Ezekiel 16:2

Ezekiel begins by describing Jerusalem’s weak and unlikely beginnings. He says the city came from Canaanite roots and was like the child of an Amorite father and a Hittite mother.

The city existed long before Israel entered the land under Joshua. During Joshua’s campaign, Israel did not fully capture Jerusalem. The city remained in the hands of its original Canaanite population.

Later, King David captured Jerusalem and made it his capital. Even then, the city had a long Canaanite history before it became the center of Israel’s kingdom.

In Ezekiel 16, Jerusalem is described as an unfaithful wife and a prostitute. This language is very strong. Even in English, the chapter can be difficult to read. In its ancient setting, it would have sounded even more shocking.

Ezekiel used graphic language to show how serious Judah’s sin was. He did not try to make his message softer or more polite. He spoke in a direct and forceful way.

This strong language is the main point of the chapter. Ezekiel wanted the people to feel how terrible their sin was in God’s sight. The shocking description helped them understand that God’s judgment was not unfair.

If Ezekiel had used softer words, the people might not have understood the full seriousness of their sin. The strong picture was necessary to show why God’s judgment was justified (that is, right and fair).

This section includes eight metaphors, each showing from a different angle the certainty of Jerusalem's upcoming judgment. The images are of:

1. a worthless vine (Ezekiel 15);

2. a faithless wife (Ezekiel 16);

3. a vine and two eagles (Ezekiel 17);

4. Sour grapes (Ezekiel 18);

5. a lion and her cubs (Ezekiel 19);

6. a sword (Ezekiel 21);

7. two corrupt sisters (Ezekiel 23); and

8. a cooking pot (Ezekiel 24).