Ezequiel 16

ARC · Chapter 16/48

1E veiu a mim a palavra do Senhor, dizendo:

2Filho do homem, faze conhecer a Jerusalem as suas abominações.

3E dize: Assim diz o Senhor Jehovah a Jerusalem: A tua origem e o teu nascimento procedem da terra dos cananeos: teu pae era amorrheo, e a tua mãe hethea.

4E, quanto ao teu nascimento, no dia em que nasceste não te foi cortado o umbigo, nem foste lavada com a agua, vendo-te eu; nem tão pouco foste esfregada com sal, nem envolta em faixas.

5Não se compadeceu de ti olho algum, para te fazer alguma coisa d'isto, compadecido de ti; antes foste lançada na face do campo, pelo nojo da tua alma, no dia em que tu nasceste.

6E, passando eu por ao pé de ti, vi-te pizada no teu sangue, e disse-te: Ainda que estejas no teu sangue, vive; sim, disse-te: Ainda que estejas no teu sangue, vive

7Eu te fiz multiplicar como o renovo do campo, e cresceste, e te engrandeceste, e chegaste á grande formosura: avultaram os peitos, e brotou o teu pello; porém estavas nua e descoberta.

8E, passando eu por ao pé de ti, vi-te, e eis que o teu tempo era tempo de amores; e estendi sobre ti a ourela do meu manto, e cobri a tua nudez; e dei-te juramento, e entrei em concerto comtigo, diz o Senhor Jehovah, e tu ficaste sendo minha.

9Então te lavei na agua, e te enxuguei do teu sangue, e te ungi com oleo.

10E te vesti de bordadura, e te calcei de pello de texugo, e te cingi de linho fino, e te cobri de seda.

11E te ornei com ornamentos, e te puz braceletes nas mãos e um collar á rodo do teu pescoço.

12E te puz uma joia pendente na testa, e pendentes nas orelhas, e uma corôa de gloria na cabeça.

13E assim foste ornada de oiro e prata, e o teu vestido foi de linho fino, e de seda e bordadura: nutriste-te de flor de farinha, e mel e oleo; e foste formosa em extremo, e foste prospera, até chegares a ser rainha.

14E saiu de ti a fama entre as nações, por causa da tua formosura, porque perfeita era, por causa da minha gloria que eu tinha posto sobre ti, diz o Senhor Jehovah.

15Porém confiaste na tua formosura, e fornicaste por causa da tua fama; derramaste as tuas fornicações a todo o que passava, para seres sua.

16E tomaste dos teus vestidos, e fizeste logares altos enfeitados, de diversas côres, e fornicaste sobre elles: taes coisas não vieram, nem hão de vir.

17E tomaste as tuas joias de enfeite, que eu te dei do meu oiro e da minha prata, e fizeste imagens do homens, e fornicaste com ellas.

18E tomaste os teus vestidos bordados, e os cobriste; e o meu oleo e o meu perfume pozeste diante d'ellas.

19E o meu pão que te dei, a flor de farinha, e o oleo e o mel com que eu te sustentava tambem pozeste diante d'ellas em cheiro suave; e assim foi, diz o Senhor Jehovah.

20Além d'isto, tomaste a teus filhos e tuas filhas, que me tinhas gerado, e os sacrificaste a ellas, para os consumirem: acaso é pequena a tua fornicação?

21E mataste a meus filhos, e os entregaste a ellas para os fazerem passar pelo fogo.

22E em todas as tuas abominações, e tuas fornicações, não te lembraste dos dias da tua mocidade, quando tu estavas nua e descoberta, e pizada no teu sangue.

23E succedeu, depois de toda a tua maldade (ai! ai de ti! diz o Senhor Jehovah),

24Que edificaste uma abobada, e fizeste logares altos por todas as ruas.

25A cada canto do caminho edificaste o teu logar alto, e fizeste abominavel a tua formosura, e alargaste os teus pés a todo o que passava: e assim multiplicaste as tuas fornicações.

26Tambem fornicaste com os filhos do Egypto, teus visinhos de grandes carnes, e multiplicaste a tua fornicação para me provocares á ira.

27Pelo que eis que estendi a minha mão sobre ti, e diminui a tua porção; e te entreguei á vontade das que te aborrecem, a saber, das filhas dos philisteos, as quaes se envergonhavam do teu caminho depravado.

