Ezekiel 16:20
Ezekiel 16:20 in Multiple Translations
You even took the sons and daughters you bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to idols. Was your prostitution not enough?
Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Were thy whoredoms a small matter,
And you took your sons and your daughters whom I had by you, offering even these to them to be their food. Was your loose behaviour so small a thing,
You sacrificed your sons and daughters—the children you had for me—offering them as food for idols to eat. Wasn't your prostitution evil enough?
Moreouer thou hast taken thy sonnes and thy daughters, whome thou hast borne vnto me, and these hast thou sacrificed vnto them, to be deuoured: is this thy whoredome a small matter?
And thou dost take thy sons and thy daughters Whom thou hast born to Me, And dost sacrifice them to them for food. Is it a little thing because of thy whoredoms,
“‘“Moreover you have taken your sons and your daughters, whom you have borne to me, and you have sacrificed these to them to be devoured. Was your prostitution a small matter,
Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne to me, and these hast thou sacrificed to them to be devoured. Is this of thy lewdness a small matter,
And thou hast taken thy sons, and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne to me: and best sacrificed the same to them to be devoured. Is thy fornication small?
And you even took your sons and daughters who were as though they were [MET] my children, and sacrificed them to be food for the idols. That was much worse [RHQ] than your becoming a prostitute.
Berean Amplified Bible — Ezekiel 16:20
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Ezekiel 16:20 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
וַ/תִּקְחִ֞י
אֶת
בָּנַ֤יִ/ךְ
וְ/אֶת
בְּנוֹתַ֨יִ/ךְ֙
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
יָלַ֣דְתְּ
לִ֔/י
וַ/תִּזְבָּחִ֥י/ם
לָ/הֶ֖ם
לֶ/אֱכ֑וֹל
הַ/מְעַ֖ט
מ/תזנת/ך
מִ/תַּזְנוּתָֽיִ/ךְ
וַ/תִּקְחִ֞י
lâqach
H3947
to take
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-2fs
אֶת
ʼêth
H853
Obj.
DirObjM
בָּנַ֤יִ/ךְ
bên
H1121
son
N-mp | Suff
וְ/אֶת
ʼêth
H853
Obj.
Conj | DirObjM
בְּנוֹתַ֨יִ/ךְ֙
bath
H1323
Bath (Shua)
N-fp | Suff
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
ʼăsher
H834
which
Rel
יָלַ֣דְתְּ
yâlad
H3205
to beget
V-Qal-Perf-2fs
לִ֔/י
Prep | Suff
וַ/תִּזְבָּחִ֥י/ם
zâbach
H2076
to sacrifice
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-2fs | Suff
לָ/הֶ֖ם
Prep | Suff
לֶ/אֱכ֑וֹל
ʼâkal
H398
to eat
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
הַ/מְעַ֖ט
mᵉʻaṭ
H4592
little
Part | N-ms
מ/תזנת/ך
taznûwth
H8457
fornication
Prep | N-fs | Suff
מִ/תַּזְנוּתָֽיִ/ךְ
taznûwth
H8457
fornication
Prep | N-fp | Suff
Hebrew Word Study
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Hebrew Word Reference — Ezekiel 16:20
וַ/תִּקְחִ֞י
lâqach
H3947
"to take"
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-2fs
This Hebrew word means to take or get something, and it is used in many different ways in the Bible. It can mean to take a wife, to take possession of something, or to receive a gift. For example, in Genesis 2:22, God takes a rib from Adam to create Eve.
Definition: : take 1) to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to take, take in the hand 1a2) to take and carry along 1a3) to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away 1a4) to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept 1a5) to take up or upon, put upon 1a6) to fetch 1a7) to take, lead, conduct 1a8) to take, capture, seize 1a9) to take, carry off 1a10) to take (vengeance) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be captured 1b2) to be taken away, be removed 1b3) to be taken, brought unto 1c) (Pual) 1c1) to be taken from or out of 1c2) to be stolen from 1c3) to be taken captive 1c4) to be taken away, be removed 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be taken unto, be brought unto 1d2) to be taken out of 1d3) to be taken away 1e) (Hithpael) 1e1) to take hold of oneself 1e2) to flash about (of lightning)
Usage: Occurs in 909 OT verses. KJV: accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, [idiom] many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win. See also: Genesis 2:15; Genesis 34:17; Exodus 30:23.
אֶת
ʼêth
H853
"Obj."
