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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
16:1-63 The Faithless Bride. This is both the most infamous passage in the book and also its longest single oracle. The infamy rests not only on the brutal violence it depicts but also on Ezekiel's shocking use of sexual language. On a general level, the meaning of the passage is clear: the infidelity of Jerusalem has brought upon it the just punishment of God. However, at the level of detail it is very complex, and the boundary between the metaphorical and the literal is sometimes difficult to discern. Some interpreters have also voiced concerns about the legitimization that might be given by this metaphorical description of the violent attacks by the adulteress's husband (vv. 37-42). Yet it must be remembered that this is an extended metaphor portraying God's judgment on the nation, and it is by no means intended as a pattern for any human punishment of adultery. Structurally, the passage divides into two large sections, plus a conclusion: vv. 1-43 follow the story of the abandoned child who became a bride; vv. 44-58 broaden the "family" to include two "sisters," Samaria and Sodom; and vv. 59-63 conclude both parts.
16:1-43 Jerusalem, the Foundling Bride. This oracle is an extended metaphor, and so its details cannot simply be equated with certain aspects of literal history. It moves through three phases as God speaks through the prophet:
16:1-14 As in ch. 15, the oracle focuses on the city of Jerusalem, and not "Israel" per se. This accounts for the seemingly unusual account of origins given in 16:3 and is the reason why the "sisters" in the second half of the chapter are also both cities. The first stage of the oracle depicts Jerusalem's helpless and hopeless state--except for the intervention of the passerby (who is God).
16:2 The instruction to deliver the oracle comes in quasi-legal language: make known carries overtones of "arraign" (cf. 20:4; also Job 13:23). On abominations, see note on Ezek. 7:3.
16:3 land of the Canaanites. Jerusalem's recorded history predates its takeover by David (2 Sam. 5:6-10) by centuries. The parentage of Amorite and Hittite joins together two of the pagan peoples inhabiting Canaan in pre-Israelite times (cf. Ex. 3:8, and the close joining of these names in Neh. 9:8).
16:4-5 cast out. Exposure clearly implies an unwanted birth and certain death. Ezekiel also describes the usual practice for welcoming a newborn. The reason for rubbing with salt is not understood, although the custom persists in some traditional cultures, in the belief that it is beneficial.
16:6 Blood is an important motif throughout Ezekiel's book. Usually it refers to violence, but here to life (cf. Gen. 9:4) and the discharge of birthing.
16:7 The narrative quickly moves from infancy to puberty. Still naked, she is vulnerable and in need of resources.
16:8 Now at a marriageable age, she is taken as a wife; spread . . . my garment signals intent to marry (cf. Ruth 3:9), and the covenant signifies the formal commitment (Mal. 2:14). The bonds are formed before the cleansing of Ezek. 16:9.
16:9 The cleansing actions here mirror those of v. 4, though now of an adult; blood therefore is menstrual issue.
16:10-13 Only after the covenant has been entered are the beautifying gifts given. This culminates in status as royalty (v. 13).
16:14 The first-person verbs in the preceding verses find their summation here, as God asserts that Jerusalem's renown (Hb. shem, "name") and beauty were entirely of his making (that I had bestowed).
16:15-34 God's address switches now to focus on the actions of his bride in response to his life-giving gifts. The passage is marked by inversions, initially signaled by the phrasing but you . . . beauty . . . renown in v. 15, literally reversing the terms of v. 14. Throughout these verses, the gifts given in vv. 10-13, which enhanced and beautified, successively become the means of Jerusalem diminishing and debasing herself. She thus alienates herself from her husband. Structurally, vv. 15-22 present the initial indictment, vv. 23-29 develop the political aspects of the metaphor, and vv. 30-34 summarize the inversions of Jerusalem's behavior.
16:15 played the whore. This language in the OT (Hb. zanah) usually refers to wanton sexual immorality. When used metaphorically of one's relationship with God, it brings connotations of depraved worship.
16:20-22 took your sons and your daughters . . . these you sacrificed. Cf. the accusation against Manasseh in 2 Kings 21:6 (cf. Jer. 7:31).
