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Commentary on Ezekiel 16 verses 1–5
1 ¶ Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.
4 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
5 None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.
Ezekiel is now among the captives in Babylon; but, as Jeremiah at Jerusalem wrote for the use of the captives though they had Ezekiel upon the spot with them (ch. 29), so Ezekiel wrote for the use of Jerusalem, though Jeremiah himself was resident there; and yet they were far from looking upon it as an affront to one another's help both by preaching and writing. Jeremiah wrote to the captives for their consolation, which was the thing they needed; Ezekiel here is directed to write to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for their conviction and humiliation, which was the thing they needed.
I. This is his commission (Eze 16:2): "Cause Jerusalem to know her abominations (that is, her sins); set them in order before her." Note, 1. Sins are not only provocations which God is angry at, but abominations which he hates, as contrary to his nature, and which we ought to hate, Jer 44:4. 2. The sins of Jerusalem are in a special manner so. The practice of profaneness appears most odious in those that make a profession of religion. 3. Though Jerusalem is a place of great knowledge, yet she is loth to know her abominations; so partial are men in their own favour that they are hardly made to see and own their own badness, but deny it, palliate or extenuate it. 4. It is requisite that we should know our sins, that we may confess them, and may justify God in what he brings upon us for them. 5. It is the work of ministers to cause sinners, sinners in Jerusalem, to know their abominations, to set before them the glass of the law, that in it they may see their own deformities and defilements, to tell them plainly of their faults. Thou art the man.
II. That Jerusalem may be made to know her abominations, and particularly the abominable ingratitude she had been guilty of, it was requisite that she should be put in mind of the great things God had done for her, as the aggravations of her bad conduct towards him; and, to magnify those favours, she is in these verses made to know the meanness and baseness of her original, from what poor beginnings God raised her, and how unworthy she was of his favour and of the honour he had put upon her. Jerusalem is here put for the Jewish church and nation, which is here compared to an outcast child, base-born and abandoned, which the mother herself has no affection nor concern for. 1. The extraction of the Jewish nation was mean: "Thy birth is of the land of Canaan (Eze 16:3); thou hadst from the very first the spirit and disposition of a Canaanite." The patriarchs dwelt in Canaan, and they were there but strangers and sojourners, had no possession, no power, not one foot of ground of their own but a burying-place. Abraham and Sarah were indeed their father and mother, but they were only inmates with the Amorites and Hittites, who, having the dominion, seemed to be as parents to the seed of Abraham, witness the court Abraham made to the children of Seth (Gen 23:4, Gen 23:8), the dependence they had upon their neighbours the Canaanites, and the fear they were in of them, Gen 13:7; Gen 34:30. If the patriarchs, at their first coming to Canaan, had conquered it, and made themselves masters of it, this would have put an honour upon their family and would have looked great in history; but, instead of that, they went from one nation to another (Psa 105:13), as tenants from one farm to another, almost as beggars from one door to another, when they were but few in number, yea, very few. And yet this was not the worst; their fathers had served other gods in Ur of the Chaldees (Jos 24:2); even in Jacob's family there were strange gods, Gen 35:2. Thus early had they a genius leading them to idolatry; and upon this account their ancestors were Amorites and Hittites. 2. When they first began to multiply their condition was really very deplorable, like that of a new-born child, which must of necessity die from the womb if the knees prevent it not, Job 3:11, Job 3:12. The children of Israel, when they began to increase into a people and became considerable, were thrown out from the country that was intended for them; a famine drove them thence. Egypt was the open field into which they were cast; there they had no protection or countenance from the government they were under, but, on the contrary, were ruled with rigour, and their lives embittered; they had no encouragement given them to build up their families, no help to build up their estates, no friends or allies to strengthen their interests. Joseph, who had been the shepherd and stone of Israel, was dead; the king of Egypt, who should have been kind to them for Joseph's sake, set himself to destroy this man-child as soon as it was born (Rev 12:4), ordered all the males to be slain, which, it is likely, occasioned the exposing of many as well as Moses, to which perhaps the similitude here has reference. The founders of nations and cities had occasion for all the arts and arms they were masters of, set their heads on work, by