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Texts -- Ezekiel 16:1-51 (NET)

Context
God’s Unfaithful Bride
16:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 16:2 “Son of man , confront Jerusalem with her abominable practices 16:3 and say , ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem : Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites ; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite . 16:4 As for your birth , on the day you were born your umbilical cord was not cut , nor were you washed in water ; you were certainly not rubbed down with salt , nor wrapped with blankets . 16:5 No eye took pity on you to do even one of these things for you to spare you; you were thrown out into the open field because you were detested on the day you were born . 16:6 “‘I passed by you and saw you kicking around helplessly in your blood . I said to you as you lay there in your blood , “Live !” I said to you as you lay there in your blood , “Live !” 16:7 I made you plentiful like sprouts in a field ; you grew tall and came of age so that you could wear jewelry . Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown , but you were still naked and bare . 16:8 “‘Then I passed by you and watched you, noticing that you had reached the age for love . I spread my cloak over you and covered your nakedness . I swore a solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you, declares the sovereign Lord , and you became mine. 16:9 “‘Then I bathed you in water , washed the blood off you, and anointed you with fragrant oil . 16:10 I dressed you in embroidered clothing and put fine leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk . 16:11 I adorned you with jewelry . I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck . 16:12 I put a ring in your nose , earrings on your ears , and a beautiful crown on your head . 16:13 You were adorned with gold and silver , while your clothing was of fine linen , silk , and embroidery . You ate the finest flour , honey , and olive oil . You became extremely beautiful and attained the position of royalty . 16:14 Your fame spread among the nations because of your beauty ; your beauty was perfect because of the splendor which I bestowed on you, declares the sovereign Lord . 16:15 “‘But you trusted in your beauty and capitalized on your fame by becoming a prostitute . You offered your sexual favors to every man who passed by so that your beauty became his. 16:16 You took some of your clothing and made for yourself decorated high places ; you engaged in prostitution on them. You went to him to become his. 16:17 You also took your beautiful jewelry , made of my gold and my silver I had given to you, and made for yourself male images and engaged in prostitution with them. 16:18 You took your embroidered clothing and used it to cover them; you offered my olive oil and my incense to them. 16:19 As for my food that I gave you– the fine flour , olive oil , and honey I fed you– you placed it before them as a soothing aroma . That is exactly what happened , declares the sovereign Lord . 16:20 “‘You took your sons and your daughters whom you bore to me and you sacrificed them as food for the idols to eat . As if your prostitution not enough , 16:21 you slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols. 16:22 And with all your abominable practices and prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare , kicking around in your blood . 16:23 “‘After all of your evil – “Woe ! Woe to you!” declares the sovereign Lord – 16:24 you built yourself a chamber and put up a pavilion in every public square . 16:25 At the head of every street you erected your pavilion and you disgraced your beauty when you spread your legs to every passerby and multiplied your promiscuity . 16:26 You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians , your sexually aroused neighbors , multiplying your promiscuity and provoking me to anger . 16:27 So see here, I have stretched out my hand against you and cut off your rations . I have delivered you into the power of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines , who were ashamed by your obscene conduct . 16:28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians because your sexual desires were insatiable ; you prostituted yourself with them and yet you were still not satisfied . 16:29 Then you multiplied your promiscuity to the land of merchants , Babylonia , but you were not satisfied there either . 16:30 “‘How sick is your heart , declares the sovereign Lord , when you perform all of these acts, the deeds of a bold prostitute . 16:31 When you built your chamber at the head of every street and put up your pavilion in every public square , you were not like a prostitute , because you scoffed at payment . 16:32 “‘Adulterous wife , who prefers strangers instead of her own husband ! 16:33 All prostitutes receive payment , but instead you give gifts to every one of your lovers . You bribe them to come to you from all around for your sexual favors ! 16:34 You were different from other prostitutes because no one solicited you. When you gave payment and no payment was given to you, you became the opposite ! 16:35 “‘Therefore O prostitute , hear the word of the Lord : 16:36 This is what the sovereign Lord says : Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness was uncovered in your prostitution with your lovers , and because of all your detestable idols , and because of the blood of your children you have given to them, 16:37 therefore , take note : I am about to gather all your lovers whom you enjoyed , both all those you loved and all those you hated . I will gather them against you from all around , and I will expose your nakedness to them, and they will see all your nakedness . 16:38 I will punish you as an adulteress and murderer deserves . I will avenge your bloody deeds with furious rage . 16:39 I will give you into their hands and they will destroy your chambers and tear down your pavilions . They will strip you of your clothing and take your beautiful jewelry and leave you naked and bare . 16:40 They will summon a mob who will stone you and hack you in pieces with their swords . 16:41 They will burn down your houses and execute judgments on you in front of many women . Thus I will put a stop to your prostitution , and you will no longer give gifts to your clients. 16:42 I will exhaust my rage on you, and then my fury will turn from you. I will calm down and no longer be angry . 16:43 “‘Because you did not remember the days of your youth and have enraged me with all these deeds, I hereby repay you for what you have done , declares the sovereign Lord . Have you not engaged in prostitution on top of all your other abominable practices ? 16:44 “‘Observe – everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother , like daughter .” 16:45 You are the daughter of your mother , who detested her husband and her sons , and you are the sister of your sisters who detested their husbands and their sons . Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite . 16:46 Your older sister was Samaria , who lived north of you with her daughters , and your younger sister , who lived south of you, was Sodom with her daughters . 16:47 Have you not copied their behavior behavior and practiced their abominable deeds ? In a short time you became even more depraved in all your conduct than they were! 16:48 As surely as I live , declares the sovereign Lord , your sister Sodom and her daughters never behaved as wickedly as you and your daughters have behaved . 16:49 “‘See here– this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom : She and her daughters had majesty , abundance of food , and enjoyed carefree ease , but they did not help the poor and needy . 16:50 They were haughty and practiced abominable deeds before me. Therefore when I saw it I removed them. 16:51 Samaria has not committed half the sins you have; you have done more abominable deeds than they did. You have made your sisters appear righteous with all the abominable things you have done .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Idolatry