16:22 did not remember the days of your youth. The failed memory refers both to infancy (v. 4) and puberty (vv. 7, 9). This theme reappears later in the chapter: vv. 43, 60 (cf. 23:19; Eccles. 12:1).
16:23-29 Jerusalem's "whorings" included multiple partners, each involving a turn away from God. The Egyptians (v. 26) had been involved in Judean politics (2 Kings 23:31-35) and proved a perennial temptation for illicit political alliance (cf. Isa. 31:1), as did the Assyrians (Ezek. 16:28) at this point in Judah's history (see Jer. 2:18).
16:30-34 The summary pointedly accuses Jerusalem of being uniquely (v. 34) promiscuous, drawing together the two preceding metaphors. The marriage metaphor relates to infidelity and adultery, offending against exclusive loyalty at the heart of the covenant relationship. The prostitution metaphor relates to the multiplicity of partners, secured by inverting the client relationship. Both metaphors, then, represent reversals, with the second intensifying the offense of the first.
16:35-43 An important question for interpretation turns on how far the metaphors are carried into the punishments announced, and where literal razing of Jerusalem shapes this language. The because . . . therefore terms in vv. 36-37 (Hb. ya‘an . . . laken) and v. 43 (Hb. ya‘an . . . gam) structure the grounds and outcome of the accusation in two unequally weighted parts (vv. 36-42, 43). Adultery, along with other illicit sexual relationships, was one of a number of capital crimes in Israel's law, and so the announcement of execution here is not surprising. Other aspects of the punishments listed do not fit Israelite law so simply. It is unclear how stripping the culprit (v. 37) relates to adultery law. It seems rather to be a case of "poetic justice," returning Jerusalem to the naked estate in which she was found (vv. 4, 7-8). Nor does entrusting punishment to the illicit partners (vv. 39b-42) or dismemberment (v. 40) appear in biblical law. Here Ezekiel crosses over into the language of city destruction, made explicit in the mention of houses in v. 41. In all this, the supreme element in view is the offense against God, who remains responsible for judgment (vv. 37-39a, 43).
16:44-58 Jerusalem and Her Sisters. The second major block in this chapter aligns Jerusalem's crimes with those of two more cities. Jerusalem suffers in comparison with both "sisters." The structure parallels that of the preceding section, with metaphorical reminiscence (vv. 44-48) giving way to analysis (vv. 49-52) before divinely imposed outcomes are announced (vv. 53-58).
16:44-48 A history much like that of v. 3 is sketched (v. 45), and the "proverb" of v. 44 (see note on 12:21-25) may account for bringing the Hittite mother to the foreground. The relationships are different and more laterally focused now, with no mention of the husband-wife metaphor of the first half of the chapter.
16:49-52 Jerusalem's crimes exceed those of her sisters, but these now fall into the category of social justice (v. 49), beyond that of idolatry.
16:49 Sodom . . . did not aid the poor and needy. There were other sins as well (as narrated in Gen. 19:4-9; cf. Jude 7), but this is the sin that God chooses to highlight through Ezekiel's prophecy at this point (along with Sodom's pride, Ezek. 16:50).
16:53-58 Unlike the "outcome" of vv. 35-43 (which detailed punishment), here judgment is presupposed and a future restoration envisaged. Neither here nor in the conclusion of vv. 59-63 does future hope exclude shame. Restoring each to their former state (v. 55) puts Jerusalem on the same level as her "sisters" who have been similarly graced.
16:59-63 The Everlasting Covenant. The final brief passage of ch. 16 explicitly refers back both to the sections on the abandoned child (vv. 8 and 59, 22 and 60) and the "sisters" (vv. 45 and 61), drawing them together in one conclusion. The malleability of the metaphors can be seen in the sisters being given as daughters in v. 61. The everlasting covenant (Hb. berit ‘olam) of v. 60 finds parallels elsewhere in the OT, most significantly in 37:26 (cf. Isa. 61:8); also within the context of bringing back together the old kingdoms of north and south (cf. the hope expressed in Jer. 32:40).
