Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;

EZEKIEL 20:15KJV
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Ezekiel 20:15 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 20:15 mean?

Ezekiel 20:15 describes how God swore an oath in the wilderness that He would not bring the Israelites into the promised land—a land described as flowing with milk and honey and called the most glorious of all lands—because of their disobedience. This verse highlights a moment when God withheld a blessing He had intended to give, due to the people's actions.

In this part of Ezekiel, God is speaking through the prophet to the elders of Israel, reminding them of their ancestors' rebellion after leaving Egypt. The verse recalls a specific consequence: despite God's promise, He withheld entry into the promised land from that generation because they repeatedly broke faith with Him.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 20:15

  • "Hand" (יָד, yad): In Hebrew, lifting up the hand often signals making a solemn oath. Here, it emphasizes the seriousness of God's declaration.
  • "Wilderness" (מִדְבָּר, midbar): This word points to the setting of Israel's journey after the Exodus, a time of testing and decision.
  • "Land" (אֶרֶץ, erets): The same word is used for both the promised land and "lands" at the end, underscoring the special status of the land God intended for Israel.
  • "Glory" (צְבִי, tsevi): This word can mean "beauty" or "splendor," highlighting that the promised land was not just fertile but also highly desirable and honored among all lands.

Why Ezekiel 20:15 matters

  • This verse clarifies that God's promises are not automatic; they are connected to the people's response and faithfulness, as shown by the withheld blessing.
  • The description of the land as "flowing with milk and honey" and "the glory of all lands" stresses how much was at stake and how great the loss was for that generation.
  • Ezekiel 20:15 connects to the larger theme of the chapter, where God recounts Israel's history to explain why judgment and exile have come, showing that these are not random but tied to long-standing patterns of disobedience.

Where else these words appear

“glory” Hebrew H6643 · used in 32 verses

  • Deuteronomy 12:15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.
  • Song of Solomon 2:9 My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.
  • Isaiah 28:4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

“flowing” Hebrew H2100 · used in 41 verses

  • Exodus 3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
  • Leviticus 15:19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.
  • Deuteronomy 26:9 And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.

“milk” Hebrew H2461 · used in 44 verses

  • Genesis 18:8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
  • Deuteronomy 11:9 And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
  • Proverbs 27:27 And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.

“honey” Hebrew H1706 · used in 54 verses

  • Genesis 43:11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
  • Deuteronomy 27:3 And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee.
  • Psalms 81:16 He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.