Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols. New Living Translation “Then I warned their children not to follow in their parents’ footsteps, defiling themselves with their idols. English Standard Version “And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, nor defile yourselves with their idols. Berean Standard Bible In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. Berean Literal Bible And I said to their sons in the wilderness, ‘In the statutes of your⁺ fathers you⁺ shall not walk, and their ordinances you⁺ shall not keep, and with their idols you⁺ shall not defile yourselves. King James Bible But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols: New King James Version “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. New American Standard Bible “Instead, I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. NASB 1995 “I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. NASB 1977 “And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, or keep their ordinances, or defile yourselves with their idols. Legacy Standard Bible “I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers and do not keep their judgments and do not defile yourselves with their idols. Amplified Bible “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers nor observe their ordinances nor defile yourselves with their idols. Berean Annotated Bible In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your⁺ fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. Christian Standard Bible “ ‘Then I said to their children in the wilderness, “Don’t follow the statutes of your fathers, defile yourselves with their idols, or keep their ordinances. Holman Christian Standard Bible Then I said to their children in the wilderness: Don’t follow the statutes of your fathers, defile yourselves with their idols, or keep their ordinances. American Standard Version And I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols. Contemporary English Version So I warned the children not to act like their parents or follow their evil ways or worship their idols. English Revised Version And I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols: GOD'S WORD® Translation I said to their children in the desert, "Don't live by the laws of your ancestors. Don't obey their rules or dishonor yourselves with their disgusting idols. Good News Translation Instead, I warned the young people among them: Do not keep the laws your ancestors made; do not follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols. International Standard Version I told their children in the wilderness, 'You are not to follow the statutes of your ancestors, observe their ordinances, or be defiled by their idols. NET Bible "'But I said to their children in the wilderness, "Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations, nor defile yourselves with their idols. New Heart English Bible "'"I said to their children in the wilderness, 'Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols. Webster's Bible Translation But I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols: Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleIn the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. World English Bible I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Don’t walk in the statutes of your fathers. Don’t observe their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd I say to their sons in the wilderness: Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, "" And do not observe their judgments, "" And do not defile yourselves with their idols. Berean Literal Bible And I said to their sons in the wilderness, ‘In the statutes of your⁺ fathers you⁺ shall not walk, and their ordinances you⁺ shall not keep, and with their idols you⁺ shall not defile yourselves. Young's Literal Translation And I say to their sons in the wilderness: In the statutes of your fathers ye walk not, And their judgments ye do not observe, And with their idols ye are not defiled. Smith's Literal Translation And saying to their sons in the desert Ye shall not go in the laws of your fathers, and their judgments ye shall not watch, and with their blocks ye shall not be defiled. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd I said to their children in the wilderness: Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, and observe not their judgments, nor be ye defiled with their idols: Catholic Public Domain Version Then I said to their sons in the wilderness: ‘Do not choose to advance by the precepts of your fathers, nor should you observe their judgments. And do not be defiled by their idols. New American Bible Then I said to their children in the wilderness: Do not follow the statutes of your parents. Do not keep their ordinances. Do not defile yourselves with their idols. New Revised Standard Version I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not follow the statutes of your parents, nor observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleBut I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments nor defile yourselves with their idols; Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And I said to their children in the wilderness: “You shall not walk in the commandments of your fathers and you shall not keep their judgments, and you shall not be defiled by their idols OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And I said unto their children in the wilderness: Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols; Brenton Septuagint Translation And I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk not ye in the customs of your fathers, and keep not their ordinances, and have no fellowship with their practices, nor defile yourselves with them. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Israel's Rebellion in the Wilderness18In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. 19I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them.