Ezekiel 36:20 (GNV)

Passage

And when they entred vnto the heathen, whither they went, they polluted mine holy Name, when they sayd of them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone out of his land.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 36:18 Wherfore I powred my wrath vpon them, for the blood that they had shed in the land, and for their idoles, wherewith they had polluted it.

Ezekiel 36:19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries for according to their wayes, and according to their deedes, I iudged them.

Ezekiel 36:20 And when they entred vnto the heathen, whither they went, they polluted mine holy Name, when they sayd of them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone out of his land.

Ezekiel 36:21 But I fauoured mine holy Name which the house of Israel had polluted among the heathen, whither they went.

Ezekiel 36:22 Therfore say vnto the house of Israel, Thus saith ye Lord God, I doe not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy Names sake, which yee polluted among the heathen whither ye went.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "entred", "vnto", "heathen", "whither", "went", "polluted", "mine", and "holy". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "entred" and "vnto", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And I scattered them among the heathen..." into verse 21's "But I fauoured mine holy Name which...", so "entred" and "vnto" belong inside that flow. In Ezekiel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "entred" and "vnto" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.