Ezekiel 16:21

That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through [the fire] for them?

That thou hast slain {H7819} my children {H1121}, and delivered {H5414} them to cause them to pass through {H5674} the fire for them?

killing my children, handing them over and setting them apart for [these idols]?

You slaughtered My children and delivered them up through the fire to idols.

that thou hast slain my children, and delivered them up, in causing them to pass through the fire unto them?

Context

Ezekiel chapter 16 presents a powerful and extended allegory, where God portrays Jerusalem (representing Judah and its people) as an unfaithful wife. Initially, God finds her as a helpless, abandoned infant, rescues her, raises her, and enters into a solemn covenant with her, adorning her with splendor. However, she then turns to spiritual harlotry, using God's blessings to worship pagan idols and make alliances with foreign nations. Verse 21 describes one of the most grievous sins committed by Jerusalem: the horrific practice of child sacrifice. The phrase "slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through [the fire] for them" directly refers to offering their own offspring as burnt offerings to pagan deities, most notably the Ammonite god Molech. This verse highlights the extreme depths of Israel's betrayal and spiritual depravity.

Key Themes

  • Abomination of Child Sacrifice: The verse underscores the unparalleled wickedness of offering human life, especially innocent children, to false gods. This act was a direct defiance of God's law and an affront to His holiness.
  • Breach of Covenant: Israel's actions represented a profound betrayal of their covenant relationship with God. The children were not just their own, but "my children" – God's children, given by Him and belonging to Him. Sacrificing them was an act of theft and severe abuse of God's blessings.
  • Divine Indignation: God's language here conveys His immense anger and sorrow over such practices. It illustrates His righteous judgment against those who disregard His commands and engage in such detestable acts.
  • Spiritual Adultery: In the broader context of Ezekiel 16, child sacrifice is presented as the ultimate act of spiritual harlotry, demonstrating how far Jerusalem had strayed from her devotion to the one true God.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "to cause them to pass through [the fire]" translates the Hebrew ha'avirām ba'esh (הַעֲבִירָם בָּאֵשׁ). While sometimes interpreted as merely passing children through flames as a dedication ritual, in the context of Canaanite worship and biblical condemnation, it consistently refers to the act of offering children as a burnt sacrifice. It was a euphemism for human sacrifice, often associated with the cult of Molech, implying a full offering and destruction by fire, not just a symbolic passage.

Related Scriptures

This practice was strictly forbidden under the Mosaic Law, deemed an abomination to the Lord (Leviticus 18:21, Deuteronomy 18:10). The prophet Jeremiah also frequently condemned this heinous act (Jeremiah 32:35), highlighting God's abhorrence. Psalm 106:37-38 laments that they "sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils."

Practical Application

Ezekiel 16:21 serves as a stark reminder of the ultimate consequences of spiritual idolatry and the depths of human sin when God is abandoned. While literal child sacrifice is rare today, the principle extends to any practice that devalues human life, especially the innocent and vulnerable, or places anything (ambition, wealth, pleasure, ideology) above God's will and the sanctity of His creation. It calls believers to examine their own lives for anything that takes the place of God, leading to the "sacrifice" of true values, relationships, or even spiritual well-being. The verse reaffirms God's profound care for His children and His absolute intolerance for practices that harm the innocent, urging us to uphold the sanctity of life and protect the most vulnerable among us.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • 2 Kings 17:17

    And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

  • 2 Kings 23:10

    And he defiled Topheth, which [is] in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.

  • Deuteronomy 18:10

    There shall not be found among you [any one] that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, [or] that useth divination, [or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

  • Psalms 106:37

    Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,

  • 2 Kings 21:6

    And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke [him] to anger.

  • Leviticus 20:1

    ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

  • Leviticus 20:5

    Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.

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