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Septuagint: Ezekiel: Ezekiel Chapter 20

Book of AmosGreek Old TestamentSeptuagint

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This is a passage from the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), specifically Ezekiel chapter 20, verses 1–44. It belongs to the prophetic tradition of ancient Israelite literature, likely dated to around 591 BCE during the Babylonian exile. The text takes the form of a divine oracle delivered through the prophet Ezekiel to elders of Israel who have come to inquire of God: God refuses to answer their inquiry and instead delivers a sweeping historical indictment, recounting Israel's repeated cycles of disobedience from Egypt through the wilderness to the conquest of Canaan, and God's repeated restraint of punishment solely to protect the divine name's honor among the nations. A notably striking and theologically difficult claim appears in verses 25–26, where God says he gave Israel "statutes that were not good" and defiled them through their own firstborn offerings — a passage that has challenged interpreters across centuries as it attributes morally troubling laws directly to God as punishment. The oracle closes with a future-oriented promise of a new exodus: God will gather the scattered exiles, pass them "under the rod" for judgment, purge the rebels, and restore the faithful remnant to worship on the holy mountain. Anyone interested in prophetic theodicy, the theology of divine honor (*kavod*/*doxa*), or the Hebrew Bible's most unsettling divine speeches would find this passage essential reading.

Septuagint: Ezekiel: Ezekiel Chapter 20

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