Yehezkiel 6:2-3

6:2 “Son of man, turn toward ¹  the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them: 6:3 Say, ‘Mountains of Israel, ²  Hear the word of the sovereign Lord! ³  This is what the sovereign Lord says to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: I am bringing ⁴  a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. ⁵ 

Yehezkiel 33:28

33:28 I will turn the land into a desolate ruin; her confident pride will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will be so desolate no one will pass through them.

Yehezkiel 34:14

34:14 In a good pasture I will feed them; the mountain heights of Israel will be their pasture. There they will lie down in a lush ⁶  pasture, and they will feed on rich grass on the mountains of Israel.

Yehezkiel 37:22

37:22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over them all. They will never again be two nations and never again be divided into two kingdoms. ⁷ 

[6:2]  ¹ tn Heb “set your face against.” The expression occurs at the beginning of Ezekiel’s prophetic oracles in Ezek 13:17; 20:46; 21:2; 25:2; 28:21; 29:2; 35:2; 38:2.

[6:2]  sn Based on comparison to a similar expression in Ugaritic, the phrase may imply that Ezekiel was to actually go to these locations to deliver his message.

[6:3]  ² tn The phrase “mountains of Israel” occurs only in the book of Ezekiel (6:2, 3; 19:9; 33:28; 34:13, 14; 35:12; 36:1, 4, 8; 37:22; 38:8; 39:2, 4, 17). The expression refers to the whole land of Israel.

[6:3]  sn The mountainous terrain of Israel would contrast with the exiles’ habitat in the river valley of Babylonia.

[6:3]  ³ tn The introductory formula “Hear the word of the sovereign Lord” parallels a pronouncement delivered by the herald of a king (2 Kgs 18:28).

[6:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “Look I, I am bringing.” The repetition of the pronoun draws attention to the speaker. The construction also indicates that the action is soon to come; the Lord is “about to bring a sword against” them.

[6:3]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew term refers to elevated platforms where pagan sacrifices were performed.

[34:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “good.”

[37:22]  ⁷ sn Jeremiah also attested to the reuniting of the northern and southern kingdoms (Jer 3:12, 14; 31:2-6).