So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

EZEKIEL 6:14KJV
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Ezekiel 6:14 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 6:14 mean?

Ezekiel 6:14 describes God declaring that He will act against the people by making their land even more desolate than the wilderness near Diblath, so that everyone living there will recognize that He is the LORD. The verse emphasizes the total devastation coming as a direct result of their actions, leaving no doubt about God’s involvement.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Israel, warning them of the severe judgment that will come because of their unfaithfulness. The mention of Diblath, a location associated with barrenness, highlights how complete the destruction will be. The purpose of this devastation is not just punishment, but to make it unmistakably clear to the people who the true God is.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 6:14

  • "Desolate" (שְׁמָמָה, shemamah) and "more desolate" (מִשְּׁמָמָה, mishmamah) both stress the idea of utter ruin or emptiness. The use of two related words intensifies the sense of complete devastation, showing that the land will be left in a state worse than a desert.
  • "Wilderness" (מִדְבָּר, midbar) refers to a wild, uninhabited place. By comparing the land’s future state to the wilderness near Diblath, the verse paints a vivid picture of lifelessness and abandonment.
  • "Know" (יָדַע, yada‘) means more than just intellectual awareness; it often carries the sense of experiencing or recognizing something deeply. Here, it means the people will come to truly recognize God’s identity and authority because of what happens.

Why Ezekiel 6:14 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the coming disaster is not random or merely political, but a direct act of God meant to reveal His identity to the people.
  • The comparison to the wilderness near Diblath helps readers understand the scale of the devastation, making the warning more concrete and vivid.
  • Ezekiel 6:14 ties together the themes of judgment and revelation that run throughout the book, showing that even harsh consequences have the purpose of turning people’s attention back to God.

Where else these words appear

“desolate” Hebrew H4923 · used in 7 verses

  • Isaiah 15:6 For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.
  • Ezekiel 5:15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
  • 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.

“habitations” Hebrew H4186 · used in 43 verses

  • Genesis 10:30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
  • Leviticus 23:31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
  • 2 Chronicles 9:4 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.

“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 35:3 And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.