And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them.

EZEKIEL 5:6KJV
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Ezekiel 5:6 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 5:6 mean?

Ezekiel 5:6 says that Jerusalem has acted even worse than the surrounding nations by rejecting God’s rules and turning them into wickedness, refusing to live by the standards God gave them. The verse highlights that the people deliberately chose not to follow God’s judgments and statutes, despite having clear guidance.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Jerusalem. The situation is one of warning and judgment: God is explaining why Jerusalem will face severe consequences. The verse emphasizes that Jerusalem, which had special knowledge of God’s ways, has behaved more corruptly than other nations who did not have the same relationship or instructions.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 5:6

  • "changed" (וַתֶּמְרֵ֤ / vatemre, H4784) means to rebel or act treacherously. Here, it shows that Jerusalem’s actions were not just mistakes but a willful turning against God’s ways.
  • "judgments" (מִשְׁפָּטַי / mishpatay, H4941) refers to God’s decisions or legal rulings. The verse points out that these were not just general rules but specific, just decisions given by God.
  • "wickedness" (רֶשַׁע / resha, H7564) means evil or injustice. The verse says Jerusalem turned God’s just judgments into outright wickedness, highlighting a complete reversal of their intended purpose.
  • "refused" (מָאַסוּ / ma'asu, H3988) means to reject or despise. The people’s refusal was not passive; it was an active rejection of God’s guidance.

Why Ezekiel 5:6 matters

  • This verse clears up the idea that Israel’s failure was accidental or minor; it stresses that their disobedience was deliberate and worse than the nations around them.
  • The verse reveals the seriousness of rejecting what is known to be right, especially when someone has been given clear guidance.
  • Ezekiel 5:6 connects to the larger message of the chapter, where God explains the reasons for the coming judgment on Jerusalem, showing that privilege brings responsibility.

Where else these words appear

“wickedness” Hebrew H7564 · used in 15 verses

  • Deuteronomy 9:4 Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.
  • Proverbs 13:6 Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.
  • Ezekiel 33:19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.

“changed” Hebrew H4784 · used in 43 verses

  • Numbers 20:10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
  • 1 Kings 13:21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,
  • Psalms 107:11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

“refused” Hebrew H3988 · used in 69 verses

  • Leviticus 26:15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
  • Job 30:1 But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.
  • Isaiah 33:15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

“statutes” Hebrew H2708 · used in 100 verses

  • Genesis 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
  • Leviticus 26:43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
  • 2 Kings 17:34 Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;