This page gives you ready-made study questions for Ezekiel 6, a short prophetic chapter about God’s judgment on Israel’s idols and high places. It is written for a small group leader, a Sunday class, or anyone studying the chapter alone. Each question comes with a discussion note so you can lead a session without preparing a separate summary.
Ezekiel 6 at a Glance
The chapter opens with God telling Ezekiel to face the mountains of Israel and speak to them directly. The message is that the sword, famine and pestilence will fall on the places where the people worshiped false gods, and that the land will be made desolate. The language is severe, and it is meant to show that idolatry has real consequences.
Toward the middle of the chapter the tone shifts. God promises to leave a remnant, people who escape and carry the memory of their unfaithfulness into exile. The closing verses return to judgment, but the repeated line “you will know that I am the LORD” frames the whole chapter as a lesson about who God is.
Observation Questions
Start here. These questions ask what the text actually says before anyone offers an interpretation. Read the verses aloud, let people point to words and phrases, and resist explaining too early.
Q: In verses 3-7, what objects and places does God say he will destroy?
3 And say, ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord the LORD! Thus says the Lord the LORD to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys: “Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword on you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 Your altars will become desolate, and your incense altars will be broken. I will cast down your slain men before your idols. 5 I will lay the dead bodies of the children of Israel before their idols. I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6 In all your dwelling places, the cities will be laid waste and the high places will be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. 7 The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 6:3-7 (WEB)
Groups usually name the high places, altars, incense altars and idols, and notice that the places of worship are named alongside the people who gathered there. Ask the group to mark each item in their Bibles. The point is that God’s judgment reaches the whole system of false worship, not just a single shrine.
Q: In verse 7, what does God say the slain will make people know?
The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 6:7 (WEB)
The verse says “you will know that I am the LORD.” Ask the group to notice the phrase’s position in the chapter and how often it recurs. This repetition is one of the chapter’s main signals, and it helps frame everything that happens as an act of revelation.
Q: In verses 8-10, what does God say will remain after the judgment?
8 “‘“Yet I will leave a remnant, in that you will have some that escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries. 9 Those of you that escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken with their lewd heart, which has departed from me, and with their eyes, which play the prostitute after their idols. Then they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations. 10 They will know that I am the LORD. I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them.”’
Ezekiel 6:8-10 (WEB)
The answer is a remnant of people who escape the sword and are scattered among the nations. Ask who is described as remembering, and what they will remember. The text names their broken hearts and unfaithful eyes, so the group can see that remembrance here means recognizing their own sin.
Q: In verses 11-12, what three ways of dying does God name?
11 “Thus says the Lord the LORD: ‘Strike with your hand, and stamp with your foot, and say, “Alas!” Because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel; for they will fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. 12 He who is far off will die of the pestilence. He who is near will fall by the sword. He who remains and is besieged will die by the famine. Thus I will accomplish my wrath on them.
Ezekiel 6:11-12 (WEB)
The three are the sword, famine and pestilence. Verse 12 also describes people near, far off, and besieged, which shows the judgment reaching every kind of person. Ask the group to list the three and note how the verse describes each group’s fate.
Interpretation Questions
These questions move from what the text says to what it means. Encourage the group to point back to the verses they read in the observation set. Disagreement is fine here, so long as people stay close to the text.
Q: Why does God keep returning to the phrase “you will know that I am the LORD”?
You will know that I am the LORD, when their slain men are among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the places where they offered pleasant aroma to all their idols.
Ezekiel 6:13 (WEB)
The phrase presents judgment as a form of divine self-disclosure. God acts so that his people will recognize who he is, and in this chapter that recognition comes through the failure of the idols. Ask the group whether they think knowledge here is mainly intellectual or relational, and why.
Q: What does it mean that the people will “loathe themselves” in verse 9?
Those of you that escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken with their lewd heart, which has departed from me, and with their eyes, which play the prostitute after their idols. Then they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.
Ezekiel 6:9 (WEB)
The verse describes a painful recognition of sin, where people see their own abominations clearly. Discuss whether this kind of self-disgust is a step toward repentance or simply regret. Helpful discussion keeps the focus on turning back to God rather than on feeling bad for its own sake.
Application Questions
These questions ask how the chapter should shape daily life. Move slowly, and invite honest sharing without pressure. Keep the conversation grounded in specific habits and attachments rather than general statements.
Q: What “idols” or “high places” might compete for your loyalty today?
3 And say, ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord the LORD! Thus says the Lord the LORD to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys: “Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword on you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 Your altars will become desolate, and your incense altars will be broken. I will cast down your slain men before your idols.
Ezekiel 6:3-4 (WEB)
Idols in modern life are often good things given ultimate authority, such as career, approval, security or comfort. Invite each person to name one thing they tend to turn to first when they feel afraid or unsettled. The goal is honest self-examination, not shame.
Key Verses to Read Aloud
Ezekiel 6:13-14
13 You will know that I am the LORD, when their slain men are among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the places where they offered pleasant aroma to all their idols. 14 I will stretch out my hand on them, and make the land desolate and waste, from the wilderness toward Diblah, throughout all their habitations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”
(WEB)
The chapter closes with the refrain once more and with the land made desolate. Reading the ending aloud helps the group see the full arc from judgment to the knowledge of God.
Memory Verse for Ezekiel 6
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you as people who have often turned our hearts toward things that cannot save us. Thank you that you are the LORD, and that you make yourself known to us through your word and your dealings with your people. Give us honest eyes to see the idols that still compete for our trust, and give us a repentant heart when we recognize them. Remind us that you preserve a remnant and keep your promises. Teach us to know you more truly this week, in our decisions, our words and our care for one another. Amen.
