And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

EZEKIEL 12:15KJV
Know the Bible

Ezekiel 12:15 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 12:15 mean?

Ezekiel 12:15 says that the people of Jerusalem will come to recognize the LORD through their forced removal from their land. Their scattering among other nations will show them that he is the one who spoke through Ezekiel.

The LORD is speaking through Ezekiel to people who have already been taken away from Jerusalem. After describing the fate of the city’s ruler and his followers, the LORD speaks of people spread across foreign lands. The verse presents that scattering as an event through which they will recognize who is speaking and acting.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 12:15

  • “know” — יָדַע (yadaʿ): This word can mean knowing or recognizing. Here, it points to the people recognizing the LORD through what happens, not simply learning his name.
  • “LORD” — יְהוָה (YHWH): This is God’s personal name in the Hebrew text. The KJV’s capital letters distinguish it from an ordinary title such as “lord.”

Why Ezekiel 12:15 matters

  • The verse connects the coming events with the LORD’s words. The phrase “they shall know that I am the LORD” makes their recognition the stated result of being scattered.
  • The scattering reaches beyond Jerusalem’s ruler. Verse 14 mentions those around him and his troops, while verse 15 speaks more broadly of people dispersed among nations and countries.
  • The wider passage also mentions survivors. In verse 16, the LORD says he will leave a few people alive to speak among the nations about the acts that brought judgment on them.

Where else these words appear

“disperse” Hebrew H2219 · used in 38 verses

  • Exodus 32:20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
  • Proverbs 20:26 A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.
  • Ezekiel 5:12 A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.

“scatter” Hebrew H6327 · used in 66 verses

  • Genesis 10:18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
  • Job 18:11 Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet.
  • Ezekiel 11:17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.