11 I decked H5710 thee also with ornaments, H5716 and I put H5414 bracelets H6781 upon thy hands, H3027 and a chain H7242 on thy neck. H1627
And it came to pass, as the camels H1581 had done H3615 drinking, H8354 that the man H376 took H3947 a golden H2091 earring H5141 of half a shekel H1235 weight, H4948 and two H8147 bracelets H6781 for her hands H3027 of ten H6235 shekels weight H4948 of gold; H2091
The chains, H5188 and the bracelets, H8285 and the mufflers, H7479
And I asked H7592 her, and said, H559 Whose daughter H1323 art thou? And she said, H559 The daughter H1323 of Bethuel, H1328 Nahor's H5152 son, H1121 whom Milcah H4435 bare H3205 unto him: and I put H7760 the earring H5141 upon her face, H639 and the bracelets H6781 upon her hands. H3027
And a voice H6963 of a multitude H1995 being at ease H7961 was with her: and with the men H582 of the common sort H7230 H120 were brought H935 Sabeans H5436 H5433 from the wilderness, H4057 which put H5414 bracelets H6781 upon their hands, H3027 and beautiful H8597 crowns H5850 upon their heads. H7218
The crown H5850 is fallen H5307 from our head: H7218 woe H188 unto us, that we have sinned! H2398
The four G5064 and G2532 twenty G1501 elders G4245 fall down G4098 before G1799 him that sat G2521 on G1909 the throne, G2362 and G2532 worship G4352 him that liveth G2198 for G1519 ever G165 and ever, G165 and G2532 cast G906 their G846 crowns G4735 before G1799 the throne, G2362 saying, G3004
And G2532 round about G2943 the throne G2362 were four G5064 and G2532 twenty G1501 seats: G2362 and G2532 upon G1909 the seats G2362 I saw G1492 four G5064 and G2532 twenty G1501 elders G4245 sitting, G2521 clothed G4016 in G1722 white G3022 raiment; G2440 and G2532 they had G2192 on G1909 their G846 heads G2776 crowns G4735 of gold. G5552
Fear G5399 none G3367 of those things which G3739 thou shalt G3195 suffer: G3958 behold, G2400 the devil G1228 shall G3195 cast G906 some of G1537 you G5216 into G1519 prison, G5438 that G2443 ye may be tried; G3985 and G2532 ye shall have G2192 tribulation G2347 ten G1176 days: G2250 be thou G1096 faithful G4103 unto G891 death, G2288 and G2532 I will give G1325 thee G4671 a crown G4735 of life. G2222
And I will visit H6485 upon her the days H3117 of Baalim, H1168 wherein she burned incense H6999 to them, and she decked H5710 herself with her earrings H5141 and her jewels, H2484 and she went H3212 after H310 her lovers, H157 and forgat H7911 me, saith H5002 the LORD. H3068
Then H116 commanded H560 Belshazzar, H1113 and they clothed H3848 Daniel H1841 with scarlet, H711 and put a chain H2002 of gold H1722 about H5922 his neck, H6676 and made a proclamation H3745 concerning H5922 him, that he should be H1934 the third H8531 ruler H7990 in the kingdom. H4437
And I H576 have heard H8086 of thee, H5922 that thou canst H3202 make H6590 interpretations, H6591 and dissolve H8271 doubts: H7001 now H3705 if H2006 thou canst H3202 read H7123 the writing, H3792 and make known H3046 to me the interpretation H6591 thereof, thou shalt be clothed H3848 with scarlet, H711 and have a chain H2002 of gold H1722 about H5922 thy neck, H6676 and shalt be the third H8531 ruler H7981 in the kingdom. H4437
The king H4430 cried H7123 aloud H2429 to bring H5954 in the astrologers, H826 the Chaldeans, H3779 and the soothsayers. H1505 And the king H4430 spake, H6032 and said H560 to the wise H2445 men of Babylon, H895 Whosoever H606 H3606 shall read H7123 this H1836 writing, H3792 and shew H2324 me the interpretation H6591 thereof, shall be clothed H3848 with scarlet, H711 and have a chain H2002 of gold H1722 about H5922 his neck, H6676 and shall be the third H8523 ruler H7981 in the kingdom. H4437
And the servant H5650 brought forth H3318 jewels H3627 of silver, H3701 and jewels H3627 of gold, H2091 and raiment, H899 and gave H5414 them to Rebekah: H7259 he gave H5414 also to her brother H251 and to her mother H517 precious things. H4030
Thou hast ravished my heart, H3823 my sister, H269 my spouse; H3618 thou hast ravished my heart H3823 with one H259 of thine eyes, H5869 with one H259 chain H6060 of thy neck. H6677
She shall give H5414 to thine head H7218 an ornament H3880 of grace: H2580 a crown H5850 of glory H8597 shall she deliver H4042 to thee.
