Ezekiel 6:13

13 And ye shall know, that I am the Lord, when your slain men shall be in the midst of your idols, in the compass of your altars, in each high little hill, and in all the highnesses of mountains, and under each tree full of wood, and under each oak full of boughs, that is, a place where they burnt incense sweet smelling to all their idols (And ye shall know, that I am the Lord, when your slain shall be in the midst of your idols, all around your altars, on each high little hill, and on all the highnesses of the mountains, and under every thick tree, and under every oak with many branches, that is, the place where they burned sweet smelling incense 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 The Lord God saith these things, Smite thine hand, and hurtle thy foot, and say, Alas! to all abominations of the evils of the house of Israel; for they shall fall down by sword, hunger, and pestilence. (The Lord God saith these things, Strike thy hand, and hurtle thy foot, and say, Alas! for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel; for they shall fall down by the sword, and famine, and pestilence.)
12 He that is far, shall die by pestilence. Forsooth he that is nigh, shall fall by sword. And he that is left and besieged, shall die by hunger. And I shall [ful]fill mine indignation in them. (He who is far off, shall die by pestilence. And he who is near, shall fall by the sword. And he who is left and besieged, shall die by famine. And so I shall fulfill my indignation upon them.)
13 And ye shall know, that I am the Lord, when your slain men shall be in the midst of your idols, in the compass of your altars, in each high little hill, and in all the highnesses of mountains, and under each tree full of wood, and under each oak full of boughs, that is, a place where they burnt incense sweet smelling to all their idols (And ye shall know, that I am the Lord, when your slain shall be in the midst of your idols, all around your altars, on each high little hill, and on all the highnesses of the mountains, and under every thick tree, and under every oak with many branches, that is, the place where they burned sweet smelling incense to all their idols.)
14 And I shall stretch forth mine hand on them, and I shall make their land desolate and destitute, from (the) desert (unto) Diblath, in all the dwellings of them; and they shall know, that I am the Lord. (And I shall stretch forth my hand upon them, and I shall make their land a desolate wasteland, from the desert unto Riblah, in all their dwelling places; and they shall know, that I am the Lord.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.