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Ezekiel 16

Ezekiel 16:9

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

Translations

Modern
Then I bathed you with water, rinsed off your blood, and anointed you with oil.
Traditional
Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.
Literal
And I washed you with water, and I rinsed off your blood from you, and I anointed you with the oil.
Latin
Et lavi te aqua, et emundavi sanguinem tuum ex te, et unxi te oleo.

Original

Hebrew
English
Then I bathed you with water, rinsed off your blood, and anointed you with oil.

Notes

Ezekiel 16:9–10

  • The Lord did for Jerusalem what her parents never did: he washed, anointed, and clothed her, reversing the circumstances of her birth.

  • The Lord gave Jerusalem beautiful gifts. He dressed her with ornaments and fine materials fit for a queen. Some of these same materials were used in the tabernacle (see Exodus 25:3–5; 26:1–14).

    This detail would remind the people of Jerusalem of something important. Their city was chosen as the place for God’s sanctuary and the king’s palace. The Lord honored Jerusalem by making her the center of worship and royal rule.

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 Hittites Marriage, Marriage Customs Sexual Immorality

Topics

Bride: Figurative Bridegroom: Figurative God: Love of, Exemplified Ingratitude to God: Illustrated Regeneration: General Scriptures Concerning Symbols and Similitudes of the Holy Spirit: Cleansing By The Emblems of the Holy Spirit: Water: Cleansing