And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,
And 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.
And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.
And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.
In 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.
And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
Yet 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.
And 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.
And they shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.
Thus 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.
He 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.
Then 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.
So 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.
Ezekiel chapters 6 and 7 mark a transition in Ezekiel's ministry. While he continues to employ symbolic actions, as seen in Ezekiel 6:11 with the clapping and stamping, he increasingly focuses on direct preaching. The core message, however, remains unchanged: a stark warning of impending doom and destruction for Jerusalem and the land of Judah. It's important to note that Ezekiel frequently uses the term "Israel" to encompass the entire chosen nation, even though the northern kingdom bearing that name had already fallen. Both chapters 6 and 7 commence with the familiar prophetic declaration, "The word of the LORD came to me" (Ezekiel 6:1, 7:1), underscoring the divine origin of the message.
Addressing the Idolatrous Landscape (Ezekiel 6:2-4)
This first sermon in Ezekiel 6 is uniquely directed toward the mountains of Israel, along with the hills, ravines, and valleys (Ezekiel 6:3). This unusual address highlights the pervasive nature of idolatry in Judah. These geographical features were not innocent bystanders; they were the very locations where idolatry flourished. The "high places" (Ezekiel 6:3) were centers of pagan worship, often situated on elevated ground in the belief that proximity to the heavens brought worshippers closer to their false gods. These sites, inherited from the Canaanites long before the arrival of the Israelites, were explicitly commanded to be destroyed. Yet, throughout the monarchy, cycles of destruction by righteous kings and rebuilding by wicked ones perpetuated their existence. Tragically, in Ezekiel's time, idol worship at these pagan altars and shrines was rampant (Ezekiel 6:4), prompting God's decisive intervention.
Divine Judgment and Covenant Faithfulness (Ezekiel 6:5-10)
God declares His intention to slay the idolaters and scatter their bones around their desecrated worship sites. The purpose? "So that you will know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 6:7). This powerful phrase, appearing over sixty times in Ezekiel, is more than a statement of divine identity. By using the covenant name "LORD" (Yahweh), God reminds His unfaithful people of His unwavering fidelity. He is not merely an offended deity; He is a grieved and loving husband whose covenant commitment has been met with the adulterous hearts of His people, who have lusted after idols (Ezekiel 6:9). An idol, in its essence, is any person, place, thing, or thought that usurps God's rightful place as our ultimate source and devotion. This idolatry inevitably leads to divine discipline.
Amidst the pronouncements of judgment, a glimmer of hope emerges: "I will leave a remnant when you are scattered among the nations" (Ezekiel 6:8). These survivors are represented by the few strands of hair Ezekiel was instructed to hide in his robe (Ezekiel 5:3), symbolizing those who would escape the sword, famine, and plague brought upon Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Their role is crucial: to serve as living witnesses to the gravity of their nation's sin in turning away from God, and to the perfect justice of His judgment (Ezekiel 6:9-10). They would be a testament to both God's holiness and His mercy.
Unrelenting Judgment and Exhausted Wrath (Ezekiel 6:11-13)
Ezekiel then returns to the unwavering message of God's judgment, devoid of mercy or pity. He is commanded to "Clap your hands and stamp your feet" (Ezekiel 6:11), a symbolic expression of derision against the house of Israel for their multitude of sins. God makes it unequivocally clear that none will be spared from the impending disasters of sword, famine, and plague (Ezekiel 6:11-12). His wrath will not be restrained but will be fully unleashed, until the slain lie scattered among their idols (Ezekiel 6:12-13). This serves as a sobering reminder that while God's justice may seem delayed, it is not to be disregarded or underestimated.
From Wilderness to Diblah: The Extent of Judgment (Ezekiel 6:14)
The people's sin is so pervasive and deeply ingrained that God vows to continue His judgment until He has eradicated the idolaters "from the wilderness to Diblah" (Ezekiel 6:14). There is some textual uncertainty here, as some Old Testament manuscripts read "Riblah" instead of "Diblah." The Hebrew letters "d" and "r" are visually similar, making a scribal error plausible. If "Riblah" is the correct reading, it signifies the entire land, from the southern wilderness to the northern city of Riblah. Regardless of the specific location, the overarching message remains clear: the judgment will be comprehensive and far-reaching. The ultimate purpose of this judgment is that the people will finally "know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 6:14), acknowledging Him as their true God.