28Tambem fornicaste com os filhos da Assyria, porquanto eras insaciavel; e, fornicando com elles, nem ainda assim ficaste farta;

29Antes multiplicaste as tuas fornicações na terra de Canaan até Chaldea, e nem ainda com isso te fartaste.

30Quão fraco está o teu coração, diz o Senhor Jehovah, fazendo tu todas estas coisas, obras d'uma mulher meretriz e imperiosa!

31Edificando tu a tua abobada ao canto de cada caminho, e fazendo o teu logar alto em cada rua! nem foste como a meretriz, desprezando a paga;

32Antes como a mulher adultera que, em logar de seu marido, recebe os estranhos.

33A todas as meretrizes dão paga, mas tu dás os teus presentes a todos os teus amantes; e lhes dás presentes, para que venham a ti de todas as partes, por tuas fornicações.

34Assim que comtigo succede o contrario das mulheres nas tuas fornicações, pois após ti não andam para fornicar; porque, dando tu a paga, e a ti não sendo dada a paga, te fizeste contraria ás outras.

35Portanto, ó meretriz, ouve a palavra do Senhor.

36Assim diz o Senhor Jehovah: Porquanto se derramou o teu dinheiro, e se descobriu a tua nudez nas tuas fornicações com os teus amantes, como tambem com todos os idolos das tuas abominações, e no sangue de teus filhos que lhes deste:

37Portanto, eis que ajuntarei a todos os teus amantes, com os quaes te misturaste, como tambem a todos os que amaste, com todos os que aborreceste, e ajuntal-os-hei contra ti em redor, e descobrirei a tua nudez diante d'elles, para que vejam toda a tua nudez.

38E julgar-te-hei segundo o teu juizo das adulteras e das que derramam sangue; e entregar-te-hei ao sangue de furor e de ciume.

39E entregar-te-hei nas suas mãos, e derribarão a tua abobada, e transtornarão os teus altos logares, e te despirão os teus vestidos, e tomarão as tuas joias de enfeite, e te deixarão nua e descoberta.

40Então farão subir contra ti um ajuntamento, e te apedrejarão com pedra, e te traspassarão com as suas espadas.

41E queimarão as tuas casas a fogo, e executarão juizos contra ti, aos olhos de muitas mulheres; e te farei cessar de ser meretriz, e paga não darás mais.

42Assim farei descançar em ti o meu furor, e os meus ciumes se desviarão de ti, e me aquietarei, e nunca mais me indignarei.

43Porquanto não te lembraste dos dias da tua mocidade, e me provocaste á ira com tudo isto: pelo que, eis que tambem eu farei recair o teu caminho sobre a tua cabeça, diz o Senhor Jehovah, e não farás tal enormidade de mais sobre todas as tuas abominações.

44Eis que todo o que usa de proverbios usará de ti n'este proverbio, dizendo: Qual a mãe, tal sua filha.

45Tu és a filha de tua mãe, que tinha nojo de seu marido e de seus filhos; e tu és a irmã de tuas irmãs, que tinham nojo de seus maridos e de seus filhos: vossa mãe foi hethea, e vosso pae amorrheo.

46E tua irmã maior é Samaria, ella e suas filhas, a qual habita á tua esquerda: e tua irmã menor que tu, que habita á tua mão direita, é Sodoma e suas filhas

47Todavia não andaste nos caminhos, nem fizeste conforme as suas abominações, como se isto mui pouco fôra; porém te corrompeste mais do que ellas, em todos os teus caminhos.

48Vivo eu, diz o Senhor Jehovah, que não fez Sodoma, tua irmã, nem ella, nem suas filhas, como fizeste tu e tuas filhas.

49Eis que esta foi a maldade de Sodoma, tua irmã; soberba, fartura de pão, e abundancia de ociosidade teve ella e suas filhas, porém nunca esforçou a mão do pobre e do necessitado.

50E se ensoberbeceram, e fizeram abominação diante de mim; pelo que as tirei d'ali, vendo eu isto.

51Tambem Samaria não commetteu a metade de teus peccados: e multiplicaste as tuas abominações mais do que ellas, e justificaste a tuas irmãs, com todas as tuas abominações que fizeste.

52Tu pois tambem leva a tua vergonha, tu que julgaste a tuas irmãs, pelos teus peccados, que fizeste mais abominaveis do que ellas; mais justas são do que tu: envergonha-te logo tambem, e leva a tua vergonha, pois justificaste a tuas irmãs.