DirObjM
In the original Hebrew, this word points out the object of a verb or preposition, like 'namely' or 'even'. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus. It's not directly translated in English, but helps clarify the meaning of sentences.
Definition: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
Usage: Occurs in 6782 OT verses. KJV: (as such unrepresented in English). See also: Genesis 1:1; Genesis 10:8; Genesis 19:21.
בָּנַ֤יִ/ךְ
bên
H1121
"son"
N-mp | Suff
In the Bible, this word means a son or descendant, and can also refer to a grandson, nation, or quality. It appears in 1 Chronicles 24, describing a Levite named Beno. The word is used to show family relationships and inheritance.
Definition: : child/son
Usage: Occurs in 3653 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth. See also: Genesis 3:16; Genesis 23:3; Genesis 34:18.
וְ/אֶת
ʼêth
H853
"Obj."
Conj | DirObjM
In the original Hebrew, this word points out the object of a verb or preposition, like 'namely' or 'even'. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus. It's not directly translated in English, but helps clarify the meaning of sentences.
Definition: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
Usage: Occurs in 6782 OT verses. KJV: (as such unrepresented in English). See also: Genesis 1:1; Genesis 10:8; Genesis 19:21.
בְּנוֹתַ֨יִ/ךְ֙
bath
H1323
"Bath (Shua)"
N-fp | Suff
The Hebrew word for daughter is used to describe a female child or a woman, and can also be used figuratively. In the Bible, it is used to describe women like Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah and later of King David.
Definition: A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.38.2; daughter of: Shua (H7770); married to Judah (H3063); mother of: Er (H6147), Onan (H0209) and Shelah (H7956) the wife of Uriah whom David had murdered, having had adulterous relations with her; subsequently wife of David and mother of Solomon, Shimea, Shobab, and Nathan (alternate spelling to 'Bathsheba')
Usage: Occurs in 498 OT verses. KJV: apple (of the eye), branch, company, daughter, [idiom] first, [idiom] old, [phrase] owl, town, village. See also: Genesis 5:4; Exodus 2:21; Ruth 1:13.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
ʼăsher
H834
"which"
Rel
This Hebrew word is a conjunction that connects ideas and events in the Bible, like in the book of Genesis, where it's used to describe the relationship between God and His creation.
Definition: A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when
Usage: Occurs in 4440 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever, when, where ([phrase] -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, [phrase] whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection. See also: Genesis 1:7; Genesis 20:9; Genesis 31:16.
יָלַ֣דְתְּ
yâlad
H3205
"to beget"
V-Qal-Perf-2fs
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to give birth or beget a child, like when Eve gave birth to Cain in Genesis 4:1. It can also mean to help someone give birth, like a midwife. This word is used in many KJV translations, including Genesis and Isaiah.
Definition: 1) to bear, bringforth, beget, gender, travail 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to bear, bring forth 1a1a) of child birth 1a1b) of distress (simile) 1a1c) of wicked (behaviour) 1a2) to beget 1b) (Niphal) to be born 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to cause or help to bring forth 1c2) to assist or tend as a midwife 1c3) midwife (participle) 1d) (Pual) to be born 1e) (Hiphil) 1e1) to beget (a child) 1e2) to bear (fig. -of wicked bringing forth iniquity) 1f) (Hophal) day of birth, birthday (infinitive) 1g) (Hithpael) to declare one's birth (pedigree)
Usage: Occurs in 403 OT verses. KJV: bear, beget, birth(-day), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman). See also: Genesis 3:16; Genesis 30:19; 2 Samuel 21:22.
לִ֔/י
""
Prep | Suff
וַ/תִּזְבָּחִ֥י/ם
zâbach
H2076
"to sacrifice"
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-2fs | Suff
To sacrifice means to slaughter an animal, usually for a religious offering, as seen in the Bible's instructions for worship. This term is used in many contexts, including sacrifices for eating or in divine judgment. It's often translated as 'kill' or 'offer' in the KJV.
Definition: 1) to slaughter, kill, sacrifice, slaughter for sacrifice 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to slaughter for sacrifice 1a2) to slaughter for eating 1a3) to slaughter in divine judgment 1b) (Piel) to sacrifice, offer sacrifice Aramaic equivalent: de.vach (דְּבַח "to sacrifice" H1684)
Usage: Occurs in 127 OT verses. KJV: kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay. See also: Genesis 31:54; 1 Kings 8:62; Psalms 4:6.
