Ezekiel 16:1-63 v. 2 Jerusalem – Yerushalaim (Heb.), meaning "Foundation of peace," the chief city of Israel and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after Israel divided. v. 3 Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan – God is giving the people of Jerusalem a divine "put down" by relating them and their religious morals and practices to the Pagan peoples who lived in the land before them. Nativity – mowledeth (Heb.) lineage, native country; also offspring, family: begotten, born, issue, kindred, relatives. Canaan –The land formerly belonging to the Canaanite peoples given to the Hebrew people as the Promised Land. Amorite – One of the peoples of east Canaan beyond the Jordan, dispossessed by the Israelite invasion from Egypt. Hittite – The nation descended from Heth, the second son of Canaan; once inhabitants of central Anatolia (modern Turkey), later in north Lebanon. v. 4 your navel cord was not cut – This phrase and the rest of the wording of this verse depicts an unwanted or discarded baby (v. 5). you were not rubbed with salt – A procedure used to dry and firm the skin of a newborn baby. v. 5 you were thrown out into the open field – This was the cruel practice of infanticide common in the ancient world. Deformed or unwanted babies were abandoned and left to die. v. 6 I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' – The Lord metaphorically illustrates the pitiful condition of Israel's ancestors when He found them. It was the Lord who had compassion on them and caused them to live. v. 7 I made you thrive like a plant in the field – Picturesque of a fast growing and healthy child. An ancient equivalent to saying, "You grew like a weed." Your breasts were formed, your hair grew – Descriptive of an adolescent female with developing breasts and the occurrence of pubic hair. naked and bare – In a state of destitution. v. 8 your time was the time of love – Old enough for marriage and marital love. I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness – Symbolic of the Lord entering into a marriage covenant with adolescent Israel (Ruth 3:9, Mal. 2:14). I swore an oath to you – The Lord pledged His faithfulness to her and entered into a marriage covenant with Israel. v. 9 I thoroughly washed off your blood – Graphic metaphor illustrating the Lord cleansing Israel from her menstrual uncleanness. oil – expensive perfume v. 10 I clothed you – The Lord symbolically describes how He cleaned young Israel up from her destitute and dirty state and provided her with affluent coverings. The clothing described is fit for a queen. sandals of badger skin – Quality leather. This same was used in the Tabernacle. v. 11 I adorned you – God gave her the very best of everything and treated her like royalty. Ornaments – adiy (Heb.) excellent finery; generally an outfit v. 12 a jewel in your nose – Not a piercing, but a outer clip attached to the nose (Gen. 24:47; Is. 3:21). a beautiful crown on your head – Suggestive of the Lord's abundant blessings under the reign of Solomon and David when Jerusalem became a magnificent city. v. 13 fine flour, honey, and oil – The Lord provided the choicest foods. Everything Israel could ever need or desire was lavished upon her by the Lord her generous husband. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty – The Lord found Israel in a state of depravation and elevated her to the status of a beautiful queen. v. 14 perfect through My splendor – The Lord reminds Israel that the elevated state of perfection and majesty she attained was only because of the honor and majesty He gave to her. v. 15 But you trusted in your own beauty – Israel forgot that the source of her beauty was the Lord and became conceited and proud. played the harlot – In symbolic language the Lord depicts Israel as a spiritual prostitute because of her unfaithfulness to the Lord, her husband. v. 16 adorned multicolored high places for yourself – A "high place" was an idolatrous place of worship usually erected upon a high hill or mountain. Like an unfaithful wife, Israel took the good things God had given her and used them to worship other gods. played the harlot on them – The Lord equates worshiping idols on the high places as playing the role of a spiritual prostitute. v. 17 male images – phallic symbols or pictures of naked men v. 18 you set My oil and My incense before them – Israel offered the special and precious gifts given to them by the Lord to these idols. v. 20 your sons and your daughters… sacrificed – The Israelites literally offered their children as human sacrifices unto the false idols. This Canaanite practice was strictly forbidden by the Lord (Lev. 18:21, 20:2-5; Deut. 12:31). v. 21 pass through the fire – To sacrifice their children to false idols by burning them. Often this was done by heating a metal image of the god Molech and placing the living child in the molten arms of this image to be burned alive (Lev. 18:21, 20:1-5; Deut. 18:10; 2 Kings 17:17, 21:6, 23:10). v. 23 Woe – owy (Heb.) a lamentation; a passionate cry of grief or despair v. 24 a shrine – place of idolatrous worship v. 25 You offered yourself to everyone who passed by – A depiction of Israel as much worse than merely an unfaithful wife, but a prostitute who offers herself up to anyone. v. 26 committed harlotry with the Egyptians – Israel's unfaithfulness was not limited to worshiping local deities. She also worshipped the gods of Egypt and sought their help and protection instead of God's. very fleshly – Gadel (Heb.), meaning large, great, or lustful