53Eu pois farei voltar os captivos d'elles; os captivos de Sodoma e suas filhas, e os captivos de Samaria e suas filhas, e os captivos do teu captiveiro entre ellas;

54Para que leves a tua vergonha, e sejas envergonhada por tudo o que fizeste, dando-lhes tu consolação.

55Quando tuas irmãs, Sodoma e suas filhas, tornarem ao seu primeiro estado, e tambem Samaria e suas filhas tornarem ao seu primeiro estado, tambem tu e tuas filhas tornareis ao vosso primeiro estado.

56Nem até Sodoma, tua irmã, foi ouvida na tua bocca, no dia das tuas soberbas,

57Antes que se descobrisse a tua maldade, como no tempo do desprezo das filhas da Syria, e de todos os que estavam ao redor d'ella, as filhas dos philisteos, que te desprezavam em redor.

58A tua enormidade e as tuas abominações tu levarás, diz o Senhor.

59Porque assim diz o Senhor Jehovah: Tambem te farei como fizeste; que desprezaste o juramento, quebrantando o concerto.

60Comtudo eu me lembrarei do meu concerto comtigo nos dias da tua mocidade; e estabelecerei comtigo um concerto eterno.

61Então te lembrarás dos teus caminhos, e te confundirás, quando receberes tuas irmãs maiores do que tu, com as menores do que tu, porque t'as darei por filhas, porém não pelo teu concerto.

62Porque eu estabelecerei o meu concerto comtigo, e saberás que eu sou o Senhor;

63Para que te lembres d'isso, e te envergonhes, e nunca mais abras a tua bocca por causa da tua vergonha, quando me reconciliar comtigo de tudo quanto fizeste, diz o Senhor Jehovah.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

In a long allegory, God describes Jerusalem as an abandoned baby whom He rescued, raised, and later married with honor, but who became unfaithful, prostituting herself with foreign nations and their idols.

Explanation

This is the longest and most graphic chapter in the book, using marriage language (common among the prophets, see also Hosea) to describe the covenant between God and Israel. The Canaanite origin mentioned (v.3) is not a racial insult but a reminder that Jerusalem was originally a Canaanite city (Jebus) before being conquered by David, reinforcing that everything the city had came entirely from God's grace. The comparison with Sodom and Samaria (v.46-58), considered worse, is used in a shocking way to show that Jerusalem, despite having received more revelation, sinned even more gravely. Despite everything, the chapter ends with the promise of an 'everlasting covenant' — God's faithfulness continues even in the face of human unfaithfulness.

