Eze 6:3 | KD | STEP | To God’s address in , explaining the signs in , are appended in and 7 two additional oracles, which present a further development of the contents of these signs, the judgment portrayed by them in its extent and greatness. In there is announced, in the first section, to the idolatrous places, and on their account to the land, desolation, and to the idolaters, destruction ( ); and to this is added the prospect of a remnant of the people, who are dispersed among the heathen, coming to be converted to the Lord ( ). In the second section the necessity and terrible character of the impending judgment is repeatedly described at length as an appendix to , ( ). Eze 6:1. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: . Son of man, turn thy face towards the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them. . And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to the mountains, and to the hills, to the valleys, and to the low grounds, Behold, I bring the sword upon you, and destroy your high places. . Your altars shall be made desolate, and your sun-pillars shall be broken; and I shall make your slain fall in the presence of your idols. . And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and will scatter your bones round about your altars. . In all your dwellings shall the cities be made desolate, and the high places waste; that your altars may be desolate and waste, and your idols broken and destroyed, and your sun-pillars hewn down, and the works of your hands exterminated. . And the slain will fall in your midst; that you may know that I am Jehovah. - With cf. Eze 3:16. The prophet is to prophesy against the mountains of Israel. That the mountains are mentioned ( ) as pars pro toto , is seen from , when to the mountains and hills are added also the valleys and low grounds, as the places where idolatry was specially practised; cf. Hos 4:13; ; ; see on Hos. l.c. and Deu 12:2. אפיקים, in the older writings, denotes the “river channels,” “the beds of the stream;” but Ezekiel uses the word as equivalent to valley, i.e., נחל, a valley with a brook or stream, like the Arabic wady. גּיא, properly “deepening,” “the deep ground,” “the deep valley;” on the form גּאיות, cf. Ewald, §186 da . The juxtaposition of mountains and hills, of valleys and low grounds, occurs again in , , and ; the opposition between mountains and valleys also, in , and Eze 24:13. The valleys are to be conceived of as furnished with trees and groves, under the shadow of which the worship of Astarte especially was practised; see on v. 15. On the mountains and in the valleys were sanctuaries erected to Baal and Astarte. The announcement of their destruction is appended to the threatening in , which Ezekiel takes up and describes at greater length. Beside the בּמות, the places of sacrifice and worship, and the חמּנים, pillars or statues of Baal, dedicated to him as the sun-god, he names also the altars, which, in Lev. l.c. and other places, are comprehended along with the בּמות eht htiw; see on and 1Ki 3:3. With the destruction of the idol temples, altars, and statues, the idol-worshippers are also to be smitten, so as to fall down in the presence of their idols. The fundamental meaning of the word גּלּוּלים, “idols,” borrowed from Lev. l.c. , and frequently employed by Ezekiel, is uncertain; signifying either “logs of wood,” from גּלל, “to roll” (Gesen.), or stercorei , from גּל, “dung;” not “monuments of stone” (Hävernick). is taken quite literally from . The ignominy of the destruction is heightened by the bones of the slain idolaters being scattered round about the idol altars. In order that the idolatry may be entirely rooted out, the cities throughout the whole land, and all the high places, are to be devastated, Eze 6:6. The forms תּישׁמנה and יאשׁמוּ are probably not to be derived from שׁמם (Ewald, §138 b ), but to be referred back to a stem-form ישׁם, with the signification of שׁמם, the existence of which appears certain from the old name ישׁימון in Ps 68 and elsewhere. The א in יאשׁמו is certainly only mater lectonis . In , the singular חלל stands as indefinitely general. The thought, “slain will fall in your midst ,” involves the idea that not all the people will fall, but that there will survive some who are saved, and prepares for what follows. The falling of the slain - the idolaters with their idols - leads to the recognition of Jehovah as the omnipotent God, and to conversion to Him.

