Chapter 6 of Yechezkel is a prophecy of destruction upon the mountains and hills of the Land of Israel, the very places where high places and altars were erected for idol worship. The prophet is commanded, as it were, to address the mountains and inform them that all the idolatry built upon them is destined to be destroyed. Through this, we learn that there is a purpose to the punishment: that the people will recognize that there is a God who judges in the land and repent. We will follow the order of the verses with the commentaries of the Malbim, the Radak, and Rashi.
Why Does the Prophet Address the Mountains?
(א) וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃ (ב) בֶּן־אָדָם שִׂים פָּנֶיךָ אֶל־הָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהִנָּבֵא אֲלֵיהֶם׃ - (1) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: (2) "Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy to them."
At first glance, what is the point of prophesying to the mountains? Do they need prophecies? Rather, addressing the mountains is a metaphor: the prophet is actually prophesying about the people of Israel, but he tells the mountains what will happen upon them. The explanation is simple: on the high mountains and on the hills, in the ravines and valleys, and under every leafy tree, that is where they would set up their idolatry and their sun-images. Therefore, the prophet was commanded to speak as if he were addressing the mountains themselves, informing them that all the idolatry built upon them is destined to be destroyed and shattered.
The Radak writes: "He juxtaposed the worshipped objects and their worshippers because of the act performed upon them." That is, the address is made to the worshipped objects (the mountains and the high places), but the intention is directed at the worshippers. And when it says that the mountains will be destroyed and desolate, the question is as a result of what, and the answer is: as a result of the destruction of those who worship upon them.
This is like the common saying that sometimes one speaks to one person while intending for another to hear. A husband comes home: Why isn't the house tidy? Why is there a mess in the kitchen? Why aren't the dishes clean? He intends to hint to the daughter-in-law to put down the newspaper and wash the dishes, but he addresses his wife so that the message is heard from another angle. So too here: the prophet addresses the mountains, but intends those who serve idols there.
Mountains and Ravines, Hills and Valleys
(ג) וְאָמַרְתָּ הָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׁמְעוּ דְּבַר־אֲדֹנָי יְהֹוִה כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהֹוִה לֶהָרִים וְלַגְּבָעוֹת לָאֲפִיקִים וְלַגֵּיאָיוֹת הִנְנִי אֲנִי מֵבִיא עֲלֵיכֶם חֶרֶב וְאִבַּדְתִּי בָּמוֹתֵיכֶם׃ - (3) And you shall say: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus said the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys: Behold, I am bringing a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.
The Malbim notes the precise order of the words: mountains are lofty, while hills are lower and surround the mountains. Between the mountains run the water ravines (afikim), actual rushing streams, because there is a steep incline and powerful flow from melting snow and runoff descending from the mountains, where the water surges forcefully. Between the hills lie the valleys (gei'ayot), lower areas without a steep slope for water to rush violently through. Thus, the verse presents a parallel: "to the mountains" corresponds to "to the ravines," and "to the hills" corresponds to "to the valleys."
"Behold, I am bringing a sword upon you" - this does not mean that a sword will come on its own, but that an enemy nation bearing a sword will come, and through it, "and I will destroy your high places" - the enemy will destroy the high places.
In the Place of Wickedness, There Falls the Punishment
(ד) וְנָשַׁמּוּ מִזְבְּחוֹתֵיכֶם וְנִשְׁבְּרוּ חַמָּנֵיכֶם וְהִפַּלְתִּי חַלְלֵיכֶם לִפְנֵי גִּלּוּלֵיכֶם׃ - (4) And your altars shall be made desolate, and your sun-images shall be shattered, and I will cast down your slain before your idols.
"And your altars shall be desolate" - the altars will become desolate for a simple reason: there will be no one left to burn incense upon them, for the enemy nation will strike them down with the sword. "And your sun-images shall be broken" - the chammanim were idols fashioned in the image of the sun (chamah); in those times, many worshiped the sun and were called sun-worshipers, and therefore the decree was issued that the statues in the likeness of the sun would also be broken.
And when and how? "And I will cast down your slain before your idols" - "your slain" refers to those of you who die, and the gilulim are their idols. As the Metzudat David explains: in the place of wickedness, there the punishment takes place. This reflects the foundational principle articulated by the Ramban on the verse, "in the place of justice, there was wickedness." If you want to know why Bnei Yisrael descended to Egypt - it was because Avraham Avinu, according to the Ramban, should not have gone down to Egypt during the famine, but rather should have trusted in Hashem. "In the place of justice, there was wickedness": do you wish to know where the sin lay? Look at where judgment was executed. If we were judged in Egypt, it is a sign that the root of the sin was connected to Egypt. Based on this principle, here too: where will the slain fall? Right before their idols. In the very place where you served idolatry, there your corpse will fall.
