What Does Ezekiel 20:3 Mean in the King James?
Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
One Hebrew root turns their act of seeking into God’s refusal to be sought: arriving with a question does not compel an answer.
THE MEANING
You can come carrying a question and still hear no: God is not compelled to answer by your arrival. Here the LORD states his refusal with the force of an oath: “As I live… I will not be enquired of by you.” The living God remains free to withhold an answer.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The verse undoes the belief that approaching God with a question makes an answer owed.
THE ROOT
לִדְרֹשׁ
lidrosh
GROWS FROM
דרשׁ
D-R-Sh
To seek out, inquire of, or require.
“enquire” in this verse is lidrosh. The first form is active: “to seek” or “to inquire.” The second is passive: “to be sought” or “to be inquired of.” The same root carries the elders’ seeking into God’s refusal to be available for their inquiry; approaching and gaining access are not the same thing.
ALSO GROWS
darash: Seek, inquire, or require.
דָּרַשׁ
This is the active form behind the elders’ question about coming to inquire.
midrash: Inquiry, study, or exposition.
מִדְרָשׁ
This branch keeps the sense of seeking and examining that lies inside the elders’ stated purpose.
ʾiddāresh: I be sought or inquired of.
אִדָּרֵשׁ
This passive form appears in the LORD’s reply, turning the question from what the elders do to whether he will receive their inquiry.
THE PATTERN
Approaching God with a request does not by itself secure an answer; scripture ties response to the way a person seeks or asks.
Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.THE THREAD
For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.This verse repeats the same root, דָּרַשׁ (darash, seek or inquire), and the same sworn refusal. The repetition makes the refusal the hinge of the inquiry, not an unexplained failure to answer.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us