policies and stratagems, to preserve and nurse up their infant states. Tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem - So vast were the efforts requisite to the establishment of the Roman name. Virgil. But the nation of Israel had no such care taken of it, no such pains taken with it, as Athens, Sparta, Rome, and other commonwealths had when they were first founded, but, on the contrary, was doomed to destruction, like an infant new-born, exposed to wind and weather, the navel-string not cut, the poor babe not washed, not clothed, no swaddled, because not pitied, Eze 16:4, Eze 16:5. Note, We owe the preservation of our infant lives to the natural pity and compassion which the God of nature has put into the hearts of parents and nurses towards new-born children. This infant is said to be cast out, to the loathing of her person; it was a sign that she was loathed by those that bore her, and she appeared loathsome to all that looked upon her. The Israelites were an abomination to the Egyptians, as we find Gen 43:32; Gen 46:34. Some think that this refers to the corrupt and vicious disposition of that people from their beginning: they were not only the weakest and fewest of all people (Deu 7:7), but the worst and most ill-humoured of all people. God giveth thee this good land, not for thy righteousness, for thou art a stiff-necked people, Deu 9:6. And Moses tells them there (Eze 16:24), You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you. They were not suppled, nor washed, nor swaddled; they were not at all tractable or manageable, nor cast into any good shape. God took them to be his people, not because he saw any thing in them inviting or promising, but so it seemed good in his sight. And it is a very apt illustration of the miserable condition of all the children of men by nature. As for our nativity, in the day that we were born we were shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin, our understandings darkened, our minds alienated from the life of God, polluted with sin, which rendered us loathsome in the eyes of God. Marvel not then that we are told, You must be born again.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–5. Public domain.
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Commentary on Ezekiel
(Chapter 16, Verses 1, 2.) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, make known the abominations of Jerusalem and say: Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem. LXX: And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, testify against Jerusalem for her iniquities, and say to her: Thus says the Lord God. In which the brief summary of each prophecy was, we have included the entire chapter, immediately following as it seemed to us. However, because this discourse is directed to Jerusalem, testifying and teaching about the sins it has committed; and it extends nearly to the number of two hundred verses, to that place where it is written: 'When I am appeased by you for all that you have done,' says the Lord God, we must divide every prophecy into parts; and we must adapt proper explanations to those things which we have proposed. Under the person of a prostitute woman who was first joined to the company of men, Jerusalem is intertwined with birth, and upbringing, and puberty, and marriage, and adultery, and divorce, and again reinstatement; so that the mercy and judgement of the husband, and the crimes of the adulteress and prostitute may be known, while after all punishments, he raises for her an eternal covenant: that she may remember her iniquity, and be confounded, and may no longer have the courage to speak because of her shame, when he has been appeased by her for all that she has done. For it is very beneficial for sinners to know what they have done. Thus, the repentant one speaks: For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me (Psalm 50:4). However, Jerusalem can be understood in four ways: Either as that which was burned with the fire of the Babylonians and Romans; or as the celestial city of the first ones; or as the Church, which is interpreted as the vision of peace; or as the souls of individuals who, through faith, see God. And that which many think should be interpreted as the celestial Jerusalem, the Church does not accept, lest we be compelled to include in it all the ruins and torments of the heavenly powers, as well as the restoration to their original state, that are woven into the present prophecy.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Ezekiel 16:1 serves as a foundational introductory statement, signaling the commencement of a new, profound divine oracle within the book of Ezekiel. This brief but potent verse, characteristic of prophetic literature, unequivocally establishes the immediate and direct divine origin of the challenging message that follows, emphasizing that the subsequent detailed allegory concerning Jerusalem's spiritual unfaithfulness is not a human construct but an authoritative, unadulterated revelation from the LORD Himself.