EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries
Ezekiel 16:1-63
Ezekiel: ‘They shall know that I am God’
The *Sin of Judah and the Judgement of God
Ezekiel Chapter s 1 to 24
Ian Mackervoy
Chapter 16
Jerusalem is like a *prostitute – Ezekiel 16:1-63
Through this whole chapter, the *Lord speaks to Jerusalem as if the city were a woman. So, in this chapter, the word ‘you’ means the city and its inhabitants. The *Lord uses this description to emphasise how much the inhabitants of Jerusalem had disappointed him. He looked after them since the origin of their nation. He loved them and he made special promises to them. But they were not loyal to him. They preferred false gods. And they did so many things that upset him greatly.
(1) The birth of Jerusalem – Ezekiel 16:1-5
v1 The *LORD spoke to me again. v2 ‘*Son of man, speak to the people in Jerusalem. Tell them about the disgusting things that they have done. v3 Say: This is what the *LORD your King says to Jerusalem. Your origin and your birth were in the country called Canaan. Your father was an *Amorite, and your mother was a *Hittite. v4 On the day that you were born, nobody cut your *umbilical cord. Nobody washed you with water to clean you. Nobody put salt on you or wrapped you in cloths. v5 Nobody who saw you pitied you. Nobody was kind enough to do any of these things for you. Instead, they threw you out into the open field. They hated you on the day that you were born.’
Verses 1-2 The *Lord told Ezekiel to speak to the people in Jerusalem. He had to show them how bad they had been. This chapter is about Jerusalem but it includes Judah as well. Ezekiel writes about its history. And so, he shows how bad it has been. Jerusalem is like a wife who has not been loyal to her husband. God’s people had gone after (chosen to serve) foreign gods.
Verses 3-5 *Amorite and *Hittite were general names for the people in Canaan before the time of Abraham. These people built the city that became Jerusalem. They lived in the country that became Judah. The *Israelite nation had its origin there, in that country. At first, the *Israelites were weak and there were not many of them. They had no strength and they could not defend themselves. The picture in words is that they were like a weak baby. And nobody wanted that baby. In other words, the other people in the country hated them.
The custom in those days was to wash the new baby. The nurse would cut the *umbilical cord. She would wipe it with salt and oil. Then she would wrap it in cloths. She would repeat this each 7 days until the baby was 40 days old. But if the parents did not want the child, they would leave it at birth. They would not wash it. They would not clean it with salt. They would not cut the *umbilical cord. They would throw it out into the fields. Because they neglected the baby, it would die soon.
Jerusalem (or *Israel) was like a baby that nobody wanted. Nobody would take care of it.
(2) The marriage of Jerusalem – Ezekiel 16:6-14
v6 ‘I passed by and I saw you there. You were kicking about in your blood. You lay there in your blood. I said to you, “Live.” Yes, I said, “Live.” I would not let you die there in your own blood. v7 I made you grow like a plant in the field. You grew up to be a tall and beautiful woman. Your breasts grew firm and your hair had grown. But you were naked and without clothes.
v8 Later I passed by and I looked at you. I saw that you were old enough for love. So, I spread my coat over you to cover you. I promised to love you and we agreed together. You became mine, says the *LORD your King.
v9 Then I bathed you with water. I washed all the blood off you. I put sweet oil on your skin. v10 I put beautiful and good clothes on you. I gave you shoes of the best leather. I dressed you in fine clothes and I covered you with silk. v11 I gave you beautiful things to wear. I put rings on your hands and a nice chain round your neck. v12 I put a ring on your nose and pretty things on your ears. And I put a beautiful crown on your head. v13 So you wore gold and silver. Your clothes were of fine cloth, silk, and beautiful work. You ate fine flour, honey and oil. You were very beautiful and became a queen. v14 Because of your beauty, your fame spread among the nations. Your beauty was perfect, because I gave it to you. It was my *glory, says the *LORD your King.’
Verses 6-7 The *Lord passed by the baby that would die soon. However, the *Lord would not let it die. He rescued the child from certain death. He gave it life. The child grew up. It was like a beautiful woman. But she did not dress as a woman should dress.
The *Israelites went to Egypt. There were not many of them. But in Egypt they increased in number. They were slaves there. They did not have the wealth or the culture that a young nation ought to have.