    [nave] IDOLATRY. Wicked Practices of Human sacrifices, Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5; Deut. 12:31; 18:10; 2 Kin. 3:26, 27; 16:3; 17:17, 18; 21:6; 23:10; 2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6; Psa. 106:37, 38; Isa. 57:5; Jer. 7:31; 19:4-7; 32:35; Ezek. 16:20, 2...

  • GRACE

    [isbe] GRACE - gras: 1. The Word Charis: In the English New Testament the word "grace" is always a translation of (charis), a word that occurs in the Greek text something over 170 times (the reading is uncertain in places). In secu...

  • Solomon, Song of

    [ebd] called also, after the Vulgate, the "Canticles." It is the "song of songs" (1:1), as being the finest and most precious of its kind; the noblest song, "das Hohelied," as Luther calls it. The Solomonic authorship of this book...

  • Prostitution

    [nave] PROSTITUTION forbidden, Lev. 19:29; Deut. 23:17; 31:16; Judg. 2:17; 2 Kin. 9:22. Punishment of, Lev. 21:9. Figurative Ezek. 16; 23; Rev. 17:1-6. See: Adultery; Lasciviousness.

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • CRIME; CRIMES

    [isbe] CRIME; CRIMES - krim, krimz: This. term is used in English as the equivalent of the Hebrew mishpaT, "judgment," "verdict" (Ezek 7:23); zimmah, "a heinous crime" (Job 31:11); 'asham = "a fault," "sin" (Gen 26:10, English Vers...

  • EZEKIEL, 2

    [isbe] EZEKIEL, 2 - II. Significance of Ezekiel in Israel's Religious History. Under the first head we will consider the formal characteristics and significance of the book; and the examination of its contents will form the subject...