Fun facts

  • The practice of exposing unwanted newborns in the open (v.4-5) was real in the ancient world, and archaeologists have found evidence of infant burials in the foundations of Canaanite houses, confirming the cultural background of the metaphor.
  • The expression 'washed with water and anointed with oil' for a newborn (v.9) reflects real childbirth practices documented in Egyptian and Mesopotamian texts of the period.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Ezequiel 16:1Opening formula for one of the book’s longest and harshest chapters: an extended allegory comparing Jerusalem to an unfaithful wife.
  2. Ezequiel 16:2God tells Ezekiel to confront Jerusalem directly with her own sins — the whole chapter is that confrontation, told as a life story.
  3. Ezequiel 16:3The image of the abandoned baby, its umbilical cord still uncut, thrown out in a field, reflects a real ancient custom: unwanted newborns were literally left exposed. God presents Himself as the one who passes by, sees the discarded child, and chooses to raise her.
  4. Ezequiel 16:4The allegory opens by describing Jerusalem as a newborn with none of the basic care of the time — cord uncut, unwashed, not wrapped in cloths, the bare minimum any birth required.
  5. Ezequiel 16:5No one had compassion on this abandoned baby — the image describes Jerusalem’s beginning as a city with no glorious origin at all, pure abandonment.
  6. Ezequiel 16:6This is the moment God enters the story: He passes by, sees the child lying there, bloody, and decides she will live — the start of the relationship between Him and Jerusalem.
  7. Ezequiel 16:7Under God’s care, the child grows and matures quickly, but the text insists she was still naked and unprotected — grown up, yet still vulnerable.
  8. Ezequiel 16:8Spreading the edge of one’s garment over someone was a symbolic marriage gesture in the ancient world, which also appears in Ruth; jewelry, fine clothes, and a formal covenant describe the bond between God and Jerusalem as a marriage, setting up the contrast with the unfaithfulness that follows.
  9. Ezequiel 16:9After rescuing her, God cares for her the way a body is washed and anointed — the first concrete steps of care after the abandonment.
  10. Ezequiel 16:10The list of fine clothing shows how much God invested in caring for this city, dressing her in the best available at the time.
  11. Ezequiel 16:11Jewelry and ornaments complete the transformation: from abandoned baby to a woman adorned like someone of high social standing.
  12. Ezequiel 16:12The crown at the end of the list of ornaments is the final touch: the image of someone prepared for royalty, not just cared for.
  13. Ezequiel 16:13The result of all this care is a complete rise: from abandonment to a prosperous kingdom — the image represents God’s covenant lifting Jerusalem into a position of prominence.
  14. Ezequiel 16:14Jerusalem’s fame among neighboring nations, according to the text, came not from her own merit but from the care God had placed on her.
  15. Ezequiel 16:15From here the allegory shifts tone: instead of acknowledging where her position came from, Jerusalem starts trusting her own beauty and pursuing others — an image of unfaithfulness to the covenant.
  16. Ezequiel 16:16Jerusalem even uses the clothes given by God to decorate her own idolatrous altars — the care she received is repurposed for the worship of other gods.
  17. Ezequiel 16:17The jewelry that symbolized God’s care becomes raw material for making idols — the very material of blessing is reused for unfaithfulness.
  18. Ezequiel 16:18The list of repurposing continues: clothes and perfumes that were gifts from God now serve as offerings to the idols she made.
  19. Ezequiel 16:19Even the food God provided is offered to the idols — the allegory shows that nothing given by God was left out of the unfaithfulness.
  20. Ezequiel 16:20The accusation of sacrificing her own children “passing them through the fire” refers to a real cult practiced by neighboring peoples, associated with Molech, which the Bible repeatedly condemns — here it stands as the most extreme point on the list of the city’s betrayals.
  21. Ezequiel 16:21The gravest point of the accusation: sacrificing her own children, linked here to a ritual practiced by neighboring peoples — the peak of betrayal within the allegory.
  22. Ezequiel 16:22The text repeats the opening image — naked, abandoned, covered in blood — to remind Jerusalem that she completely forgot where she came from before everything changed.
  23. Ezequiel 16:23A dramatic pause in the middle of the chapter: a brief lament, almost a sigh, before the accusation continues with even more detail.
  24. Ezequiel 16:24The unfaithfulness is not confined to one place: Jerusalem spreads idolatrous altars everywhere, on every street of the city.
  25. Ezequiel 16:25The image reaches its extreme: the very beauty God gave her is used to attract anyone passing by, a constant multiplication of the unfaithfulness described in the allegory.
  26. Ezequiel 16:26The allegory starts naming specific partners: political and religious alliances with Egypt are described as one more episode of unfaithfulness.
  27. Ezequiel 16:27As a consequence, God withdraws part of her support and lets her traditional enemies, the Philistines, humiliate Jerusalem — even they are shocked by her behavior.
  28. Ezequiel 16:28The list of foreign alliances continues with Assyria — the allegory describes a restless search for other support that never brings real satisfaction.
  29. Ezequiel 16:29Even adding more and more alliances, including distant Chaldea (Babylon), the text insists none of it brought Jerusalem the security she was looking for.
  30. Ezequiel 16:30God expresses something close to astonishment: how could someone who received so much care behave in such an unstable, self-destructive way?