Verses 8-14 The *Lord saw that the young woman was ready to be married. To spread a coat over the young woman was a custom that had special meaning. That was how a man proposed marriage to a woman (Ruth 3:9). As in a marriage, the *Lord made promises to *Israel. And *Israel made promises to the *Lord. They had an agreement by which *Israel became special to the *Lord.
The *Lord rescued *Israel from Egypt. The *Lord brought *Israel through the water of the Red Sea. He gave the law to *Israel at a mountain called Mount Sinai. *Israel promised to obey him and to *worship him. And he led *Israel to the land that he had promised. He made *Israel wealthy.
A rich man gives so many gifts to his bride. He gives her rich clothes and rings. He provides the best food for her to eat. A king gives a crown to his bride and he makes her his queen. So, the *Lord was kind to *Israel more than he was to any other nation. This shows the kindness and love of God for *Israel. *Israel became great because the *Lord made *Israel great.
*Israel reached its greatest *glory at the time of King Solomon.
(3) Jerusalem the *prostitute – Ezekiel 16:15-34
v15 ‘But you trusted in your beauty. You became a *prostitute because of your fame. So, you had sex with every man who came along. v16 You took some of your clothes to add colour to your high places. There you had sex with these men. These things should not happen. They should never be. v17 You took off the beautiful gold and silver things that I had given to you. With these things, you made images of men. And then you acted as a *prostitute with them. v18 Then you took your beautiful clothes and you covered the images. You offered my oil and *incense as a gift to them. v19 I gave you bread, fine flour, oil and honey to eat. But you offered them to these gods so that the smell would please them. This is what happened, says the *LORD your King.
v20 But your *sins of sex were not enough for you. You took my children, your sons and daughters. You killed them and you gave them as food to these false gods. v21 You killed my children and you offered them up in fire to the false gods. v22 You did all those disgusting things and you carried out *sins of sex. But you did not remember the days when you were young. Then you were naked and you lay in your blood.
v23 How terrible! How terrible it will be for you, says the *LORD your King. You did all these evil things. v24 Also, you built yourself a platform and you made a high place in every street. v25 You built these places of *worship at the start of every street. You showed your beauty in a disgusting way. You offered to have sex with all who passed by. So, you increased your *sins. v26 You also had sex with the *Egyptians. They were your neighbours and partners in *sins of sex. You did more and more of these *sins in order to make me angry. v27 I lifted my hand to punish you and I took away some of your country. I handed you over to the *Philistines, who hated you. They were ashamed of your wicked behaviour. v28 You also had sex with the *Assyrians because you could not be *satisfied. Even after you had sex with them, you still were not *satisfied. v29 You had more sex with Babylonia, the nation of merchants. But even this did not satisfy you.
v30 You are such a weak person, says the *LORD your King. You do all these things, as a woman who is a *prostitute. v31 You built your places to *worship gods at the start of every street. You made your high places in every square in the city. But, when you did these things, you were not behaving like a *prostitute. Nobody paid you to do these things.
v32 So you are like a wife who is guilty of wrong sex. You desire strange men rather than your own husband. v33 Men pay *prostitutes. But you pay all your lovers to come to you. And they come from many places to have sex with you. v34 So, you are different from other women who sell their bodies for sex. Men do not ask you for sex. You pay them money to have sex with you. You do not ask them to pay you. Yes, you are different.’
Verse 15 God had told the people in *Israel that they must obey him. And he warned them about the results if they did not follow his law. God gave them the country that he had promised to them. They received all these benefits but then they refused to obey God. They were behaving like a woman who is proud about her own beauty. And they forgot that God had given all those beautiful things to them. From the time of Solomon, the nation *turned away from God. They began to *worship all the gods of the other countries. They were not loyal to God. They were like a wife who has sex with many other men.
Verses 16-22 On the high places, the *Israelites built *altars to the foreign gods. They made images of these gods, which they put on the high places. They made these gods beautiful. There they *worshipped the gods. Such *worship is like sex with other men. The *Lord acted as *Israel’s husband. But the *Israelites were like *prostitutes when they *worshipped false gods.
God had given so much to them. But they took what God gave to them. And they used his gifts to *worship foreign gods.
Worst of all, they gave their children as gifts to the false gods. There was the *worship of the god called Molech. In this *worship, they had to kill children. Then they burned the bodies in front of the false god.
