Ezekiel 16 30

Ezekiel 16:30 kjv

How weak is thine heart, saith the LORD GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;

Ezekiel 16:30 nkjv

"How degenerate is your heart!" says the Lord GOD, "seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot.

Ezekiel 16:30 niv

"?'I am filled with fury against you, declares the Sovereign LORD, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute!

Ezekiel 16:30 esv

"How sick is your heart, declares the Lord GOD, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute,

Ezekiel 16:30 nlt

"What a sick heart you have, says the Sovereign LORD, to do such things as these, acting like a shameless prostitute.

Ezekiel 16 verses

Ezekiel 16 30 Meaning

Ezekiel 16:30 is a powerful and condemning divine utterance revealing God's perspective on Jerusalem's spiritual and moral degradation. The verse expresses God's astonishment and severe judgment over the deep-seated spiritual sickness or "faint-heartedness" that had afflicted Jerusalem's core being. It vividly describes her accumulated transgressions, encompassing idolatry and unfaithful alliances, as actions mirroring those of a brazen, self-assured prostitute who shamelessly and vigorously pursues her own desires, utterly unconcerned with the sacred covenant she had violated. This portrays Jerusalem's unfaithfulness as a deliberate, aggressive, and utterly debauched rebellion against God.

Ezekiel 16 30 Context

Ezekiel chapter 16 unfolds as an extended and graphic allegory depicting Jerusalem's spiritual history. God narrates her origins as an abandoned, despised infant, whom He graciously rescued, cleansed, nourished, adorned with splendor, and entered into a covenant marriage. This imagery underscores God's immense, unilateral love and provision. However, after achieving great beauty and prominence through God's blessings, Jerusalem used her gifts for self-aggrandizement and whored herself out to foreign nations and their idols, betraying her covenant Husband. She engaged in widespread, explicit idolatry, even sacrificing her children, and sought illicit alliances with Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. The narrative portrays her wickedness as surpassing even that of Sodom and Samaria. Verse 30, therefore, is nestled within God's scathing indictment, directly addressing the depths of her intentional and unbridled unfaithfulness, justifying the impending severe judgment against her. Historically, this message was delivered to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, confirming the justice of Jerusalem's fall in 586 BC and challenging any residual notion of God's injustice or Jerusalem's inherent righteousness.

Ezekiel 16 30 Word analysis

• How faint-hearted (מָה־אֲמֻלָּה - mah-ʼamūlāh): The initial particle mah signifies "how" or "what," expressing intensity or dismay. ʼAmūlāh comes from the root ʼ-m-l (אמל), meaning "to fade, wither, languish, become weak or feeble." Here, it speaks of a profound spiritual infirmity, sickness, or moral rot. It's not mere timidity but an internal decay, indicating a condition of utter spiritual brokenness and sickness, leading to a state of moral corruption. It denotes a spirit rendered completely weak and sick by sin.
• is your heart (הֱיָה לִבֵּךְ - hāyāh libbēḵ): Hāyāh denotes "was" or "became." Libbēḵ refers to "your heart," which in Hebrew thought, represents the seat of the will, intellect, moral character, and decision-making, not just emotion. Thus, the affliction described reaches the very core of Jerusalem's being and identity. This sickness is not superficial but fundamental, impacting her very essence.
• declares the Lord GOD (נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה - nĕʼum ʼAdōnāy YHVH): Nĕʼum is a crucial prophetic formula, signifying an authoritative oracle or utterance directly from God. ʼAdōnāy YHVH combines Adonai ("my Lord" or "Master," emphasizing sovereignty) with YHVH (the divine covenant name, often pronounced as Yahweh, signifying His personal, unchanging, and faithful presence). This combination underscores the divine authority, personal involvement, and covenant context of this judgment. God, the sovereign and faithful covenant keeper, makes this declaration.
• seeing you did (בַּעֲשׂוֹתֵךְ - baʿăśōṯēḵ): The prefix ba- means "in," "when," or "by doing." ʿĂśōṯēḵ is from the verb ʿāśāh (עשׂה), "to do, make, accomplish." This participle highlights the active, ongoing, and intentional nature of Jerusalem's actions. She was actively and consistently engaged in these transgressions.
• all these things (אֶת־כָּל־אֵלֶּה - ʼeṯ-kol-ʼēlleh): This phrase refers inclusively to the multitude of severe covenant violations detailed throughout Ezekiel 16: her idolatry, child sacrifice, making graven images from God's precious gifts, and her strategic alliances with pagan nations (vv. 15-29). The scope of her offenses is vast and deeply offensive.
• the work of a presumptuous prostitute (מַעֲשֵׂה אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה שְׁלֶטֶת - maʿaśēh ʼishāh zônāh shōleṭet):
  • Maʿaśēh: "work, deed, act." This ties back to "seeing you did," emphasizing the intentional nature of her conduct.
  • ʼIshāh: "woman."
  • Zônāh: "prostitute" or "harlot." This term, common in prophetic literature, metaphorically describes spiritual infidelity and covenant betrayal. It denotes a person who sells herself, betraying loyalty for gain.
  • Shōleṭet: From the verb shālat (שלט), "to rule, dominate, control, be powerful." This is a crucial qualifier, often translated as "bold," "presumptuous," "unbridled," "brazen," "dominating," or "rampant." It describes a harlot who is not passive or coerced but one who actively, shamelessly, and audaciously exercises power and control in her prostitution, flaunting her immoral actions without shame or restraint.

