Bible Commentaries
Ezekiel 6

Verses 1-14

Idolatry Condemned (6:1-14)

Addressing the mountains and hills of Israel, the ravines and the valleys, where idolatry was practiced, Ezekiel promises that the sword will come against the "high places," where idolatry was in vogue. Altars of sacrifice and of incense will be broken, and sacred areas will be desecrated by the presence of dead bodies. Thus idolatry, like every other phase of the corrupt life of Judah, will be wiped out and the idolaters destroyed.

At this point (vs. 8) the prophet changes pace and speaks to those who will escape the sword. Verses 8-10 were probably added later, but certainly they belong to the thought pattern of Ezekiel. The theme is that people broken for their sin and sent into captivity will "remember [God] among the nations." "They will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations." Under these circumstances the dispersed people, repentant for their past, will be a witness to God.

Verses 11-12 are a separate ecstatic song, phrased in the original as a kind of dance form. After this rhythmic piece the subject of idolatry on every high hill and under every green tree, a sure reference to a type of nature worship (Baal worship), is resumed (vs. 13). The final verse sums up the resultant judgment on Judah’s idolatry.