Ezekiel 11 6

Ezekiel 11:6 kjv

Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.

Ezekiel 11:6 nkjv

You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain."

Ezekiel 11:6 niv

You have killed many people in this city and filled its streets with the dead.

Ezekiel 11:6 esv

You have multiplied your slain in this city and have filled its streets with the slain.

Ezekiel 11:6 nlt

You have murdered many in this city and filled its streets with the dead.

Ezekiel 11 verses

Ezekiel 11 6 Meaning

Ezekiel 11:6 serves as a powerful divine indictment against the corrupt leaders and inhabitants of Jerusalem. It charges them with culpability for an overwhelming number of violent deaths within the city walls, implying not casualties from external war, but deaths caused by their own oppressive policies, injustice, and moral failures. The verse underscores that the public spaces of Jerusalem were literally overflowing with those unlawfully killed, revealing the profound spiritual depravity and widespread violence that precipitated God's impending judgment upon the city.

Ezekiel 11 6 Context

Ezekiel 11:6 is part of a series of oracles of judgment delivered by the prophet Ezekiel in the fifth year of Jehoiachin's exile (Ezek 8:1). At this point, Jerusalem had not yet been completely destroyed by the Babylonians, and many of its inhabitants and leaders clung to a false sense of security, believing God would protect the city and Temple despite their sins (Ezek 11:3). Chapter 10 describes the departure of God's glory from the Temple, symbolizing His withdrawal of protection. Chapter 11 directly addresses the "princes of Israel" (Ezek 11:1), condemning their wickedness, which includes wicked counsel (Ezek 11:2-3) and implicitly, their violent acts. Verse 6 specifically exposes the extent of their internal corruption, stating that the violence perpetrated by them or under their watch has filled the city with the dead, preparing the ground for the harsh divine judgment that follows, leading to the city's destruction and the further exile of its people. The verse directly contrasts their self-assured pride with the horrifying reality of bloodshed they had created, revealing why divine intervention was both necessary and just.

Ezekiel 11 6 Word analysis

• You (אַתֶּם - attem): This is a direct, second-person plural pronoun, unequivocally pointing to the "princes of Israel" mentioned in Ezek 11:1 and by extension, the responsible elite and inhabitants of Jerusalem. It signifies personal and collective culpability for the actions described.

• have multiplied (רְבִיתֶם - reḇiṯem): From the verb רָבָה (rabah), meaning "to be or become many, great, multiplied." In this context, it is in the perfect tense, indicating a completed action with lasting effects. It does not simply mean "a few" but suggests an extensive, excessive, even overwhelming increase in the number of deaths. This intensification underscores the severity of their actions.

• your slain (חַלְלֵיכֶם - ḥalleqhem): The noun חָלָל (halal) means "pierced, slain, wounded unto death," usually referring to those killed by violence or in battle. The possessive suffix "-כם" (-khem for "your") is critical here; it directly attributes responsibility for these deaths to those addressed. These are not victims of an invading army, but those killed by the actions, policies, or negligence of the city's own leaders and people. This indicates internal violence, unjust executions, and the shedding of innocent blood within the community.

• in this city (בָּעִיר הַזֹּאת - bāʿîr hazzōʾt): Literally "in the city, this one." "This city" refers unequivocally to Jerusalem, the very heart of the covenant people and where the Temple stood. The demonstrative "this" emphasizes the immediate and visible reality of the horror. It rejects any notion of abstract sin, placing the violence squarely within the sacred center.

• and you have filled (וַתְּמַלְּאוּ - wattəmalləʾū): This uses a waw consecutive with the imperfect, acting like a perfect tense. From the verb מָלֵא (maleʾ), meaning "to fill, be full." It intensifies the previous statement. "Multiplied" speaks to the number, "filled" speaks to the pervasive and inescapable presence. It suggests a saturation, that the city's capacity for death has been met and exceeded.

• its streets (חוּצוֹתֶיהָ - chuẓoteya): From the noun חָוַץ (chûts), meaning "outside, street, public place, square." These are not hidden corners, but the public thoroughfares, the market areas, where daily life and commerce happened. Filling the streets with slain signifies public, undeniable bloodshed and profound desecration of what should be a place of communal interaction and order.

• with the slain (בֶחָלָל - veḥālāl): Again, using חָלָל (halal), the same term as "your slain," reinforcing that the dead filling the streets are the very ones they are responsible for. This repetition adds rhetorical force, underscoring the grim reality.

• You have multiplied your slain: This phrase immediately establishes direct accountability. The "slain" are "yours" not by ownership but by direct causal action, highlighting the severe, self-inflicted damage wrought by the city's own inhabitants, particularly its leadership, upon its vulnerable population. It speaks of a scale of violence far beyond isolated incidents, painting a picture of deliberate and continuous actions.

• in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain: These two clauses work in tandem, progressing from the general location ("in this city") to specific, public spaces ("its streets"). The first clause emphasizes the quantity of the dead (multiplied), while the second underscores the pervasiveness of their presence (filled the streets). This vivid imagery implies that the bloodshed was so extensive it became a defining feature of Jerusalem's public life, visible and undeniable, transforming places of communal interaction into scenes of death and judgment.

Ezekiel 11 6 Bonus section

The concept of "shedding innocent blood" carries immense weight in the Hebrew Bible. It is an abomination (Deut 19:10) and one of the primary reasons for divine judgment, leading to the defilement of the land (Num 35:33-34) which can only be atoned for by the blood of the one who shed it, or through divine punishment. The repeated mention of "slain" (חָלָל - halal) links these deaths directly to sin and profanation rather than just battle casualties. This verse also lays the groundwork for later prophetic denunciations against Jerusalem (e.g., in Zechariah and eventually in the Gospels), highlighting a persistent pattern of violence, particularly against prophets and the righteous, ultimately culminating in Jerusalem's rejection of its Messiah. The prophetic pronouncement in Ezekiel 11:6 is a legal indictment, a divine lawsuit presented by the Heavenly Judge against His rebellious people, emphasizing the meticulous record-keeping of their sins before divine retribution.

Ezekiel 11 6 Commentary

Ezekiel 11:6 serves as a stark divine judgment, exposing Jerusalem's profound moral decay prior to its destruction. The Lord's accusation directly implicates the city's leaders and people, not external enemies, for the overflowing number of slain within its walls. "Your slain" signifies internal violence, injustice, and oppression, where the powerful exploited and even killed the vulnerable, violating the very covenant laws meant to protect them. This wholesale shedding of innocent blood, visible in the "streets"—public spaces where community life unfolded—demonstrated a pervasive and audacious rejection of God's ways. The extreme prevalence of death showed Jerusalem's full measure of iniquity, necessitating severe divine intervention to purge its defilement and hold its inhabitants accountable for their widespread cruelty and ungodliness. It underlines that Jerusalem’s downfall was primarily a consequence of its own deep-seated sin and unrighteousness, specifically manifest in violence against its own people.