Altars and Bamot - Public and Individual
The Malbim distinguishes between "your altars" (mizbechoteichem) and "your high places" (bamoteichem): A bamah, as Chazal teach, was designated for an individual. Each person would build a bamah for himself, meaning a private altar in his courtyard; and there was a period when the bamot were permitted, where people offered peace offerings, vows, and freewill offerings. By contrast, altars are always places of worship for the public. For this reason, the term "desolation" (shemamah) is used specifically regarding altars: desolation is the opposite of a public gathering. When Scripture says "the land is desolate," it means that crowds no longer dwell in it. Likewise, "and your altars shall be desolate" means that the multitudes will no longer gather to worship upon them.
(ה) וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־פִּגְרֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי גִּלּוּלֵיהֶם וְזֵרִיתִי אֶת־עַצְמוֹתֵיכֶם סְבִיבוֹת מִזְבְּחוֹתֵיכֶם׃ - "And I will lay the carcasses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars."
After the slaughter, the corpses will remain lying there before the idols, before the pagan deities, and their bones will be scattered around the altars. This is measure for measure: just as they used to sacrifice animals before the idols and the bones of the offerings were scattered there, so too your bones will be scattered around your altars.
The Inhabited Areas as Well - and the Purpose of the Destruction
(ו) בְּכֹל מוֹשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם הֶעָרִים תֶּחֱרַבְנָה וְהַבָּמוֹת תִּישָׁמְנָה לְמַעַן יֶחֶרְבוּ וְיֶאְשְׁמוּ מִזְבְּחוֹתֵיכֶם וְנִשְׁבְּרוּ וְנִשְׁבְּתוּ גִּלּוּלֵיכֶם וְנִגְדְּעוּ חַמָּנֵיכֶם וְנִמְחוּ מַעֲשֵׂיכֶם׃ - "In all your dwelling places, the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be made desolate; so that your altars may be laid waste and bear guilt, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your sun-images may be cut down, and your works may be wiped out."
The Malbim explains: until now, the prophecy spoke of the mountains, which are uninhabited areas; now it adds that not only in the mountains, but also in the inhabited places, the cities will be destroyed, so that the bamot located there - which are the private altars of individuals - will also be eliminated.
And what is the purpose of the destruction? "So that your altars may be laid waste and bear guilt" - through their ruin, they will realize that this occurred because they were guilty before Hashem, bearing sin and iniquity. "And your idols may be broken and cease" - gilulim refers to idols, derived from gelalim (dung). Once they are broken, they are automatically brought to an end, for a person only worships an idol as long as it remains intact, but when it is shattered, it is nullified. And through "and your sun-images may be cut down" will come "and your works may be wiped out" - those evil deeds will no longer continue; they will be eradicated, leaving no trace.
The Malbim adds a precise nuance regarding the word veye'eshmu ("and bear guilt"): what is the difference between an ordinary sin (chet) and guilt (asham)? Asham is when a person recognizes his iniquity, knowing that he is blameworthy and bears guilt. This is what will occur: through the destruction, they will realize that guilt rests upon them, that they sinned and were therefore destroyed, and through this realization, they may be aroused to repentance.
(ז) וְנָפַל חָלָל בְּתוֹכְכֶם וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה׃ - "And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am Hashem."
By the slain falling in your midst, you will recognize that there is a God who judges in the land, for all these troubles are not natural.
"Vehotarti" - Remnant or Gain?
(ח) וְהוֹתַרְתִּי בִּהְיוֹת לָכֶם פְּלִיטֵי חֶרֶב בַּגּוֹיִם בְּהִזָּרוֹתֵיכֶם בָּאֲרָצוֹת׃ - "Yet I will leave a remnant, in that you will have survivors of the sword among the nations, when you are scattered throughout the lands."
There are two explanations here. The Radak explains vehotarti from the root of notar, remaining: not everyone will fall by the sword; there will be survivors who escape the sword among the nations, some who remain. The Malbim, however, explains vehotarti from the language of yitron, gain and profit, as in "In all labor there is profit (motar)" (Mishlei 14:23), meaning gain and benefit. That is to say, I will derive a gain and benefit from the punishments I inflict upon you, through which a surviving remnant will be preserved for you. The very receipt of the punishment is what saved the rest, as will be explained further below.