לָ/הֶ֖ם
""
Prep | Suff
לֶ/אֱכ֑וֹל
ʼâkal
H398
"to eat"
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
This word means to eat or devour, and it's used in many stories, including when Jesus fed the 5000 with fish and bread in the book of Matthew. It's about taking in nourishment and being satisfied.
Definition: 1) to eat, devour, burn up, feed 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to eat (human subject) 1a2) to eat, devour (of beasts and birds) 1a3) to devour, consume (of fire) 1a4) to devour, slay (of sword) 1a5) to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought) 1a6) to devour (of oppression) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be eaten (by men) 1b2) to be devoured, consumed (of fire) 1b3) to be wasted, destroyed (of flesh) 1c) (Pual) 1c1) to cause to eat, feed with 1c2) to cause to devour 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to feed 1d2) to cause to eat 1e) (Piel) 1e1) consume Aramaic equivalent: a.khal (אֲכַל "to devour" H0399)
Usage: Occurs in 703 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] at all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up), feed (with), food, [idiom] freely, [idiom] in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay) meat, [idiom] quite. See also: Genesis 2:16; Leviticus 6:9; Numbers 24:8.
הַ/מְעַ֖ט
mᵉʻaṭ
H4592
"little"
Part | N-ms
This Hebrew word means something is small or little in amount, like a few people or a short time. It appears in various Bible translations as almost, few, or small. In the Bible, it often describes something that is limited or lacking.
Definition: 1) littleness, few, a little, fewness 1a) little, small, littleness, fewness, too little, yet a little 1b) like a little, within a little, almost, just, hardly, shortly, little worth
Usage: Occurs in 92 OT verses. KJV: almost (some, very) few(-er, -est), lightly, little (while), (very) small (matter, thing), some, soon, [idiom] very. See also: Genesis 18:4; Job 15:11; Psalms 2:12.
מ/תזנת/ך
taznûwth
H8457
"fornication"
Prep | N-fs | Suff
Fornication, or taznuth, refers to harlotry or idolatry, often used figuratively to describe spiritual unfaithfulness. In the KJV, it is translated as fornication or whoredom, emphasizing its negative connotation.
Definition: fornication, harlotry
Usage: Occurs in 19 OT verses. KJV: fornication, whoredom. See also: Ezekiel 16:15; Ezekiel 23:7; Ezekiel 23:43.
מִ/תַּזְנוּתָֽיִ/ךְ
taznûwth
H8457
"fornication"
Prep | N-fp | Suff
Fornication, or taznuth, refers to harlotry or idolatry, often used figuratively to describe spiritual unfaithfulness. In the KJV, it is translated as fornication or whoredom, emphasizing its negative connotation.
Definition: fornication, harlotry
Usage: Occurs in 19 OT verses. KJV: fornication, whoredom. See also: Ezekiel 16:15; Ezekiel 23:7; Ezekiel 23:43.
Study Notes — Ezekiel 16:20
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Ezekiel 16:20 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Ezekiel 16:20
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 16:20
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Ezekiel 16:20
- Trapp's Commentary on Ezekiel 16:20
- Ellicott's Commentary on Ezekiel 16:20
- Cambridge Bible on Ezekiel 16:20
- Barnes' Notes on Ezekiel 16:20
- Whedon's Commentary on Ezekiel 16:20
- Sermons on Ezekiel 16:20
Context — Jerusalem’s Unfaithfulness
18You took your embroidered garments to cover them, and you set My oil and incense before them.
19And you set before them as a pleasing aroma the food I had given you—the fine flour, oil, and honey that I had fed you. That is what happened, declares the Lord GOD.
20You even took the sons and daughters you bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to idols. Was your prostitution not enough?
