Ezekiel 20:27-29 Meaning: The Blasphemy at the High Places
27“Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Moreover, in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.
28For when I had brought them into the land which I swore to give to them, then they saw every high hill and every thick tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering. There they also made their pleasant aroma, and there they poured out their drink offerings.
29Then I said to them, ‘What does the high place where you go mean?’ So its name is called Bamah to this day.”’
27Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.
28For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.
29Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.
27Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In this moreover have your fathers blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.
28For when I had brought them into the land, which I sware to give unto them, then they saw every high hill, and every thick tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering; there also they made their sweet savor, and they poured out there their drink-offerings.
29Then I said unto them, What meaneth the high place whereunto ye go? So the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.
27Therefore, speak unto the house of Israel, son of man, and thou hast said unto them, Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Still in this have your fathers reviled Me, In their committing against Me a trespass.
28And I bring them in unto the land, That I did lift up My hand to give to them, And they see every high hill, and every thick tree, And they sacrifice there their sacrifices, And give there the provocation of their offering, And make there their sweet fragrance, And they pour out there their libations.
29And I say unto them: What is the high place whither ye are going in? And its name is called `high place' to this day.
27Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In this moreover have your fathers blasphemed me, in that they have wrought unfaithfulness against me.
28When I had brought them into the land which I had lifted up my hand to give unto them, then they saw every high hill and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering; and there they placed their sweet savour, and there poured out their drink-offerings.
29And I said unto them, What is the high place whither ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.
Meaning in one sentence
How did Israel's worship at high places become blasphemy? Ezekiel 20:27-29 shows that mixing God's gifts with Canaanite practices dishonors Him.
Context
Ezekiel 20 records a painful confrontation. Some elders of Israel have come to the prophet, hoping to hear from God. But before they can ask their question, God tells Ezekiel to review their history. He recites one rebellion after another: in Egypt, in the wilderness, and now in the land of Canaan. Verses 27-29 cover the period after the conquest. God brought the people into a rich land, a land He had sworn to give them. But instead of worshiping Him at the one altar He had commanded, they saw every high hill and every thick tree and set up their own sacred places there. They copied the religions of the nations around them, offering sacrifices and incense in forbidden locations. And when God asked them plainly what they thought they were doing at these so-called high places, the name stuck. Even in Ezekiel’s day, those places were still called “Bamah,” a word that carried the memory of their guilt.
Key Words
Two English words carry the weight of this passage. First, “blasphemed.” In verse 27, God says your fathers have blasphemed Me. To blaspheme is not just to speak a bad word. It is to insult God’s character and authority to His face. These people were not ignorant pagans. They knew the God who had rescued them, and still they treated His commands as optional. Their worship was an insult because it pretended to honor Him while doing the very things He had forbidden.
The second word is the name itself: “Bamah.” The Hebrew word simply means a high place, a ridge or hilltop shrine. But in verse 29, God turns the word into a question: “What (mah) is this high place (bamah) where you go (ba)?” It is a wordplay meant to expose the emptiness of their practice. Every time they called it a high place, they were admitting that they had left God’s chosen altar to worship somewhere He had never commanded. The name itself became a witness against them.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions read these verses as a sobering example of how easily worship can drift. Reformed commentators like Calvin emphasize that the people were not deceived through ignorance; God had repeatedly warned them. Wesleyan writers note the pointed question God asks: “What is the high place whereunto ye go?”, a challenge to examine their own motives. Anglican scholars point out that the high places were often borrowed from Canaanite culture, and even when used in the name of Yahweh, the practices became corrupt. Catholic tradition has long read this passage as a warning against syncretism, mixing the true faith with worldly customs. All agree that what seems like small compromises in worship can accumulate into open rebellion against God.
A common misunderstanding
A common misunderstanding is that God was angry simply because people worshiped on a hill instead of in a flat valley. That misses the point. The problem was not the geography; it was the disobedience. God had commanded one central place of worship (Deuteronomy 12), and the high places were the very spots where Canaanites had served false gods. In fact, the Israelites knew this. When God asks “What is this high place?” He is forcing them to admit that they have traded His clear instruction for a custom borrowed from the nations. The sin was not ignorance but willful replacement of God’s ways with something that looked religious.
Living This Out
This week, consider your own patterns of worship. Do you ever find yourself mixing what the world says is meaningful with what God has actually asked? It may be subtle: choosing a church because it feels trendy rather than faithful, or offering God your leftovers instead of your first and best. The fathers in Canaan took the beauty God gave them, green trees, high hills, and used them to build their own religion. You can ask the same question God asked them: “What is this high place where you go?” Is there any place in your life where you have substituted your own ideas for God’s instructions? That is the place to stop and return.
Main takeaway: Israel turned God’s gift of the promised land into a stage for rebellion, and their worship became a mockery of His holy name.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God gave His people a beautiful land with trees and hills. But they started worshiping in places God had not told them to use. That made God sad because they were not listening to Him.
For ages 9, 12
When the Israelites entered the promised land, they saw the tall hills and leafy trees where the Canaanites worshiped. Instead of sticking with God’s plan, one altar in one place, they copied the neighbors. God asked them a question that was really a test: “Why are you going to that high place?” He wanted them to see that they were choosing their own way instead of His. Even today, we have to watch out for the temptation to do what everyone else does instead of what God says.
Questions People Ask
What does “Bamah” mean in Ezekiel 20:29?
Bamah is the Hebrew word for a high place, usually a hilltop used for worship. In this verse, God uses the name as a kind of pun to expose the people’s sin. He asks “What (mah) is this high place (bamah) where you go (ba)?” The name itself became a reminder that they had left God’s chosen altar.
Why were high places considered evil if the patriarchs also worshiped on hills?
Before the temple was built, faithful worshipers sometimes used high places by God’s permission (1 Samuel 9:12, 1 Kings 3:4). But once God commanded a single central place of worship (Deuteronomy 12), any other high place became an act of disobedience. The people in Ezekiel’s history kept using the old Canaanite high places even after God had made His will clear.
How did worship at high places become blasphemy?
Blasphemy means speaking or acting in a way that insults God. The Israelites knew God’s command, but they deliberately replaced it with practices borrowed from the nations. By offering sacrifices on every hill and under every green tree, they treated God’s clear instruction as unimportant, which was a direct insult to His authority and holiness.
What is the “provocation of their offering” in verse 28?
The phrase describes offerings that actually provoked God rather than pleased Him. The people went through the motions of sacrifice, incense, drink offerings, pleasant aromas, but they did it in forbidden places. So what should have been sweet to God became offensive, because it came from a heart of rebellion.
Does this passage condemn all outdoor worship?
No. The problem was not the location itself but the disobedience and idolatry connected to these specific places. God had designated one place where His name would dwell. The high hills and thick trees were the very spots where Canaanites had worshiped false gods. The sin was mixing true worship with pagan customs and ignoring God’s clear command.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study