The Heart and the Eye - The Two Agents of Sin
(ט) וְזָכְרוּ פְלִיטֵיכֶם אוֹתִי בַּגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבּוּ־שָׁם אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּרְתִּי אֶת־לִבָּם הַזּוֹנֶה אֲשֶׁר־סָר מֵעָלַי וְאֵת עֵינֵיהֶם הַזֹּנוֹת אַחֲרֵי גִּלּוּלֵיהֶם וְנָקֹטּוּ בִּפְנֵיהֶם אֶל־הָרָעוֹת אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לְכֹל תּוֹעֲבֹתֵיהֶם׃ - "And your survivors will remember Me among the nations where they are held captive, after I have broken their wayward heart that turned away from Me, and their eyes that stray after their idols; and they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils they committed through all their abominations."
The Malbim explains: Those of you who remain in the exile will remember Hashem. And "asher nishbarti" means after I have broken their heart and their eyes, and this is also how Targum Yonatan renders it: "di tevarit" (that I broke).
And why specifically the heart and the eyes? As Chazal say: "The heart and the eye are the two agents of sin" - the heart and the eye are the two brokers (a sarsur is a middleman) of sin, for the eye sees and the heart covets, and the heart has sway only over what the eye perceives. If we have not seen something, we are not drawn to it; we are attracted to something only after seeing it. They broker the transgression for us, and once they are broken, they will no longer stray after their heart and after their eyes, which they go astray after.
Incidentally, why does the Torah state, "Do not stray after your heart and after your eyes" (Bamidbar 15:39)? After all, the eye sees and the heart covets, so ostensibly the eye should have been mentioned before the heart! Likewise in our verse, it should have said "their straying eyes and their wayward heart." The answer is: the eye never sees what the heart does not want it to see. All seeing begins in the heart. If you decide that you do not want to look, you will not see. But because the heart desires, a person walks down the street with wandering eyes, searching for what to see. It all starts with the heart desiring; and because the heart desires, the eye looks, and after the eye sees, it influences the heart, and the heart is then gripped by craving, not merely a passing wish. Therefore, Scripture states first, "I have broken their wayward heart" - it is the initiator - and only then, "and their eyes that stray," for it was from the heart that turned away from Me that the straying eyes emerged.
"Venakotu" - Three Interpretations
And what will come of this? "And they will loathe themselves (venakotu) in their own sight for the evils they committed" - when they see how their abominations brought such calamities upon them, to the point that it becomes clear that they themselves brought these evils upon their own heads. The Malbim explains that venakotu comes from the root katat (ק-ט-ט), with a dagesh in the tav, like "against those who rise up against You" (Tehillim 139:21) - etkotat (I strive), and like "For forty years I strove (akut) with that generation" (Tehillim 95:10), meaning strife and quarreling. When they see what troubles they brought upon themselves, they will feel deep remorse and contend with themselves: "How could I have done such a thing? Look at the evil I brought upon myself!" Rashi similarly cites Menachem, that venakotu is related to "I saw the faithless and strove (va'etkotatah)" (Tehillim 119:158), meaning they will contend with themselves for not having listened to Me.
A second explanation is brought by Rashi from Targum Yonatan: "veyitnakon," similar to the Aramaic rendering of "those who sigh" (hane'enakim) as "demit'ankin," denoting weeping and groaning. That is: then you will weep, then you will experience groaning, sorrow, and pain; thus it does not stem from the root of quarreling, but carries the meaning of weeping and anguish. A third explanation is brought by the Radak, that it is from the root katat meaning cutting off or severing, like keta (a piece) and katat with a tet. And it is interesting that even in English, to sever is called to "cut."
"Nishbarti" - A Dual Meaning
Radak notes a grammatical difficulty here: it should have said "asher shavarti et libam hazoneh" ("that I broke their straying heart"), whereas here it says "nishbarti" in the nifal form. The Malbim and Targum Yonatan explain that the intent is "I broke," but Radak questions this, arguing that a nifal form cannot function as a transitive verb. Therefore, Radak suggests that "nishbarti" means "I was broken by their straying heart," broken on account of their wayward heart, akin to "and it grieved Him at His heart" - I had sorrow and grief over their straying heart.
The Malbim himself, although explaining that the meaning is "I broke," asks: why did it not simply write "shavarti"? He explains that there is what he terms a "twin intent," meaning a dual intention: both that I broke them and that My heart was broken by the breaking of their heart. It is like a father who must strike his son for a wrongdoing, and the father aches with his son's pain. There is the blow of "I broke" (shavarti), but also "I was broken" (nishbarti), and therefore this precise term was chosen.
