Ezekiel 16 16

Ezekiel 16:16 kjv

And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.

Ezekiel 16:16 nkjv

You took some of your garments and adorned multicolored high places for yourself, and played the harlot on them. Such things should not happen, nor be.

Ezekiel 16:16 niv

You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places, where you carried on your prostitution. You went to him, and he possessed your beauty.

Ezekiel 16:16 esv

You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be.

Ezekiel 16:16 nlt

You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines for idols, where you played the prostitute. Unbelievable! How could such a thing ever happen?

Ezekiel 16 verses

Ezekiel 16 16 Meaning

Ezekiel 16:16 portrays Judah's profound spiritual infidelity through the metaphor of a harlot. After God lavished His blessings upon her, providing splendor and abundance, Judah, personified as a beautiful woman, shamelessly misused these very gifts. She took parts of her God-given adornments, her garments, and fashioned them into idol shrines, or "high places." On these sites, she engaged in egregious acts of spiritual harlotry by worshiping false gods. The verse vehemently condemns this betrayal, emphasizing that such a profound and perverted act of apostasy—using God's own blessings to dishonor Him—was an unparalleled and unheard-of abomination.

Ezekiel 16 16 Context

Ezekiel chapter 16 is a vivid and extended allegory where God addresses Jerusalem (representing Judah and its people) as a rejected, helpless infant found abandoned, adopted, raised, and lavished with extraordinary care, beauty, and provision by Him. Verses 1-14 describe God's benevolent act of rescue and adornment, transforming her into a queen. However, beginning in verse 15, the allegory shifts dramatically to portray Jerusalem's betrayal. Despite receiving such abundant blessings, she used her beauty and gifts to prostitute herself to other nations and false gods. Verse 16 specifically highlights the depth of this depravity: not only did she turn to idolatry, but she used the very adornments God had bestowed upon her to facilitate this betrayal. Historically, Judah had a covenant relationship with God, similar to a marriage. Yet, repeatedly, they engaged in syncretistic worship, incorporating the cultic practices of surrounding nations (e.g., Baal, Asherah, Moloch) at unauthorized sites known as "high places" (בָּמוֹת – bamot). These were typically outdoor altars or shrines often on hills or under trees, initially for worshipping YHWH, but increasingly polluted with pagan rituals. Ezekiel 16:16's sharp rebuke underscores the unique heinousness of Judah's infidelity, not merely worshipping idols, but doing so by perverting God's own provision.

Ezekiel 16 16 Word analysis

• You took (וַתִּקְחִי - vatikchi): Second feminine singular, direct address to Jerusalem. Emphasizes her active choice and responsibility in this act of betrayal. Not passive or coerced.
• some of your garments (מִבִּגְדַּיִךְ - mibbīgdayikh): Refers to the fine, luxurious clothing God had just described giving her (vv. 10-13)—symbols of honor, status, and beauty, which were gifts from God Himself. The prefix "מִן" (min) here suggests "from" or "out of," implying a tearing or selection from her wardrobe, turning symbols of divine favor into instruments of desecration.
• made for yourself high places (בָּמוֹת - bāmōt): Hebrew: bāmāh (singular). These were illegal cultic sites. Their self-made nature ("for yourself") stresses that these acts of idolatry were self-initiated, not divinely sanctioned worship. These places became central to idolatrous worship in ancient Israel and Judah, repeatedly condemned by the prophets.
• and on them you played the harlot (וַתִּזְנִי - vattiznī): Hebrew: zanah (זָנָה) literally means "to commit fornication" or "prostitute oneself." In biblical prophecy, it is the quintessential metaphor for spiritual unfaithfulness, particularly idolatry. The direct coupling of "garments," "high places," and "harlotry" powerfully conveys the sexualized nature of idol worship in the ancient Near East and the spiritual defilement it brought.
• such a thing has never happened (לֹא־בָאָה - lō’-ḇā’āh): Literally "not come." This emphasizes the unprecedented nature of her sin. It's a hyperbolic expression to stress the absolute uniqueness and egregious nature of Judah's apostasy. This isn't just common paganism; it's a specific, unique form of betrayal by the recipient of God's unmatched grace.
• nor ever will happen (וְלֹא תִהְיֶה - _wə_lō’ tihyeh): "And not it will be." Reinforces the hyperbole, extending the unparalleled nature of the sin into the future. It’s a statement of profound shock, highlighting the perceived peak of spiritual depravity rather than a strict impossibility.

Words-group analysis:

• "You took some of your garments and made for yourself high places": This phrase encapsulates the perverse act of transforming divine blessings into instruments of idolatry. God gave the garments for beauty and honor (vv. 10-13); Judah perverted them for rebellious, self-directed worship. It’s an ultimate act of ingratitude and defiance.
• "and on them you played the harlot": This connects the physical locations (high places) and the spiritual act (harlotry/idolatry). The high places were the theaters of this spiritual prostitution, defiling the very land God had given.
• "such a thing has never happened nor ever will happen": This hyperbolic climax of the verse emphasizes the extreme gravity of Judah’s sin. It presents Judah’s actions as uniquely monstrous, exceeding even the common idolatry of surrounding nations. It conveys God's deep astonishment and righteous indignation at the betrayal.

Ezekiel 16 16 Bonus section

The shock value of "never happened nor ever will happen" can be better understood by contrasting it with Jeremiah 2:10-11, where God similarly laments Judah's unique faithlessness, noting that even pagan nations did not so easily exchange their gods for no-gods. This shared prophetic hyperbole underscores the divine astonishment at the profound depth of Israel's betrayal, suggesting it goes beyond what would be expected from any people, let alone those who knew YHWH. The imagery of "garments" used for building high places hints at an inversion of the temple's priestly garments, which were designed for sanctified service to God. Here, garments given for holy purposes are defiled for idolatry.

Ezekiel 16 16 Commentary

Ezekiel 16:16 is a staggering indictment of Judah's unparalleled apostasy. God had bestowed every blessing upon her—life, identity, adornment, covenant—raising her from nothing to a position of regal splendor. Yet, she became a harlot, turning these very gifts, represented by her lavish "garments," into tools for idol worship on "high places." This isn't just passive rebellion; it's an active, conscious, and deliberate perversion of God's grace. The imagery is deeply shocking, portraying spiritual infidelity as both scandalous and physically repulsive, indicative of the corrupt fertility cults practiced in the Ancient Near East which often involved cultic prostitution. The concluding declaration, "such a thing has never happened nor ever will happen," functions as a divine lament and hyperbole, emphasizing the extreme nature of this betrayal. It underscores that for Israel, who knew the One true God and had experienced His faithfulness, to betray Him so thoroughly by prostituting His own blessings for pagan gods, was a unique atrocity, exceeding the sins of even gentile nations who had no covenant knowledge of YHWH. It highlights the principle that to whom much is given, much is expected; and thus, their sin was proportionally greater.