John Gill Commentary Ezekiel 6

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying .
] That is, the word of prophecy from the Lord, as the Targum: this, according to Junius, was delivered out by the prophet on a sabbath day, the twenty first of the fifth month, and in the sixth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity; and so was more than a year after the vision at Chebar, (Ezekiel 1:1Ezekiel 1:2) .

Son of man, set your face towards the mountains of Israel
Or cities of Israel, the inhabitants of them; not the ten tribes, for they had been carried captive long before this time, even in the times of Hezekiah; unless it can be thought that this prophecy is designed to show the reason of their captivity, which was their idolatry; or that it is directed to those of them which remained in the land, and were mixed with the other tribes; but rather the land of Judea is intended, in which were many mountains, and one part of it was called the hill country, (Luke 1:39Luke 1:65) ; and the mountains are mentioned, against which the prophet is ordered to direct his face, and look unto; partly because idolatry was much practised upon them; and partly to show the stupidity of the Jews, and the failure of the prophecy among them; that it was as well, or better, to speak to the mountains, than to them; for since they had so often put away the word of God from them, they were unworthy of it; wherefore such a direction to the prophet comes some degree of indignation and resentment:

and prophesy against them ^F1;
as that the sword should be upon them, and the high places built upon them should be destroyed: or "unto them"; direct the prophecy to them; speak to them as if they were capable of hearing: or "concerning them", as the Syriac version; and so the Targum, concerning their desolation.

FOOTNOTES:

• F1: (Mhyla) "ad eos", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus; "ad illos", Piscator.

And say, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God ,
&c.] Since the people of the Jews would not hear the word of the Lord, the mountains are called upon to hear it; unless the inhabitants of the mountains are meant:

thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the
rivers and to the valleys :
these are addressed, because idols were worshipped here; as upon the mountains and hills, so by rivers of water, and also in valleys, as in the valley of Hinnom idols were worshipped; upon mountains and hills, because they thought themselves nearer to heaven; by rivers, because of purity; and in valleys, because shady and obscure, and had something solemn and venerable in them:

behold I, [even] I, will bring a sword upon you ;
that is, upon the idolaters, which worshipped in these places; otherwise different instruments, as pick axes would have been more proper. The Targum paraphrases it, ``them that kill with the sword;'' meaning the Chaldeans, who doubtless are intended:

and I will destroy your high places ;
the temples and altars, built on high places, and devoted to idolatrous worship, as follows:

And your altars shall be desolate
Being pulled down; or because the priests and worshippers would now be slain, and there would be none to attend them: and your images shall be broken ;
the "images of the sun" ^F2 . The word for images has its derivation from heat; and were so called, either from the heat of the sun, to whose worship they were devoted, or from the heat of the love and affections of their worshippers: and I will cast down your slain [men] before your idols ;
before your dung, or your "dunghill gods" ^F3 ; for the word used has the signification of dung, (Ezekiel 4:12) . The Targum renders it, ``before the carcass of your idols;'' where they committed idolatry, there they should be slain; which points at the cause of their punishment.

FOOTNOTES:

• F2: (Mkynmx) "simulacra vestra solis", Pagninus; "solaria vestra", Vatablus; "subdiales statuae vestrae", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Polanus.
• F3: (Mkylwlg ynpl) "coram stercoreis diis vestris", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Polanus; "coram stercoribus vestris", Cocceius.

And I will lay the dead carcasses of the children of Israel
before their idols
Which is repeated for the confirmation of it: and I will scatter your bones round about youraltars :
which were reckoned a pollution of them; see (2 Kings 23:14 2 Kings 23:16 2 Kings 23:20) .