Ezekiel 36:19 (GNV)

Passage

And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries for according to their wayes, and according to their deedes, I iudged them.

Nearby Context

Ezekiel 36:17 Sonne of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their owne lande, they defiled it by their owne wayes, and by their deedes: their way was before me as the filthinesse of the menstruous.

Ezekiel 36:18 Wherfore I powred my wrath vpon them, for the blood that they had shed in the land, and for their idoles, wherewith they had polluted it.

Ezekiel 36:19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries for according to their wayes, and according to their deedes, I iudged them.

Ezekiel 36:20 And when they entred vnto the heathen, whither they went, they polluted mine holy Name, when they sayd of them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone out of his land.

Ezekiel 36:21 But I fauoured mine holy Name which the house of Israel had polluted among the heathen, whither they went.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "scattered", "heathen", "dispersed", "through", "countries", "wayes", "deedes", and "iudged". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "scattered" and "heathen", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Wherfore I powred my wrath vpon them..." into verse 20's "And when they entred vnto the heathen...", so "scattered" and "heathen" belong inside that flow. In Ezekiel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "scattered" and "heathen" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.