  • Ezekiel

    [nave] EZEKIEL, a priest. Time of his prophecy, Ezek. 1:1-3. Persecution of, Ezek. 3:25. Visions of: of God's glory, Ezek. 1; 8; 10; 11:22; of Jews' abominations, Ezek. 8:5, 6; of their punishment, Ezek. 9:10; of the valley of dry...

  • HOSEA

    [isbe] HOSEA - ho-ze'-a: I. THE PROPHET 1. Name 2. Native Place 3. Date 4. Personal History (Marriage) (1) Allegorical View (2) Literal View II. THE BOOK 1. Style and Scope 2. Historical Background 3. Contents and Divisions (1) Hos...

  • Fornication

    [ebd] in every form of it was sternly condemned by the Mosaic law (Lev. 21:9; 19:29; Deut. 22:20, 21, 23-29; 23:18; Ex. 22:16). (See ADULTERY.) But this word is more frequently used in a symbolical than in its ordinary sense. It f...

  • Backsliders

    [nave] BACKSLIDERS. Lev. 26:14-42; Deut. 4:9; Deut. 8:11-14; Deut. 28:58, 59, 63 vs. 15-68;; 1 Kin. 9:6-9; Deut. 29:18 vs. 18-28.; Deut. 32:15-30; Josh. 24:27 vs. 20-27.; 2 Chr. 15:2-4; Ezra 8:22; Job 34:26, 27; Psa. 44:20, 21; Ps...

  • Lasciviousness

    [nave] LASCIVIOUSNESS. Ex. 32:6; Prov. 2:16-18; Prov. 5:3-5, 8-13; Prov. 7:6-27; Prov. 9:13-18; Prov. 20:16; Prov. 30:18-20; Joel 3:3; Mark 7:21-23; Rom. 1:22-29; Rom. 7:8; Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 6:9, 10, 13, 15-18; 1 Cor. 9:27; 2 Cor...

  • High Places

    [nave] HIGH PLACES A term used to describe places of worship, Gen. 12:8; 22:2, 14; 31:54; 1 Sam. 9:12; 2 Sam. 24:25; 1 Kin. 3:2, 4; 18:30, 38; 1 Chr. 16:39; 2 Chr. 1:3; 33:17. Signify a place of idolatrous worship, Num. 22:41; 1 K...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • Sodom

    [ebd] burning; the walled, a city in the vale of Siddim (Gen. 13:10; 14:1-16). The wickedness of its inhabitants brought down upon it fire from heaven, by which it was destroyed (18:16-33; 19:1-29; Deut. 23:17). This city and its ...
    [nave] SODOM, called also Sodoma. Situated in the plain of the Jordan, Gen. 13:10. The southeastern limit of the Canaanites, Gen. 10:19. Lot dwells at, Gen. 13:12. King of, joins other kings of the nations resisting the invasion ...

  • ZEDEKIAH

    [smith] (justice of Jehovah). The last king of Judah and Jerusalem. He was the son of Josiah by his wife Hamutal, and therefore own brother to Jehoahaz. (2 Kings 24:18) comp. 2Kin 23:31 His original name was Mattaniah, which was ...

  • Bride

    [nave] BRIDE Ornaments of, Isa. 49:18; 61:10; Jer. 2:32; Rev. 21:2. Presents to, Gen. 24:53. Maids of, Gen. 24:59, 61; 29:24, 29. Figurative Psa. 45:10-17; Ezek. 16:8-14; Rev. 19:7, 8; 21:2, 9; 22:17. See: Marriage.

  • Bridegroom

    [nave] BRIDEGROOM Ornaments of, Isa. 61:10. Exempt from military duty, Deut. 24:5. Companions of, Judg. 14:11. Joy with, Matt. 9:14; Mark 2:19, 20; Luke 5:34, 35. Parable of, Matt. 25:1-13. Song of, Song 4:7-16. Figurative E...

