Ezekiel 6:13

13 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 in Other Translations

KJV
13 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.
ESV
13 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.
NLT
13 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.
MSG
13 They'll realize that I am God when they see their people's corpses strewn over and around all their ruined sex-and-religion shrines on the bare hills and in the lush fertility groves, in all the places where they indulged their sensual rites.
CSB
13 You will [all] know that I am the Lord when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, and under every green tree and every leafy oak-the places where they offered pleasing aromas to all their idols.

Ezekiel 6:13 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 6:13

Then shall ye know that I [am] the Lord
Whom they had denied, by serving other gods; but now by those punishments their eyes would be opened to see, and be obliged to acknowledge, that there was no God but the Lord: when their slain [men] shall be among their idols round about their
altars;
as is threatened, ( Ezekiel 6:5 ) ; by which it will appear that the idols whom they worshipped could not save them; since they should fall just by them, round about the altars on which they sacrificed unto them; which idols were placed, and altars for their worship built, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains:
mountains and high hills were usual places of idolatry among the Heathens, in which the Jews imitated them, and particularly Herodotus F5 says of the Persians, that, going up to the highest parts of mountains, they offered sacrifice to Jupiter; so they called the whole circle of the heavens: and under every green tree, and under every thick oak;
see ( 1 Kings 14:23 ) ( 2 Kings 16:4 ) ( Jeremiah 2:20 ) ( 3:6 ) ; here their slain were to fall, where they committed their idolatry: even in the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols;
or dunghill gods; yet, though they were such, sweet savour or incense was offered to them; wherefore, in righteous judgment, here their carcasses should fill and lie, and rot and stink.


FOOTNOTES:

F5 Clio, sive l. 1. c. 131.

Ezekiel 6:13 In-Context

11 “ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Strike your hands together and stamp your feet and cry out “Alas!” because of all the wicked and detestable practices of the people of Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine and plague.
12 One who is far away will die of the plague, and one who is near will fall by the sword, and anyone who survives and is spared will die of famine. So will I pour out my wrath on them.
13 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.
14 And I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land a desolate waste from the desert to Diblah —wherever they live. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’ ”

Cross References 3

  • 1. S Leviticus 26:30
  • 2. S Isaiah 1:29; Isaiah 57:5
  • 3. S 1 Kings 14:23; S Jeremiah 2:20; Ezekiel 18:6; Ezekiel 20:28; Hosea 4:13
Scripture quoted by permission.  Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  NIV®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.