Ezekiel 6:13
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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse emphasizes that the people will "know" God not through gentle revelation, but through the stark reality of their idols lying dead among their slain. This isn't just about punishment; it's about an ironic reversal where the very places of their illicit worship become the sites of their destruction, rendering their "pleasing aroma" offerings utterly meaningless.
Ezekiel is describing the devastating consequences of Israel's persistent idolatry, which has defiled every sacred space where they worshipped their false gods. The Lord declares that the people will finally recognize His power when the slain lie scattered amongst their idols and altars, in all the high places they so fervently honored. This widespread slaughter will serve as a brutal, undeniable testament to God's judgment, a grim fulfillment of the warnings previously given.
The text mentions a 'pleasing aroma' offered to idols. But for God, this aroma was anything but pleasant. How can something described as pleasing be a source of judgment?
In biblical times, a 'pleasing aroma' from sacrifices was a sign of acceptance and favor with God. It was what the smoke rising from a properly offered sacrifice smelled like to Him. However, the Israelites were offering this 'pleasing aroma' to their idols.
Ironic Judgment
God uses this very language ironically here. The sacrifices they offered to their false gods, thinking they were pleasing them, would in reality bring God's wrath. Their 'pleasing aroma' to idols would instead be met with the stench of death and destruction. It's a powerful picture of how their idolatry backfired, turning what they thought was beneficial into the cause of their downfall.
The verse paints a grim picture: slain bodies lying among idols and altars. What does this stark imagery reveal about the ultimate powerlessness of idols and the severity of God's judgment?
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Ezekiel vividly describes the aftermath of God's judgment: the Israelites will fall in the very places where they practiced their idolatry. Their slain will lie 'among their idols round about their altars.'
The Silence of False Gods
This scene is a profound demonstration of the LORD's sovereignty. Their idols, which they believed offered protection and power, would stand silent and impotent as death surrounded them. The altars where they thought they were communing with their gods would become defiled by the very bodies of their worshippers.
Everywhere Under Judgment
The repeated listing of locations—'every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every leafy oak'—emphasizes that there was no escape. God's judgment would reach them in every place they had set up their false worship, proving that only the LORD is truly God.
The phrase 'Then shall ye know that I am the LORD' appears multiple times. What kind of 'knowing' is this, and why does it take such devastating events for them to understand?
This isn't the gentle, intimate knowledge of a disciple who walks closely with a beloved teacher. Instead, it's a harsh, experiential 'knowing' that comes through divine judgment.
Forced Recognition
Despite generations of prophets warning them, the people of Israel had largely ignored God. They continued in their idolatry, refusing to acknowledge the LORD's authority. The coming destruction—their slain lying among their idols—will be an undeniable, irrefutable proof of God's power and justice.
The Ungodly's Awareness
As one commentator noted, this 'experimental knowledge' is one that even the ungodly experience. It's the terrifying realization of God's might when His vengeance is so clear that even those who resisted Him are 'compelled to feel' His power and the justice of their punishment. This knowledge doesn't necessarily lead to repentance, but it does confirm God's identity as the sovereign LORD.
Understand the original words
gillul · Hebrew Noun
Objects of worship—whether physical images or abstract idols—that usurp the place of the one true God in the human heart and life.
mizbeach · Hebrew Noun
A structure, usually of stone or earth, upon which sacrifices were offered to a deity. In the Old Testament, these became focal points of forbidden worship when used for pagan gods.
nichoch · Hebrew Noun
An act of obedience or sacrifice meant to show devotion, often used in a perverted way in idolatrous contexts to describe the 'fragrance' of sacrifices offered to false gods.
Ezekiel delivered this prophecy while in exile in Babylon, vividly describing the impending destruction that would soon engulf Jerusalem and the land. The verse highlights how the very places of idolatrous worship would become the sites of Israel's downfall, a grim testament to God's judgment on their unfaithfulness.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern kingdom of Israel, exiling many of its inhabitants. This event serves as a stark warning of God's judgment on idolatry and disobedience.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports a portion of the Judean population, including young nobles like Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
c. 597 BC— this verse
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Judah's elite, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, to Babylon. This is the context in which Ezekiel receives his prophetic messages.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Babylonian forces destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the remaining population. This devastating event fulfills many prophetic warnings and underscores the consequences of persistent idolatry.
This passage describes Judah's unfaithfulness to God by comparing it to ancient, unfaithful practices, highlighting how they 'broke your yoke and burst your bonds' and ran after idols, much like the detailed locations of idolatry in Ezekiel 6:13.
Isaiah 57:5This verse condemns the people for their idolatrous practices under trees and on mountains, mirroring the specific settings of worship mentioned in Ezekiel 6:13 and showing God's disdain for these false rituals.
Hosea 4:13This passage also speaks of worship taking place under trees like oaks, linking the practice of idolatry and its associated consequences directly to places of illicit worship, similar to the doomed worship sites in Ezekiel.
Leviticus 26:30This verse is a prophetic consequence where God states He will destroy their high places and set their carcasses among their idols, directly foreshadowing the devastating fulfillment described in Ezekiel 6:13.
Exodus 29:18This verse speaks of a 'soothing aroma' sacrifice to the Lord, which is used ironically in Ezekiel 6:13 where the 'sweet savor' offered to idols is met with God's judgment, highlighting the perversion of true worship.
barnesEzekiel 6:13: "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."
Sweet savor - Compare Genesis 8:21 . Words, applied to the smell of sacrifices accepted by God, applied here to idol-sacrifices in irony.
calvinEzekiel 6:13: "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."
- 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…
The verse emphasizes that the people will "know" God not through gentle revelation, but through the stark reality of their idols lying dead among their slain. This isn't just about punishment; it's about an ironic reversal where the very places of their illicit worship become the sites of their destruction, rendering their "pleasing aroma" offerings utterly meaningless.
Ezekiel is describing the devastating consequences of Israel's persistent idolatry, which has defiled every sacred space where they worshipped their false gods. The Lord declares that the people will finally recognize His power when the slain lie scattered amongst their idols and altars, in all the high places they so fervently honored. This widespread slaughter will serve as a brutal, undeniable testament to God's judgment, a grim fulfillment of the warnings previously given.
Ezekiel is describing the devastating consequences of Israel's persistent idolatry, which has defiled every sacred space where they worshipped their false gods. The Lord declares that the people will finally recognize His power when the slain lie scattered amongst their idols and altars, in all the high places they so fervently honored. This widespread slaughter will serve as a brutal, undeniable testament to God's judgment, a grim fulfillment of the warnings previously given.
"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…" — The verse emphasizes that the people will "know" God not through gentle revelation, but through the stark reality of their idols lying dead among their slain. This isn't just about punishment; it's a…
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