  • Adultery

    [ebd] conjugal infidelity. An adulterer was a man who had illicit intercourse with a married or a betrothed woman, and such a woman was an adulteress. Intercourse between a married man and an unmarried woman was fornication. Adult...
    [isbe] ADULTERY - a-dul'-ter-i: In Scripture designates sexual intercourse of a man, whether married or unmarried, with a married woman. 1. Its Punishment: It is categorically prohibited in the Decalogue (seventh commandment, Ex 20...
    [nave] ADULTERY. Gen. 20:3; 2 Sam. 12:14; Job 24:15-17 v. 18.; Job 31:1, 9-12; Prov. 2:16, 18, 19 v. 17.; Prov. 5:3, 4 vs. 5-22.; Prov. 6:24-29, 32, 33; Prov. 7:5-23; Prov. 9:13-18; Prov. 22:14; Prov. 23:27, 28; Prov. 29:3; Prov. ...

  • Ingratitude

    [nave] INGRATITUDE. Of Mankind to God Num. 16:9, 10; Deut. 8:12-14 Deut. 6:11, 12. Deut. 28:47, 48; Deut. 31:16; Deut. 32:6, 15, 18 v. 13.; Judg. 2:10-12; Judg. 8:34, 35; Judg. 10:11, 13, 14 Neh. 9:25, 35; Psa. 106:7, 21; Jer. 2:...
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Questions

