Ezekiel 16:21 kjv
That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?
Ezekiel 16:21 nkjv
that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?
Ezekiel 16:21 niv
You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.
Ezekiel 16:21 esv
that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them?
Ezekiel 16:21 nlt
Must you also slaughter my children by sacrificing them to idols?
Ezekiel 16 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 16:21 | "You took your male children, whom you bore to me, and sacrificed them to them as food." | Deut. 12:31 (forbidden practices), 2 Chron. 28:3 (child sacrifice to idols), Ps. 106:37-38 (offering children to demons) |
| Ezekiel 16:34 | "Into whom you did not, like other women, have sex; because you gave your hire instead of your lovers." | Jeremiah 2:33 (why did you run to and fro for assignation) |
| Ezekiel 16:36 | "And it came to pass when you were naked of your shame, your lovers saw your nakedness." | Hosea 2:10 (she will uncover her nakedness) |
| Isaiah 47:3 | "Let your nakedness be uncovered, yes, let your shame be seen." | Lamentations 1:8 (Jerusalem's sin led to exposure) |
| Jeremiah 2:24 | "An ass used to wild in the open country, snorting in her heat—who can turn her back? | Jeremiah 2:25 (she is never shy) |
| Hosea 2:9 | "Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my wine in its season; and I will steal away my wool and my flax, which she used to cover her nakedness." | Leviticus 26:16 (curses for disobedience include loss of produce) |
| Leviticus 18:21 | "You shall not give any of your offspring to pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God." | Deut. 18:10 (no sorcerer, nor a charmer, nor a medium, nor a spiritist, nor one who consults the dead) |
| 2 Kings 23:10 | "And he defiled the high places that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on the right at the gate of the city." | 2 Kings 16:4 (idolatry and offerings on high places) |
| Psalms 106:37 | "They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons" | Deut. 32:17 (sacrificed to no god) |
| Acts 7:43 | "You took up the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god Remphan, the figures that you made to worship them; and I will carry you away beyond Babylon." | Amos 5:26 (carrying off your tabernacle and the star of your god) |
| Revelation 18:5 | "For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities." | Revelation 17:5 (Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth) |
| Isaiah 57:5 | "Inflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaughtering children in the valleys under the clefts of rocks?" | Jeremiah 19:5 (sacrificed their sons as burnt offerings to Baal) |
| 2 Kings 17:17 | "And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings, and used divination and sorcery." | Proverbs 24:12 (though you may say, "Indeed, we knew nothing of this") |
| Jeremiah 7:31 | "And they built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, a thing that I commanded them not, nor did it once enter my mind." | Jer. 32:35 ( Baal and to burn their children in the fire to Molech) |
| Hosea 13:2 | "And now they sin more and more, and have made for themselves molten images of their silver, idols of their own understanding, all of them the work of craftsmen." | Isaiah 44:12 (blacksmith makes an axe and works with it) |
| Isaiah 30:1 | "Woe to the rebellious children," declares the Lord, "who carry out a plan that is not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin." | Isaiah 40:20 (woodcutter casts a vote) |
| Deuteronomy 7:2 | "and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them." | Exodus 34:12-16 (warnings against making covenants with inhabitants of the land) |
| Revelation 17:2 | "with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” | Ezekiel 23:4 (Jerusalem and Samaria) |
| 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 | "Flee from sexual immorality... Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." | Romans 12:1 (present your bodies as a living sacrifice) |
| Hosea 10:1 | "Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more he made his altars plentiful; the more his land flourished, the more he made his pillars beautiful." | Jeremiah 2:20 (you have broken your yoke and burst your bonds) |
Ezekiel 16 verses
Ezekiel 16 21 Meaning
This verse powerfully describes the devastating consequence of Jerusalem's spiritual prostitution and idolatry. The beautiful things given to her for adornment are used by her lovers (the nations she consorts with) to destroy her, signifying that the very blessings she misused would become instruments of her judgment.
