Judgment on Israel for Idolatry
Ezekiel 6:1-14
Eze.6.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Ezekiel 1:3 (verbal): Same prophetic formula—'And the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel' (וַיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהוָה אֶל־יְחֶזְקֵאל) signaling an oracle addressed to the prophet within the same book.
- Jeremiah 7:1 (verbal): Similar opening—'The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD'—uses the standard prophetic clause introducing a divine message to a prophet.
- Hosea 1:1 (verbal): Hosea begins with 'The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea,' the same genre-marker identifying the following material as a divine revelation to a prophet.
- Zephaniah 1:1 (structural): Zephaniah opens with the formula 'The word of the LORD that came unto Zephaniah,' a structural parallel that frames the book as a series of oracles delivered by a prophet receiving Yahweh's word.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
- And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Eze.6.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שים: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- פניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- הרי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והנבא: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,ms
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 2:3-5 (structural): Commissioning language: God addresses 'son of man' and sends him to speak to the rebellious house of Israel, paralleling the call to prophesy in Ezek. 6:2.
- Ezekiel 3:4-11 (structural): Further commission and mandate to go to the house of Israel and deliver God's message — same prophetic vocation and insistence on speaking despite resistance.
- Ezekiel 21:2 (verbal): Very similar phrasing: 'Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem' (or other targets) and prophesy — a recurring prophetic formula in Ezekiel.
- Jeremiah 1:17 (thematic): God's commissioning of Jeremiah to stand up, speak God's words, and not be dismayed before the people — parallels the prophet's charge to confront Israel with God's judgment.
- Isaiah 1:2 (thematic): The prophetic summons of creation ('Hear, O heavens; and give ear, O earth') parallels Ezekiel's call to the 'mountains of Israel' to hear the word of the LORD — addressing land/creation as witness to prophetic pronouncement.
Alternative generated candidates
- Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them.
- Son of man, turn your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them.
Eze.6.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- הרי: PART
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- להרים: VERB,qal,inf
- ולגבעות: CONJ+PREP,NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לאפיקים: PREP,NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ולגאיות: CONJ+PREP,NOUN,f,pl,abs
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- מביא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עליכם: PREP+PRON,2mp
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואבדתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- במותיכם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 6:2 (verbal): Immediate context — the prophet is commanded to address the mountains of Israel and prophesy, echoing the same call to the hills and valleys to 'hear the word of the Lord.'
- Ezekiel 6:4 (structural): Continuation of the same oracle — describes the concrete effects of the announced judgment (desolation of altars, slain by the sword), developing the threats made in v.3.
- Nahum 1:5-6 (thematic): Depicts mountains and hills trembling/melting before God's presence as an effect of divine judgment — parallels Ezekiel’s image of the Lord bringing destruction upon hills and valleys.
- Isaiah 34:4-6 (thematic): A prophetic oracle of judgment in which mountains are dissolved and the sword of the Lord brings slaughter — thematically parallels Ezekiel’s announcement of sword and death upon the mountains and hills.
- Psalm 97:5 (thematic): Speaks of mountains melting like wax before the Lord, using similar cosmic/mountain imagery to portray the power of God’s judgment as in Ezekiel 6:3.
Alternative generated candidates
- And say, 'O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign LORD: Thus says the Sovereign LORD to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys: Behold, I am bringing a sword upon you, and I will cut off your high places.'
- And say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD: Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys—behold, I am about to bring a sword upon you, and I will slay your slain.’
Eze.6.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונשמו: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מזבחותיכם: NOUN,f,pl,cons,2mp
- ונשברו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- חמניכם: NOUN,m,pl,cons,2mp
- והפלתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,ms,sg
- חלליכם: NOUN,m,pl,cons,2mp
- לפני: PREP
- גלוליכם: NOUN,m,pl,cons,2mp
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 7:5 (verbal): Commands Israel to destroy altars, break pillars and cut down Asherim—language closely parallels the breaking of altars/ritual objects in Ezek. 6:4.
- Deuteronomy 12:2 (structural): Directs the destruction of foreign high places and altars so that Israel will worship only Yahweh; parallels the theme of cultic sites being laid desolate.