*Israel was behaving like a woman who had forgotten (neglected totally) her relationship with her husband. In other words, *Israel had forgotten her (*Israel’s) God. She (*Israel) had forgotten what he had done for her. She did not remember how he rescued her. All that she had was the result of the kindness of God. And now she gave it all to the false gods.
Verses 23-25 The *Israelites built high places on every street corner. They made these for all the false gods of their neighbours (in other words, the countries that were near *Israel). A *prostitute offers herself to the men that pass by. So, the people in *Israel offered themselves to the foreign gods. They got worse and worse in their wicked behaviour.
The *Lord had warned them not to *worship other gods. They did not obey him. He would punish them and it would be terrible.
Verses 26-29 *Israel should have trusted God for security. But the nation did not. Instead, Jeroboam and other kings *turned to Egypt for help. This made God very angry. To punish *Israel, he sent the *Philistines to oppose *Israel. The *Philistines defeated the *Israelites and took some of the land. This should have caused *Israel to change but it did not. *Israel continued to trust in other nations and not in the *Lord God.
When it suited *Israel, the nation *turned to Assyria. This happened when Ahab and Manasseh ruled in *Israel. After this, *Israel *turned to the *Babylonians. Each time *Israel took their culture and their gods. The *Israelites tried to mix their religions with the *worship of the real God. But we can never mix good and bad things. We cannot *worship and serve the real God and false gods (Matthew 6:24).
Verses 30-34 The *Lord told *Israel that she (*Israel) was weak and foolish. She did not love the *Lord God. Like a wife who is not loyal, she *turned to other gods. It is normal for a *prostitute to receive gifts or money for sex. But *Israel had to pay the nations to come to her. She sent gold and silver to Assyria and to Egypt. The *Babylonians took all the gold from the *temple. She tried to get help from them but they all became her enemies.
Her (*Israel’s) affairs with the nations did not achieve what she wanted. They could not satisfy her. To God she was guilty and without excuse.
(4) The *Lord will punish Jerusalem – Ezekiel 16:35-43
v35 ‘Therefore, you *prostitute, hear what the *LORD says to you. v36 This is what the *LORD your King says. You poured out your evil acts like water. You took off your clothes and you had sex with your lovers. You were naked in front of your false gods, which I hate. You killed your children and you offered their blood to your gods. v37 So I will gather all your lovers whom you enjoyed. I will gather all those whom you loved. And I will gather all those whom you hated. I will strip off your clothes and let them see you naked. v38 I will punish you as a wife guilty of sex with other men. I will punish you because you are guilty of murder. I am so angry with you. And I will put you to death because you have not been loyal to me. v39 I will hand you over to your lovers. They will tear down your platforms and they will destroy your high places. They will strip you of your clothes and they will take your beautiful things. They will leave you naked and bare. v40 They will bring a crowd against you. These people will throw stones at you. They will cut you into pieces with their swords. v41 They will burn down your houses. They will punish you in front of many women. So I shall stop you; and you will never be a *prostitute again. You will never again pay lovers to have sex with you. v42 Then my anger against you will end. I will not still worry that I will lose you. I will be quiet and not angry.
v43 You did not remember the days of your youth. But you made me angry about all these things. Therefore, I will punish you. I will make you suffer because of all your deeds, says the *LORD your King. You added *sins of sex to all your other acts which I hate.’
Verses 35-43 *Israel had chosen to follow the wicked behaviour of the other nations. So, she (*Israel) gave herself to them. It was as if she handed herself over to them. She had followed their wicked behaviour and she served their gods. So, God would use those nations to punish her. They would strip her bare of all her valuable things. They would destroy all the high places. They would burn her houses. People would know that this punishment was from God. *Israel acted like a wife who is not loyal to her husband. She (*Israel) had left her God and *turned to many false gods. All the people will know about her *sins. And they will see her punishment.
In *Israel, the people would punish a wife who was guilty of these *sins. They would strip her of her clothes in public. Then they would throw stones at her until she died (Leviticus 20:10; John 8:5).
The first part of this punishment happened when the *Assyrians destroyed the northern part of *Israel in 722 *BC. They took away the people from *Israel. The *Babylonians carried out the punishment of Judah. They attacked Jerusalem in the year 586 *BC. They took most of the people who were still alive to Babylon. Their families were in *exile there for 70 years.
