Ezekiel 14:6
“Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God calls Israel to turn, to turn away from idols, and to avert their gaze from abomination, offering the path of repentance.
Context
After exposure comes invitation. God's word moves from diagnosis to prescription. The call is to the whole house of Israel, not just the elders, and it is a call of mercy. Repent, turn, avert your faces. It is concrete, actionable, and possible.
What Does Ezekiel 14:6 Mean?
Repentance is not an emotion but an action. It is a turning, a reversal of direction. The language is almost physical: turn from your idols, turn away your faces from your abominations. You have been looking at something; stop looking. You have been walking a path; turn around. This is within the power of human will, empowered by grace.
The passage assumes something crucial: that we are capable of turning. We are not victims of our idolatry but its architects, and we retain the power to stop. 'Turn yourselves' places the agency with the people. This is the radical hope of the prophets: even in exile, even in the depth of unfaithfulness, the option to turn is open.
In the Original Language
shub (שוב), 'turn' or 'repent' -- literally means 'to return' or 'go back,' the root idea being a reversal of direction, a going back toward home.
Application
Repentance is available to us at any moment. It is not shame or self-flagellation but a firm turn toward God and away from what has held us captive. What small turning is God calling you to make today?