- Judges 6:25-26 (verbal): Gideon is commanded to tear down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah—an account of destroying idolatrous cultic installations like those God will break in Ezekiel.
- 2 Kings 23:4-5 (thematic): King Josiah removes idolatrous priests and tears down altars and pillars in a reforming act that echoes the prophetic judgment against Israel’s altars in Ezek. 6:4.
- Ezekiel 6:3 (structural): Immediate context: the preceding verse introduces the prophetic oracle of judgment against the high places and idols, of which v.4 is the specific pronouncement about broken altars and slain before idols.
Alternative generated candidates
- And your incense‑stands shall be made desolate and your altars broken; I will cast down your slain before your idols.
- Your altars shall be desolate, your incense stands broken; I will cast down your slain before your idols.
Eze.6.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- פגרי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לפני: PREP
- גלוליהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- וזריתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- עצמותיכם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2,m,pl
- סביבות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מזבחותיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+2,m,pl
Parallels
- Leviticus 26:30 (verbal): God threatens to ‘cast your carcasses on the carcasses of your idols’—a close verbal and thematic echo of placing Israel’s dead before their idols and scattering bones around altars.
- Jeremiah 8:1-2 (verbal): Jerusalem’s dead and bones are to be brought out and exposed as an act of judgment—paralleling the exposure and scattering of bones as a punitive sign.
- Ezekiel 39:17-20 (thematic): Describes corpses left for birds and beasts after God’s judgment on the nations—shares the prophetic motif of desecrated bodies as evidence of divine wrath.
- Isaiah 66:24 (thematic): Survivors are made to look upon the carcasses of those who transgressed—similar imagery of corpses left as a visible testimony to God’s judgment (horror connected to idolatry/apostasy).
Alternative generated candidates
- And I will leave the carcasses of the house of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.
- I will lay the carcasses of the people of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.
Eze.6.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מושבותיכם: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- הערים: NOUN,f,pl,def
- תחרבנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- והבמות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,def
- תישמנה: VERB,niphal,impf,3,f,pl
- למען: PREP
- יחרבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ויאשמו: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מזבחותיכם: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ונשברו: CONJ+VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- ונשבתו: CONJ+VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- גלוליכם: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ונגדעו: CONJ+VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- חמניכם: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ונמחו: CONJ+VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- מעשיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 12:2-3 (verbal): Commands Israel to break down the Canaanite altars, stone pillars, and Asherah poles—language and intent parallel Ezek. 6:6's destruction of high places, altars, and images.
- Jeremiah 7:31-34 (thematic): Judgment oracle condemning high-place worship, child sacrifice, and promising desolation of the city and cessation of its worship—closely parallels Ezekiel's pronouncement of ruined cities and ruined altars.
- 2 Kings 23:4-20 (verbal): Account of King Josiah's reform in which he destroys altars, cuts down Asherah poles and breaks idols—mirrors Ezekiel's imagery of altars broken, images smashed, and high places made desolate.
- Isaiah 2:18-20 (thematic): Prophetic scene in which idols are discarded and worthless before the Lord, and human reliance on images is put to shame—resonates with Ezekiel's announcement that images and works will be abolished.
- Micah 1:6-7 (verbal): Pronounces that carved images will be beaten to pieces and sanctuaries profaned as part of judgment—language of destroyed images and sanctuaries parallels Ezek. 6:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- In all your dwelling‑places 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 shall be broken, your incense‑stands cut off, and your deeds blotted out.
- In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and abhorred, that your idols may be broken and taken away, your incense stands cut down, and your deeds wiped out.
Eze.6.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונפל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חלל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בתוככם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- וידעתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 6:7 (verbal): Uses the same formula (“you shall know that I am the LORD”) tying God's acts (deliverance/judgment) to recognition of YHWH’s identity.
- Ezekiel 6:10 (verbal): Immediate chapter parallel—repeats the same concluding formula after describing survivors and slain, underscoring the theme that calamity will make them know the LORD.
- Ezekiel 20:42 (verbal): Another Ezekiel passage where punishment/exile is followed by the declaration ‘then shall ye know that I am the LORD,’ linking judgment with knowledge of God.
