Eze 20:5-6 | NETfull | STEP | and say to them: “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel I swore to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore to them, “I am the Lord your God.”

Ezekiel 20:5-6

5 and say to them:

“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel I swore ^{▼▼ Heb “I lifted up my hand.”} to the descendants ^{▼▼ Heb “seed.”} of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore ^{▼▼ Heb “I lifted up my hand.”} to them, “I am the Lord your God.” 6 On that day I swore ^{▼▼ Heb “I lifted up my hand to them.”} to bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land which I had picked out ^{▼▼ Or “searched out.” The Hebrew word is used to describe the activity of the spies in “spying out” the land of Canaan (Num 13–14); cf. KJV “I had espied for them.”} for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, ^{▼▼ The phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey,” a figure of speech describing the land’s abundant fertility, occurs in v. 15 as well as Exod 3:8, 17; 13:5; 33:3; Lev 20:24; Num 13:27; Deut 6:3; 11:9; 26:9; 27:3; Josh 5:6; Jer 11:5; 32:23 (see also Deut 1:25; 8:7–9).} the most beautiful of all lands.