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 16:1 primarily employs a Prophetic Formula. This recurring linguistic pattern ("the word of the LORD came unto me, saying") serves as a formal and authoritative declaration, immediately signaling to the audience that what follows is divinely inspired and carries the full weight of God's own voice. This device establishes the prophet's Authority and the message's Divine Origin, ensuring the audience understands the gravity and truthfulness of the revelation. The use of "Again" further suggests Repetition of this divine encounter, reinforcing the continuous nature of God's communication with His chosen messenger and preparing the reader for another significant pronouncement. It also subtly employs Anticipation, as the formula creates a profound sense of expectation for the often challenging, yet always truthful, message that is about to unfold.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 16:1 profoundly underscores the active, personal, and communicative nature of God, who consistently speaks to His people, even in judgment and exile. It establishes the bedrock principle of divine revelation, affirming that the truths conveyed through the prophets are not human inventions or philosophical musings, but direct, authoritative messages from the Creator of the universe. This verse sets the stage for understanding the entire prophetic corpus as God's ongoing dialogue with humanity, revealing His character, His will, and His unwavering covenant faithfulness, even when met with human unfaithfulness. It highlights the critical role of the prophet as a divinely appointed messenger, a conduit for God's truth, and emphasizes the imperative for humanity to listen and respond with reverence and obedience to God's spoken word.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Though a brief introductory verse, Ezekiel 16:1 carries immense theological and spiritual weight for contemporary believers. It serves as a powerful reminder that God is a speaking God, actively engaged with His creation and persistent in communicating His truth and His will. Just as He spoke directly to Ezekiel in a time of profound national crisis and spiritual apostasy, He continues to speak to us today through His inspired Word, the Bible. This calls us to cultivate a posture of attentive listening and reverent submission to Scripture, recognizing that within its sacred pages lies the authoritative "word of the LORD." This verse challenges us to approach God's Word not as mere human literature or a collection of ancient stories, but as divine revelation, capable of confronting, comforting, transforming, and guiding our lives. It encourages us to be prepared for the often uncomfortable truths that God's word may reveal about our own spiritual condition, just as the subsequent allegory in Ezekiel 16 would expose Jerusalem's deep-seated unfaithfulness and idolatry. Our spiritual health, growth, and obedience are inextricably linked to our willingness to hear and obey the voice of God, trusting implicitly in His wisdom and sovereign plan.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is the phrase "Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying" so common in prophetic books?
Answer: This phrase, or a close variation, is a foundational prophetic formula used to establish the divine origin and unquestionable authority of the message that follows. It serves several crucial purposes: it authenticates the prophet as a genuine messenger of God, distinguishing the divine message from human opinion or speculation; it emphasizes the direct, personal, and undeniable nature of God's communication to His chosen servant; and it signals to the audience that a new, authoritative revelation is about to be delivered, demanding their full attention. The "Again" part specifically indicates a recurring pattern of God's active and consistent engagement with His chosen prophet, reinforcing the continuous nature of divine revelation during that historical period. It is, in essence, God's emphatic declaration: "Pay attention, this is not from me, but directly from God!" This formula is seen throughout books like Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Hosea, underscoring the consistent manner in which God revealed His will and purposes to His people.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Ezekiel 16:1 directly announces a specific prophetic oracle, it points to a profound Christ-centered fulfillment by highlighting the very nature of God's communication with humanity. The "word of the LORD" ultimately finds its most perfect, complete, and final embodiment in the person of Jesus Christ, who is Himself the living Word of God. As John 1:1-3 majestically declares, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made." Jesus is not merely a messenger of God's word, but the very personification of it, the ultimate and climactic revelation of God to humanity. Hebrews 1:1-2 beautifully articulates this progression from prophetic revelation to incarnate truth: "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world." Thus, every instance of "the word of the LORD" coming to a prophet in the Old Testament foreshadows the coming of the Incarnate Word, through whom God's message of salvation, reconciliation, and eternal life is fully and finally delivered, culminating in the glorious gospel message of John 3:16.