Furthermore, he says that this may be linked to what was stated earlier: "among the nations where they were taken captive" - specifically there, in exile, they will remember their straying heart; there the strength of the exiled nation will be broken. There they were taken captive, there they see that I do not save them, as if My power to assist them has waned, and this will cause them to break. As long as they are here, they are confident: "The temple of Hashem, the temple of Hashem are these," Hashem will not destroy His Sanctuary, there will be no troubles, and the false prophets promise day and night that everything will be fine and there is no need for dire forecasts, along with encouraging media. But when will the breaking come? When they are among the nations. Then they will realize the gravity of the catastrophe, and they will see that I am broken, so to speak, from saving them.
The Moment One Realizes the Hour Has Passed
This brings to mind a story Rav Zilberstein once related about a long-serving mayor who had been a bit too complacent in an election, and another candidate took the city by storm. He was in total shock and could not believe it: "For years I have been the mayor, and suddenly I am just an ordinary citizen." But, he said, he had not yet absorbed it. When did it sink in? A week later, his car was stolen - poverty pursues the poor. Having the personal numbers of all the senior officials, he called the city's police station commander: "Hello Yaakov, how are you?" The commander answered coldly. He told him: "Yaakov, my car was stolen." The man grunted something, as if barely listening, and said, "We will speak later." He called back, and this time the commander said: "Go to the police station, file a formal complaint, and we will handle it through the standard channels." Finally, he added: "And I would greatly appreciate it if you could delete my number from your phone." In plain words: do not bother me anymore. Who are you today, and what are you today? An ordinary civilian. At that point, the former mayor said, came the moment of crisis when he understood where he stood. Before then, he had been in a kind of euphoria, but then he realized: that is it; what was is gone. Previously, a single call to the police chief would have brought an officer straight to his office to take a statement, if not the commander himself; and all of that was over.
A similar concept is brought in the Midrash regarding Moshe Rabbeinu: when he prayed, "Let me cross over, please" (E'evrah na), the Holy One, blessed be He, told him, "Your hour has passed" (she'atah avrah). The Midrash gives a parable of a high-ranking official who was dismissed; he arrives at the royal palace and discovers that the lock code has been changed and he has no entry. The guard tells him: "Who are you? What are you? You are not recognized here; turn back. Your hour has passed." There was a time, Moshe, when you could accomplish things, but now the hour has passed. This is "asher nishbarti": there in exile they will remember their straying heart, their stronghold of strength to achieve success will be broken, they will see that they were taken captive and Hashem did not save them, and that will break them completely.
"Not in Vain Did I Speak"
(י) וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה לֹא אֶל־חִנָּם דִּבַּרְתִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת לָהֶם הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת׃ - "And they shall know that I am Hashem; not in vain did I speak of bringing this evil upon them."
Through the blows that I will administer, the people in exile will repent, and through this, "and I will leave a remnant" will be fulfilled - you will have survivors, and there will be a positive gain from this. Therefore, "not in vain did I speak": the punishments are not brought empty-handed and for nothing, without purpose, says the Malbim. Through this I will fulfill the decree I spoke concerning them, and the desired goal - not that evil should come upon them, but on the contrary, that they should repent and be worthy of redemption.
Clap Your Hands and Stamp Your Foot
(יא) כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהֹוִה הַכֵּה בְכַפְּךָ וּרְקַע בְּרַגְלְךָ וֶאֱמָר־אָח אֶל כָּל־תּוֹעֲבוֹת רָעוֹת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר בַּחֶרֶב בָּרָעָב וּבַדֶּבֶר יִפֹּלוּ׃ - "Thus says the Lord Hashem: Clap your hand and stamp your foot, and say: 'Alas!' over all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, who shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence."
"Strike with your hand" - similar to "clapping his hands" (sappek kapav), where one claps and strikes palm against palm. "And stamp with your foot" - Rashi explains: striking his foot on the ground and flattening the mud, like a mourner, for a person in anguish stamps his foot on the ground to demonstrate grief and pain. Radak offers another explanation, that you should strike your hand on your thigh, as in "I struck my thigh" (safakti al yarech), and "stamp with your foot" means striking foot against foot and flattening the ground beneath him. However, Rashi's explanation seems more plausible, that he stamps his foot on the ground, since striking one foot against the other is difficult to understand.
