Ezekiel 14:6 kjv
Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Ezekiel 14:6 nkjv
"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.
Ezekiel 14:6 niv
"Therefore say to the people of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!
Ezekiel 14:6 esv
"Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Ezekiel 14:6 nlt
"Therefore, tell the people of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent and turn away from your idols, and stop all your detestable sins.
Ezekiel 14 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 25:5 | They said, "Turn now, everyone... from his evil way..." | Call to repentance & turning from evil ways. |
| Joel 2:12-13 | "Return to me with all your heart... Rend your heart..." | Call to wholehearted repentance. |
| Acts 3:19 | "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out..." | Apostolic call to repent for forgiveness. |
| 1 Thes 1:9 | "how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" | Conversion involves turning from idols to God. |
| Deut 30:8 | "You shall again obey the voice of the Lord... and keep all his commandments." | Returning to God involves obedience. |
| 1 Sam 7:3-4 | "If you are returning to the Lord... put away the foreign gods..." | Explicit call to remove idols with repentance. |
| 2 Kgs 23:24 | Josiah also put away the mediums... and the idols... | Historical example of removing abominations. |
| Isa 31:7 | "For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver..." | Prophecy of future abandonment of idols. |
| Hos 14:8 | "O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I am he who answers..." | God's desire for His people to abandon idolatry. |
| Rev 9:20 | "They did not repent of the works of their hands, nor worship demons..." | Refusal to repent from idolatry brings judgment. |
| Deut 7:25-26 | "The carved images of their gods you shall burn... an abomination..." | Explicit command against keeping idols. |
| 1 Kgs 11:5 | Solomon followed Ashtoreth... and Milcom, the abomination of Ammonites. | Consequences of following abominations. |
| Jer 4:1 | "If you return, O Israel, declares the Lord, to me you should return..." | Direct divine invitation to return. |
| Ps 97:7 | "All worshipers of images are put to shame, who boast in worthless idols." | Idolatry brings shame; a call for true worship. |
| 1 Cor 10:14 | "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." | New Testament exhortation to avoid idolatry. |
| 2 Cor 6:16-17 | "What agreement has the temple of God with idols?... Come out from among them..." | Separation from idolatry for God's people. |
| Lev 26:30 | "I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars..." | God's judgment on places of idolatry/abominations. |
| Mic 6:8 | "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require..." | Emphasizes walking righteously, implicitly turning from evil. |
| Ezek 18:30-32 | "Repent and turn from all your transgressions... make yourselves a new heart..." | Call to individual repentance and transformation. |
| Zech 1:3-4 | "Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you..." | Prophetic call to repentance with promise of God's presence. |
| Matt 3:8 | "Bear fruit in keeping with repentance." | True repentance evidenced by outward actions. |
| Luke 13:3 | "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." | Emphasizes the necessity of repentance to avoid destruction. |
| Rev 2:5 | "Repent and do the works you did at first." | Call to early church to repent from spiritual apathy. |
Ezekiel 14 verses
Ezekiel 14 6 Meaning
Ezekiel 14:6 conveys a direct, authoritative command from the Lord God to the house of Israel. It is an urgent call for genuine repentance, requiring a complete turning away from all forms of idolatry and practices that are an abomination in God's sight. This call implies not merely outward cessation of sinful acts but a profound change of heart and allegiance, redirecting their devotion solely to the one true God.
Ezekiel 14 6 Context
Ezekiel 14 takes place during the Babylonian exile (circa 593-571 BCE). Chapter 14 directly addresses the hypocrisy of certain elders of Israel who, despite being physically exiled from Jerusalem, continued to harbor idols in their hearts. They approached Ezekiel seeking a word from the Lord, yet their hearts were far from Him. God exposes their double-mindedness (Ezek 14:3-5), declaring that He would respond to them according to their idolatry, not their feigned piety. Verse 6 is thus presented as a merciful but stern call from God Himself, a prerequisite for any meaningful engagement with Him and an escape from His impending judgment. It underscores God's absolute demand for exclusive devotion and His intolerance for syncretism prevalent among the Israelites, a direct polemic against the easy acceptance of foreign deities and practices that led to their current state of exile.
