Ezekiel 16 39

Ezekiel 16:39 kjv

And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.

Ezekiel 16:39 nkjv

I will also give you into their hand, and they shall throw down your shrines and break down your high places. They shall also strip you of your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.

Ezekiel 16:39 niv

Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry and leave you stark naked.

Ezekiel 16:39 esv

And I will give you into their hands, and they shall throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your lofty places. They shall strip you of your clothes and take your beautiful jewels and leave you naked and bare.

Ezekiel 16:39 nlt

Then I will give you to these many nations who are your lovers, and they will destroy you. They will knock down your pagan shrines and the altars to your idols. They will strip you and take your beautiful jewels, leaving you stark naked.

Ezekiel 16 verses

Ezekiel 16 39 Meaning

Ezekiel 16:39 describes God's judgment against Jerusalem, likening her to an adulterous wife or harlot, and declares the consequences of her spiritual infidelity. The verse conveys God's decree to deliver Jerusalem into the hands of her "lovers" – the foreign nations she relied upon and worshipped their idols – who will utterly strip her of her pride, demolish her false worship sites, confiscate her riches, and expose her to public shame and utter destitution. It signifies the divine retribution where the very source of her perceived security and luxury becomes the instrument of her downfall, stripping away every vestige of dignity, wealth, and false worship.

Ezekiel 16 39 Context

Ezekiel 16 is an extended allegorical prophecy directed at Jerusalem, vividly portraying her history as an abandoned orphan (v. 1-7) whom God miraculously nurtured, beautified, and married through a covenant (v. 8-14). She was adorned with God's lavish gifts and splendor, rising to a place of renown. However, in an act of profound betrayal, Jerusalem then prostituted herself to foreign nations and their idols, using God's very gifts for her idolatrous and illicit alliances (v. 15-34). She became worse than a common harlot, even paying her "lovers" and sacrificing her children to false gods.

Verse 39 falls within the section of divine judgment (v. 35-43). God declares that just as she abandoned Him for her "lovers," He will now gather those same "lovers" and enemies against her. These nations, whom she trusted and worshipped, will become the instruments of her punishment. They will strip her bare, tear down her altars, plunder her wealth, and leave her utterly shamed and desolate, in direct reversal of the honor and beauty God had bestowed upon her. This is God's just recompense for her deep spiritual treachery and idolatry.

Historically, this judgment refers to the destructions of Jerusalem, first by the Assyrians and later by the Babylonians, the very nations Israel had sought alliances with and adopted their practices. The imagery draws heavily on the shame and vulnerability associated with the public punishment of unfaithful wives or harlots in the ancient Near East, which often included public stripping, disfigurement, and exposure. This serves as a stark polemic against the illusion that alliances with foreign powers or the worship of their deities would bring security or prosperity. Instead, such actions only invited God's wrath and guaranteed destruction and utter humiliation by those very same entities.

Ezekiel 16 39 Word analysis

• I will also give you:
  • Hebrew: וְנָתַתִּ֨י אֹתָךְ֙ (v'natati 'otach).
  • v'natati: "and I will give." From nathan (נָתַן), meaning to give, place, set. Emphasizes divine agency and active participation in the judgment. God is not merely allowing this to happen; He is the sovereign initiator of the punishment. It shows God's control even over the actions of foreign nations.
  • otach: "you" (feminine singular), referring to Jerusalem.
• into their hand:
  • Hebrew: בְּיָדָ֑ם (b'yadam).
  • b'yadam: "in their hand" or "into their power." From yad (יָד), meaning hand, power, authority, control. Signifies complete surrender of Jerusalem to the enemies' dominion and power, to be dealt with according to their will, but ultimately as an instrument of God's justice.
• and they shall break down your mounds:
  • Hebrew: וְהָרְס֤וּ גַּבֹּותַ֙יִךְ֙ (v'harsu gabbotayich).
  • v'harsu: "and they shall break down" or "demolish." From haras (הָרַס), meaning to break down, destroy, demolish, pull down. Implies violent and thorough destruction.
  • gabbotayich: "your mounds" or "your cultic platforms/shrines." From gab (גַּב), meaning back, prominence, mound, raised platform. In this context, combined with "high places," it refers to elevated structures, possibly artificial mounds or platforms, built for idolatrous worship or immoral rituals. This points to the dismantling of specific cultic installations.
• and destroy your high places:
  • Hebrew: וְהָרְס֣וּ בָמֹתָ֑יִךְ (v'harsu bamotayich).
  • v'harsu: "and destroy," (same root haras as above). Reinforces the total demolition.
  • bamotayich: "your high places." From bamah (בָּמָה), referring to cultic altars, often on natural heights or man-made elevated sites, commonly used for idolatrous worship. This term is frequently used in the OT to denote sites of pagan sacrifice and worship, condemned by God. This explicitly targets the core of her spiritual rebellion.
• They shall strip you of your clothes:
  • Hebrew: וְהִפְשִׁ֤יטוּ אֹתָךְ֙ בִּגְדַּ֙יִךְ֙ (v'hiphshitu 'otach bigdaich).
  • v'hiphshitu: "and they shall strip off." From pashat (פָּשַׁט), meaning to strip off, plunder. A forceful removal, not voluntary.
  • otach: "you."
  • bigdaich: "your clothes/garments." From beged (בֶּגֶד), meaning garment, clothing, covering. Clothes symbolize honor, dignity, protection, and social status. Stripping them is a profound act of shaming and humiliation, exposing vulnerability.
• and take your beautiful jewels:
  • Hebrew: וְיִקְח֤וּ אֶת־כְּלֵ֣י תִפְאַרְתֵּ֔ךְ (v'yiqchu 'et-k'lei tiph'artech).
  • v'yiqchu: "and they shall take." From laqach (לָקַח), meaning to take, seize, receive, acquire. Implies plundering and confiscation of valuables.
  • k'lei tiph'artech: "your beautiful vessels/jewels/ornaments of beauty." Kelim (כֵּלִים) are vessels, articles, implements. Tiph'eret (תִּפְאֶרֶת) is beauty, glory, splendor, adornment. Refers to her most cherished and beautiful possessions, given by God (Eze 16:11-13) but used for idolatry. Now these will be forcibly removed, stripping her of her material wealth and external splendor.
• and leave you naked and bare:
  • Hebrew: וְהִנִּח֥וּךְ עֵירֹ֛ם וְעֶרְיָֽה (v'hin'chuch 'eirom v'eryah).
  • v'hin'chuch: "and they shall leave you." From nuach (נוּחַ), meaning to rest, leave, put down. Signifies the final state of abandonment after the stripping and plundering.
  • eirom: "naked." From 'erom (עֵירֹם), a state of being unclothed, exposed, vulnerable.
  • v'eryah: "and bare" or "utterly exposed/stripped." From 'eryah (עֶרְיָה), also meaning nakedness, bareness, shame. The combination emphasizes the completeness of her exposure, vulnerability, and utter public shame and destitution, like a disgraced harlot.

