Ezekiel 16:37 kjv
Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
Ezekiel 16:37 nkjv
surely, therefore, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved, and all those you hated; I will gather them from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness.
Ezekiel 16:37 niv
therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked.
Ezekiel 16:37 esv
therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from every side and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness.
Ezekiel 16:37 nlt
this is what I am going to do. I will gather together all your allies ? the lovers with whom you have sinned, both those you loved and those you hated ? and I will strip you naked in front of them so they can stare at you.
Ezekiel 16 37 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 16:37 | Behold, I will gather all your lovers, with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from every side and will lay bare your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness. | Consequence of infidelity (Ezekiel) |
| Ezekiel 23:22 | Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the LORD! | Jerusalem as harlot (Ezekiel) |
| Isaiah 3:17 | therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will make their scalps bald. | Judgment leading to shame (Isaiah) |
| Jeremiah 13:22 | For if you say in your heart, ‘Why have these things come upon me?’ it is for the greatness of your iniquity that your skirts are drawn up and your nakedness is exposed. | Exposure due to sin (Jeremiah) |
| Hosea 2:3 | Lest I strip her naked, and set her as on the day she was born, and make her like a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and kill her with thirst. | Public exposure of shame (Hosea) |
| Micah 1:11 | Pass on, inhabitant of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame; the inhabitant of Zaanan does not come out; the weeping of Beth-ezel shall take away its standing room from you. | Shame and displacement (Micah) |
| Nahum 3:5 | “I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will lift your skirts over your face and will make the nations look on your nakedness and the kingdoms on your shame." | Public disgrace and shame (Nahum) |
| Revelation 17:16 | And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her with fire. | Judgment by former allies (Revelation) |
| Genesis 3:10 | He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” | Nakedness as shame (Genesis) |
| Leviticus 18:7 | You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother. | Uncovering nakedness forbidden (Leviticus) |
| Deuteronomy 23:14 | Moreover, you shall have a paddle among your weapons of war. And when you are out among your troops and need to make a privy, you shall use it. Because the LORD your God walks through your camp to give you victory over your enemies, therefore your camp must be holy. Your camp must not reveal anything indecent among them, lest he turn away from you. | Purity and God's presence (Deuteronomy) |
| 2 Samuel 10:4 | So Hanun seized David's servants, and shaved off half of each beard, and cut off their garments in the middle, up to their hips, and sent them away. | Humiliation through exposed person (2 Samuel) |
| Psalms 73:27 | For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. | Consequence of unfaithfulness (Psalms) |
| Proverbs 5:20 | Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an outsider? | Consequences of adultery (Proverbs) |
| Romans 6:21 | What fruit did you have then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. | Shame from past deeds (Romans) |
| Galatians 5:19-21 | Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. | Fruit of sin leads to shame (Galatians) |
| 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 | Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. | Sin excludes from Kingdom (1 Corinthians) |
| Hebrews 10:26-27 | For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, a flame of fire that will consume the adversaries. | Judgment for deliberate sin (Hebrews) |
| James 1:15 | Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. | Sin's progression to death (James) |
| 1 Peter 4:8 | Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. | Contrast: love covers (1 Peter) |
| Jude 1:7 | just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing eternal fire, punishment. | Example of divine judgment (Jude) |
Ezekiel 16 verses
Ezekiel 16 37 Meaning
This verse describes the severe judgment God would bring upon Jerusalem, likening it to exposing a harlot's nakedness and punishing her. It signifies public disgrace and the removal of all perceived protection or dignity. The judgment would be severe and undeniable, a consequence of her infidelity and accumulated transgressions.
Ezekiel 16 37 Context
This verse is found within Ezekiel chapter 16, which vividly portrays Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife and harlot. God recounts Jerusalem's history from its abandonment at birth, His covenant adoption of it, and its subsequent descent into idolatry and unfaithfulness, mirroring the sexual immorality and pagan practices of surrounding nations. The chapter is a strong indictment of Judah's sin and the impending judgment that will befall the city, particularly in light of its alliance with various nations that are depicted as its lovers.
