6:2 the mountains of Israel Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy against the mountains, but the indictment is directed at people who created mountain shrines for idol worship (see 1 Kgs 14:23). The mountains are warned of the judgment coming to the altars and shrines built upon them.

6:3 am bringing upon you the sword Echoes Lev 26:25.

your high places The Hebrew word used here, bamah, refers to a religious shrine; such shrines are frequently associated with idolatry. Ezekiel is clearly alluding to Lev 26:30 (see note on Lev 26:30).

6:4 your slain ones The death of the idolaters—with their bodies cast around the fallen altars and idols—is part of the punishment described in Lev 26:30.

6:5 I will scatter your bones around your altars The presence of dead bodies and bones would have defiled those high places and made them unfit for further religious activity. When Josiah attempts to purge all idol worship from Judah, he destroys the high places and shrines of the Canaanite gods and defiles their sacred sites by scattering human bones (see 2 Kgs 23:14–20).

6:6 Your idols will be broken The idols’ powerlessness is emphasized in Lev 26:30, where the dead bodies of the idolaters are cast upon the dead bodies of their idols.

6:8 I will spare some, so there will be for you fugitives from The preservation of a remnant was promised in Ezek 5:3. Yahweh’s plan to save a remnant of His people and bring them safely out of judgment is a prominent theme throughout the Bible (see note on Isa 1:9).

are scattered in the countries The scattering was promised in Lev 26:33. Ezekiel’s reliance on the Leviticus curses illustrates his intention to remind the Israelites that they were warned of the consequences of breaking the covenant. That judgment is now happening.

Leviticus 26 and the New Testament

6:9 will remember me among the nations The remnant will realize the gravity of Israel’s sin and repent. Israel’s punishment was intended to inspire repentance and true faith in those who survived.

I was shattered by their adulterous heart which departed from me, and by Yahweh admits that Israel’s unfaithfulness left Him heartbroken.

adulterous The prophets often depict Israel’s idolatry as marital infidelity (compare Jer 2:20; see note on Isa 1:21). Ezekiel develops this imagery in more detail than any of the prophets (see Ezek 16:1–67).

their detestable things The Hebrew term here can refer to anything offensive. In context, it refers to sacrilegious offenses. See note on 5:9.

6:10 not in vain I spoke Yahweh’s promised punishments were not empty threats (compare Num 23:19).

6:11 with the sword, with the famine, and with the plague A recap of the punishments described in Ezek 5:2 and 5:12 (see note on 5:2).

6:12 my rage Echoes Lev 26:28.

6:13 under every leafy oak Idolatrous practices were associated with trees, especially oaks (compare 1 Kgs 14:23; Isa 1:29 and note; 57:5; Jer 2:20 and note).

6:14 to Riblah Most Hebrew manuscripts read “Diblah” for this place name, but Diblah is an otherwise unknown location. Some Hebrew manuscripts read “Riblah,” a location north of Damascus. The Hebrew letters for “D” (dalet) and “R” (resh) are visually similar and often confused in Hebrew manuscripts.