- Joel 3:17 (Joel 4:17 NA/MT numbering) (thematic): After judgment/restoration Joel says ‘so shall ye know that I am the LORD your God,’ reflecting the prophetic motif that divine action will lead people to know God.
- Isaiah 52:6 (thematic): Isaiah similarly announces that in the day of God’s act the people will ‘know that I am the LORD,’ employing the same theological motif of recognition through God’s decisive acts.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the slain shall fall in your midst; then you shall know that I am the LORD.
- A slain shall fall among you, and you shall know that I am the LORD.
Eze.6.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והותרתי: VERB,hifil,perf,1,_,sg
- בהיות: PREP+VERB,qal,ptc,0,m,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- פליטי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בגוים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בהזרותיכם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- בארצות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Ezekiel 5:11 (verbal): Same sectional prophecy of judgment uses identical idea and language of leaving 'a few/survivors' in Israel after punishment—both speak of a remnant spared amid destruction.
- Ezekiel 12:15 (structural): Repeats the theme of God’s dispersal of the people 'among the nations' and the consequence that they shall know My word—close echo of scattering and remnant imagery.
- Amos 9:9-10 (thematic): Speaks of God sifting and shaking Israel 'among all nations' yet preserving some grain—parallel motif of scattering by judgment with a preserved remnant.
- Isaiah 6:13 (thematic): Uses remnant imagery (a tenth/stump left) to describe survival after divine judgment, paralleling Ezekiel’s promise to leave a small surviving remnant.
- Jeremiah 23:3 (thematic): Although oriented toward future restoration, it centers on 'gathering the remnant'—complements Ezekiel’s remnant motif by highlighting God’s preservation and eventual care for the survivors.
Alternative generated candidates
- Yet I will leave a small remnant of you—some survivors of the sword—among the nations, wherever you are scattered.
- Yet I will leave a remnant among you—some who escape the sword—in the nations where you shall be scattered.
Eze.6.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וזכרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- פליטיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+2mposs
- אותי: PRON,1,sg,acc
- בגוים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נשבו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,pl
- שם: ADV
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נשברתי: VERB,nifal,perf,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- לבם: NOUN,m,sg,poss
- הזונה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- סר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מעלי: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- עיניהם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3mp
- הזנות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- אחרי: PREP
- גלוליהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mposs
- ונקטו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בפניהם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,pl
- אל: NEG
- הרעות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לכל: PREP
- תועבתיהם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3mposs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 4:30-31 (thematic): Promises that in exile the people will seek the LORD and remember him—parallels the idea that the captives will remember God after judgment.
- Psalm 78:34-37 (thematic): Describes Israel seeking and remembering God only after being struck down—echoes the motif of survivors recalling God amid punishment.
- Ezekiel 16:15 (verbal): Uses the same adultery/whoredom imagery (Israel's eyes lusting after idols) as a charge against Jerusalem; close verbal and thematic resonance within Ezekiel.
- Jeremiah 2:13 (allusion): Accuses Israel of forsaking the 'fountain of living waters' for broken cisterns—parallels the theme of spiritual adultery and turning to idols.
- Hosea 11:7 (thematic): Speaks of Israel's treachery and backsliding from God, capturing the sense of divine betrayal and the people's unfaithfulness present in Ezekiel 6:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- And those of you who escape and are left will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive; for I have broken their heart by the whoring after their detestable things, and they shall loathe themselves for all the evils that they have committed.
- And your survivors who are left among the nations shall remember me in the lands where they are carried captive; how I was broken over their adulterous heart that turned from me, and over their eyes that played the harlot after their idols. They shall loathe themselves for the evil they committed, for all their abominations.
Eze.6.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידעו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- אל: NEG
- חנם: ADV
- דברתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- הרעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Exodus 7:5 (verbal): Uses the same formula—God will make the nations (here: the Egyptians) know that He is Yahweh by bringing judgment (the plagues), paralleling Ezekiel’s claim that judgment will make people know the LORD.
- Ezekiel 36:23 (verbal): Declares that God will sanctify His great name so that the nations/Israel will know that He is the LORD—same wording and theological point: divine action (judgment or restoration) leads to recognition of Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 39:22 (verbal): After describing judgment and its aftermath, Ezekiel again states that Israel will know that He is the LORD—an intra-Ezekiel parallel repeating the formula linking judgment/restoration to knowledge of God.