21You slaughtered My children and delivered them up through the fire to idols. 22And in all your abominations and acts of prostitution, you did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your own blood.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ezekiel 23:37 | For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols. They have even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to Me, in the fire as food for their idols. |
| 2 | Ezekiel 20:31 | When you offer your gifts, sacrificing your sons in the fire, you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. So should I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you! |
| 3 | Jeremiah 7:31 | They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom so they could burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I never commanded, nor did it even enter My mind. |
| 4 | Exodus 13:2 | “Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, both of man and beast.” |
| 5 | Ezekiel 20:26 | And I pronounced them unclean through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn in the fire—so that I might devastate them, in order that they would know that I am the LORD. |
| 6 | Psalms 106:37–38 | They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. They shed innocent blood— the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. |
| 7 | Exodus 13:12 | you are to present to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD. |
| 8 | Ezekiel 16:21 | You slaughtered My children and delivered them up through the fire to idols. |
| 9 | Deuteronomy 29:11–12 | your children and wives, and the foreigners in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water— so that you may enter into the covenant of the LORD your God, which He is making with you today, and into His oath, |
| 10 | Ezekiel 23:39 | On the very day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary to profane it. Yes, they did this inside My house. |
Ezekiel 16:20 Summary
This verse is talking about how the people of Israel took their children, who were a gift from God, and sacrificed them to false gods. This was a terrible sin and a form of idolatry, showing how far they had turned away from God. Just like the people of Israel, we can prioritize wrong things in our lives and forget about God's love and provision for us (as seen in Jeremiah 2:32). We need to remember that God loves us and wants us to trust Him, and turn away from anything that takes His place in our hearts (as seen in 1 John 5:21).
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to sacrifice sons and daughters as food to idols?
This refers to the horrific practice of child sacrifice, where parents would offer their children to false gods, a practice condemned by God in Deuteronomy 12:31 and Jeremiah 32:35. This act is a grave sin and a form of idolatry.
How could the people of Israel do such a terrible thing?
The people of Israel had turned away from God and were following the sinful practices of the surrounding nations, as seen in Ezekiel 16:18-19, where they used the gifts God had given them to worship idols instead.
What does the phrase 'Was your prostitution not enough?' mean in this context?
This phrase suggests that the people's idolatry and sin were already egregious, and their sacrifice of children was an even more heinous act, showing the depth of their rebellion against God, much like the prophet Isaiah condemned in Isaiah 1:2-4.
How does this verse relate to the overall message of Ezekiel 16?
This verse is part of a larger condemnation of Israel's sin and idolatry, highlighting their rebellion against God and the consequences that would follow, as seen in Ezekiel 16:21-22, where God further condemns their actions.
Reflection Questions
- What are some ways that I may be 'sacrificing' what is precious to God in my own life, and how can I repent of those actions?
- How can I trust God's love and provision for me, even when I feel like I am not worthy of it, just like the people of Israel were not worthy of God's gifts in Ezekiel 16:19?
- What are some idols in my life that I may be prioritizing over my relationship with God, and how can I turn away from them?
- How can I remember the 'days of my youth' and the ways that God has been faithful to me, just like God calls the people of Israel to remember in Ezekiel 16:22?
Gill's Exposition on Ezekiel 16:20
Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters,.... Their own flesh and blood; which were more than to take their clothes, and cover their idols with them, and their food, and set it before them
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezekiel 16:20
Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Ezekiel 16:20
Thy sons; they were hers by birth, and should have been hers in affection, care, and preservation; but as idolatry is from the father of lies, the old murderer, it is even cruel, and spares neither sons or daughters. Sons, that are usually the father’ s darlings, are always the strength and glory of the family, without respect to him that begat them, were by this adulteress designed to please the idol. Thy daughters, usually the mother’ s great delight, whose tender sex required better usage, unregarded, are by a cruel mother in idolatrous abominations destroyed. Whom thou hast borne unto me; which were mine, born within covenant, before the lewd mother was divorced, born to be of my family, and to serve and love me. And these; these very children of mine, to my dishonour and grief, to provoke me to utmost anger, hast thou destroyed. Sacrificed; not only consecrating them to be priests to dumb idols, dunghill gods, as ; or idolatrously purifying them, called lustration; or, which is most inhumanly cruel, burning them in sacrifice to Molech, which cruelty the Jews themselves did barbarously imitate, . To be devoured; to be consumed to ashes, being made a burnt-offering to the devil, as . Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter? were thy whoredoms a small matter with thee, that thou hast proceeded to this height of unnatural cruelty? Or, is both face and heart so hardened by an impudent course of adulteries, that thou canst do this as if it were no great matter? Will spiritual adulteresses as well as bodily thus hunt the precious life?
Could such commit the worst who were forbid to commit any murder?
Trapp's Commentary on Ezekiel 16:20
Ezekiel 16:20 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. [Is this] of thy whoredoms a small matter,Ver. 20. Whom thou hast born unto me.] Who at their birth were mine by virtue of my covenant, and who should therefore have been consecrated unto me. Polanus here giveth this good note: A Church, though it be idolatrous, may bring forth children to God, by bestowing upon them the sacrament of initiation or regeneration; and God will acknowledge them for his children, till such time as he hath given a bill of divorce to that Church. This is done whereas she openly betaketh herself to the bed of another husband, by disowning Christ for her God, Lord, Bridegroom, and Mediator; as the Asiatic Church hath done, by defecting first to Nestorianism, and now to Mohammedanism. Let this be well noted against the Anabaptists of these times. Diod. Pol. in loc.
