Ezekiel 6:6 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Ezekiel 6:6 kjv
In all your dwellingplaces 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 may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.
Ezekiel 6:6 nkjv
In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.
Ezekiel 6:6 niv
Wherever you live, the towns will be laid waste and the high places demolished, so that your altars will be laid waste and devastated, your idols smashed and ruined, your incense altars broken down, and what you have made wiped out.
Ezekiel 6:6 esv
Wherever you dwell, the cities shall be waste and the high places ruined, so that your altars will be waste and ruined, your idols broken and destroyed, your incense altars cut down, and your works wiped out.
Ezekiel 6:6 nlt
Wherever you live there will be desolation, and I will destroy your pagan shrines. Your altars will be demolished, your idols will be smashed, your places of worship will be torn down, and all the religious objects you have made will be destroyed.
Ezekiel 6 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:30 | "And I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars and cast your dead bodies upon the dead bodies of your idols..." | God's earlier threat to destroy high places. |
| Deut 7:5 | "But thus you shall deal with them: you shall break down their altars and smash their pillars and cut down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire." | Command to utterly destroy pagan worship objects in the land. |
| Deut 12:2-3 | "You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills...You shall tear down their altars and smash their pillars..." | Explicit instruction to dismantle all pagan worship sites. |
| 1 Kgs 13:2 | "...O altar, thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places...and human bones shall be burned on you.’" | Prophecy of Josiah's later purge of idolatrous altars. |
| 2 Kgs 23:4-20 | Detailed account of Josiah's reform, destroying altars, high places, cult objects throughout Judah and even in former Israel. | Historical fulfillment of the destruction of high places and idols. |
| Isa 2:18 | "And the idols shall utterly pass away." | Prophecy of the complete eradication of idols. |
| Isa 2:20-21 | "In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, to enter the caverns of the rocks..." | People will abandon their idols due to divine judgment. |
| Isa 27:9 | "...He makes all the altar stones like crushed chalk stones; no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing." | God's destruction of altars and cult objects for atonement. |
| Jer 7:34 | "And I will make to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness..." | Desolation linked to ceasing of joyful life in cities. |
| Jer 10:11 | "The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens." | Declaration of the ultimate destruction and futility of false gods. |
| Jer 43:13 | "He shall break the obelisks of Heliopolis which is in Egypt, and he shall burn the houses of the gods of Egypt with fire." | Destruction of cult objects extended to other nations by God's decree. |
| Eze 7:20 | "They turned his beautiful ornaments into pride, and they made their abominable images and their detestable things of it. Therefore I make it an unclean thing to them." | Idols becoming defiled for their worshippers. |
| Eze 12:20 | "...the dwelling places that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation..." | Similar language of dwelling places and desolation. |
| Hos 10:8 | "The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed; thorn and thistle shall grow up on their altars..." | Prophecy of the high places' destruction and their overgrowth. |
| Mic 1:7 | "All her carved images shall be smashed, all her wages shall be burned with fire, and all her idols I will make a desolation..." | Parallel prophecy of smashing and desolating idols. |
| Zech 13:2 | "And on that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more; and also I will remove from the land the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness." | Future ultimate eradication of idols and false worship. |
| Psa 115:4-7 | "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands...They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see...They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk..." | Description of idols' impotence, contrasting with YHWH. |
| Hab 2:18-19 | "What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies?...Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, ‘Awake’; to a silent stone, ‘Arise’!" | Exposes the futility and powerlessness of idols. |
| 1 Cor 10:14 | "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." | New Testament call to abandon idolatry. |
| 2 Cor 6:16 | "What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God..." | Call for spiritual purity and separation from idols in the New Covenant. |
| 1 Thes 1:9 | "...how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God," | Exemplifies conversion involving turning away from idols. |
| Rev 21:8 | "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur..." | Final judgment upon idolaters in the new creation. |
Ezekiel 6 verses
Ezekiel 6 6 meaning
Ezekiel 6:6 declares God's comprehensive and inescapable judgment upon the land of Israel for its persistent idolatry. It details the coming desolation, specifying that their cities and pagan worship sites will be ruined, and their altars, derogatory idols, and incense altars will be utterly destroyed and defiled. The verse underscores that every vestige of their abominable practices, referred to as "their works," will be wiped out, demonstrating the totality of God's cleansing action against their apostasy. This destruction is divinely orchestrated to reveal His righteous sovereignty and the futility of their false gods.
Ezekiel 6 6 Context
Ezekiel 6 is a prophecy specifically directed against the mountains of Israel, which were pervasively defiled by idolatrous worship. It is part of Ezekiel's earlier prophecies (chapters 4-7) detailing the imminent judgment upon Jerusalem and the land of Judah, before its final destruction in 586 BCE. The people, both those in exile in Babylon and those remaining in Judah, had clung to false hopes and continued in their rebellious, syncretistic worship. God's judgment here is presented as a thorough cleansing of the land, addressing not only the people's sinful actions but also the very physical manifestations and sites of their apostasy. This particular verse highlights the destructive outcome for the places of worship (high places, altars, idols) as a direct consequence of their unfaithfulness to the covenant, linking the desolation of the land with the removal of its spiritual impurities.