- Jeremiah 16:21 (thematic): God promises to make people know His power and that His name is the LORD; thematically parallel in that divine acts (judgment/deliverance) serve to reveal God’s identity.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they shall know that I am the LORD; I did not speak in vain when I declared that I would bring this calamity upon them.
- And they shall know that I am the LORD: I did not speak in vain when I announced that I would bring this evil upon them.
Eze.6.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הכה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בכפך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs,2m
- ורקע: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- ברגלך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs,2,m,sg
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- כל: DET
- תועבות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- רעות: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ברעב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובדבר: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יפלו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 5:17 (verbal): Uses the same triad of instruments of judgment—'sword, famine, and pestilence'—as the explicit means by which God will punish Israel.
- Ezekiel 14:21 (verbal): Repeats a catalogue of divine punishments (sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence), echoing the catalogue-form rhetoric of catastrophic judgment in 6:11.
- Joel 1:15 (thematic): The cry 'Alas for the day!' and the announcement of imminent destruction (the day of the LORD) parallels Ezekiel’s command to wail over Israel’s abominations and coming devastation.
- Deuteronomy 28:20–22 (thematic): The covenantal curses for disobedience include wasting disease, famine, and other calamities; provides the Deuteronomic background for Ezekiel’s warning that Israel will 'fall by sword, by famine, and by pestilence' because of their abominations.
- Ezekiel 7:26 (structural): Part of Ezekiel’s sustained series of doom-oracles; like 6:11 it frames imminent disaster in stark, near‑and‑total terms, emphasizing sudden collapse as the consequence of Israel’s sins.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus says the Sovereign LORD: Strike with your hand, stamp with your foot, and say, 'Alas for all the wicked abominations of the house of Israel! For they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.'
- Thus says the Lord GOD: Strike with your hand, stamp with your foot, and say, ‘Alas! Alas!’ to all the evil abominations of the house of Israel—for they shall fall by sword, by famine, and by pestilence.
Eze.6.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הרחוק: ADJ,m,sg,def
- בדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- והקרוב: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,def
- בחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יפול: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- והנשאר: CONJ+PART,qal,ptcp,ms,sg,def
- והנצור: CONJ+VERB,qal,ptc,m,sg,def
- ברעב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- וכליתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- חמתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1s
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezekiel 5:12 (verbal): Within Ezekiel: enumerates death by pestilence, famine and sword on the people—closely paralleling the triad of means by which survivors perish and God’s wrath is poured out.
- Ezekiel 7:15–19 (thematic): Continues the theme of total judgment—sword, famine and pestilence over the land with survivors perishing—underscoring the same pattern of destruction and divine fury.
- Jeremiah 14:12 (verbal): Speaks of God consuming the people by sword, famine and pestilence and refusing their prayers—language and motive (divine wrath as response to covenant unfaithfulness) parallel Ezek. 6:12.
- Deuteronomy 28:21–22 (allusion): Part of the covenant curses promising disease, defeat and suffering for disobedience; Ezekiel echoes this Deuteronomic framework of calamities (pestilence, sword, famine) as covenantal punishment.
Alternative generated candidates
- The distant shall die of the pestilence, the near shall fall by the sword; and those who remain and are besieged shall die of famine. I will execute my wrath upon them.
- Those far off shall die of pestilence, and those near shall fall by the sword; and the remnant who are preserved shall die by famine—I will accomplish my wrath on them.
Eze.6.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידעתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בהיות: PREP+VERB,qal,ptc,0,m,sg
- חלליהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- בתוך: PREP
- גלוליהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+SUFF,3,m,pl
- סביבות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מזבחותיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+SUFF,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- כל: DET
- גבעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ראשי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- ההרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ותחת: CONJ+PREP
- כל: DET
- עץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רענן: ADJ,m,sg
- ותחת: CONJ+PREP
- כל: DET
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- עבתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מקום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נתנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- שם: ADV
- ריח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ניחח: ADJ,m,sg
- לכל: PREP
- גלוליהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+SUFF,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Hosea 4:13-15 (verbal): Speaks of sacrificing 'upon the tops of the mountains' and 'under oaks and poplars and elms' — imagery of offerings 'under every green tree' and ritual worship at open high‑place sites parallels Ezek. 6:13's setting for idols and altars.