  • "And I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (II Cor. 6:18). Such adoption is according to promise, by God's grace, through Christ, and we take it by faith (Gal. 3:7, 26; Ro...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 2:18 Adam's creation was not complete because he lacked a "helper"who corresponded to him. This deficiency led God to pronounce Adam's condition "not good."151God not only evaluated Adam's condition, He also rectified it.152"...
  • Emphasis shifts in this chapter from ceremonial defilement (ch. 17) to moral impurity. The Lord wanted His people to be holy in their behavior and character as well as in less important ritual observances (cf. Matt. 23:28; Ro...
  • In one sense verses 1-9 are a preamble to the whole book. They contain the basic principles that were to guide Joshua and Israel so they could obtain all that God had promised their forefathers.1:1 The first word of the book ...
  • Naomi had expressed a desire back in Moab that each of her daughters-in-law might find "rest"(1:9). The Hebrew word reads "security"in the NASB and "a home"in the NIV, but its meaning in other parts of the Old Testament is a ...
  • Ruth carried out Naomi's instructions exactly, further demonstrating her loyal love to her mother-in-law, and encouraged Boaz to pursue the possibility of marriage (vv. 6-9)."Note that the threshingfloor was a public place an...
  • 3:1 God posed the question to His people of what happens in a divorce. The answer to His rhetorical question is, no, a husband who divorces his wife, if she goes to live with another man, will not return to her.92The Mosaic L...
  • Having given a true prophecy about the future, Jeremiah proceeded to announce God's judgment on the false prophets who were misleading His people with false prophecies (cf. v. 1). This section consists of six different messag...
  • 5:1 Jeremiah called on Yahweh to remember the calamity that had befallen His people and to consider the reproach in which they now lived (cf. 3:34-36). The humbled condition of the Judahites reflected poorly on the Lord becau...
  • Ezekiel ministered to the Jews in exile. He probably wrote this book for the benefit of the exiles and the other Jewish communities of his day and beyond his day. In some of his visions (e.g. chs. 8 and 11) the Lord carried t...
  • There are two major structural peculiarities that set Ezekiel off as distinctive.First, the book is a collection of prophecies arranged in almost consistent chronological order. No other prophetical book is as consistently ch...
  • Ezekiel began prophesying when he was 30 years old, and he had gone into captivity five years before that. Thus Ezekiel was familiar with Jeremiah's preaching and ministry. Ezekiel shows quite a bit of similarity to Jeremiah ...
  • I. Ezekiel's calling and commission chs. 1-3A. The vision of God's glory ch. 11. The setting of the vision 1:1-32. The vision proper 1:4-28B. The Lord's charge to Ezekiel chs. 2-31. The recipients of Ezekiel's ministry 2:1-52...
  • This pericope contains 10 commands, and it is the center of the chiasm in chapters 1-3."The Lord's charge to Ezekiel emphasized the absolute necessity of hearing, understanding, and assimilating God's message prior to going f...
  • "The exiles had not grasped the serious consequences of Ezekiel's warnings. They still hoped for an early return to Palestine, for they viewed the continued preservation of Jerusalem and Judah as signs of security. After all,...
  • This is the first in a series of three parables designed to impress on the overly optimistic exiles that there was no possibility that Jerusalem would escape destruction (cf. chs. 16-17).15:1-2 The Lord asked Ezekiel how the ...
  • This chapter is the longest prophetic message in the book and the longest single allegory in the entire Bible. It carries forward the guilt of Jerusalem described in the preceding chapter. God's chosen people were not only a ...
  • 16:1-2 The Lord instructed Ezekiel to make the detestable practices of the people of Jerusalem known to them. He prophesied to the exiles, but his message presented the people of Jerusalem as the primary object of his attenti...
  • 16:6 The Lord had compassion on Jerusalem in her helpless and undesirable condition and took care of her so she survived. The city remained as an unwanted child until, at the Lord's direction, David captured it from the Jebus...
  • 16:15 However, Jerusalem became self-centered and unfaithful to the Lord; she forgot Him when she became preoccupied with His blessings (cf. Deut. 6:10-12; 8). She went after every people that passed by rather than remaining ...
  • 16:35-37 Yahweh announced the judgment that He would mete out to Jerusalem because of all her unnatural and rebellious unfaithfulness, idolatry, and bloodshed. He would bring all the nations that Jerusalem had opened her legs...
  • 16:44-47 Other people would quote the proverb, "Like mother, like daughter,"in regard to Jerusalem. She was like her Hittite "mother"who was also idolatrous and selfish. And she was like her older (larger) sister, Samaria, an...
  • 17:11-12 Ezekiel was now to tell his rebellious hearers what this story represented.250The first eagle stood for the king of Babylon (cf. Jer. 48:40; 49:22; Dan. 7:4). His invasion of Jerusalem (the specific identity of the L...
  • 18:1-2 The Lord told Ezekiel to ask the people what they meant when they used a proverb that implied that the present generation of Israelites was suffering because of the sins of their forefathers (cf. Jer. 31:29). They were...