Ellicott's Commentary on Ezekiel 16:20
(20) Hast sacrificed unto them, i.e., hast sacrificed the children unto the idols. This was a terrible development of the later idolatries of Israel. At first the custom appears to have been a ceremony of passing young children through the fire to thereby consecrate them to Moloch; but afterwards it became an actual sacrifice of them in the fire to the idol. The Lord speaks of them in Ezekiel 16:20, as “thy children whom thou hast borne unto Me;” they were indeed Israel’s children, but still children whom God had given to her. Then in Ezekiel 16:21, by a most significant change of the pronoun, He calls them “My children,” the sin itself being aggravated by giving to the idol that which belonged to Jehovah. The last clause of the verse would be better translated, Were thy whoredoms too little?—i.e., was not apostacy enough without adding thereto this terrible and unnatural crime?
Cambridge Bible on Ezekiel 16:20
20 seq. The sacrifice of children Jehovah is the husband of the idealized community, and the individual members are his children. Human sacrifices, though rare, were not altogether unknown in early Israel, as the instance of Jephthah proves (Judges 11). They were probably more common among the Canaanites and neighbouring peoples, though perhaps even among them resorted to only on occasions of great trial, in the hope of appeasing the anger or securing the favour of the deity (cf. the tragic story of the king of Moab, 2 Kings 3:27). Instances of human sacrifices do not occur in the early history of Israel, for neither the slaughter of Agag (1 Samuel 15:33) nor the hanging of seven descendants of Saul (2 Samuel 21) comes strictly under the idea of a sacrifice; but Ahaz king of Judah is said to have passed his son through the fire (2 Kings 16:3), and the practice introduced by him was followed by Manasseh (2 Kings 21:6), and must have spread among the people (Jeremiah 7:31; Jeremiah 19:5; Jeremiah 32:35). The phrase “to pass through the fire” might be taken to mean merely a lustration or purification by fire, not implying the death of the child. This cannot, however, have been the case, for this prophet uses the words sacrifice (Ezekiel 16:20) and slaughter (Ezekiel 16:21), and Jeremiah says the people built high places “to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal” (ch. Ezekiel 19:5). The child, of course, was not burnt alive, but slain like other sacrifices, and offered as a burnt offering. The practice was a widespread one in the East, 2 Kings 17:31.
See further on ch. Ezekiel 20:25 seq. 20. to be devoured] Namely, in the fire.
Barnes' Notes on Ezekiel 16:20
Borne unto me - me is emphatic. The children of Yahweh have been devoted to Moloch. The rites of Moloch were twofold; (1) The actual sacrifice of men and children as expiatory sacrifices to, false gods.
Whedon's Commentary on Ezekiel 16:20
20. These hast thou sacrificed — Diodorus (13:37, 39) tells us of the human sacrifices offered to the Carthaginian Baal, or Moloch.
Sermons on Ezekiel 16:20
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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Roman Catholicism by Thomas Watson | Thomas Watson preaches a sermon warning against idolatry, specifically addressing the errors and dangers of Roman Catholicism. He highlights the soul-damning nature of idolatry, th |
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Amend Your Ways by A.W. Tozer | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of giving God and our souls a chance to breathe by prioritizing spiritual matters over worldly distractions. He highlights ho |
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Wrong Revival Principles - Part 4 by Jonathan Edwards | The sermon transcript discusses the natural inclinations that humans have and how they can be regulated in a way that is not sinful or selfish. It emphasizes the importance of pare |
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The God of the Bible vs. the God of Today 2 of 2 by Rolfe Barnard | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of recognizing God's mercy and the need to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. He highlights that God holds the power over lif |
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Redemption: Grace and Love by Stephen Kaung | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of meeting God's needs through love and grace. He uses the example of the Israelites building the Tabernacle to illustrate th |
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Go Forward by G.W. North | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of leaders taking initiative and leading by example. He uses the story of Moses leading the Israelites through the Red Sea as |
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Luke 2:21-32. the Song of Simeon. by Favell Lee Mortimer | Favell Lee Mortimer reflects on the significance of Jesus' presentation at the temple, emphasizing how Jesus, as the firstborn Son, was brought to the Lord as a holy and unblemishe |