- Deuteronomy 12:2-3 (thematic): Commands Israel to 'utterly destroy' the high places, altars and images of the nations — thematically contrasts Israel's later profane altars on hills and the need for judgment and purification in Ezekiel.
- 1 Kings 14:23-24 (thematic): Describes Israel's setting up of high places, images and groves and burning incense on every high hill — a historical example of the same practices condemned in Ezek. 6:13.
- Ezekiel 8:16-18 (structural): Within Ezekiel's prophetic sequence this passage depicts worship at altars on every high hill and God’s decision to bring punishment; it develops the same theme and leads to the declaration 'they shall know that I am the Lord' found in 6:13.
Alternative generated candidates
- And you shall know that I am the LORD, when their slain lie among their idols round about their altars, on every high hill, on every lofty mountain, under every leafy tree and under every dense oak—where they offered a pleasing smell to all their idols.
- And you shall know that I am the LORD when I make their slain lie among their idols round about their altars, on every high hill and on every mountaintop, under every green tree and under every thick-trunked oak—where they offered a sweet smell to all their idols.
Eze.6.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונטיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- ידי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- עליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- ונתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- שממה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומשמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ממדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,const
- דבלתה: NOUN,f,sg,poss-3fs
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מושבותיהם: NOUN,f,pl,poss-3mp
- וידעו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Leviticus 26:33 (verbal): God vows to scatter Israel among the nations and make the land desolate as punishment — language and motif of exile and desolation parallel to Ezek.6:14.
- Deuteronomy 28:64 (thematic): Consequence-of-disobedience curse: the LORD will scatter the people among all nations and the land will lie desolate — echoes Ezekiel’s theme of divine dispersion and desolation.
- Ezekiel 5:11 (verbal): Within Ezekiel’s own oracle God declares He will disperse the people and execute judgment, ending with the formula that they shall know that He is the LORD — closely parallels wording and theological purpose of 6:14.
- Isaiah 6:11 (thematic): Isaiah’s forecast of cities and land laid waste until utterly desolate shares the prophetic motif of total land devastation as God's judgment.
- 2 Chronicles 36:21 (structural): Describes the land lying desolate during the exile to fulfill God’s word (cf. Levitical curses) — a post-event reflection that structures the same idea of land desolation as divine judgment found in Ezek.6:14.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land a desolation and a waste; from the wilderness to the desolate places their habitations shall be desolate, and you shall know that I am the LORD.
- I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land desolate and a waste in all their settlements; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them. And say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign LORD: Thus says the Sovereign LORD to the mountains, the hills, the ravines and the valleys—behold, I am bringing the sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.
Your altars shall be laid desolate and your incense altars broken; I will cast down your slain before your idols.
I will lay the carcasses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars.
In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste and the high places desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and your idols broken, your incense altars cut down and your deeds wiped away. And the slain shall fall among you; then you shall know that I am the LORD.
Yet I will leave among you a remnant who escape the sword, when you are dispersed among the nations and scattered through the countries.
Those fugitives who escape shall remember me among the nations where they are carried captive; for I have broken their treacherous heart—the harlot who turned away from me—and their eyes went whoring after their idols, and with their hands they practiced all their abominations.
They shall know that I am the LORD; I did not speak in vain when I promised to bring this evil upon them. Thus says the Sovereign LORD: Strike with your hand, stamp with your foot, and say, Alas! for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel; for they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.
Those far off shall die of the pestilence, and those near shall fall by the sword, and those who remain and are besieged shall die by famine—my wrath I will bring to completion against them. And you shall know that I am the LORD when their slain lie among their idols all around their altars, on every high hill, on every mountaintop, under every leafy tree and under every thick oak—the place where they offered a pleasing fragrance to all their idols.
Therefore I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land a desolation and a waste from the wilderness to Diblath, in all their settlements; and they shall know that I am the LORD.