And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,
And 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.
And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.
And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.
In 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.
And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
Yet 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.
And 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.
And they shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.
Thus 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.
He 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.
Then 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.
So 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.
Ezekiel chapters 6 and 7 mark a transition in Ezekiel's ministry. While he continues to employ symbolic actions, as seen in Ezekiel 6:11 with the clapping and stamping, he increasingly focuses on direct preaching. The core message, however, remains unchanged: a stark warning of impending doom and destruction for Jerusalem and the land of Judah. It's important to note that Ezekiel frequently uses the term "Israel" to encompass the entire chosen nation, even though the northern kingdom bearing that name had already fallen. Both chapters 6 and 7 commence with the familiar prophetic declaration, "The word of the LORD came to me" (Ezekiel 6:1, 7:1), underscoring the divine origin of the message.
Addressing the Idolatrous Landscape (Ezekiel 6:2-4)
This first sermon in Ezekiel 6 is uniquely directed toward the mountains of Israel, along with the hills, ravines, and valleys (Ezekiel 6:3). This unusual address highlights the pervasive nature of idolatry in Judah. These geographical features were not innocent bystanders; they were the very locations where idolatry flourished. The "high places" (Ezekiel 6:3) were centers of pagan worship, often situated on elevated ground in the belief that proximity to the heavens brought worshippers closer to their false gods. These sites, inherited from the Canaanites long before the arrival of the Israelites, were explicitly commanded to be destroyed. Yet, throughout the monarchy, cycles of destruction by righteous kings and rebuilding by wicked ones perpetuated their existence. Tragically, in Ezekiel's time, idol worship at these pagan altars and shrines was rampant (Ezekiel 6:4), prompting God's decisive intervention.
Divine Judgment and Covenant Faithfulness (Ezekiel 6:5-10)
God declares His intention to slay the idolaters and scatter their bones around their desecrated worship sites. The purpose? "So that you will know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 6:7). This powerful phrase, appearing over sixty times in Ezekiel, is more than a statement of divine identity. By using the covenant name "LORD" (Yahweh), God reminds His unfaithful people of His unwavering fidelity. He is not merely an offended deity; He is a grieved and loving husband whose covenant commitment has been met with the adulterous hearts of His people, who have lusted after idols (Ezekiel 6:9). An idol, in its essence, is any person, place, thing, or thought that usurps God's rightful place as our ultimate source and devotion. This idolatry inevitably leads to divine discipline.
Amidst the pronouncements of judgment, a glimmer of hope emerges: "I will leave a remnant when you are scattered among the nations" (Ezekiel 6:8). These survivors are represented by the few strands of hair Ezekiel was instructed to hide in his robe (Ezekiel 5:3), symbolizing those who would escape the sword, famine, and plague brought upon Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Their role is crucial: to serve as living witnesses to the gravity of their nation's sin in turning away from God, and to the perfect justice of His judgment (Ezekiel 6:9-10). They would be a testament to both God's holiness and His mercy.
Unrelenting Judgment and Exhausted Wrath (Ezekiel 6:11-13)
Ezekiel then returns to the unwavering message of God's judgment, devoid of mercy or pity. He is commanded to "Clap your hands and stamp your feet" (Ezekiel 6:11), a symbolic expression of derision against the house of Israel for their multitude of sins. God makes it unequivocally clear that none will be spared from the impending disasters of sword, famine, and plague (Ezekiel 6:11-12). His wrath will not be restrained but will be fully unleashed, until the slain lie scattered among their idols (Ezekiel 6:12-13). This serves as a sobering reminder that while God's justice may seem delayed, it is not to be disregarded or underestimated.
From Wilderness to Diblah: The Extent of Judgment (Ezekiel 6:14)
The people's sin is so pervasive and deeply ingrained that God vows to continue His judgment until He has eradicated the idolaters "from the wilderness to Diblah" (Ezekiel 6:14). There is some textual uncertainty here, as some Old Testament manuscripts read "Riblah" instead of "Diblah." The Hebrew letters "d" and "r" are visually similar, making a scribal error plausible. If "Riblah" is the correct reading, it signifies the entire land, from the southern wilderness to the northern city of Riblah. Regardless of the specific location, the overarching message remains clear: the judgment will be comprehensive and far-reaching. The ultimate purpose of this judgment is that the people will finally "know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 6:14), acknowledging Him as their true God.