The Malbim explains the flow of the verse: strike your hand and stamp your foot over the evil abominations of the House of Israel, and declare that which will fall by the sword, famine, etc. That is, striking the hand and stamping the foot stem from anger over the evil abominations of the House of Israel ("evil abominations" is a compound construct phrase, the evil abominations of the House of Israel). On the other hand, "and say: Aha!" - "Aha" (he'ach) is always an expression of joy, as in "Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire," and "Aha, aha, our eye has seen it." Meaning, on the one hand, be enraged at the abominations, but on the other hand, say "Aha!" in joy over the fact that Hashem will punish them and that they will fall by sword, famine, and pestilence.
(יב) הָרָחוֹק בַּדֶּבֶר יָמוּת וְהַקָּרוֹב בַּחֶרֶב יִפּוֹל וְהַנִּשְׁאָר וְהַנָּצוּר בָּרָעָב יָמוּת וְכִלֵּיתִי חֲמָתִי בָּם׃ - (12) He who is far away shall die of the pestilence, and he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged shall die of famine; and I will spend My fury upon them.
He who is far away, someone who is in the wilderness far from the enemy, will die of pestilence. He who is near, someone close to the city against which the enemies are arrayed, will fall by the enemy's sword. And he who remains in the city, trapped there within the siege, will fall by famine. And over all this, you should say "Aha!" in joy - yet what joy is there here? The Malbim explains that through this, two benefits are achieved. First, "and I will spend My fury upon them" - by receiving their punishment, the divine wrath will be exhausted, in the spirit of the verse, "My arrows are spent, but they are not consumed."
(יג) וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה בִּהְיוֹת חַלְלֵיהֶם בְּתוֹךְ גִּלּוּלֵיהֶם סְבִיבוֹת מִזְבְּחוֹתֵיהֶם אֶל כָּל־גִּבְעָה רָמָה בְּכֹל רָאשֵׁי הֶהָרִים וְתַחַת כָּל־עֵץ רַעֲנָן וְתַחַת כָּל־אֵלָה עֲבֻתָּה מְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר נָתְנוּ־שָׁם רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ לְכֹל גִּלּוּלֵיהֶם׃ - (13) And you shall know that I am the Lord, when their slain are among their idols around their altars, upon every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, and under every leafy tree, and under every thick terebinth, the place where they presented a pleasing fragrance to all their idols.
And the second benefit: that you will recognize that the punishment and providence are from Hashem. When their slain lie among their idols, at the very scene of the sin - and as we explained, where the wickedness occurred, there retribution and punishment are exacted - through this they will know that the punishment came as a consequence of the sin. And what is meant by "a thick terebinth" (elah avuta) is a leafy tree, a terebinth with many interwoven branches. Precisely in the locations where they offered a pleasing fragrance to all their idols, there they fell, conveying an unmistakable message: this is from Hashem on account of your evil deeds.
Desolation and Waste
(יד) וְנָטִיתִי אֶת־יָדִי עֲלֵיהֶם וְנָתַתִּי אֶת־הָאָרֶץ שְׁמָמָה וּמְשַׁמָּה מִמִּדְבַּר דִּבְלָתָה בְּכֹל מוֹשְׁבוֹתֵיהֶם וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה׃ - (14) And I will stretch out My hand against them, and make the land a desolation and a waste, from the wilderness toward Diblah, throughout all their dwellings; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
The Malbim explains: by stretching out My hand against them, I will render the land a desolation (shemamah), and it will also be a waste (meshamah). "Meshamah" implies an intensification of an even greater desolation: shemamah can be temporary, whereas meshamah is an enduring, long-term desolation. The land will become more desolate than the wilderness, even more than the wilderness of Diblah, which was renowned in their day as an extraordinarily desolate desert. And all this will be "throughout all their dwellings" - specifically where settlement had been densest, the destruction will be greatest, which is entirely unnatural. Through this, "they shall know that I am the Lord" - they will perceive that this punishment has come upon them through direct divine providence from Hashem.
In Summary:
The prophet addresses the mountains and the hills, the ravines and the valleys, announcing that all the idol worship established upon them will be destroyed, while his true target is the idolaters themselves. The slain will fall before the idols, for where wickedness occurs, there punishment strikes, and the bones will be scattered around the altars like the bones of their sacrifices. The inhabited areas will also be laid waste, all so that they will "be desolate and realize their guilt" - recognizing their culpability and being stirred to repentance. The heart and the eye, the two instigators of sin, will be broken, and with their breaking, as it were, the Father's heart is broken as well; and in exile, seeing there is no one to save them, they will grasp the magnitude of the catastrophe, feel self-disgust, and weep over what they have done. Hence, the punishment is not in vain: "I did not speak in vain" - it carries a purpose and a benefit, bringing the exhaustion of wrath and the recognition of divine providence, from which a surviving remnant will emerge that repents and becomes worthy of redemption.