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Commentary on Ezekiel 16 verses 6–14
In there verses we have an account of the great things which God did for the Jewish nation in raising them up by degrees to be very considerable. 1. God saved them from the ruin they were upon the brink of in Egypt (Eze 16:6): "When I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thy own blood, loathed and abandoned, and appointed to die, as sheep for the slaughter, then I said unto thee, Live. I designed thee for life when thou wast doomed to destruction, and resolved to save thee from death." Those shall live to whom God commands life. God looked upon the world of mankind as thus cast off, thus cast out, thus polluted, thus weltering in blood, and his thoughts towards it were thoughts of good, designing it life, and that more abundantly. By converting grace, he says to the soul, Live. 2. He looked upon them with kindness and a tender affection, not only pitied them, but set his love upon them, which was unaccountable, for there was nothing lovely in them; but I looked upon thee, and, behold, thy time was the time of love, Eze 16:8. It was the kindness and love of God our Saviour that sent Christ to redeem us, that sends the Spirit to sanctify us, that brought us out of a state of nature into a state of grace. That was a time of love indeed, distinguishing love, when God manifested his love to us, and courted our love to him. Then was I in his eyes as one that found favour, Sol 8:10. 3. He took them under his protection: "I spread my skirt over thee, to shelter thee from wind and weather, and to cover thy nakedness, that the shame of it might not appear." Boaz spread his skirt over Ruth, in token of the special favour he designed her, Rut 3:9. God took them into his care, as an eagle bears her young ones upon her wings, Deu 32:11, Deu 32:12. When God owned them for his people, and sent Moses to Egypt to deliver them, which was an expression of the good-will of him that dwelt in the bush, then he spread his skirt over them. 4. He cleared them from the reproachful character which their bondage in Egypt laid them under (Eze 16:9): "Then washed I thee with water, to make thee clean, and anointed thee with oil, to make thee sweet and supple thee." All the disgrace of their slavery was rolled away when they were brought, with a high hand and a stretched-out arm, into the glorious liberty of the children of God. When God said, Israel is my son, my first-born - Let my people go, that they may serve me, that word, backed as it was with so many works of wonder, thoroughly washed away their blood; and when God led them under the convoy of the pillar of cloud and fire he spread his skirt over them. 5. He multiplied them and built them up into a people. This is here mentioned (Eze 16:7) before his spreading his skirt over them, because their numbers increased exceedingly while they were yet bond-slaves in Egypt. They multiplied as the bud of the field in spring time; they waxed great, exceedingly mighty, Exo 1:7. 20. Their breasts were fashioned when they were formed into distinct tribes and had officers of their own (Exo 5:19); their hair grew when they grew numerous, whereas they had been naked and bare, very few and therefore contemptible. 6. He admitted them into covenant with himself. See what glorious nuptials this poor forlorn infant is preferred to at last. How she is dignified who at first had scarcely her life given her for a prey: I swore unto thee and entered into covenant with thee. This was done at Mount Sinai: "when the covenant between God and Israel was sealed and ratified then thou becamest mine." God called them his people, and himself the God of Israel. Note, Those to whom God gives spiritual life he takes into covenant with himself; by that covenant they become his subjects and servants, which intimates their duty - his portion, his treasure, which intimates their privilege; and it is confirmed with an oath, that we might have strong consolation. 7. He beautified and adorned them. This maid cannot forget her ornaments, and she is gratified with abundance of them, Eze 16:10-13. We need not be particular in the application of these. Her wardrobe was well furnished with rich apparel; they had embroidered work to wear, shoes of fine badgers' skins, linen girdles, and silk veils, bracelets and necklaces, jewels and ear-rings, and even a beautiful crown, or coronet. Perhaps this may refer to the jewels and other rich goods which they took from the Egyptians, which might well be spoken of thus long after as a merciful circumstance of their deliverance, when it was spoken of long before, Gen 15:14. They shall come out with great substance. Or it may be taken figuratively for all those blessings of heaven which adorned both their church and state. In a little time they came to excellent ornaments, Eze 16:7. The laws and ordinances which God gave them were to them as ornaments of grace to the head and chains about the neck, Pro 1:9. God's sanctuary, which he set up among them, was a beautiful crown upon their head; it was the beauty of holiness. 8. He fed them with abundance, with plenty, with dainty: Thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil - manna, angels' food - honey out of the rock, oil out of the flinty rock. In Canaan they did eat bread to the full, the finest of the wheat, Deu 32:13, Deu 32:14. Those whom God takes into covenant with himself are fed with the bread of life, clothed with the robe of righteousness, adorned with the graces and comforts of the spirit. The hidden man of the heart is that which is incorruptible. 