Ezekiel 16

KJV · Chapter 16/48

1Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

2Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

3And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.

4And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

5None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.

6And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.

7I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.

8Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.

9Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.

10I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

11I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.

12And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.

13Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

14And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.

15But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

16And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.

17Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

18And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.

19My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord God.

20Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,

21That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?

22And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.

23And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord God;)

24That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.

25Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.

26Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.

27Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.

28Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.

29Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.

30How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;

31In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;

32But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!

33They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.

34And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.

35Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord:

36Thus saith the Lord God; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;

37Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.

38And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.

39And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.

40They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.

41And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.

42So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.

43Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord God: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.

44Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.

45Thou art thy mother’s daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.

46And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.

47Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.

48As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.

49Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

50And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

51Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.

52Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.

53When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:

54That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.

55When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

56For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,

57Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about.

58Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the Lord.

59For thus saith the Lord God; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.

60Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.

61Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.

62And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord:

63That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God.

📖 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. Ezekiel 16:1Opening formula for one of the book’s longest and harshest chapters: an extended allegory comparing Jerusalem to an unfaithful wife.
  2. Ezekiel 16:2God tells Ezekiel to confront Jerusalem directly with her own sins — the whole chapter is that confrontation, told as a life story.
  3. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 16:11Jewelry and ornaments complete the transformation: from abandoned baby to a woman adorned like someone of high social standing.
  12. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 16:17The jewelry that symbolized God’s care becomes raw material for making idols — the very material of blessing is reused for unfaithfulness.
  18. Ezekiel 16:18The list of repurposing continues: clothes and perfumes that were gifts from God now serve as offerings to the idols she made.
  19. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 16:24The unfaithfulness is not confined to one place: Jerusalem spreads idolatrous altars everywhere, on every street of the city.
  25. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 16:26The allegory starts naming specific partners: political and religious alliances with Egypt are described as one more episode of unfaithfulness.
  27. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 16:28The list of foreign alliances continues with Assyria — the allegory describes a restless search for other support that never brings real satisfaction.
  29. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 16:30God expresses something close to astonishment: how could someone who received so much care behave in such an unstable, self-destructive way?
  31. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 16:35After the full description, the formal introduction of the judgment about to be announced follows.
  36. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 16:37The punishment uses the same image as the allegory: the very partners Jerusalem sought will be gathered to witness her public humiliation.
  38. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 16:47The text is startling: it says Jerusalem did not just match her sisters’ behavior, she went further, surpassing both in corruption.
  48. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 16:55The restoration is announced as something shared: none of the three returns alone, all return together to an earlier condition.
  56. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 16:57After Jerusalem’s wickedness was exposed, she came to be despised by the very neighboring nations that may once have envied her.
  58. Ezekiel 16:58A short sentence sums up the unavoidable consequence: Jerusalem will carry the weight of her own choices.
  59. Ezekiel 16:59God announces He will treat Jerusalem the same way she treated the commitment she made — breaking an oath carries a proportional consequence.
  60. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 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. Ezekiel 16:62The renewed covenant is presented, once again, as the path to true recognition of who God is.
  63. Ezekiel 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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