Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Ezekiel 20:9 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 9. 9But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The dated report or historical recital turns or qualifies the movement with “But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom…” at Ezekiel 20:9 inside “Egyptian Election and Idolatry Are Recalled.”
Read It With
- Ezekiel 20:5–9
Read Ezekiel 20:9 with 20:5–9. By itself, “But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, date, exilic horizon, visionary movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: God recalls choosing Israel in Egypt, revealing the divine name, promising land, commanding removal of idols, and withholding destruction for the name's sake.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “Elders Inquire and a Historical Indictment Begins” into “Egyptian Election and Idolatry Are Recalled.” Its non-interchangeable contribution is: God recalls choosing Israel in Egypt, revealing the divine name, promising land, commanding removal of idols, and withholding destruction for the name's sake. This verse's placement is specific: The dated report or historical recital turns or qualifies the movement with “But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom…” at Ezekiel 20:9 inside “Egyptian Election and Idolatry Are Recalled.”
What Remains True
Communities need truthful memory that includes gift, wrongdoing, affected people, failed leadership, mercy, and the limits of inherited narratives. In Ezekiel 20:9, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The dated report or historical recital turns or qualifies the movement with “But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom…” at Ezekiel 20:9 inside “Egyptian Election and Idolatry Are Recalled.”
How It Can Shape Life
- Compare accounts carefully, name interpretation as interpretation, resist antisemitism, and let remembered failure produce accountability rather than stigma. This response follows Ezekiel 20:5–9's specific concern, “Egyptian Election and Idolatry Are Recalled.” This verse directs that response through its exact role: The dated report or historical recital turns or qualifies the movement with “But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom…” at Ezekiel 20:9 inside “Egyptian Election and Idolatry Are Recalled.”
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Ezekiel 20:5–9 — Egyptian Election and Idolatry Are RecalledSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Ezekiel 20:5–9, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Ezekiel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a critical apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ezek.xml, OSIS 20:5–9
Open the fixed Hebrew Ezekiel file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Ezekiel
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF
Supports: Verse-level controls for difficult Hebrew, syntax, older KJV language, dates, place names, textual issues, vision language, and material alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Ezekiel PDF, exact translator, study, and textual notes attached to Ezekiel 20:5–9
Open the official NET Ezekiel PDF ↗