Ezekiel 16 37 Word Analysis
- Behold (Hebrew: hen - הִנֵּה): An interjection commanding attention, signifying a direct revelation or statement of truth from God.
- I will gather (Hebrew: qibats - קִבַּצְתִּי): To assemble, collect, or muster. Here it signifies God's active role in bringing about the punitive forces.
- all your lovers (Hebrew: mehabbehayik - מְאַהֲבַיִךְ): Refers to the nations and peoples with whom Jerusalem has entered into alliances and participated in idolatrous practices, abandoning her covenant relationship with God.
- with whom you took pleasure (Hebrew: sabaṭe al-eyhem - סָבַטְתְּ עֲלֵיהֶם): Implies a willful and desirous engagement with these foreign alliances and their associated pagan cults.
- all whom you loved (Hebrew: samasate oteh - שָׂנַסְתְּ אוֹתָם): Refers to those whom Jerusalem chose as confederates, reflecting her desires and choices over God's will.
- and all whom you hated (Hebrew: wə-mikkol- aser śināʾt oteh - וּמִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר שָׂנֵאת אוֹתָם): Encompasses all potential adversaries or even former allies who may have also been turned against her due to her shifting loyalties and sins, suggesting a complete reversal of fortune and alliances.
- from every side (Hebrew: mi-kol-sabbib - מִכָּל־סָבִיב): From all directions, indicating comprehensive encirclement and lack of escape.
- will I muster them against you (Hebrew: qibatsi əhem ‘al-bayit - קִבַּצְתִּי אֹתָם עָלַיִךְ): God actively directs the forces of judgment to converge upon Jerusalem.
- and I will lay bare your nakedness to them (Hebrew: wə-ghiliti ’elet arovot - וְגִלִּיתִי עֲרָוָתַיִךְ): The core of the judgment is public humiliation and exposure of her sin and vulnerability. "Nakedness" here symbolizes shame, exposure, and lack of protection or cover due to her unfaithfulness.
- that they may see all your nakedness (Hebrew: lɪ-re’ot et-kol-arəvatayik - לִרְאֹת אֶת־כָּל־עֶרְוָתָיִךְ): The intended consequence is for her former "lovers" (allies) to witness her complete disgrace and downfall.
Word-group analysis:
- "all your lovers, with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated": This phrase comprehensively captures all past relationships and alliances, both positive and negative, indicating that all entities that Jerusalem associated with will be part of her judgment. It’s not just the actively sought allies but also those who might have been forced upon her or turned against her, all witnessing her downfall.
- "lay bare your nakedness to them": This potent imagery emphasizes the severity of the humiliation. It means removing all coverings, protections, and dignities, leaving Jerusalem utterly exposed to the contempt of those she sought favor from or who were her rivals.
Ezekiel 16 37 Bonus Section
The concept of "laying bare nakedness" was deeply offensive in ancient Near Eastern cultures, often associated with the ultimate degradation and dehumanization of a conquered foe. In the context of the Mosaic Law, the uncovering of nakedness was strictly forbidden and considered shameful (Leviticus 18:7-19). Here, God Himself orchestrates this ultimate shame, not out of His desire to humiliate, but to demonstrate the just consequences of Jerusalem's actions against His covenant love and protection. The enemies that surround Jerusalem are not acting independently but are instruments gathered by God’s hand for this specific purpose. This is a profound illustration of God's sovereignty over all nations and His administration of justice.
Ezekiel 16 37 Commentary
Ezekiel 16:37 vividly depicts God's judgment as a complete and public exposure of sin. Jerusalem, through its political and religious unfaithfulness, is likened to a harlot who will have her lovers – the nations she turned to for aid or through whom she practiced idolatry – gathered to witness her utter humiliation. This judgment is not selective; it includes all the alliances and relationships that superseded her covenant with God. The exposure of "nakedness" symbolizes the loss of all protective covering, dignity, and divine favor due to accumulated sin and idolatry. This thorough uncovering ensures that Jerusalem's transgressions are made manifest for all to see, underscoring the comprehensive and severe nature of divine retribution for covenant breaking. The prophecy highlights that sin, ultimately, brings shame and a stripping away of what one holds dear, whether it be national sovereignty, pride, or perceived security.