Words-group analysis:

• "I will also give you into their hand": This phrase highlights God's judicial decision and active role in using her former "lovers" as instruments of divine punishment. It underscores the concept of divine sovereignty over historical events and the consequences of sin.
• "they shall break down your mounds and destroy your high places": This dual destruction emphasizes the utter annihilation of Jerusalem's cultic infrastructure and the symbols of her idolatry. It signifies the cleansing of the land from false worship, a direct reversal of her turning God's gifts into tools for idolatry.
• "They shall strip you of your clothes and take your beautiful jewels, and leave you naked and bare": This sequence graphically depicts the public humiliation and plunder. It represents the complete loss of honor, status, wealth, and all that conferred dignity or beauty. The "beautiful jewels" were God's gifts, now violently confiscated, reflecting a profound sense of abandonment and shame fitting for her spiritual adultery. The state of "naked and bare" signifies absolute vulnerability, exposure to contempt, and utter destitution.

Ezekiel 16 39 Bonus section

The divine judgment in Ezekiel 16:39 is not only a consequence for past actions but also a prophetic act intended to bring Jerusalem to repentance (Eze 16:60-63 speaks of future restoration based on God's covenant, implying the severity of this judgment prepares for it). The imagery of being "stripped naked" has strong biblical and cultural resonance, conveying a sense of profound vulnerability, shame, and powerlessness, echoing prophetic denunciations against other nations like Egypt (Isa 20:4) and Babylon (Isa 47:2-3) who likewise experienced a reversal of their glory. It also reveals God's perfect justice; her self-professed lovers ultimately show their true colors as instruments of divine wrath, offering no protection in the day of calamity. This serves as a warning against placing trust in anything other than God for true security and honor. The precise phrase "mounds" (גַּבֹּותֶ֔יךְ gabbotayich) may imply distinct artificial cultic platforms specifically for forbidden rituals, subtly different from the more general "high places" (bamot), showing a detailed destruction of every facet of her pagan worship.

Ezekiel 16 39 Commentary

Ezekiel 16:39 is a stark pronouncement of divine retribution against Jerusalem, portraying God's response to her spiritual harlotry. The verse details the execution of judgment, emphasizing that the very foreign nations she courted and worshipped would become the agents of her humiliation and ruin. This specific form of punishment – the stripping, plundering, and demolition of religious sites – is a divine judgment designed to mirror her crime. Just as Jerusalem adorned herself with God's gifts to pursue other gods and alliances, she will be publicly denuded and her treasures confiscated. The "mounds" and "high places" are not just physical structures; they represent the heart of her unfaithfulness, her perverse cultic practices. Their destruction is essential for spiritual cleansing and underscores the truth that such idolatrous reliance provides no security. The complete stripping and exposure to "naked and bare" reflects the depth of her sin—a public shame akin to an unfaithful wife's public disgrace in the ancient world, completely losing her honor, identity, and the covenant relationship. This passage highlights God's unyielding justice against idolatry and betrayal, where the consequence directly corresponds to the transgression. The intended effect is utter desolation and a potent lesson in the devastating consequences of forsaking the true God.