Ezekiel 6:4

Authorized King James Version

And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.

Word-by-Word Analysis
#1
וְנָשַׁ֙מּוּ֙
shall be desolate
to stun (or intransitively, grow numb), i.e., devastate or (figuratively) stupefy (both usually in a passive sense)
#2
מִזְבְּח֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם
And your altars
an altar
#3
וְנִשְׁבְּר֖וּ
shall be broken
to burst (literally or figuratively)
#4
חַמָּֽנֵיכֶ֑ם
and your images
a sun-pillar
#5
וְהִפַּלְתִּי֙
and I will cast down
to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative)
#6
חַלְלֵיכֶ֔ם
your slain
pierced (especially to death); figuratively, polluted
#7
לִפְנֵ֖י
men before
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi
#8
גִּלּוּלֵיכֶֽם׃
your idols
properly, a log (as round); by implication, an idol

Analysis

The salvation theme here intersects with the metanarrative of redemption running from Genesis to Revelation. Biblical theology recognizes this as part of a unified storyline from the promise in Genesis 3:15 to its fulfillment in Christ. The phrase emphasizing divine revelation contributes to our systematic understanding of Christian doctrine and connects to the broader scriptural witness about God's saving work from the Exodus to the cross.

Historical Context

The literary and historical milieu of the literary conventions and historical circumstances of biblical literature shapes this text's meaning. The historical development of salvation within the theological tradition of Ezekiel Understanding the ancient worldview that shaped the author's theological expression helps modern readers appreciate why the author emphasizes divine revelation in this particular way.

Questions for Reflection

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