Ezekiel 6:13 kjv
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.
Ezekiel 6:13 nkjv
Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when their slain are among their idols all around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every thick oak, wherever they offered sweet incense to all their idols.
Ezekiel 6:13 niv
And they will know that I am the LORD, when their people lie slain among their idols around their altars, on every high hill and on all the mountaintops, under every spreading tree and every leafy oak?places where they offered fragrant incense to all their idols.
Ezekiel 6:13 esv
And you shall know that I am the LORD, when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every leafy oak, wherever they offered pleasing aroma to all their idols.
Ezekiel 6:13 nlt
They will know that I am the LORD when their dead lie scattered among their idols and altars on every hill and mountain and under every green tree and every great shade tree ? the places where they offered sacrifices to their idols.
Ezekiel 6 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 6:13 | "Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when their slain are among their idols, around their charred altars, on every high hill, on all mountain tops, under every green tree, and under every thick oak, where they offered pleasing aroma to all their idols." | Implies divine judgment and confirmation of God's power. |
| Isaiah 2:8 | "Their land is also full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made." | Similar accusation of idolatry in Judah. |
| Jeremiah 2:23 | "How can you say, ‘I am not defiled; I have not gone after the Baals’? Look at your way in the Valley; know what you have done—you are a swift dromedary crisscrossing her paths," | Condemnation of syncretism. |
| Hosea 2:11 | "And I will put an end to all her rejoicing, her feasts, her New Moons, her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts." | God ceasing Israel's appointed times due to sin. |
| Micah 6:7 | "Does the LORD delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" | Questioning the efficacy of corrupted worship. |
| Jeremiah 7:31 | "And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I commanded them, nor did it come into my mind." | Specific prohibition against child sacrifice. |
| Leviticus 26:30 | "I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you." | Foreshadowing of judgment involving destruction of worship sites. |
| Deuteronomy 12:2 | "You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree." | Command to eradicate Canaanite religious practices. |
| Ezekiel 14:3 | "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and have placed the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face. Should I be inquired of at all by them?" | Inner devotion to idols causing God's rejection. |
| Romans 1:23 | "and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things." | Corruption of divine glory through idols. |
| 1 Corinthians 10:19-20 | "What then do I say? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the sacrifices of heathens are offered to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons." | Sacrifices to idols are associated with demonic influence. |
| 2 Kings 21:21 | "And he walked in all the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who sinned and who made Israel sin, even though he detested them." | Continuation of idolatrous practices from previous kings. |
| 2 Chronicles 28:3 | "Moreover, he burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel." | Historical account of Manasseh's deep-seated idolatry. |
| Jeremiah 4:18 | "Your ways and your doings have brought these things on you. This is your wickedness, because it is bitter because it has reached to your heart.”" | Personal responsibility for iniquity. |
| Isaiah 44:17 | "And the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image; he falls down to it and worships it, he prays to it and says, 'Deliver me, for you are my god.'" | The futility of worshipping man-made objects. |
| Leviticus 17:7 | "They shall no more offer their sacrifices to the goat demons, after whom they play the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations." | Prohibiting sacrifice to non-divine entities. |
| Ezekiel 22:3-4 | "Say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “A city of bloodshed in your midst, upon whose surface the site has come, that it may be its time, and has made idols for itself to defile itself. You have gone through your lewdness to your imputation, and to the disgrace of your feet; yes, you have imputed the stench of your fornication.”’" | Divine pronouncement against Jerusalem for sin and idolatry. |
| Amos 5:5 | "but do not seek Bethel, nor enter Gilgal, nor pass over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing." | Warning against seeking these idolatrous centers. |
| Jeremiah 7:11 | "Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it, declares the LORD." | God's perspective on how the temple was being misused. |
| Nahum 3:4 | "because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the comely one, the mistress of sorceries, who sells nations with her harlotries and families with her sorceries." | Judgment upon Nineveh for corrupting nations. |
Ezekiel 6 verses
Ezekiel 6 13 Meaning
The verse declares that Israel's pagan practices would be exposed, and their sacrifices and offerings would be annulled. This signifies a complete reversal of their forbidden worship.
Ezekiel 6 13 Context
This verse appears in Ezekiel chapter 6, a chapter focused on God's judgment against the mountains of Israel. The prophet is instructed to prophesy against these high places where the people engaged in idolatrous worship. This worship was characterized by sacrifices, incense, and erected pillars or Asherim, often dedicated to Canaanite deities. The chapter details the thoroughness of God's judgment, implying that the Israelites' slain would be scattered amongst their very objects of worship, demonstrating the ultimate powerlessness of these idols and the futility of their misplaced devotion. The historical backdrop is the Babylonian exile, where Judah's sins, including rampant idolatry, led to their downfall.