… Cross References In the wilderness Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments. Deuteronomy 8:16 He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble you and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper. Nehemiah 9:19 You in Your great compassion did not forsake them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud never turned away from guiding them on their path; and by the night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go. I said to their children: Deuteronomy 4:9 Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren. Deuteronomy 6:7 And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Psalm 78:5 For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers 2 Kings 17:41 So these nations worshiped the LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did. Jeremiah 9:14 Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts and gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them.” Leviticus 18:3 You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs. or keep their ordinances 2 Kings 17:34 To this day they are still practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel. Leviticus 18:4 You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 4:1 Hear now, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live and may enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. or defile yourselves with their idols. Ezekiel 36:18 So I poured out My wrath upon them because of the blood they had shed on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols. Jeremiah 16:18 And I will first repay them double their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and they have filled My inheritance with their abominations.” Leviticus 18:24 Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves. Deuteronomy 5:32-33 So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left. / You must walk in all the ways that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. Treasury of Scripture But I said to their children in the wilderness, Walk you not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols: I said Numbers 14:32,33 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness… Numbers 32:13-15 And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed… Deuteronomy 4:3-6 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you… the statues Zechariah 1:2-4 The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers… Luke 11:47,48 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them… Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. defile Ezekiel 20:7 Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. Jeremiah 2:7 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. Jeremiah 3:9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. Jump to Previous Children Defile Defiled Desert Fathers Follow Guided Idols Images Judgments Laws Observe Orders Ordinances Rules Statutes Unclean Walk Waste Wilderness YourselvesJump to Next Children Defile Defiled Desert Fathers Follow Guided Idols Images Judgments Laws Observe Orders Ordinances Rules Statutes Unclean Walk Waste Wilderness YourselvesEzekiel 20 1. God refuses to be consulted by the elders of Israel4. 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 In the wilderness The wilderness refers to the period of Israel's history after the Exodus from Egypt, when the Israelites wandered for 40 years before entering the Promised Land. This time was marked by testing and rebellion, as seen in various accounts in Exodus and Numbers. The wilderness symbolizes a place of both physical and spiritual trial, where God provided for His people but also disciplined them for their disobedience. I said to their children Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols Persons / Places / Events 1. EzekielA prophet during the Babylonian exile, Ezekiel is tasked with delivering God's messages to the Israelites, often focusing on their rebellion and the need for repentance. 2. The Children of Israel The descendants of the Israelites who were led out of Egypt. In this context, they are the generation in the wilderness, receiving guidance from God through Moses and later through prophets like Ezekiel. 3. The Wilderness A significant place in Israel's history, representing both physical and spiritual testing. It is where the Israelites wandered for 40 years due to their disobedience. 4. The Fathers Refers to the ancestors of the Israelites who were disobedient to God, often turning to idolatry and failing to keep His commandments. 5. Idols Objects of worship that the Israelites were warned against. Idolatry was a recurring sin that led to their downfall and separation from God. Teaching Points Rejecting Ancestral SinWe must be vigilant not to repeat the sins of our predecessors, especially in areas where they turned away from God. The Danger of Idolatry Idolatry is not just about physical idols but anything that takes the place of God in our lives. We must identify and remove these idols. Obedience to God’s Commands True worship involves obedience to God's statutes, which requires knowing His Word and applying it to our lives. Generational Influence Our actions and faithfulness to God can influence future generations positively or negatively. We should strive to leave a legacy of faith. Spiritual Wilderness Times of testing can be opportunities for growth if we choose to follow God’s guidance rather than the flawed paths of the past. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Ezekiel 20:18?2. How can we avoid following "the statutes of your fathers" today? 3. What lessons can we learn from Ezekiel 20:18 about generational sin? 4. How does Ezekiel 20:18 connect with the commandment to honor parents? 5. In what ways can we discern God's guidance over cultural traditions? 6. How can Ezekiel 20:18 inspire us to seek God's will over human customs? 7. What does Ezekiel 20:18 reveal about God's expectations for the new generation of Israelites? 8. How does Ezekiel 20:18 challenge the authority of parental traditions? 9. Why does God warn against following ancestors' statutes in Ezekiel 20:18? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Ezekiel 20? 11. Ezekiel 20:25 mentions God giving Israel “statutes that were not good”; how does this align with the concept of a just and unchanging God elsewhere in Scripture? 12. Ezekiel 18:20 - If individuals alone bear their own guilt, how do we reconcile this with Exodus 20:5, which speaks of generational punishment? 13. In Ezekiel 20:5-8, how credible is the claim that the Israelites rebelled immediately after God's promise to deliver them from Egypt, given the differing details in Exodus? 