‏ Ezekiel 6:3

The Judgment upon the Idolatrous Places, and on the Idol-Worshippers

To God’s address in Eze 5:5-17, explaining the signs in Eze 4:1-5, are appended in Eze 6:1-14 and 7 two additional oracles, which present a further development of the contents of these signs, the judgment portrayed by them in its extent and greatness. In Eze 6:1-14 there is announced, in the first section, to the idolatrous places, and on their account to the land, desolation, and to the idolaters, destruction (Eze 6:3-7); and to this is added the prospect of a remnant of the people, who are dispersed among the heathen, coming to be converted to the Lord (Eze 6:8-10). In the second section the necessity and terrible character of the impending judgment is repeatedly described at length as an appendix to Eze 6:12, Eze 6:14 (Eze 6:11-14).

The Desolation of the Land, and Destruction of the Idolaters

Eze 6:1. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Eze 6:2 . Son of man, turn thy face towards the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them. Eze 6:3 . And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to the mountains, and to the hills, to the valleys, and to the low grounds, Behold, I bring the sword upon you, and destroy your high places. Eze 6:4 . Your altars shall be made desolate, and your sun-pillars shall be broken; and I shall make your slain fall in the presence of your idols. Eze 6:5 . And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and will scatter your bones round about your altars. Eze 6:6 . In all your dwellings shall the cities be made desolate, and the high places waste; that your altars may be desolate and waste, and your idols broken and destroyed, and your sun-pillars hewn down, and the works of your hands exterminated. Eze 6:7 . And the slain will fall in your midst; that you may know that I am Jehovah. - With Eze 6:1 cf. Eze 3:16. The prophet is to prophesy against the mountains of Israel. That the mountains are mentioned (Eze 6:2) as pars pro toto, is seen from Eze 6:3, when to the mountains and hills are added also the valleys and low grounds, as the places where idolatry was specially practised; cf. Hos 4:13; Jer 2:20; Jer 3:6; see on Hos. l.c. and Deu 12:2. אפיקים, in the older writings, denotes the “river channels,” “the beds of the stream;” but Ezekiel uses the word as equivalent to valley, i.e., נחל, a valley with a brook or stream, like the Arabic wady. גּיא, properly “deepening,” “the deep ground,” “the deep valley;” on the form גּאיות, cf. Ewald, §186 da. The juxtaposition of mountains and hills, of valleys and low grounds, occurs again in Eze 36:4, Eze 36:6, and Eze 35:8; the opposition between mountains and valleys also, in Eze 32:5-6, and Eze 24:13. The valleys are to be conceived of as furnished with trees and groves, under the shadow of which the worship of Astarte especially was practised; see on v. 15. On the mountains and in the valleys were sanctuaries erected to Baal and Astarte. The announcement of their destruction is appended to the threatening in Lev 26:30, which Ezekiel takes up and describes at greater length. Beside the בּמות, the places of sacrifice and worship, and the חמּנים, pillars or statues of Baal, dedicated to him as the sun-god, he names also the altars, which, in Lev. l.c. and other places, are comprehended along with the בּמות eht htiw; see on Lev 26:30 and 1Ki 3:3. With the destruction of the idol temples, altars, and statues, the idol-worshippers are also to be smitten, so as to fall down in the presence of their idols. The fundamental meaning of the word גּלּוּלים, “idols,” borrowed from Lev. l.c., and frequently employed by Ezekiel, is uncertain; signifying either “logs of wood,” from גּלל, “to roll” (Gesen.), or stercorei, from גּל, “dung;” not “monuments of stone” (Hävernick). Eze 6:5 is taken quite literally from Lev 26:30. The ignominy of the destruction is heightened by the bones of the slain idolaters being scattered round about the idol altars. In order that the idolatry may be entirely rooted out, the cities throughout the whole land, and all the high places, are to be devastated, Eze 6:6. The forms תּישׁמנה and יאשׁמוּ are probably not to be derived from שׁמם (Ewald, §138 b), but to be referred back to a stem-form ישׁם, with the signification of שׁמם, the existence of which appears certain from the old name ישׁימון in Ps 68 and elsewhere. The א in יאשׁמו is certainly only mater lectonis. In Eze 6:7, the singular חלל stands as indefinitely general. The thought, “slain will fall in your midst,” involves the idea that not all the people will fall, but that there will survive some who are saved, and prepares for what follows. The falling of the slain - the idolaters with their idols - leads to the recognition of Jehovah as the omnipotent God, and to conversion to Him.