The Meaning of Ezekiel 20:13 Explained

Ezekiel 20:13

KJV: But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

YLT: And -- rebel against me do the house of Israel in the wilderness, In My statutes they have not walked, And My judgments they have despised, Which the man who doth -- liveth by them. And My sabbaths they have greatly polluted, And I say to pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them.

Darby: But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they rejected mine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them; and my sabbaths they greatly profaned: and I said I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

ASV: But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they rejected mine ordinances, which if a man keep, he shall live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But the house  of Israel  rebelled  against me in the wilderness:  they walked  not in my statutes,  and they despised  my judgments,  which [if] a man  do,  he shall even live  in them; and my sabbaths  they greatly  polluted:  then I said,  I would pour out  my fury  upon them in the wilderness,  to consume  them. 

What does Ezekiel 20:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Nevertheless the Israelites rebelled against their God in the wilderness by disobeying His commands, which God intended to result in their blessing ( Leviticus 18:5). They also made the Sabbath common by failing to observe it as a special day of the week even though God intended it to be a day of rest and remembrance for them. Consequently, Yahweh decided to annihilate them in the wilderness.

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 20:13 mean?

And yet rebelled against Me the house of Israel in the wilderness In My statutes not they did walk and My judgments they despised which [if] does - a man and he shall live by them My Sabbaths they defiled Greatly and I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness to consume them
וַיַּמְרוּ־ בִ֨י בֵֽית־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר בְּחֻקּוֹתַ֨י לֹא־ הָלָ֜כוּ וְאֶת־ מִשְׁפָּטַ֣י מָאָ֗סוּ אֲשֶׁר֩ יַעֲשֶׂ֨ה אֹתָ֤ם הָֽאָדָם֙ וָחַ֣י בָּהֶ֔ם שַׁבְּתֹתַ֖י חִלְּל֣וּ מְאֹ֑ד וָאֹמַ֞ר לִשְׁפֹּ֨ךְ חֲמָתִ֧י עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר לְכַלּוֹתָֽם

וַיַּמְרוּ־  And  yet  rebelled 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: מָרָה  
Sense: to be contentious, be rebellious, be refractory, be disobedient towards, be rebellious against.
בִ֨י  against  Me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
בֵֽית־  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל  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.
בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
בְּחֻקּוֹתַ֨י  In  My  statutes 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: חֻקָּה  
Sense: statute, ordinance, limit, enactment, something prescribed.
הָלָ֜כוּ  they  did  walk 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
מִשְׁפָּטַ֣י  My  judgments 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: מִשְׁפָּט  
Sense: judgment, justice, ordinance.
מָאָ֗סוּ  they  despised 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: מָאַס 
Sense: to reject, despise, refuse.
אֲשֶׁר֩  which  [if] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יַעֲשֶׂ֨ה  does 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
אֹתָ֤ם  - 
Parse: Direct object marker, third person masculine plural
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הָֽאָדָם֙  a  man 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
וָחַ֣י  and  he  shall  live 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָיָה  
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
בָּהֶ֔ם  by  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
שַׁבְּתֹתַ֖י  My  Sabbaths 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct, first person common singular
Root: שַׁבָּת  
Sense: Sabbath.
חִלְּל֣וּ  they  defiled 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: חָלַל 
Sense: to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin.
מְאֹ֑ד  Greatly 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
וָאֹמַ֞ר  and  I  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לִשְׁפֹּ֨ךְ  I  would  pour  out 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שֶׂפֶק 
Sense: to pour, pour out, spill.
חֲמָתִ֧י  My  fury 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: חֵמָא 
Sense: heat, rage, hot displeasure, indignation, anger, wrath, poison, bottles.
עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם  on  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
לְכַלּוֹתָֽם  to  consume  them 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct, third person masculine plural
Root: כָּלָה  
Sense: to accomplish, cease, consume, determine, end, fail, finish, be complete, be accomplished, be ended, be at an end, be finished, be spent.