Keraia
Ezekiel 16

Ezekiel 16:25

Jerusalem’s Unfaithfulness · Ezekiel 16:1–34
Read Ezekiel 16

Translations

Modern
At the head of every street you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty. With increasing promiscuity, you spread your legs to all who passed by.
Traditional
Thou 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.
Literal
At every head of the road you built your high places, and you made abhorrent your beauty by your opening your feet to all passing by, and you multiplied your prostitutions!
Latin
Ad omne caput viæ ædificasti signum prostitutionis tuæ, et abominabilem fecisti decorem tuum: et divisisti pedes tuos omni transeunti, et multiplicasti fornicationes tuas:

Original

Hebrew
English
At the head of every street you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty. With increasing promiscuity, you spread your legs to all who passed by.

Notes

Ezekiel 16:23–25

The prophets often described idolatry (worshiping false gods) as adultery (being unfaithful in marriage). For example, Hosea uses this picture to explain Israel’s sin (see Hosea 2). This comparison helped people understand that turning away from the Lord was like breaking a marriage promise.

Ezekiel, however, gives much more detail than the other prophets. He does not describe Jerusalem as only confused or mistaken. He describes her as deeply corrupt. Her unfaithfulness took place openly, on every street corner.

Ezekiel also says that her desire for sin had no limit. She kept seeking more sinful and shameful practices. His strong language shows how serious her idolatry had become.

Ezekiel 16:1–63

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).

Ezekiel 15:1–24:14

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).

Events

Glossary

Adultery Bride of Christ Ezekiel, Book of High Place Hittites Sexual Immorality

Topics

High Places: Licentious Practices At High Places: The Jews: Condemned for Building Lasciviousness: Figurative