After this, the *Israelites will *turn again to their God. His anger will end and he will accept them. They will never follow the false gods of the nations again.
(5) Jerusalem is like Samaria and Sodom – Ezekiel 16:44-58
v44 ‘People who use words of wise men will say this about you, “Like mother, like daughter.” v45 You are the daughter of your mother. She hated her husband and her children. You are the sister of your sisters. They hated their husbands and their children. Your mother was a *Hittite and your father was an *Amorite. v46 Your older sister is Samaria. She lived north of you with her daughters. Your younger sister is Sodom. She lived south of you with her daughters. v47 You followed their manner of life and their wicked customs. Soon you were worse than they were in all your deeds. v48 The *LORD your King who lives declares this: Your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done.
v49 I will show you the *sin of your sister Sodom and her daughters. They were proud and they had plenty of food. They lived in great comfort. But they did not help poor people or those who needed help. v50 They were proud. And they did things that I hate in front of me. I saw what they did. So, I removed them. v51 Samaria did not do half the *sins that you do. You have done more disgusting things than they did. Because of all your evil deeds, your sisters seem to be good when I compare them to you. v52 You will suffer much shame. By your wicked deeds, you have provided an excuse for your sisters. They are better than you are. Your *sins were even more terrible than theirs were. You should be ashamed. When I compare you with your sisters, they seem to be good.
v53 But I will give back to Sodom and her daughters the good things that they once had. And I will give back to Samaria and her daughters the good things that they once had. And I will bring you back again. I will give to you the good things that you once had. v54 Then you will be ashamed for all the things that you have done. You even give comfort to your sisters in their *sins. v55 Your sisters, Sodom and Samaria with their daughters, will return to what they were before. You and your daughters will also return to what you were before. v56 You were too proud to speak about your sister Sodom. v57 But that changed when I showed up your evil behaviour. Now the *Edomite women and their neighbours insult you and they joke about you. The *Philistine women and all who are about you hate you. v58 You must suffer for your disgusting *sins and for all the deeds that I hate. The *LORD has spoken.’
Verses 44-48 The *Lord shows that Jerusalem (or Judah) was worse than Sodom and Samaria (*Israel).
After King Solomon, *Israel divided into two nations. The 10 *tribes of *Israel to the north became *Israel. The two *tribes that remained loyal to King Rehoboam became Judah. It is confusing that both Judah and *Israel are part of *Israel. So, the term ‘the *Israelites’ refers to Judah and to all of the 12 *tribes of *Israel.
The *Hittites and the *Amorites were the people who were in the country called Canaan. The Sodomites (people from Sodom) and the *Israelites also had their origin in that country. That was where they began. The *Hittites and the *Amorites served many false gods. ‘Like mother like daughter’ meant that the daughters would be like their mothers. Therefore, Samaria, Sodom and Jerusalem *turned from God to many false gods.
Samaria (*Israel, which was to the north of Judah) is called the older sister. Samaria was larger and stronger than Judah was. Sodom (which was to the south of Judah) is called the younger sister. Sodom was smaller and not as strong.
God destroyed Sodom because Sodom was so wicked (Genesis chapter 19). The *Assyrians defeated Samaria (*Israel) and they took the people from their country. God had punished both Sodom and Samaria for the evil things that they had done. But Jerusalem (Judah) was now more wicked than either Sodom or Samaria.
Verses 49-50 The chief *sin of Sodom was that she (Sodom) was proud. She had all that she needed. She had an easy (comfortable) life. She thought that she was safe. But she did not think about poor people or those who needed help. To her wealth and luxury, she added sex. In Sodom, men had sex with men (Genesis 19:5). God hated such *sin so he destroyed Sodom.
Verses 51-52 Samaria (*Israel) *turned from God and served other gods. She (Samaria) had gone to the nations and she did not trust in God. Her *sins were so bad that God sent her away. But the *sins of Jerusalem (Judah) were twice as bad. She (Jerusalem) was so bad that her wicked sisters (Sodom and Samaria) seemed to be quite good. So, Jerusalem will suffer for what she (Jerusalem) has done. She did not learn from what happened to her sisters (Sodom and Samaria).
