they reject Him, which aligns with God's judgment in Ezekiel that He would no longer be inquired of by those so deeply entrenched in their sinful practices.
ellicottEzekiel 20:31: "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."
(31) I will not be enquired of by you. —This takes up the refrain of Ezekiel 20:3 , and with the following verse fitly closes this portion of the prophecy which was introduced by the coming of the elders to enquire.
clarkeEzekiel 20:31: "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."
Ye pollute yourselves - This shows the sense in which God says, Ezekiel 20:26 , "I polluted them in their own gifts." They chose to pollute themselves, and I permitted them to do so. See on Ezekiel 20:25 (note), Ezekiel 2…
God's question, "shall I be inquired of by you?" isn't just about their sin, but the utter hypocrisy of coming to Him after offering their children to idols. It highlights that their "gifts" and inquiries are not genuine seeking but a perverse attempt to manipulate God, whom they have already profoundly rejected.
Ezekiel has been recounting Israel’s history of rebellion, detailing how their ancestors repeatedly defiled themselves with idols, even offering their children as sacrifices. Now, elders of Israel have come to inquire of the Lord through Ezekiel, but their very question is posed against the backdrop of their ongoing idolatry and their ancestors’ horrific practices. God declares that because they continue to defile themselves with idols, He will refuse to be sought out by them.
Ezekiel has been recounting Israel’s history of rebellion, detailing how their ancestors repeatedly defiled themselves with idols, even offering their children as sacrifices. Now, elders of Israel have come to inquire of the Lord through Ezekiel, but their very question is posed against the backdrop of their ongoing idolatry and their ancestors’ horrific practices. God declares that because they continue to defile themselves with idols, He will refuse to be sought out by them.
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darash · Hebrew Verb
Seeking guidance, counsel, or divine revelation from the Lord; here used ironically to denote Israel's attempt to approach God while remaining in open rebellion.
Adonay Yahweh · Hebrew Noun/Proper Name
The sovereign Ruler of the universe, the covenant-keeping God of Israel, who holds supreme authority and power over all nations.
c. 591-571 BC
Ezekiel's Ministry in Babylon
Throughout the period of Jerusalem's destruction and the early years of the exile, Ezekiel delivers his prophecies. He vividly describes Israel's spiritual adultery and their persistent, sinful practices, including child sacrifice.
539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon. This ushers in a new era and eventually leads to the decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem.
"When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you." — God's question, "shall I be inquired of by you?" isn't just about their sin, but the utter hypocrisy of coming to Him after offering their children to idols. It highlights that their "gifts" and inqu…
