Ezekiel 6 3

Ezekiel 6:3 kjv

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.

Ezekiel 6:3 nkjv

and say, 'O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: "Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.

Ezekiel 6:3 niv

and say: 'You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.

Ezekiel 6:3 esv

and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.

Ezekiel 6:3 nlt

Proclaim this message from the Sovereign LORD against the mountains of Israel. This is what the Sovereign LORD says to the mountains and hills and to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring war upon you, and I will smash your pagan shrines.

Ezekiel 6 verses

Ezekiel 6 3 meaning

Ezekiel 6:3 is a prophetic declaration of divine judgment from the Lord God against the physical land of Israel—its mountains, hills, ravines, and valleys—due to the persistent idolatry and abominations committed by its inhabitants. God announces that He Himself will bring the sword of war and destruction upon the land, specifically targeting and demolishing the "high places" which were centers of pagan worship, thereby removing the physical manifestations of Israel's unfaithfulness and defilement. The direct address to the landscape signifies the extent of the land's defilement and its shared destiny in the impending judgment alongside its people.

Ezekiel 6 3 Context

Ezekiel chapter 6 immediately follows a series of visual parables and symbolic actions that God commanded Ezekiel to perform, all vividly portraying the impending siege of Jerusalem and the desolation of Israel. The historical context is that Israel is already in exile (7th and 6th centuries BCE), with the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon looming or having just occurred for the first wave of exiles. This chapter specifically details the reasons for the coming judgment: widespread idolatry and defilement of the land. Ezekiel 6 is the beginning of a prophetic "woe" concerning the "mountains of Israel," emphasizing that the entire landscape, often chosen for illicit worship on "high places," shares in the people's guilt and judgment. It serves as a stern announcement that God's patience has run out, and His righteous anger will manifest in widespread destruction, aiming to put an end to the spiritual prostitution that characterized the nation's relationship with Him.

Ezekiel 6 3 Word analysis

• and say: This connects the verse to the preceding divine instruction given to Ezekiel, marking it as a direct message from God conveyed through the prophet. It emphasizes Ezekiel's role as a divine messenger.
• 'You mountains of Israel': This is a direct apostrophe, a literary device where the speaker addresses an inanimate object, absent person, or abstraction. Here, it signifies that the land itself, as a defiled witness and participant in the sin of idolatry on its peaks and valleys, is subject to God's judgment. The "mountains" are specific topographical features heavily associated with illicit cultic activity.
• hear: Though directed at inanimate mountains, this command functions as a powerful, dramatic appeal, intensifying the solemnity of the divine decree. It implies the judgment will be so profound it will resonate through the very fabric of the land.
• the word: Devar (דְּבַר) in Hebrew, denoting a communication, message, or utterance. It carries immense weight as a divine declaration.
• of the Lord God!: Adonai Yahweh (אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה) in Hebrew. Adonai (Master, Lord) paired with Yahweh (God's covenant name, "He Is") underscores God's absolute sovereignty and His faithfulness to His covenant, even as He brings judgment due to Israel's violation of that covenant. This is not merely a generic god but the specific God of Israel who is judging.
• Thus says: A formulaic phrase of prophetic declaration, establishing the absolute authority and divine origin of the message.
• to the mountains, the hills, the ravines, and the valleys: An expansion of "mountains of Israel," ensuring no part of the landscape that had been defiled by idolatry is omitted from the scope of judgment. It is a comprehensive declaration against the entire geographical extent of the land.
• Behold: Hineni (הִנְנִי), an interjection that draws immediate attention to the coming action, signaling its certainty and imminence. It is an emphatic "Indeed, I am about to..."
• I, even I, will bring: The doubling of the pronoun "I" (ani, ani) serves as an intensely strong affirmation of God's personal and unswerving resolve. It means "I, Myself" will accomplish this; it's not a third party or a mere permission, but active divine intervention.
• a sword: Cherev (חֶרֶב), symbolizing warfare, conquest, death, and divine judgment. It represents the means by which the destruction will be enacted, often implying foreign armies as God's instrument.
• upon you: Referring to the entire land, which is metaphorically seen as experiencing the destruction alongside its people.
• and I will destroy: Vehishmadti (וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּי), from shamad, meaning to destroy utterly, annihilate, exterminate. It implies complete obliteration.
• your high places: Bamot (בָּמוֹת), a specific term for cultic altars and shrines built on elevated sites, used for idolatrous worship. These were common sites for pagan practices (e.g., Baal, Asherah worship) and were explicitly forbidden by God, yet rampant in Israel. Their destruction signifies the removal of the physical manifestations of Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness.

Words-group analysis

• 'You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God!': This powerful address combines the direct call to the inanimate land with the emphatic declaration of divine authority. It signifies that the defilement by idolatry has permeated every aspect of the physical domain, and thus the land itself must "hear" and experience the judgment. It highlights the cosmic scope of God's rule.
• 'Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, the hills, the ravines, and the valleys': This phrase reiterates and expands the target of the prophecy from just "mountains of Israel" to encompass the full geographical extent. It emphasizes the pervasive nature of idolatry throughout the land, making no part immune to the impending judgment. The repetition of the authoritative "Lord God" underlines the divine source.
• 'Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you': The double "I" paired with "Behold" signifies the unwavering personal resolve and direct intervention of God. The "sword" represents a direct, destructive judgment, often executed through military invasion, emphasizing that this is God's active punishment. It underscores His direct involvement in history.
• 'and I will destroy your high places': This concluding phrase highlights the specific focus of the judgment – the eradication of idolatry at its very source and symbol. The destruction of "high places" represents not just physical demolition but a spiritual cleansing and the termination of a pervasive national sin. It communicates God's intention to cleanse His land from defilement.

Ezekiel 6 3 Bonus section

The concept of the land being defiled and held accountable is a significant theological theme throughout the Pentateuch and Prophets (e.g., Lev 18:25; Isa 24:5-6). It reflects an ancient understanding where the fate of the land and its inhabitants are deeply intertwined—a holy God could not reside among a people and in a land consistently defiled by sin without ultimately responding in judgment. This highlights the holiness of the promised land and the serious implications of violating God's commands within it. The destruction of "high places" was not merely a physical act but a theological statement by God: He alone is God, and no rival deity, however revered locally, will be permitted to stand in His sight.

Ezekiel 6 3 Commentary

Ezekiel 6:3 vividly portrays God's resolute judgment against Israel due to the rampant idolatry on its "high places." The direct address to the land itself—mountains, hills, ravines, and valleys—is a stark reminder that the sin of the people has polluted the very ground they stand on, extending the scope of judgment beyond the inhabitants to the geographical features where their apostasy was enacted. The divine pronouncement, introduced with double emphasis ("I, even I"), asserts God's absolute sovereignty and personal commitment to execute justice. The "sword" symbolizes the violent means, often through foreign armies, by which this judgment will be realized, aiming at the complete obliteration of the "high places"—the focal points of illicit pagan worship. This is not merely punishment but a cleansing, a determined removal of the abominations that grieved the Lord, demonstrating that God will not tolerate His covenant land being desecrated by the worship of other gods. The purpose is ultimately to make the survivors "know that I am the LORD" (Ezek 6:7).