And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.

EZEKIEL 35:12KJV
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Ezekiel 35:12 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 35:12 mean?

Ezekiel 35:12 means that God is declaring He has heard the harsh, disrespectful words spoken against the mountains of Israel, and He will make it clear to the people that He is the LORD. The verse points out that these enemies claimed Israel’s land was ruined and theirs for the taking, but God has taken note of their arrogance.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Edom (Mount Seir), who had spoken against Israel during its time of trouble. The “mountains of Israel” refers to the land and its people, and the “blasphemies” are the hostile things Edom said, boasting that Israel’s devastation was their opportunity. God’s response shows He is attentive to these words and will act to defend His name and His people.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 35:12

  • “know” (יָדַע, yada‘): This word means more than intellectual knowledge; it often carries the sense of recognizing or experiencing something firsthand. Here, it stresses that Edom will personally experience that God is truly the LORD.
  • “blasphemies” (נְאֵצוֹת, ne’etsot): This word refers to insults or contemptuous speech, not just religious blasphemy. The focus is on the disrespect and arrogance Edom showed toward Israel and, by extension, toward God.
  • “desolate” (שָׁמֵם, shamem; שְׁמָמָה, shemamah): These words describe something laid waste or ruined. The use here highlights how Edom saw Israel’s ruined state as an opportunity, but God sees it as a wrong to be addressed.

Why Ezekiel 35:12 matters

  • This verse clarifies that God is not indifferent to the words and attitudes of nations toward His people; He listens and responds to both actions and speech.
  • It shows that God holds people accountable not just for what they do, but also for what they say, especially when those words show contempt for others in their suffering.
  • Ezekiel 35:12 ties into the larger theme of Ezekiel 35, where God promises to judge Edom for its hostility and pride against Israel, emphasizing God’s justice and His commitment to defend His people.

Where else these words appear

“blasphemies” Hebrew H5007 · used in 5 verses

  • 2 Kings 19:3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
  • Nehemiah 9:18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;
  • Nehemiah 9:26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.

“consume” Hebrew H402 · used in 18 verses

  • Genesis 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
  • Leviticus 11:39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.
  • Ezekiel 23:37 That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them.

“desolate” Hebrew H8077 · used in 54 verses

  • Exodus 23:29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
  • Jeremiah 44:6 Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.
  • Ezekiel 33:29 Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.

“desolate” Hebrew H8074 · used in 87 verses

  • Leviticus 26:22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.
  • Isaiah 54:1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
  • Ezekiel 27:35 All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their countenance.