9. He gave them great reputation among their neighbours, and made them considerable, acceptable to their friends and allies and formidable to their adversaries: Thou didst prosper into a kingdom (Eze 16:13), which speaks both dignity and dominion; and, They renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty, Eze 16:14. The nations about had their eye upon them, and admired them for the excellent laws by which they were governed, the privilege they had of access to God, Deu 4:7, Deu 4:8. Solomon's wisdom, and Solomon's temple, were very much the renown of that nation; and, if we put all the privileges of the Jewish church and kingdom together, we must own that it was the most accomplished beauty of all the nations of the earth. The beauty of it was perfect; you could not name the thing that would be the honour of a people but it was to be found in Israel, in David's and Solomon's time, when that kingdom was in its zenith-piety, learning, wisdom, justice, victory, peace, wealth, and all sure to continue if they had kept close to God. It was perfect, saith God, through my comeliness which I had put upon thee, through the beauty of their holiness, as they were a people set apart for God, and devoted to him, to be to him for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory. It was this that put a lustre upon all their other honours and was indeed the perfection of their beauty. We may apply this spiritually. Sanctified souls are truly beautiful; they are so in God's sight, and they themselves may take the comfort of it. But God must have all the glory, for they were by nature deformed and polluted, and, whatever comeliness they have, it is that which God has put upon them and beautified them with, and he will be well pleased with the work of his own hands.
But see the mercy of God, see his extraordinary goodness. Even though Jerusalem was thrown into the open field, he does not look down on it as thrown out forever, he does not leave it in a state of perversion as entirely forgotten, as not in the end to lift up the fallen. You were thrown out, but I still return to you; my visit is not lacking after your ruin.”
When she is ready for marriage and her body is becoming beautiful, she did not have clothes to cover her, and she was not protected by the help of God. If people do not have clothing that Christ gives, they are naked; if people are not clothed inwardly with mercy, goodness, humility, chastity, gentleness and patience, they are cast on the earth, and their beauty is defiled in disorder and nudity.
(Verse 6, 7.) But passing by you, I saw you trampled in your own blood. And I said to you when you were in your own blood, live: I said to you, indeed, in your own blood, live. I made you multiply like the growth of the field, and you entered and came to womanhood. Your breasts swelled, and your hair grew: and you were naked and full of confusion. LXX: And I passed by you, and saw you mixed in your own blood, and I said to you, multiply your life from your blood, as I gave you growth like the plants of the field, and you multiplied, and you were magnified, and you entered into cities of cities. Your breasts were erect, and your hair was grown; but you were naked and full of shame. After you were cast down on the face of the field, or on the face of the earth, because of the wickedness of your soul, I no longer deserved to help you. Nevertheless, passing by, I saw you trampled upon, or mixed in your own blood, that is, guilty of mortal crimes. And I provoked you, granting you repentance, and said to you: Though you are in blood, nevertheless live in conversion; and there was such an abundance of all things in you, that you had the likeness of the most fertile land, and the blessing of Jacob, with which his father blessed him, saying: Behold the smell of my son is like the smell of a full field, which the Lord has blessed (Gen. XXVII, 27); and you would enter the inner chambers of the Lord, and say with the bride: The king brought me into his chamber (Cant. I, 3); and you would go to the world of women, for which the Seventy translated: and you entered into the cities of cities; so that just as the Song of Songs is called the world of worlds; so let cities be called the cities of cities. Concerning which it is said in the Gospel: You have authority over ten, or over five cities (Luke 19:17, 18): so that you may be called not only a city, but a metropolis city, according to what is read in Isaiah: Faithful mother of cities, Zion (Isaiah 1:26, 27). Moreover, what Symmachus interpreted, and you have reached the adornment of women, or as Theodotio, and you have entered the adornment of adornments, for which we have stated the Hebrew sense: and you have reached the world of women, it shows the time of puberty, when young girls are called marriageable, and can be united with the embrace of husbands. Finally it follows: your breasts have swelled, and your hair has grown. The maturity of young women is indicated by the swelling or raising of the breasts, and the growth of hair. And when she was prepared for marriage, and had the beauty of the body, she did not have the coverings of clothing, nor was she protected by the help of God. If anyone does not have the clothing of Christ, they are naked. If anyone is not clothed with the bowels of mercy, goodness, humility, modesty, meekness, patience, they lie face down on the ground: and their beauty is marred by shame and nakedness.
