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:

EZEKIEL 20:18KJV
Know the Bible

Ezekiel 20:18 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 20:18 mean?

Ezekiel 20:18 records God telling the children of Israel in the wilderness not to follow the ways, rules, or idol worship of their ancestors. God warns the new generation not to repeat the mistakes of their fathers by adopting their customs and practices, especially those involving idols.

In this verse, God is speaking through Ezekiel to remind the Israelites of what He told their ancestors’ children after the exodus from Egypt. The setting is the wilderness period, where the first generation had failed, and now God addresses the next generation, urging them to break away from the sinful patterns of their parents. The focus is on rejecting inherited disobedience and idolatry.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 20:18

  • "Walk" (יָלַךְ, yalak): This word means to go or conduct oneself. Here, it emphasizes not just physical movement but living according to certain ways or customs.
  • "Statutes" (חֹק, choq): These are established rules or decrees. God is telling the people not to live by the rules their fathers made for themselves, which were not God’s commands.
  • "Defile" (טָמֵא, tame): This word means to make oneself unclean, especially in a spiritual or ritual sense. God is warning against becoming spiritually polluted by idols.
  • "Idols" (גִּלּוּל, gilul): This term refers to objects of worship that are detestable or worthless. The word carries a strong negative sense, highlighting the contempt God has for these false gods.

Why Ezekiel 20:18 matters

  • Ezekiel 20:18 clarifies that God holds each generation responsible for its own choices, not bound to repeat the failures of the past.
  • The verse highlights the seriousness of idolatry and the importance of separating from traditions that lead away from God.
  • This warning fits into the larger message of Ezekiel 20, where God recounts Israel’s history to show both His patience and the need for true obedience, not just outward tradition.

Where else these words appear

“idols” Hebrew H1544 · used in 45 verses

  • Leviticus 26:30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
  • Ezekiel 8:10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.
  • Ezekiel 20:39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.

“statutes” Hebrew H2706 · used in 124 verses

  • Genesis 47:22 Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.
  • Deuteronomy 26:16 This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
  • Psalms 119:8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.

“defile” Hebrew H2930 · used in 142 verses

  • Genesis 34:5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
  • 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.
  • Numbers 35:34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.