Ezekiel 6 6 Word analysis
In all your dwelling places (בְּכֹל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם֙ – bə·ḵōl mō·šə·ḇō·ṯê·ḵem): "Your dwelling places" signifies the entirety of their inhabited territory, indicating the widespread and inescapable nature of God's judgment, encompassing every region where the people resided and practiced their idolatry.
the cities shall be laid waste (הֶעָרִים֙ תֶּחֱרַבְנָה֙ – he·‘ā·rîm te·ḥĕ·raḇ·nāh): From חָרַב (kharav), meaning "to be dry, desolate, waste, or destroyed." This emphasizes the urban centers, typically bustling with life and trade, will become uninhabitable ruins, reflecting the depopulation and collapse of societal order.
and the high places demolished (וְהַבָּמוֹת֙ תִּישַׁ֣מְנָה – wə·hab·bā·mōṯ tî·šaM·nāh): "High places" (בָּמָה – bamah) refers to the elevated cultic sites often used for pagan worship, a constant source of Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness. "Demolished" (יָשַׁם – yasham) indicates these specific religious centers will be utterly desolate and abandoned, stripped of their purpose and worshippers.
so that (לְמַעַן֩ – lə·ma·‘an): A purpose clause, explicitly stating the reason for the preceding destruction: it's not random but serves a specific divine goal.
your altars may be devastated and broken (יֶחֶרְב֨וּ וְיֶהֶרְס֜וּ מִזְבְּחוֹתֵיכֶם֙ – ye·ḥer·ḇū wə·yeh·hĕ·sū miz·bə·ḥō·w·ṯê·ḵem): "Your altars" are sites where offerings were made, in this context, to false gods. "Devastated" (חָרַב - kharav) and "broken" (הָרַס - haras, to pull down, throw down) emphasize their complete destruction, rendering them unusable and removing the locus of their offensive worship.
your idols defiled and shattered (וְנִשְׁבְּר֨וּ וְנִשְׁבְּת֜וּ גִּלּוּלֵיכֶם֙ – wə·niš·bə·rū wə·niš·bə·ṯū gil·lū·lê·ḵem): "Idols" (גִּלּוּלִים – gillūlîm) is a strong, derogatory term frequently used by Ezekiel, meaning "dung-gods" or "blocks," signifying contempt and their worthless nature. "Defiled" (related to shaḇaṯ, to cease, make desolate, implying their cessation of power) and "shattered" (שָׁבַר - shavar, to break into pieces) indicate their total dismemberment and profanation.
your incense altars cut down (וְנִגְדְּע֧וּ חַמָּֽנֵיכֶם֙ – wə·niḡ·də·‘ū ḥam·mā·nê·ḵem): "Incense altars" (hammanîm) were often pillars or altars associated with sun worship or the worship of Baal/Asherah, prominent in pagan practices. "Cut down" (גָּדַע - gāda‘, to cut off, hew down) describes their forceful removal or destruction.
and your works wiped out (וְנִמְחוּ֙ מַעֲשֵׂיכֶֽם׃ – wə·niM·ḥū ma·‘ă·śê·ḵem): "Your works" refers broadly to all their idolatrous creations, practices, and sinful deeds related to false worship. "Wiped out" (מָחָה - māḥāh, to wipe clean, obliterate, annul) denotes their complete eradication and memory erased, leaving no trace.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste and the high places demolished": This initial pair establishes the scope of judgment: geographically comprehensive (all dwelling places and cities) and specifically targeting the spiritual strongholds of idolatry (the high places). It denotes both civil and religious devastation across the entire land.
- "so that your altars may be devastated and broken, your idols defiled and shattered, your incense altars cut down": This triadic statement highlights the specific objects of worship being annihilated. The cumulative effect of multiple destructive verbs ("devastated," "broken," "defiled," "shattered," "cut down") for each category (altars, idols, incense altars) emphasizes the thoroughness, severity, and purposeful nature of the divine judgment, aimed at utterly incapacitating their false worship. The inclusion of gillulim ("dung-gods") inherently conveys divine contempt.
- "and your works wiped out": This concluding phrase acts as a powerful summary, broadening the scope beyond just the physical objects to encompass all the abominable actions, creations, and systems associated with their idolatry. It signifies the complete eradication and nullification of everything related to their apostasy, an ultimate cleansing.
Ezekiel 6 6 Bonus section
- The intensity of the repeated verbs of destruction (laid waste, demolished, devastated, broken, defiled, shattered, cut down, wiped out) conveys a message of irreversible and absolute judgment. It underscores the severity of idolatry in God's eyes.
- This passage serves as a theological polemic against the supposed power and existence of pagan deities. By physically demolishing their altars and images, God visually proves that these "gods" are nothing but human creations, powerless to defend their own sacred sites, and certainly unable to deliver their worshippers.
- The destruction mandated in Ezekiel 6:6 connects directly to the Mosaic Law's commands for Israel to completely eradicate paganism from the land upon entering Canaan (Deut 12:2-3). Israel's failure to do so led to their corruption, and now God Himself, in judgment, carries out what they refused to do in obedience.
- The phrase "so that your altars may be devastated..." implies a pedagogical aspect to the destruction; it's a lesson designed to ultimately lead them back to knowing that YHWH is the LORD (Ezek 6:7, 10).
Ezekiel 6 6 Commentary
Ezekiel 6:6 is a potent declaration of God's decisive judgment against Israel's idolatry, demonstrating His unyielding commitment to His holiness. It is not merely a statement of future events, but a clear articulation of divine justice, ensuring that the very physical objects and locations of their rebellion are utterly destroyed. This comprehensive ruin of cities, high places, altars, idols, and incense altars serves multiple purposes: it demonstrates the impotence of false gods in the face of the One True God, punishes the covenant violations of His people, and purifies the land. The derogatory term gillulim (idols) reveals God's deep abhorrence for their abominable practices. This divine action aims to teach Israel that their pursuit of other gods brings only desolation, while highlighting the principle that sin always leads to destruction. It’s a fulfillment of the covenant curses outlined in the Torah (e.g., Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 7). The obliteration of "their works" signifies the dismantling of their entire system of apostasy, a stark reminder that all human attempts at self-salvation or spiritual autonomy outside of YHWH are futile.