  • This prophecy shows that there were no more rulers left in Judah who could restore the nation to its former glory. Evidently the exiles hoped that some Davidic descendant would prove successful in overcoming the Babylonians a...
  • 22:1-2 Another message came from the Lord instructing Ezekiel to remind the residents of the bloody city of Jerusalem about all their abominations (cf. 20:4). A list of specific sins was necessary for him to pronounce judgmen...
  • This chapter is the final climactic one in Ezekiel's collection of messages that condemn Israel's defective leadership (chs. 20-23).Both chapters 16 and 23 describe Israel as a prostitute, but there are significant difference...
  • 23:1-3 The Lord gave Ezekiel a story about two sisters who had one mother (cf. Jer. 3:7). These young girls became prostitutes in Egypt and allowed men to fondle their breasts. That is, they allowed the Egyptians to become in...
  • It is appropriate that this section appears at this point in Ezekiel, between the messages announcing judgment on Judah and Jerusalem for sin (chs. 4-24) and the messages announcing future blessings for Israel (chs. 33-48). I...
  • "This last major division of the book focuses on the restoration of Israel's blessing. Israel would be judged for her sin (chaps. 1-24) as would the surrounding nations (chaps. 25-32). But Israel will not remain under judgmen...
  • Since this message is undated, it may have come to Ezekiel about the same time as the previous two in chapter 32, namely, in the last month of 585 B.C. If so, Ezekiel received it about two months after God gave him the six me...
  • This part of Ezekiel's message of warning to the exiles is similar to 3:16-21. Yahweh recommissioned Ezekiel to his prophetic task (cf. chs. 2-3)."Now that Ezekiel's original ministry of judgment was completed, God appointed ...
  • The Book of Ezekiel begins with a vision of God's glory (ch. 1), records the departure of God's glory (chs. 8-11), and ends with another vision of God's glory (chs. 40-48). This is the longest vision outside the Book of Revel...
  • Ackroyd, Peter R. Exile and Restoration. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1968.Alexander, Ralph H. Ezekiel. Everyman's Bible Commentary series. Chicago: Moody Press, 1976._____. "Ezekiel."In Isaiah-Ezekiel. Vol. 6 of The Expo...
  • In this message, the Lord described Israel's unfaithfulness to Him in terms similar to those that a husband would use to describe his wife's unfaithfulness to him. The whole message appears to be one that Hosea delivered to h...
  • This description explains further the "why"for Nineveh's fall whereas the first two descriptions in the previous chapter gave more of the actual events, the "what"of it. There is much similarity between the descriptions of th...
  • "The style of the third oracle differs from the others. Instead of an initial statement or charge followed by a question of feigned innocence, this oracle begins with three questions asked by the prophet. However, as at the b...
  • The fourth incident and the third type of conflict concerned a sign that Jesus' critics requested.12:38 Matthew's connective again was weak. This incident was not a continuation of the preceding controversy chronologically bu...
  • In narrating John's birth, Luke stressed his naming, but in his account of Jesus' birth, he concentrated on its setting.Luke's brief account of Jesus' birth emphasizes three things. He described the political situation to exp...
  • The setting of this controversy is the same as the previous one, Levi's banquet.5:33 The religious leaders (v. 30; Mark 2:18) and John's disciples (Matt. 9:14; Mark 2:18) raised the question of fasting. They did so because it...
  • The writer next noted the parallel ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus in Judea. John the Baptist readily confessed Jesus' superiority to him even though they were both doing the same things. This was further testimony t...
  • "And I looked"(Gr. kai eidon) signals a new scene in John's vision. John next saw, on earth, an eagle interrupt the angels by flying through the sky and warning those living on the earth to beware of the last three trumpet ju...
  • This pericope furnishes the plot for the drama that unfolds in the rest of the chapter.12:1 John saw a "sign,"something that signified or represented something else (cf. v. 3; 13:13-14; 15:1; 16:14; 19:29). Usually John used ...
  • The final three bowl judgments all have political consequences.16:12 The problem that this judgment poses for earth-dwellers is not a result of the judgment itself but its consequences, namely, war. It does not inflict a plag...
  • 17:1 The fact that this chapter describes the judgment of Babylon referred to in 14:8 and 16:19 seems clear. It was one of the angels who poured out the bowl judgments who served as John's guide as he viewed these events in h...
  • Three groups of people mourn Babylon's destruction in these verses: kings (vv. 9-10; cf. Ezek. 26:15-18), merchants (vv. 11-13, 15-17a; cf. Ezek. 27:36), and sea people (vv. 17b-19; cf. Ezek. 27:29-36).18:9 World government l...
  • This pericope has strong ties to what precedes (16:17-18:24). It is the concluding revelation concerning the fall of Babylon, the latter-day Egypt and Tyre, and Antichrist, the ultimate Pharaoh of the Exodus and King of Tyre....
  • 21:2 In the same vision, John next saw a city descending out of heaven from God (cf. v. 10; 3:12; Heb. 11:13-16). It was holy in contrast to the former Jerusalem (cf. 11:8; Isa. 52:1; Matt. 4:5; 27:53). As the old Jerusalem w...
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