and basar (Heb.), meaning flesh, body, or nakedness. The historical Hebrew usage here suggests oversized sex organs and exaggerated body parts. v. 27 diminished your allotment – As an act of chastisement against unfaithful Israel, the Lord began to diminish and remove His blessings toward her. gave you up to the will of those who hate you – One of the ways God chastened His unfaithful people was to allow them to be conquered by their enemies and brought into captivity. Philistines – An inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (perhaps Crete) to the western seacoast of Canaan. who were ashamed of your lewd behavior – Even the pagan nations were embarrassed and ashamed of Israel behavior. v. 28 Assyrians – Israel's unfaithfulness was expressed in running to Assyria rather than God for help in the spirit of idolatry. She also worshipped the gods of Assyria. you were insatiable – Israel's lust could never be satisfied. v. 29 Chaldea – territory in lower Mesopotamia bordering on the Persian Gulf; the inhabitants of Chaldea, living on the lower Euphrates and Tigris v. 30 degenerate – amal (Gk.) to droop; by implication to be sick, to mourn: languish, be weak brazen – shalleteth (Heb.) domineering. God is comparing Israel to a boldface whorish woman. v. 32 You adulterous wife! – In very plain allegorical language the Lord accuses Israel of being worse than any prostitute who takes payment for her sexual favors, for Israel is opposite of them in that she pays here customers. v. 36 filthiness – nechosheth (Heb.) lust, harlotry abominable – tow'ebah (Heb.) a disgusting thing blood of your children – The life blood of their children who had been sacrificed unto idols. v. 37 uncover your nakedness to them – metaphorically to expose and embarrass them before their lovers v. 38 women who break wedlock or shed blood – The Law of Moses commanded that the punishment for adultery or murder must be death (Lev. 20:10, 24:21). v. 39 hand you over – The Lord will judge Israel by turning her very lovers against her and punishing her by their hands. v. 42 So I will lay to rest My fury toward you – After the Lord executes His punishment upon Israel by the hands of her lovers His wrath will then be satisfied for justice will be served. v. 43 agitated – ragaz (Heb.) tremble, quake, rage, quiver, be agitated, be excited, be perturbed. recompense – nathan (Heb.) to give, put, set. In this context this means that the Lord will fully repay Israel for their wickedness. commit lewdness – Commit deeds of unwholesomeness and profanity. v. 45 your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite – The Lord shames Israel with scorn by telling them that their moral standards are just like the pagan nations around them (v. 3). All of these pagan nations listed below were godless and immoral peoples. v. 46 Samaria – The region of northern Palestine associated with the northern kingdom of the ten tribes of Israel which split from the kingdom after the death of Solomon during the reign of his son Rehoboam and were ruled by Jeroboam. All of the Kings of Samaria were wicked. Sodom – A wicked Canaanite city, usually paired with Gomorrah, located in the area of the Dead Sea and the Jordan River. Both cities were destroyed by God in judgment. v. 49 iniquity – avon (Heb.) perversity, depravity, guilt pride – ga'own (Heb.) arrogance, excellency, majesty, pomp, proud, swelling fullness of food – a gluttonous and satisfied appetite abundance of idleness – This phrase means to have plenty of peace and rest. It is not an evil thing in itself. The evil was in that they did not help those who were not full of food and comfortable in life as the next phrase indicates. v. 50 haughty – Gabahh (Gk.) to be high, be exalted. To proud and selfish to help others. took them away – God destroyed the city of Sodom (Gen. 19:24). v. 53 When I bring back their captives – The Lord offers a very humbling word of comfort in that He promises if He forgives and restores the wicked city of Sodom then He will also restore Jerusalem. This is a figurative promise, because Sodom was never actually restored. v. 55 your sisters, Sodom – God was using sarcasm here. Sodom was known to be a very immoral city. It was a very shameful and disgraceful thing to be called a sibling to this wicked city. v. 56 byword – a well-known proverb of contempt v. 57 the reproach of the daughters of Syria… Philistines – The inhabitants of Syria and the inhabitant of Philistia were in constant rivalry with and contempt of Israel. v. 59 despised the oath by breaking the covenant – The Lord is referring to Israel breaking their covenant of marriage to their God and despising His oath to them. v. 60 Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you – The Lord promises here that He will be faithful to His covenant with them even though they have not been faithful. everlasting covenant – The Lord speaks of a better covenant yet to come. This is the covenant of the New Testament through the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Eze. 37:26; Is. 55:3; Jer. 31:31-34, 32:40). v. 61 but not because of My covenant with you – The Lord promises to eventually give above and beyond the promises of His original covenant with Israel. v. 62 Then you shall know that I am the Lord – This exact phrase is found 21 times in the book of Ezekiel. It reveals God's desire to be properly known by His people. "Then they shall know… " is found an additional 19 times. v. 63 atonement – kaphar (Heb.) to cover over, pacify, make propitiation, make reconciliation |