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.

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

What does Ezekiel 6:5 mean?

Ezekiel 6:5 describes God’s warning that the dead bodies of the people of Israel will be laid out in front of their idols, and their bones will be scattered around their altars. This verse shows that their idol worship will lead to public shame and destruction, with their remains left exposed where they once practiced false worship.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the Israelites, who have turned away from Him to worship idols. The setting is a prophecy of judgment: God is declaring that the very places where the people offered sacrifices to idols will become sites of their own disgrace and ruin. The verse uses vivid language to show the seriousness of turning from God to idols.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 6:5

  • "carcases" (פֶּגֶר, peger): This word refers specifically to dead bodies, often with a sense of something lifeless and dishonored. Using this term emphasizes the shame and finality of the judgment.
  • "idols" (גִּלּוּל, gilul): This word for idols is often understood as “worthless things” or “dung-gods,” highlighting contempt for these objects of worship. The verse stresses the emptiness of what the people trusted in.
  • "scatter" (זָרָה, zarah): This verb means to disperse or spread out, often used for scattering something so that it cannot be gathered again. The image is one of total ruin, with no hope of proper burial or dignity.

Why Ezekiel 6:5 matters

  • This verse clears up the idea that idol worship was just a private matter; it shows that turning from God had public, devastating consequences for the whole community.
  • Ezekiel 6:5 connects to the wider passage by showing that God’s judgment targets not just the people but also the places and objects associated with their unfaithfulness.
  • The verse emphasizes the seriousness of idolatry by describing a punishment that reverses all expectations of honor and respect for the dead in ancient Israel.

Where else these words appear

“carcases” Hebrew H6297 · used in 21 verses

  • Genesis 15:11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
  • 2 Kings 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
  • Jeremiah 31:40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.

“scatter” 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.

“idols” Hebrew H1544 · used in 45 verses

  • Leviticus 26:30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
  • Ezekiel 14:3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
  • Ezekiel 20:39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.

“bones” Hebrew H6106 · used in 108 verses

  • Genesis 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
  • 1 Kings 13:31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:
  • Psalms 141:7 Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.