Verses 53-55 This is the only place in the Bible where the *Lord makes promises to Sodom. He makes similar promises to both Samaria and Jerusalem. God will bring the people back to Sodom, Samaria and Jerusalem. But before this, the *Lord will destroy Jerusalem as he had destroyed Sodom and Samaria.
When Jerusalem (Judah) was more wicked, it made Sodom and Samaria feel less guilty. So, Jerusalem’s evil deeds gave some comfort to them.
Verses 56-58 The people in Judah were too proud to speak well about Sodom. But now they knew that they were worse than Sodom. Because they were proud. they had spoken evil things against Sodom. Now their neighbours (the nations near Judah) spoke the same things against them. And they deserved all that the neighbours said.
Jerusalem could not avoid the punishment for its wicked behaviour.
(6) The *Lord will make a new agreement with Jerusalem – Ezekiel 16:59-63
v59 ‘This is what the *LORD your King says. I will do to you what you deserve. You hated the agreement that we had made. You promised to obey it but you did not do so. v60 But I will remember my agreement that I made with you. That was when you were young. I will make an agreement with you that will never end. v61 Then you will remember what you have done. You will feel ashamed when I return your sisters to you. I will give both your older sister and your younger sister to you. And they will be like daughters to you. But they will not have any part in my agreement with you. v62 So, I will make my agreement with you. And you will know that I am the *LORD. v63 I will forgive you for all the things that you have done. Then you will remember what you did. And you will be ashamed. You will not open your mouth again because of your shame. This is what the *LORD your King says.’
Verses 59-63 The *Israelites had made an agreement with God. They had promised to obey all that was in the agreement (Exodus 24:7). If they did well, God would show his kindness to them. If they did not obey, God would punish them. They promised to obey but they did not. So, God would punish them. He would do what was in the agreement.
God would not neglect to perform his promises in that agreement. But he will make a new one with his people. This new agreement will last for all time. God will forgive his people for all the evil things that they had done. Then they will know that he is the *Lord (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:8-13).
At that time, the people in Judah will remember what they had done. They will be ashamed of their past. They will accept their sisters, that is, Sodom and Samaria. But Sodom and Samaria will be as daughters rather than as sisters to Jerusalem.
sin ~ Sin means the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. People are called sinners because of their sins.
prostitute ~ a woman who receives payment when she offers her body for sex. There are also male prostitutes.
Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people and things.
LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to himself. It probably means ‘always God’. This name has a relationship with the special promises that God gave to his people.
Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people and things.
LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to himself. It probably means ‘always God’. This name has a relationship with the special promises that God gave to his people.
Amorite ~ a person from one of the ancient tribes that lived in the country called Canaan.
tribe ~ The Israelites were divided into the 12 families of the sons of Jacob. These families are the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel. Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah. However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
Hittite ~ a person from one of the ancient tribes that lived in the country called Canaan.
tribe ~ The Israelites were divided into the 12 families of the sons of Jacob. These families are the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel. Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah. However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.'umbilical cord ~ that which joins a baby to its mother; someone must cut it after the birth.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel. Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah. However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
glory ~ great honour and beauty.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
incense ~ something that gives a sweet smell when it burns. The priests burned it when they praised God in the temple.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God or other gods. The Jews had one in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
sin ~ Sin means the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. People are called sinners because of their sins.
Egyptian ~ a person from the nation called Egypt or anything that has a relationship with Egypt.
Philistine ~ a person from the nation called Philistia or anything that has a relationship with that nation.
Assyrians ~ a person from the nation called Assyria or anything that has a relationship with Assyria.
satisfied ~ content; a description of a person who has had enough of something.
turn ~ to change your behaviour, your friends, or your God; or, to carry out actions in order to oppose someone.
altar ~ the special table where people burn animals or offer other gifts to God or to false gods.
Babylonian ~ a person from the nation called Babylon or anything that has a relationship with Babylon.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God or other gods. The Jews had one in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God.
worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false god). When people praise and thank God.
Jews ~ another name for the Israelites.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.
BC ~ years before Christ was born.
exile ~ When people have to live in a foreign country they are in exile. Such a person is called an exile.
Edomite ~ a person from the nation called Edom or anything that has a relationship with Edom.
tribe ~ The Israelites were divided into the 12 families of the sons of Jacob. These families are the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people whose ancestors are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel. Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah. However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.
ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has come.