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SUMMARY
Ezekiel 16:6 presents a profound depiction of God's sovereign grace and life-giving power. In this pivotal verse, the Lord recounts His compassionate intervention when He discovered Jerusalem, symbolizing Israel, as an abandoned, newborn infant, utterly defiled and left to perish in its own birth blood. With an emphatic, repeated divine decree, "Live!", God initiates a miraculous transformation, rescuing the helpless and giving life where there was only death and pollution, thereby laying the foundational moment for His covenant relationship with His chosen people.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ezekiel 16:6 is rich in Allegory, where the abandoned infant represents Jerusalem/Israel, and God's actions symbolize His redemptive history with His people, particularly His unmerited grace in their formation. The verse employs vivid Imagery, particularly the graphic depiction of an unwashed newborn "polluted in thine own blood," which evokes a strong sense of revulsion, helplessness, and imminent death, making God's subsequent intervention all the more striking and miraculous. Repetition is a key rhetorical device, with the phrase "I said unto thee... Live" appearing twice, emphasizing the divine authority, life-giving power, and unwavering resolve of God's word. The repetition of "in thy blood" similarly underscores the depth of the initial defilement and the utterly unmerited nature of God's grace. This masterful use of Contrast between the state of death and pollution and the divine declaration of life powerfully highlights God's transformative power and His compassionate initiative.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ezekiel 16:6 is a foundational text for understanding God's unmerited grace and sovereign initiative in salvation. It profoundly illustrates that humanity, left to its own spiritual condition, is utterly helpless, defiled, and destined for spiritual death—a state from which it cannot rescue itself. God's act of "passing by" and commanding "Live!" demonstrates that salvation is not a response to human worthiness or effort, but a unilateral, compassionate decree stemming purely from His divine will and love. This verse serves as a powerful metaphor for the spiritual rebirth experienced by individuals, where God's life-giving word transforms a state of spiritual death and defilement into new life. It underscores the absolute dependence of all creation, and especially humanity, on the active, creative, and redemptive power of God, revealing a God who intervenes out of pure, unadulterated mercy.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ezekiel 16:6 offers profound comfort and challenge for believers today. It reminds us that our spiritual journey, indeed our very spiritual existence, began not with our striving or merit, but with God's compassionate gaze and His life-giving word. Just as the infant in the allegory was utterly helpless, so too were we spiritually dead in our trespasses and sins, unable to cleanse or save ourselves. This verse calls us to a deeper appreciation of the radical nature of God's grace, recognizing that every breath of spiritual life we possess is a direct result of His unmerited favor. It should foster profound humility, overwhelming gratitude, and a renewed commitment to living lives that honor the One who spoke life into our spiritual death. For those who have not yet heard or responded to God's life-giving call, it serves as a powerful invitation to recognize their desperate need and to trust in the God who gives life to the dead, for He alone possesses the power to transform utter defilement into vibrant existence.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "polluted in thine own blood" mean in this context?
Answer: In Ezekiel 16:6, "polluted in thine own blood" is a vivid and graphic metaphor describing the state of an abandoned newborn infant, unwashed and still covered in the blood and fluids of birth. It signifies a state of extreme defilement, utter helplessness, and imminent death due to neglect. Theologically, it represents Jerusalem (and by extension, Israel) in its original, pagan, and spiritually dead condition, devoid of any inherent merit or means to save itself, completely dependent on God's intervention. It underscores the depth of their spiritual uncleanness before God's grace, highlighting the desperate state from which only divine intervention could rescue them.
Why is the command "Live!" repeated twice?
Answer: The repetition of the divine command "Live!" (Hebrew: châyâh) serves to emphasize the absolute authority, power, and certainty of God's word. It is not a mere wish or suggestion, but a creative decree that brings forth life out of death. The doubling of the phrase highlights the miraculous nature of this act and underscores God's sovereign will and determination to give life to that which was destined for destruction. It's a powerful declaration of divine purpose and life-giving intervention, mirroring the creative power of God's word seen throughout Scripture, such as in Genesis 1 where God speaks creation into being.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ezekiel 16:6 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Just as God found Israel in a state of utter defilement and spiritual death, unable to save herself, so too does humanity find itself spiritually dead in trespasses and sins, "polluted in its own blood" (Ephesians 2:1). The divine decree "Live!" spoken by God in Ezekiel's vision foreshadows the life-giving power of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection. Jesus, as the incarnate Word of God, is the one who speaks life into spiritual death, declaring to those who believe in Him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life" (John 5:24). He is the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), whose shed blood cleanses us from all defilement, transforming us from a state of spiritual death to new life in Him (1 John 1:7). Through Christ, the divine "Live!" becomes a reality for all who are "born again" (John 3:3), receiving new life not by their own merit, but by the sovereign, unmerited grace of God, culminating in the promise of eternal life for all who believe.