14. What are the 'not good' statutes in Ezekiel 20:25? What Does Ezekiel 20:18 Mean In the wildernessGod’s words in Ezekiel 20:18 take us back to Israel’s forty-year trek between Egypt and Canaan. That setting matters: the desert was the place where an entire generation fell because of unbelief (Numbers 14:29-33), while their children watched and learned. The Lord met His people there with cloud and fire (Exodus 13:21-22), manna (Exodus 16:15), and covenant renewal (Deuteronomy 29:1). By anchoring the command “in the wilderness,” He reminds them—and us—that revelation comes in real history and real geography. Their parents’ graves dotted the sands as visual warnings (1 Corinthians 10:5-6). • Context shapes application. The same God who judged rebellion also sustained life (Nehemiah 9:19-21). • The desert underscores that God speaks in transition seasons, not only in promised lands (Acts 7:38). I said to their children The audience shifts from the fathers who left Egypt to the sons about to enter Canaan. Responsibility is personal; no one coasts on family legacy (Ezekiel 18:20). God addresses the next generation directly, affirming that age or lineage never exempts anyone from obedience (Deuteronomy 6:1-2; Joshua 5:6-7). • Fresh ears are needed for timeless truth. The Word is never secondhand. • Children inherit opportunity, not just history. They can choose life where their parents chose death (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers “Statutes” here point to self-made rules that contradicted God’s law. While Scripture calls us to honor parents (Exodus 20:12), it never binds us to repeat their sins. Israel’s fathers had crafted patterns of complaint, unbelief, and idolatry (Psalm 106:6-7). God’s prohibition liberates children from destructive traditions. Key takeaways: • Reject ungodly family patterns (Jeremiah 16:12; 1 Peter 1:18). • Choose the narrow road even when it diverges from family norms (Matthew 7:13-14). • True heritage is measured by faithfulness, not ancestry (2 Chronicles 30:7-9). or keep their ordinances The term “ordinances” emphasizes habitual practices—rituals and customs devoid of covenant heart. Over time, human traditions can eclipse divine commands (Isaiah 29:13; Mark 7:8-9). God calls the children to examine every practice under the light of His revealed will. Practical implications: • Test every tradition against Scripture (Acts 17:11). • Obedience is more than outward conformity; it flows from a renewed heart (Romans 2:28-29). • Spiritual inheritance must be filtered, not merely received (Colossians 2:8). or defile yourselves with their idols Idolatry was the root issue in the wilderness—golden calves (Exodus 32:4), household gods (Joshua 24:23), and the subtle idols of appetite and fear (Psalm 78:18-20). Defilement means moral and spiritual pollution, separating the people from God’s holiness (Leviticus 19:4; 1 John 5:21). • God demands exclusive worship (Exodus 20:3-5). • Idols promise much, deliver little, and always corrupt (Psalm 106:36-39; 1 Corinthians 10:14-22). • Separation from idols leads to deeper fellowship with God (2 Corinthians 6:16-18). summary Ezekiel 20:18 is God’s personal call to the wilderness generation’s children—and to every believer today—to break from the sinful patterns of the past. In a landscape marked by their parents’ failures, the Lord offers a fresh start: listen to His voice, test every tradition, and refuse all idolatry. Obedience is not hereditary; it is a choice made anew in each heart, under the faithful guidance of the God who speaks in deserts and leads to promised lands. (18) Unto their children.--The prophet comes now to the third part of his historical retrospect (Ezekiel 20:18-26)--the generation which grew up in the free air of the wilderness, and under the influence of the legislation and institutions given at Sinai. At the same time, it would be a mistake to confine what he says exclusively to that generation. In this, as in the other parts of the discourse, he regards Israel as a whole, and while speaking of one period of their history especially, yet treats of national characteristics which may have come to their most marked development only at a later time. This generation was very earnestly warned against the sins of their fathers, and exhorted to obedience to the Divine law. The whole Book of Deuteronomy is the comment on Ezekiel 20:18-20.Verse 18. - I said unto their children, etc. The words can refer to nothing but the great utterance of the Book of Deuteronomy as addressed to the children of those who had perished in the wilderness. That utterance also, it is implied, as indeed the Baal-peor history at the close of the forty years showed, fell on deaf ears. Then also there was, once again, in the inevitable anthropomorphic language, a change of purpose, from that of a rigorous judgment to the mercy which prevailed against it.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew In the wildernessבַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר (bam·miḏ·bār) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4057: A pasture, a desert, speech I said וָאֹמַ֤ר (wā·’ō·mar) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular Strong's 559: To utter, say to אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to their children: בְּנֵיהֶם֙ (bə·nê·hem) Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 1121: A son “Do not אַל־ (’al-) Adverb Strong's 408: Not walk תֵּלֵ֔כוּ (tê·lê·ḵū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk in the statutes בְּחוּקֵּ֤י (bə·ḥūq·qê) Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 2706: Something prescribed or owed, a statute of your fathers אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙ (’ă·ḇō·w·ṯê·ḵem) Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural Strong's 1: Father or keep תִּשְׁמֹ֑רוּ (tiš·mō·rū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural Strong's 8104: To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to their ordinances מִשְׁפְּטֵיהֶ֖ם (miš·pə·ṭê·hem) Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style or defile תִּטַּמָּֽאוּ׃ (tiṭ·ṭam·mā·’ū) Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - second person masculine plural Strong's 2930: To be or become unclean yourselves with their idols. וּבְגִלּוּלֵיהֶ֖ם (ū·ḇə·ḡil·lū·lê·hem) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 1544: A log, an idol Links Ezekiel 20:18 NIVEzekiel 20:18 NLT Ezekiel 20:18 ESV Ezekiel 20:18 NASB Ezekiel 20:18 KJV Ezekiel 20:18 BibleApps.com Ezekiel 20:18 Biblia Paralela Ezekiel 20:18 Chinese Bible Ezekiel 20:18 French Bible Ezekiel 20:18 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Ezekiel 20:18 I said to their children (Ezek. 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