Ezekiel 14 6 Word analysis
- Therefore (
לָכֵ֞ן,lakēn): An emphatic connective. It directly links God's preceding declaration about the idolatrous elders (vv. 3-5) to this divine command. It signifies that what follows is a necessary response or conclusion based on the revealed condition of their hearts. - say (
אֱמֹ֣ר,’ĕmōr): An imperative verb, "Speak!" or "Tell!". It is a direct command from God to Ezekiel, emphasizing the divine origin and authority of the message that follows. Ezekiel is a mouthpiece. - to the house of Israel (
לְבֵֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל,lĕvēt-yisrā’ēl): Refers to the entire covenant community, particularly the exiled generation addressed by Ezekiel, but also holding implications for all descendants of Jacob. It signifies that the call to repentance is for God's chosen people, who have fallen from their covenant obligations. - ‘Thus says the Lord GOD (
כֹּֽה־אָמַר֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה,koh-’āmar ’ăḏōnāy yahwih): A quintessential prophetic formula asserting the direct speech and supreme authority of God.Adonai(Lord) emphasizes sovereignty, whileYahweh(GOD, the covenant name) highlights His personal, unchanging relationship with Israel, despite their failings. This ensures no ambiguity about the source or weight of the message. - “Repent (
שׁ֣וּבוּ,shūvū): The primary call, an imperative meaning "turn back" or "return". In a spiritual context, it signifies a complete reversal of one's spiritual direction – turning from sin and towards God. It implies sorrow for past wrongdoing, a change of mind, and a definite change of action. - turn away (
הָשִׁ֤יבוּ,hāshīvū): Another imperative, "turn away" or "bring back/return." This second imperative emphasizes a specific action of removal or reorientation. It’s not just an inward "turning" (shūvū) but an active outwardturning awayor redirecting. - from your idols (
מֵֽעַל־גִּלּֽוּלֵיכֶם֙,mē‘al-gillûlêḵem):Gillulim(idols) is a highly pejorative term characteristic of Ezekiel, often translated as "dung-gods," "blocks," or "detestable things." It diminishes the false gods, likening them to excrement or worthless refuse, stripping them of any supposed dignity or power. It refers to both physical idols and the spiritual affection and devotion they represent. - and turn your faces away (
הָשִׁ֣יבוּ פְנֵיכֶ֔ם,hāshīvū p̄nêḵem): The repetition of "turn away" (hāshīvū) withpneykhem(your faces) intensifies the command. "Turning one's face away" denotes a complete disengagement, aversion, and rejection. It means directing their whole attention and being away from something abhorrent. - from all your abominations (
וּמִכֹּ֖ל תּוֹעֲבֹֽתֵיכֶם׃,ūmikkōl tô‘ăḇōṯêḵem):To‘avot(abominations) encompasses a broader range of offensive practices and objects, beyond just overt idols. This term includes immoral acts (sexual sins, injustice), cultic perversions (child sacrifice, illicit worship practices), and anything that desecrates God's holiness. "All your abominations" emphasizes the comprehensive scope of their spiritual impurity and the totality of their required repentance.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.”: This triad of commands represents a comprehensive call to spiritual transformation. "Repent" is the internal change of heart and direction. "Turn away from your idols" addresses specific objects/practices of false worship. "Turn your faces away from all your abominations" expands this to include all detestable, God-offensive practices, demanding a full and visible repudiation of ungodliness. The repetitive imperative "turn" or "turn away" underscores the urgency and totality of the spiritual U-turn God demands.
Ezekiel 14 6 Bonus section
The Hebrew text, through the repetitive use of shuvu (repent/return) and heshivu panaykhem (turn your faces away), employs a literary device known as emphatic repetition. This highlights the absolute necessity and comprehensive nature of the desired repentance. It's not a partial turning, but a decisive reorientation of one's entire being—thoughts, affections, and actions—away from defilement and toward God. The use of gillulim by Ezekiel is also highly significant. Unlike other Hebrew terms for idols that might simply describe a carved image, gillulim carries a strong sense of defilement and disgust, reducing the idols to mere refuse. This prophetically emphasizes that such worship is not merely misguided, but inherently repulsive and polluting to God's presence and to those who practice it. This call for repentance extends beyond ritual impurity to moral and spiritual purity, establishing boundaries against all forms of spiritual compromise.
Ezekiel 14 6 Commentary
Ezekiel 14:6 encapsulates God’s profound demand for an exclusive and authentic relationship with His people. Having just exposed the hypocrisy of elders who outwardly sought Him while inwardly clinging to their idols, the Lord issues a clear and direct command through Ezekiel: repent. This isn't a mere suggestion but an authoritative word from "the Lord GOD" Himself, calling for a complete and immediate turnaround. The call to "repent" (shuvu) implies a deep inward transformation – a change of mind and heart. This must be immediately followed by outward actions: "turning away from your idols" (gillulim, a term of utter disdain) and "turning your faces away from all your abominations" (to'avot), encompassing not just explicit idolatry but every practice that offends God's holiness. This verse underscores that superficial religion or syncretism is utterly unacceptable to God; He demands unreserved devotion, a complete renunciation of everything that stands in opposition to His pure and holy nature. This repentance is not for God's benefit but for the people's salvation from impending judgment and for their restoration into a right relationship with Him.