Then came H935 there unto him all his brethren, H251 and all his sisters, H269 and all they that had been of his acquaintance H3045 before, H6440 and did eat H398 bread H3899 with him in his house: H1004 and they bemoaned H5110 him, and comforted H5162 him over all the evil H7451 that the LORD H3068 had brought H935 upon him: every man H376 also gave H5414 him a H259 piece of money, H7192 and every one H376 an earring H5141 of gold. H2091
And the king H4428 loved H157 Esther H635 above all the women, H802 and she obtained H5375 grace H2580 and favour H2617 in his sight H6440 more than all the virgins; H1330 so that he set H7760 the royal H4438 crown H3804 upon her head, H7218 and made her queen H4427 instead of Vashti. H2060
And Gideon H1439 said H559 unto them, I would desire H7592 a request H7596 of you, that ye would give H5414 me every man H376 the earrings H5141 of his prey. H7998 (For they had golden H2091 earrings, H5141 because they were Ishmaelites.) H3459
We have therefore brought H7126 an oblation H7133 for the LORD, H3068 what every man H376 hath gotten, H4672 of jewels H3627 of gold, H2091 chains, H685 and bracelets, H6781 rings, H2885 earrings, H5694 and tablets, H3558 to make an atonement H3722 for our souls H5315 before H6440 the LORD. H3068
And they came, H935 both H5921 men H582 and women, H802 as many as H3605 were willing H5081 hearted, H3820 and brought H935 bracelets, H2397 and earrings, H5141 and rings, H2885 and tablets, H3558 all jewels H3627 of gold: H2091 and every man H376 that offered H5130 offered an offering H8573 of gold H2091 unto the LORD. H3068
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Ezekiel 16
Commentary on Ezekiel 16 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 16
Still God is justifying himself in the desolations he is about to bring upon Jerusalem; and very largely, in this chapter, he shows the prophet, and orders him to show the people, that he did but punish them as their sins deserved. In the foregoing chapter he had compared Jerusalem to an unfruitful vine, that was fit for nothing but the fire; in this chapter he compares it to an adulteress, that, in justice, ought to be abandoned and exposed, and he must therefore show the people their abominations, that they might see how little reason they had to complain of the judgments they were under. In this long discourse are set forth,
Eze 16:1-5
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.
Eze 16:6-14
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.
Eze 16:15-34
In these verses we have an account of the great wickedness of the people of Israel, especially in worshipping idols, notwithstanding the great favours that God had conferred upon them, by which, one would think, they should have been for ever engaged to him. This wickedness of theirs is here represented by the lewd and scandalous conversation of that beautiful maid which was rescued from ruin, brought up and well provided for by a kind friend and benefactor, that had been in all respects as a father and a husband to her. Their idolatry was the great provoking sin that they were guilty of; it began in the latter end of Solomon's time (for from Samuel's till then I do not remember that we read any thing of it), and thenceforward continued more or less the crying sin of that nation till the captivity; and, though it now and then met with some check from the reforming kings, yet it was never totally suppressed, and for the most part appeared to a high degree impudent and barefaced. They not only worshipped the true God by images, as the ten tribes by the calves at Dan and Bethel, but they worshipped false gods, Baal and Moloch, and all the senseless rabble of the pagan deities.
This is that which is here all along represented (as often elsewhere) under the similitude of whoredom and adultery,
And now is not Jerusalem in all this made to know her abominations? For what greater abominations could she be guilty of than these? Here we may see with wonder and horror what the corrupt nature of men is when God leaves them to themselves, yea, though they have the greatest advantages to be better and do better. And the way of sin is down-hill. Nitimur in vetitum-We incline to what is forbidden.
Eze 16:35-43
Adultery was by the law of Moses made a capital crime. This notorious adulteress, the criminal at the bar, being in the foregoing verses found guilty, here has sentence passed upon her. It is ushered in with solemnity, v. 35. The prophet, as the judge, in God's name calls to her, O harlot! hear the word of the Lord. Our Saviour preached to harlots, for their conversion, to bring them into the kingdom of God, not as the prophet here, to expel them out of it. Note, An apostate church is a harlot. Jerusalem is so if she become idolatrous. How has the faithful city become a harlot! Rome is so represented in the Revelation, when it is marked for ruin, as Jerusalem here. Rev. 17:1, Come, and I will show thee the judgments of the great whore. Those who will not hear the commanding word of the Lord and obey it shall be made to hear the condemning word of the Lord and shall tremble at it. Let us attend while judgment is given.
Eze 16:44-59
The prophet here further shows Jerusalem her abominations, by comparing her with those places that had gone before her, and showing that she was worse than any of them, and therefore should, like them, be utterly and irreparably ruined. We are all apt to judge of ourselves by comparison, and to imagine that we are sufficiently good if we are but as good as such and such, who are thought passable; or that we are not dangerously bad if we are no worse than such and such, who, though bad, are not of the worst. Now God by the prophet shows Jerusalem,
Eze 16:60-63
Here, in the close of the chapter, after a most shameful conviction of sin and a most dreadful denunciation of judgments, mercy is remembered, mercy is reserved, for those who shall come after. As was when God swore in his wrath concerning those who came out of Egypt that they should not enter Canaan, "Yet' (says God) "your little ones shall;' so here. And some think that what is said of the return of Sodom and Samaria (v. 53, 55), and of Jerusalem with them, is a promise; it may be understood so, if by Sodom we understand (as Grotius and some of the Jewish writers do) the Moabites and Ammonites, the posterity of Lot, who once dwelt in Sodom; their captivity was returned (Jer. 48:47; 49:6), as was that of many of the ten tribes, and Judah's with them. But these closing verses are, without doubt, a previous promise, which was in part fulfilled at the return of the penitent and reformed Jews out of Babylon, but was to have its full accomplishment in gospel-times, and in that repentance and that remission of sins which should then be preached with success to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Now observe here,