Ezekiel 16

Ezekiel 16 belongs to the oracles of judgment delivered before the fall of Jerusalem (chapters 1–24). The preceding chapter, Ezekiel 15, likens Jerusalem to a vine fit only for fuel. Chapter 16 develops that theme by depicting Jerusalem's history as the life story of a woman. With 63 verses, it is the longest chapter in Ezekiel.

Outline

• Verses 1–5 Jerusalem's origin is in Canaan; her father was an Amorite and her mother a Hittite. On the day she was born she received no care and was cast out into the open field.
• Verses 6–14 The LORD passes by and says to her while she lies in her blood, "Live." He causes the child to grow, swears an oath to her, and enters into a covenant with her. He then washes and adorns her and raises her to the rank of queen.
• Verses 15–22 Trusting in her own beauty, Jerusalem plays the harlot. From the garments and ornaments she was given she makes high places and idols, and she burns her children as offerings to idols.
• Verses 23–34 She builds lofty places at the head of every street and commits harlotry with Egypt, Assyria, and Chaldea. Because she receives no hire but instead pays her lovers, she is rebuked as worse than a harlot.
• Verses 35–43 Judgment is pronounced. God declares that He will gather her lovers to strip Jerusalem naked, stone her, and thrust her through with swords.
• Verses 44–52 The proverb "As is the mother, so is her daughter" is quoted. Her elder sister is Samaria and her younger sister is Sodom, and Jerusalem's sins are said to exceed theirs.
• Verses 53–58 God declares that He will bring back the captivity of Sodom, Samaria, and Jerusalem and restore them to their former estate.
• Verses 59–63 Although Jerusalem has broken the covenant, God will remember the covenant He made with her in the days of her youth and will establish an everlasting covenant. Once forgiven, Jerusalem will be so ashamed that she will never again open her mouth.

Key Verses

• Ezekiel 16:6 "When thou wast in thy blood, Live" (rendered in Korean Bibles as "Though you are covered in blood, live"; the Revised Korean Version reads "Though you are covered in blood, remain alive"): frequently cited as an expression of God's grace in rescuing an abandoned life.
• Ezekiel 16:49 "Pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her … neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy": a verse describing the sin of Sodom.
• Ezekiel 16:60 "I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant": a verse promising restoration after judgment.

People and Places

• Jerusalem: portrayed in this chapter as both an abandoned infant and an unfaithful wife.
• Amorites and Hittites: ancient peoples of Canaan. The reference indicates that Jerusalem was originally a Gentile city.
• Samaria: the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, called Jerusalem's "elder sister."
• Sodom: a city destroyed in judgment (see Sodom and Gomorrah), called Jerusalem's "younger sister."
• Egypt, Assyria, Philistia, Aram: neighboring nations on which Jerusalem relied or which held her in contempt.
• Chaldea: the people who ruled Babylon, and their land.

Interpretive Considerations

• This chapter is an allegory, not an actual genealogy. The portrayal of the relationship between God and His people as a marriage also appears in Hosea and Ezekiel 23. Because the scenes in which the woman is stripped and punished are extremely harsh, modern interpreters debate how such language should be read.
• Verses 49–50 are frequently cited in debates over homosexuality and the church. Some argue on the basis of these verses that Sodom's sin was chiefly pride and indifference toward the poor. Others hold that the "abomination" mentioned in verse 50 refers to the events of Genesis 19.
• The everlasting covenant of verses 60–62 is read alongside the promise of the new covenant in Jeremiah 31 and is linked to the New Testament understanding of the new covenant.

In the Korean Church

The phrase in verse 6, "Though you are covered in blood, live," is frequently quoted in Korean church preaching. It is used chiefly to speak of God's grace in restoring life to those in despair.