This verse reveals God's deep emotional pain, describing Himself as "broken" by Israel's spiritual infidelity. It's not just about punishment, but about a divine heartbreak resulting from His people's turning to idols with their "whoring heart" and "eyes." This profound sorrow ultimately leads to their self-loathing and a desire to return to Him.
then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols. And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Ezekiel is prophesying the devastating judgment of exile that will fall upon Judah for their persistent idolatry. He’s already described the destruction of their land and their cities, and now he turns to the survivors. These scattered people, enslaved among foreign nations, will finally recognize their sin and God's faithfulness in punishing them for their unfaithfulness.
Ever felt deeply disappointed by someone you love? God knows that pain, and Ezekiel reveals it in a raw, powerful way.
The verse uses the intense imagery of a broken heart to describe God's reaction to Israel's idolatry. It's not just about rule-breaking; it's about relational betrayal.
A Grieved Father
What happens when we finally see our sin for what it really is? Ezekiel shows us it leads to a profound self-disgust that turns us back to God.
The ultimate outcome of remembering God in captivity isn't just sadness, but a deep, internal revulsion towards sin itself.
Seeing the Abomination
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Understand the original words
zanah · Hebrew Verb
A metaphor for spiritual infidelity. It describes God’s people turning away from their exclusive covenant relationship with Him to seek satisfaction or security in false gods and worldly alliances.
toebah · Hebrew Noun
Actions, objects, or practices that are morally disgusting or detestable to God. In the Old Testament, this term is frequently applied to idolatry and other sins that violate the sanctity of the covenant relationship with Yahweh.
Ezekiel's prophecy was delivered during the Babylonian exile, a time when the Jewish people faced the devastating consequences of their unfaithfulness to God. The verse highlights that even in their captivity, a remnant would remember God's judgment and their own deep sin, leading to profound repentance.
Late 8th Century BC
Assyrian Conquest of Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, scattering its people and initiating a period of exile for many.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon begins its campaign against Judah, deporting a first group of elites and skilled workers, including the prophet Daniel.
597 BC— this verse
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a revolt, Babylon deports King Jehoiachin and another wave of Judean citizens, including the prophet Ezekiel.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Destruction of Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's final assault leads to the destruction of Jerusalem and its sacred Temple, with the majority of the remaining population exiled to Babylon.
c. 550-539 BC
Babylonian Exile
The Judean people live in exile in Babylon, experiencing both hardship and the development of new religious practices and leadership outside the land of Israel.
539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon, which eventually leads to the decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland.
This passage uses the same metaphor of marital unfaithfulness to describe Israel's departure from God, highlighting how their pursuit of idols was like an adulterous relationship.
Ezekiel 36:31This verse echoes Ezekiel 6:9 by describing the exiles' future self-loathing and disgust with their past abominations once they are restored, showing a pattern of repentance after exile.
Jeremiah 3:13This verse shows God's desire for His people to 'remember' and 'return' from their spiritual adultery, mirroring the theme in Ezekiel that exile would lead to remembrance and repentance.
Psalm 51:17This psalm speaks of a broken and contrite spirit being a sacrifice to God, which aligns with the self-loathing and repentance described in Ezekiel 6:9 as a result of God's judgment.
Leviticus 26:39-42This passage in Leviticus outlines that if the Israelites persist in sin, they will be punished among the nations, and then in their punishment they will confess their iniquity and 'loathe themselves,' directly paralleling the consequence and outcome described in Ezekiel.
calvinEzekiel 6:9: "And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations."
- And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish h…
barnesEzekiel 6:9: "And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations."
I am broken ... - Translate: "because" I have broken "their whorish heart, which hath departed from me," and their eyes etc. Since Ezekiel is addre…
This verse reveals God's deep emotional pain, describing Himself as "broken" by Israel's spiritual infidelity. It's not just about punishment, but about a divine heartbreak resulting from His people's turning to idols with their "whoring heart" and "eyes." This profound sorrow ultimately leads to their self-loathing and a desire to return to Him.
Ezekiel is prophesying the devastating judgment of exile that will fall upon Judah for their persistent idolatry. He’s already described the destruction of their land and their cities, and now he turns to the survivors. These scattered people, enslaved among foreign nations, will finally recognize their sin and God's faithfulness in punishing them for their unfaithfulness.
Ezekiel is prophesying the devastating judgment of exile that will fall upon Judah for their persistent idolatry. He’s already described the destruction of their land and their cities, and now he turns to the survivors. These scattered people, enslaved among foreign nations, will finally recognize their sin and God's faithfulness in punishing them for their unfaithfulness.
"then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols. And they will…" — This verse reveals God's deep emotional pain, describing Himself as "broken" by Israel's spiritual infidelity. It's not just about punishment, but about a divine heartbreak resulting from His people'…
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Last reviewed October 2026