• Words-group Analysis:
• "How faint-hearted is your heart... declares the Lord GOD": This opening phrase conveys both divine dismay and authoritative judgment. It powerfully underscores that Jerusalem's external acts of harlotry stemmed from a profoundly sick and corrupt inner spiritual state—a heart that had become withered and morally incapacitated due to sustained sin. The divine declaration authenticates the severity and truth of this indictment.
• "seeing you did all these things": This links Jerusalem's internal sickness directly to her numerous, specific, and extensive acts of unfaithfulness detailed previously in the chapter. God’s knowledge is comprehensive; her heart's condition manifested in widespread rebellion against His covenant.
• "the work of a presumptuous prostitute": This climactic descriptor defines the essence of Jerusalem's rebellion. She wasn't just an ordinary harlot; her spiritual prostitution was marked by boldness, unbridled self-will, and an active pursuit of her immoral desires. She took control of her apostasy, showing no shame, reserve, or fear in her treacherous actions, acting like a domineering harlot who dictates her terms. This magnifies the egregious nature of her sin and utter disregard for her covenant with God.

Ezekiel 16 30 Bonus section

• Polemics against Self-Righteousness: This verse, and indeed the entire chapter, serves as a profound polemic against any vestige of Jerusalem's self-perception as uniquely righteous or secure in God's favor despite her actions. God systematically dismantles any pretense, leaving no room for excuses or appeals to historical privilege. Her behavior, as portrayed, made her judgment just and inescapable.
• Literary Foreshadowing: The aggressive nature of Jerusalem's spiritual harlotry described in "presumptuous prostitute" (or "ruling prostitute") foreshadows her insatiable pursuit of foreign gods and alliances, ultimately leading to her ruin. Her "boldness" in sin directly results in divine wrath that brings about her "nakedness" (exposure and shame) and devastation, as vividly detailed in subsequent verses and chapters.

Ezekiel 16 30 Commentary

Ezekiel 16:30 cuts to the heart of Jerusalem's moral condition. God, as her jilted Husband, expresses profound dismay, not just at her actions but at the diseased spiritual core from which they emanated. Her "faint-hearted" or "sick heart" signifies an internal decay, a complete moral and spiritual corruption that rendered her incapable of loyalty to the covenant. This wasn't passive weakness but an active inclination toward depravity, manifesting as a bold and presumptuous pursuit of spiritual harlotry. She wasn't merely caught in sin; she was an aggressive "presumptuous prostitute," audacious in her infidelity and lacking all shame. The emphatic "declares the Lord GOD" authenticates this divine judgment, confirming that Jerusalem's egregious conduct warranted the impending severe divine discipline, having utterly scorned His covenant love and abundant provision through unbridled and intentional rebellion.