Ezekiel 6:5
And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.
Original Language Analysis
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern warfare often involved desecrating enemy religious sites. However, this is God judging His own people's worship sites, demonstrating His hatred of idolatry even among covenant members. The scattered bones fulfilled covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28:26; Jeremiah 8:1-2). Archaeological evidence from 586 BC destruction includes mass graves and unburied remains, confirming the prophecy's literal fulfillment. The ritual defilement rendered the sites permanently unusable, ending idolatrous practices by destroying their infrastructure.
Questions for Reflection
- How does measure-for-measure justice (defiling worship sites with corpses) reveal God's poetic justice?
- What does the denial of proper burial signify about the ultimate worthlessness of idolatrous worship?
- How should this warning against false worship shape our approach to contemporary religious practices?
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Analysis & Commentary
And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars. The Hebrew peger (פֶּגֶר, "carcase") emphasizes the degradation—not dignified burial but corpses left exposed, ultimate dishonor in ancient culture. Scattering bones "round about your altars" profanes the worship sites with ritual uncleanness (Numbers 19:16). The very places deemed sacred become mass graves. This judgment reverses the worshipers' intentions—they sought life and blessing through idol worship but received death and defilement. It also demonstrates measure-for-measure justice: they defiled the land with abominations; God defiles their worship sites with their corpses.