  31. Ezequiel 16:31A curious detail in the allegory: unlike an ordinary prostitute who charges for her services, Jerusalem gives everything away for free — the comparison gets even harsher in the next verse.
  32. Ezequiel 16:32The text reclassifies the comparison: this is not about someone who charges for her services, it is about a wife who betrays her own husband — the broken covenant is the central point, not a transaction.
  33. Ezequiel 16:33The shocking reversal: instead of receiving payment, it is Jerusalem who pays to attract partners — showing how desperate, not mercenary, this search for other alliances really was.
  34. Ezequiel 16:34The text underlines the reversal again: Jerusalem’s behavior runs against even the usual logic, making the image within the allegory stranger and more serious still.
  35. Ezequiel 16:35After the full description, the formal introduction of the judgment about to be announced follows.
  36. Ezequiel 16:36God sums up the whole accusation before announcing the punishment: wrong alliances, idolatry, and even the sacrificed children, all together in the same sentence.
  37. Ezequiel 16:37The punishment uses the same image as the allegory: the very partners Jerusalem sought will be gathered to witness her public humiliation.
  38. Ezequiel 16:38The judgment follows the laws of the time for adultery and bloodshed — the allegory uses real legal categories to describe the seriousness of the situation.
  39. Ezequiel 16:39The same allies Jerusalem sought will turn against her, destroying everything that once seemed attractive — the same reversal plays out in the history and in the allegory.
  40. Ezequiel 16:40The punishment described uses the traditional penalty for adultery under ancient law — stoning — showing the extreme seriousness attached to unfaithfulness to the covenant.
  41. Ezequiel 16:41The public judgment, in full view of other nations, has the declared purpose of putting a final end to this pattern of pursuing wrong alliances.
  42. Ezequiel 16:42After the judgment is carried out, the text describes something like a release of built-up tension — God’s anger finally finds an outcome.
  43. Ezequiel 16:43The reason repeated once more: forgetting her own origin and the care she received is the root of it all — and the consequence is proportional to that forgetting.
  44. Ezequiel 16:44A popular proverb of the time — “As is the mother, so is her daughter” — comes to be applied to Jerusalem, tying her behavior to a family inheritance.
  45. Ezequiel 16:45The text returns to the Canaanite origin mentioned at the start of the chapter to reinforce that the pattern of unfaithfulness is not an isolated lapse but something deeply rooted.
  46. Ezequiel 16:46The allegory expands the family: Samaria, capital of the northern kingdom, and Sodom are treated as Jerusalem’s “sisters” — a comparison used to measure her relative guilt.
  47. Ezequiel 16:47The text is startling: it says Jerusalem did not just match her sisters’ behavior, she went further, surpassing both in corruption.
  48. Ezequiel 16:48The comparison with Sodom, the Bible’s ultimate symbol of total destruction, serves precisely to show that Jerusalem sinned even more than Sodom did.
  49. Ezequiel 16:49It is worth noting that the text defines Sodom’s sin in these terms: pride, abundance, and failing to help “the poor and needy” — not the list of accusations usually associated with the city’s name, and Ezekiel himself uses Sodom here as a comparison to say Jerusalem sinned even more.
  50. Ezequiel 16:50Pride and the practice of wrong things led Sodom to destruction — the same pattern the allegory is about to apply to Jerusalem as well.
  51. Ezequiel 16:51The text goes further: compared to Jerusalem, Samaria’s behavior almost looks less serious — the effect is to make both “sisters” seem almost righteous next to her.
  52. Ezequiel 16:52The final irony: by judging Samaria and Sodom with contempt, Jerusalem unwittingly lessened their own guilt — the text turns that comparison back against her.
  53. Ezequiel 16:53After so much judgment, a surprising promise of restoration appears — not only for Jerusalem, but also for the two “sisters” compared to her.
  54. Ezequiel 16:54Restoring all three at the same time serves as a constant reminder of Jerusalem’s shame, since she will see the others restored right alongside her.
  55. Ezequiel 16:55The restoration is announced as something shared: none of the three returns alone, all return together to an earlier condition.
  56. Ezequiel 16:56At the height of her own pride, Jerusalem would not even mention Sodom — the name of the city most associated with destruction was a source of scorn, not comparison.
  57. Ezequiel 16:57After Jerusalem’s wickedness was exposed, she came to be despised by the very neighboring nations that may once have envied her.
  58. Ezequiel 16:58A short sentence sums up the unavoidable consequence: Jerusalem will carry the weight of her own choices.
  59. Ezequiel 16:59God announces He will treat Jerusalem the same way she treated the commitment she made — breaking an oath carries a proportional consequence.
  60. Ezequiel 16:60In the middle of so much judgment, an unexpected turn appears: God promises to remember the original covenant and establish something even more lasting.
  61. Ezequiel 16:61The restoration comes with humility: Jerusalem will receive back the “sisters” compared to her, but not because she earned it — purely on God’s own initiative.
  62. Ezequiel 16:62The renewed covenant is presented, once again, as the path to true recognition of who God is.
  63. Ezequiel 16:63The chapter ends with a reconciliation that does not erase the shame of the past but lives alongside it — humble silence replaces the old arrogance.

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