Keraia
Ezekiel 16

Ezekiel 16:8

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

Translations

Modern
Then I passed by and saw you, and you were indeed old enough for love. So I spread My cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I pledged Myself to you, entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine, declares the Lord GOD.
Traditional
Now 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.
Literal
And I passed by you and I saw you, and behold, your time was the time for love! And I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness, and I swore an oath to you and came into a covenant with you—a declaration of the Lord YHWH—and you came to be unto Me.
Latin
Et transivi per te, et vidi te: et ecce tempus tuum, tempus amantium: et expandi amictum meum super te, et operui ignominiam tuam: et juravi tibi, et ingressus sum pactum tecum, ait Dominus Deus, et facta es mihi.

Original

Hebrew
English
Then I passed by and saw you, and you were indeed old enough for love. So I spread My cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I pledged Myself to you, entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine, declares the Lord GOD.

Notes

Ezekiel 16:8

At this point, the Lord covered her with his cloak. In the ancient world, this action showed a promise of marriage (compare Ruth 3:9). It was a sign that he was taking her as his own.

The Lord then made a covenant with Jerusalem. In the picture Ezekiel uses, this covenant is like a marriage. The Lord chose her and joined himself to her.

Later, the Lord made a covenant with David and his descendants. At that time, he also chose Jerusalem as the place where his name would be honored (see 1 Kings 9:3–4; Psalm 132). Jerusalem became the special city connected to his presence and worship.

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

People

LORD: Names or title used to refer to God

Glossary

Adultery Bride of Christ Ezekiel, Book of Hittites Sexual Immorality

Topics

Bride: Figurative Bridegroom: Figurative God: Love of, Exemplified Ingratitude to God: Illustrated Marriage: Betrothal Made with the Spirit The Bride of Christ