Ezekiel 16 21 Context
This verse appears in Ezekiel chapter 16, a lengthy and symbolic prophecy concerning the sinfulness of Jerusalem, depicted as an unfaithful wife or harlot. The chapter traces Jerusalem's history from its origin as a deserted infant, through its period of development and beauty when God betrothed Himself to her, to its subsequent adultery with surrounding nations. This particular verse highlights the extreme depravity of Jerusalem's sins, specifically the practice of child sacrifice. The historical and cultural backdrop is the Canaanite fertility cults, particularly the worship of Molech, which involved ritualistic burning of children. Ezekiel uses this stark imagery to convey the depth of Jerusalem's defilement and the certainty of her impending judgment by those same nations she sought favor with through her illicit alliances and idolatrous practices.
Ezekiel 16 21 Word Analysis
- וְלָקַחַתְּ (wə·lā·qaḥ·tə): "and you took" (feminine singular imperfect from laqach, "to take"). Indicates an action taken by Jerusalem.
- מִבָּנַיִךְ (mib·bā·na·yiḵ): "of your children" (preposition min, "from/of" + plural noun banim, "sons" + 2nd person feminine singular possessive suffix). Refers to the children born to Jerusalem.
- אֲשֶׁר־יָלַדְתְּ (ʾă·šer-yā·laḏ·tə): "whom you bore" (asher, "who/which" + 2nd person feminine singular perfect of yalad, "to bear, beget"). Reinforces the direct parentage from Jerusalem.
- לִי (’əl·lay): "to me". Directly links these children as being divinely given or considered belonging to God.
- וַתִּזְבְּחִי (wat·tiz·bə·ḥî): "and you sacrificed" (consecutive waw + 2nd person feminine singular imperfect of zabach, "to sacrifice"). Denotes a ritualistic offering.
- אוֹתָם (’ō·ṯām): "them". Refers back to the male children.
- לָהֶם (lā·hem): "to them". Indicates the recipients of the sacrifice – the idols or nations. The structure implies they were offered "to become food for them" or as a living sacrifice to them. This can also imply offerings "for them" meaning in service to them.
Words Group Analysis
- "Your male children, whom you bore to Me": This phrase emphasizes Jerusalem's responsibility as a mother and God's proprietary claim over these children. The contrast highlights the profound betrayal—taking what belonged to God and defiling it.
- "and sacrificed them to them as food": This graphically depicts child sacrifice, presenting the children as offerings to foreign deities or nations. "As food" (le'oklah) suggests they were consumed or made consumable by these powers, either literally through pagan rites or figuratively by being offered up to the ruin these nations represented. The ultimate meaning is the utter devouring of her own offspring due to her spiritual harlotry and idolatry.
Ezekiel 16 21 Bonus Section
The imagery of "sacrificed them to them as food" is particularly disturbing. While referencing literal child sacrifice practices like those associated with Molech (Leviticus 18:21; Jeremiah 32:35), it also serves as a powerful metaphor. Jerusalem, by diverting her spiritual nourishment and allegiance to foreign powers, was essentially feeding them her future – her children – thereby consuming herself. This act represents the destruction of her own legacy and potential, a self-inflicted wound born from unfaithfulness. The inclusion of "male children" likely refers to firstborn sons, often considered specially consecrated to God in Jewish tradition, making their sacrifice an even graver offense. This specific detail amplifies the depth of her apostasy and betrayal.
Ezekiel 16 21 Commentary
Ezekiel 16:21 unveils a brutal consequence of Jerusalem's betrayal. She didn't just stray sexually; she committed the unthinkable act of sacrificing her own children, conceived from her relationship with God, to her foreign lovers and idols. This signifies a complete abandonment of God and the ultimate perversion of love and nurturing. The very offspring meant to carry on a heritage dedicated to God became victims of her lust and allegiance to other powers. This act seals Jerusalem's fate, marking her for utter destruction, as the gods and nations she served would ultimately consume her, just as she consumed her own children in a perverse ritual. It is a stark reminder of the devastating repercussions of turning away from faithfulness to God.