Ezekiel 16:37

Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all [them] that thou hast loved, with all [them] that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.

Behold, therefore I will gather {H6908} all thy lovers {H157}, with whom thou hast taken pleasure {H6149}, and all them that thou hast loved {H157}, with all them that thou hast hated {H8130}; I will even gather {H6908} them round about {H5439} against thee, and will discover {H1540} thy nakedness {H6172} unto them, that they may see {H7200} all thy nakedness {H6172}.

therefore, look! I am going to gather all your lovers, to whom you have been so very nice, all the ones you hate right along with all the ones you love - I will gather them against you from all over the place and expose your private parts to them, so that they will see you completely naked.

therefore I will surely gather all the lovers with whom you found pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose you before them, and they will see you completely naked.

therefore behold, I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them against thee on every side, and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.

Ezekiel 16:37 (KJV) stands as a powerful declaration of divine judgment against Jerusalem, personified throughout the chapter as an unfaithful wife or harlot. This verse vividly portrays God's intent to expose her shame and bring about her downfall through those very nations with whom she had illicitly allied herself or against whom she had expressed animosity.

Context

Chapter 16 of Ezekiel is one of the most extended and dramatic allegories in the Bible, detailing God's relationship with Jerusalem. It begins with God finding Jerusalem as an abandoned infant, raising her, adorning her with splendor, and entering into a solemn covenant relationship with her. However, Jerusalem, despite God's lavish grace, became prideful and turned to widespread idolatry and reliance on foreign alliances (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon) for security, which God viewed as spiritual prostitution. Verses 35-39 describe the impending judgment for this profound unfaithfulness, where God declares He will gather her former "lovers" (allies) and "haters" (enemies) to expose her disgrace and execute punishment.

Key Themes

  • Divine Judgment: The verse emphasizes God's active role in bringing about the consequences of Israel's sin. It is not merely a natural outcome but a direct, punitive action from the Lord.
  • Spiritual Adultery: The core accusation against Jerusalem is her unfaithfulness to God, depicted as prostitution or adultery with other nations and their idols. This verse is a direct result of that spiritual harlotry.
  • Exposure of Shame: The phrase "discover thy nakedness" signifies public humiliation and complete disgrace. In ancient cultures, public nakedness was the ultimate form of shame and vulnerability, often inflicted upon conquered enemies or unfaithful women. God promises to strip Jerusalem of her false glory and expose her true, sinful state before the very nations she sought to impress or manipulate.
  • Consequences of Alliance: The "lovers" and "haters" represent the foreign powers (like Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Philistia) with whom Jerusalem made treaties or fought. God will use these very nations—both those she trusted and those she opposed—as instruments of her judgment, demonstrating the futility and danger of relying on human alliances over divine faithfulness.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew phrase translated "discover thy nakedness" is gillâh 'ervâh (גִּלָּה עֶרְוָה). This idiom literally means "uncover nakedness" and carries strong connotations of sexual shame, disgrace, and exposure of vulnerability. In a legal or social context, it often referred to illicit sexual relations or the public shaming of a prostitute. Here, it is used metaphorically to describe Jerusalem's spiritual and political exposure and humiliation before the eyes of the world, revealing the depth of her moral depravity and the justness of God's wrath.

Practical Application

Ezekiel 16:37 serves as a powerful reminder of the serious nature of our covenant with God. For believers today, this verse underscores:

  • The Seriousness of Spiritual Unfaithfulness: Just as Jerusalem was called to be exclusively devoted to God, believers are called to undivided loyalty to Christ. Any form of idolatry—whether worshiping physical idols, money, power, or even self—is a form of spiritual unfaithfulness that carries severe consequences.
  • God's Justice: While God is merciful and long-suffering, He is also just. There are consequences for persistent rebellion and unfaithfulness. This verse highlights that God will not allow sin to go unpunished indefinitely.
  • The Danger of Worldly Alliances: Jerusalem's reliance on foreign nations rather than God ultimately led to her downfall. Similarly, when we seek security, significance, or satisfaction in worldly systems, philosophies, or relationships instead of in God, we set ourselves up for disappointment and exposure.
  • Humility and Repentance: The exposure of nakedness implies a stripping away of pride and self-sufficiency. It calls for genuine humility and a turning back to God in repentance, recognizing that true honor and security come only from Him. 1 John 1:9 speaks to the path of confession and forgiveness.
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.

  • Hosea 2:3

    Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.

  • Hosea 2:10

    And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.

  • Jeremiah 13:22

    ¶ And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, [and] thy heels made bare.

  • Revelation 17:16

    And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

  • Hosea 8:10

    Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.

  • Lamentations 1:8

    Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.

  • Ezekiel 23:9

    Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.

Add TrulyRandomVerse to your Home Screen for quick access!

← Back