The Prophets · Old Testament
Ezekiel 6
Ezekiel 6: a word against the mountains of Israel and their high places
General context
The word of the Lord tells the prophet to "set thy face toward the mountains of Israel" and prophesy against them. The mountains, hills, rivers and valleys are addressed directly: the Lord will bring a sword and destroy the high places; altars will be desolate, images broken, and the slain cast down "before your idols." The carcases of the children of Israel will be laid before their idols and bones scattered around the altars. Cities will be laid waste so that altars, idols, images and "works" cease, and "ye shall know that I am the Lord." A remnant will be left to escape the sword "among the nations"; those who escape will remember the Lord where they are carried captive, because he is "broken with their whorish heart," and they will loathe themselves for their evils. The prophet is told to smite with his hand, stamp with his foot and say "Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel!" since they will fall by sword, famine and pestilence: the far off by pestilence, the near by the sword, the besieged by famine. They will know the Lord when their slain lie among their idols "upon every high hill," "under every green tree," where they offered sweet savour. The land will be made desolate, "more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath," and again "they shall know that I am the Lord."
Cited passages: Ezekiel 6:2, Ezekiel 6:3, Ezekiel 6:4, Ezekiel 6:5, Ezekiel 6:6, Ezekiel 6:7, Ezekiel 6:8, Ezekiel 6:9, Ezekiel 6:11, Ezekiel 6:12, Ezekiel 6:13, Ezekiel 6:14
Ezekiel 6 (KJV)
1And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,
3And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.
4And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.
5And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.
6In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.
7And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
8Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries.
9And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.
10And they shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.
11Thus saith the Lord God; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.
12He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish my fury upon them.
13Then shall ye know that I am the Lord, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols.
14So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the Lord.
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Historical context
The addressee is the land itself, "the mountains of Israel," together with hills, rivers and valleys, and the charge is the worship at "high places" with altars, images and idols. The text names no specific idol or god. The remnant is defined narrowly, "some that shall escape the sword among the nations," and their future is described as remembering and self-loathing "among the nations whither they shall be carried captives," not as return. The threefold division of deaths, pestilence for the far, sword for the near, famine for the besieged, repeats the thirds of chapter 5 in different form. The places of worship are listed as hills, mountain tops, green trees and thick oaks, which the text says were "the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols." The one place name, "the wilderness toward Diblath," appears only as a measure of desolation and is not otherwise described. The chapter uses the formula "ye shall know that I am the Lord" or "they shall know" four times; it is the outcome the text attaches to every stage. The Lord's statement "I am broken with their whorish heart" is his own word about himself and the text does not explain it further.
Cited passages: Ezekiel 6:3, Ezekiel 6:8, Ezekiel 6:9, Ezekiel 6:12, Ezekiel 6:14, Ezekiel 6:10, Ezekiel 6:13
Literary context
The chapter is two oracles introduced by "the word of the Lord came unto me" and "Thus saith the Lord God," the first spoken to the mountains and the second acted with hand and foot. Nouns of worship are listed and then reversed: high places, altars, images, idols, works, each paired with a verb of ruin, "desolate," "broken," "laid waste," "cut down," "abolished." The image that governs the chapter is bodies placed where offerings were: "slain men before your idols," "carcases" before idols, "bones round about your altars," and finally slain men "among their idols round about their altars" at the very sites listed as places of sweet savour. The remnant verses interrupt the destruction with the language of a broken heart and of eyes that "go a whoring," a marriage image that the book returns to later. The refrain "ye shall know that I am the Lord" closes each unit, so the chapter is built around recognition as the point of the judgment. The prophet is given gestures, smiting and stamping, and the cry "Alas," the one line in the chapter framed as lament rather than announcement.
Cited passages: Ezekiel 6:1, Ezekiel 6:11, Ezekiel 6:6, Ezekiel 6:4, Ezekiel 6:13, Ezekiel 6:9, Ezekiel 6:7
Key moments
- Face toward the mountains (Ezekiel 6:2). The prophet is told to prophesy against the mountains of Israel.
- High places destroyed (Ezekiel 6:3). The Lord will bring a sword and destroy the high places.
- Bones around the altars (Ezekiel 6:5). Carcases will lie before the idols and bones be scattered around the altars.
- A remnant among the nations (Ezekiel 6:8). Some will escape the sword and be scattered through the countries.
- They shall remember me (Ezekiel 6:9). The escaped will remember the Lord and loathe themselves for their evils.
- Smite and stamp (Ezekiel 6:11). The prophet is to strike his hand, stamp his foot and cry Alas.
- Slain among their idols (Ezekiel 6:13). They will know the Lord when their slain lie at the places of offering.
For reflection
The Lord says the survivors "shall remember me" and "lothe themselves" in the lands where they are carried. What does the text present as the difference between being made to remember and choosing to?