Ezekiel 6 13 Word Analysis
- "And" (וְ, wə) - A conjunctive particle connecting this clause to the preceding pronouncements, signifying consequence or continuation.
- "ye shall know" (וִידַעְתֶּם, wîdāʿtêm) - Emphasizes recognition and understanding through experience, specifically through the impact of God's judgment. It signifies an awareness brought about by God's direct intervention.
- "that I am the LORD," (כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה, kî ’ănî YHWH) - A key phrase throughout Ezekiel, asserting God's divine identity, sovereignty, and unique power, especially in His judgments and His faithfulness to His covenant, even in bringing punishment.
- "when their slain" (בְּשֶׁפַע אֲפָסֵיהֶם, bəšəp̄ā‘ ’āp̄āsêhem) - The phrase "their slain" refers to the carcasses of those killed by God's judgment. "Šəp̄ā‘" can mean "abundance" or "overflowing," and "’āp̄āsêhem" is the plural of "’ēp̄əs," meaning "end" or "consumption." The construction suggests their lifeless bodies would be found in abundance or spread out.
- "are among" (בְּת֣וֹךְ, bəṯōḵ) - Within or in the midst of.
- "their idols," (עֲצַבֵּיהֶם, ʿăṣabbêhem) - Pertains to their idols, graven images, or detestable things. This highlights the pervasive nature of idolatry.
- "round about their altars," (סְבִיב֨וֹת זִבְחֵיהֶ֛ם, səḇîḇôṯ ziḇḥêhem) - "Səḇîḇôṯ" means surrounding or circling. "Ziḇḥêhem" refers to their sacrifices or slaughterings. This visual portrays the desecration of their worship sites by the presence of their dead.
- "on every high hill," (בְּכָל־גִּבְעָה, bəḵāl-giḇʿāh) - "Giḇʿāh" signifies a hill or high place, a common location for pagan worship.
- "on every lofty mountain," (וּבְכָל־רָמַ֤ת, ûḇəḵāl-rāmāh) - "Rāmāh" refers to a height or high place, further emphasizing the extensive use of elevated locations for forbidden worship.
- "under every green tree," (תַּ֙חַת֙ עֵ֣ץ רַעֲנָ֔ן, taḥaṯ-ʿēṣ rāʿăṉān) - "Raʿăṉān" means fresh, verdant, or leafy. These were often places where cultic practices, including the worship of nature deities or fertility rites, were performed.
- "and under every thick oak," (וְתַ֙חַת֙ אֵלּ֔וֹן עָב֛וֹת, wəṯaḥaṯ-’ēlōwn ʿāḇôṯ) - "’Ēlōwn" refers to a strong oak or terebinth tree, considered sacred and often associated with religious ceremonies. "ʿĀḇôṯ" means thick or leafy, reinforcing the image of shaded, potentially secluded spots for worship.
- "where they offered" (אֲשֶׁר־הִקְטִ֧ירוּ, ’ăšer-hiqṭîrū) - "Hiqṭîrū" means to make smoke ascend, referring specifically to the burning of incense or sacrifices.
- "a pleasing aroma" (רֵ֤יחַ שָׁמֶ֙נִי֙, rēaḥ-šāmêṉî) - A "pleasant aroma" or "aroma of food offerings." This phrase was originally associated with acceptable sacrifices to God but is here used sarcastically or ironically for the abominable offerings to idols.
- "to all their idols." (לְכֹל־סִמְלָתָ֖ם, ləḵol-simlāṯām) - "Simlāṯām" refers to their creations, idols, or likenesses. This summarizes the pervasive nature of their devotion to false gods.
Ezekiel 6 13 Bonus Section
The contrast between God's pronouncements and the Israelites' misplaced devotion highlights the core issue of worshipping creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). The imagery of slain bodies among idols is particularly potent, indicating a complete reversal where the source of their supposed power becomes the evidence of their destruction. The phrase "pleasing aroma" is borrowed from Levitical sacrifices intended for God, underscoring the depth of Israel's perversion of true worship by applying such language to their abominations. This verse serves as a stark reminder that devotion to anything other than the true God ultimately leads to desolation and exposure.
Ezekiel 6 13 Commentary
This verse is a powerful declaration of divine judgment on Israel for their pervasive idolatry. God states that the physical evidence of His wrath – the corpses of those who engaged in illicit worship – would be scattered among the very objects of their worship (idols, altars, trees). This visually demonstrates that their idols offered no protection and that God's sovereignty extends even to the destruction of their forbidden sanctuaries. The repetition of "on every..." and "under every..." emphasizes the extent of the nation's apostasy. God’s intent is that Israel will understand His true nature and power through this devastating judgment. Their "pleasing aroma" to idols will be replaced by the stench of death and ruin, fulfilling His decree against them.