Ezekiel 16:4 kjv
And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
Ezekiel 16:4 nkjv
As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.
Ezekiel 16:4 niv
On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths.
Ezekiel 16:4 esv
And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.
Ezekiel 16:4 nlt
On the day you were born, no one cared about you. Your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were never washed, rubbed with salt, and wrapped in cloth.
Ezekiel 16 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Eze 16:5-6 | "no one looked on you... But I passed by you... said to you, ‘Live!’" | God's compassionate choice of the neglected |
| Deu 7:7-8 | "The LORD did not set His love... because you were more numerous..." | God's choice not based on merit |
| Deu 10:14-15 | "the Lord set his affection... though you were the fewest of all peoples" | God's sovereign and undeserved love |
| 1 Sam 2:8 | "He raises the poor from the dust... and seats them with princes." | God exalts the humble and neglected |
| Ps 51:5 | "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." | Humanity's innate defilement and helplessness |
| Ps 105:7-8 | "He is the LORD our God... He remembers His covenant forever." | God's faithful remembrance of His people |
| Isa 1:4-6 | "A sinful nation... From the sole of the foot to the head... not pressed or bandaged or soothed with oil." | Israel's spiritual sickness and neglected state |
| Jer 2:2 | "I remember the devotion of your youth, how you loved me as a bride, following me in the wilderness." | God's remembrance of initial, humble relationship |
| Hos 11:1 | "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." | God's choosing and calling from infancy |
| Mal 1:2-3 | "'Is not Esau Jacob's brother?' declares the LORD. 'Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated.'" | God's sovereign and unconditional election |
| Rom 3:10-12 | "There is no one righteous, not even one... no one seeks God." | Universal human spiritual depravity |
| Rom 9:10-13 | "...Jacob and Esau... before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad" | God's choice is based on His purpose, not human merit |
| 1 Cor 1:26-29 | "not many of you were wise... God chose the foolish things... so that no one may boast." | God's deliberate choice of the humble |
| Eph 2:1-3 | "You were dead in your transgressions and sins... by nature children of wrath." | Humanity's spiritual deadness before Christ |
| Col 2:13 | "When you were dead in your sins... God made you alive with Christ." | Divine intervention in human hopelessness |
| Titus 3:5 | "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth..." | Spiritual washing and new birth by divine mercy |
| 1 Pet 1:23 | "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable..." | The miracle of spiritual new birth |
| Lev 2:13 | "You are to season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings..." | Symbolism of salt for covenant permanence |
| Num 18:19 | "It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD." | Salt symbolizing a lasting covenant |
| Ezek 20:5-7 | "On the day I chose Israel... made Myself known to them in Egypt... Lifted My hand to them, swearing..." | God's initiative in establishing a relationship |
| John 3:3-7 | "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God... born of water and the Spirit." | Spiritual cleansing and new life required |
| Heb 8:10-12 | "For this is the covenant that I will make... I will put my laws in their minds... I will remember their sins no more." | God's new covenant of internal transformation |
Ezekiel 16 verses
Ezekiel 16 4 Meaning
Ezekiel 16:4 vividly depicts Jerusalem's (and by extension, Israel's) utter state of abandonment, neglect, and uncleanness at its very origin, before divine intervention. It employs a striking allegory of a newborn infant, found completely destitute and deprived of the most fundamental care necessary for survival. This symbolizes the nation's spiritual and physical destitution and its complete lack of inherent merit or strength at its beginning, underscoring that any existence, prosperity, or status it gained was solely due to God's sovereign choice and undeserved grace.
Ezekiel 16 4 Context
Ezekiel chapter 16 is an extended prophetic allegory, a harsh and graphic condemnation of Jerusalem's spiritual harlotry (idolatry). God speaks through Ezekiel, recounting Jerusalem's history from its ignominious beginnings to its glorious elevation, followed by its egregious betrayal through covenant unfaithfulness and idolatry. Verse 4 initiates this allegorical history, painting a devastating picture of the city as a neglected, newly born infant left to die in a field. This image describes Jerusalem's "birth" as a people/city not as a place of nobility or inherent strength, but as an abandoned, utterly helpless, and defiled entity. Historically, this likely refers to Israel's obscure and ignoble origins (Abraham was a wandering Aramean, the people were enslaved in Egypt) before God chose them and raised them to be His own. The following verses (5-14) dramatically contrast this pitiful beginning with God's loving intervention, cleansing, sustenance, and lavish adornment, setting the stage for the profound and repulsive ingratitude and apostasy depicted later in the chapter.
Ezekiel 16 4 Word analysis
- As for your birth (Hebrew: מולדותיך, moledotayikh): Literally "your origins" or "your nativities." This signifies the very inception, the foundational beginnings. Here, it refers to Jerusalem's (and Israel's) national and spiritual origin. The use of the plural emphasizes the absolute nature of this origin.
- on the day you were born: Emphasizes the immediacy and totality of the neglect from the absolute first moment of existence. No delay in the abandonment; it was intrinsic to the "birth" itself.
- your navel string was not cut (Hebrew: טבורך לא כורת, ṭabbūrakh loʾ kūrath): The umbilical cord, an essential part of the birthing process. Not cutting it means a complete failure of even the most basic and immediate post-natal care. This neglect would lead to certain infection and death. Symbolizes profound physical and ritual defilement and lack of severance from inherent impurity or a dead connection.
- nor were you washed with water to cleanse you (Hebrew: וּבמַ֧יִם לֹֽא־רֻחַצְתְּ למשעי, ūvemáim lōʾ ruḥaṣt lemíshʿi): The literal washing of a newborn, usually with clean water. The phrase "למשעי" (lemish'i) means "for cleansing/clearness," highlighting that this crucial purification step was omitted. Without washing, the baby remains covered in birth fluids (blood and amniotic fluid), signifying unaddressed defilement and impurity. It denotes a state of profound ritual uncleanness.
- nor rubbed with salt (Hebrew: והמלח לא המלחת, vehammelaḥ loʾ himlaḥat): An ancient practice for newborns, its exact purpose debated but believed to toughen the skin, act as an antiseptic, dry the skin, or symbolize preservation or covenant (Lev 2:13; Num 18:19). Its omission implies not only medical neglect but also the lack of any customary care that would solidify, protect, or bind the child in a foundational sense. The absence of "covenant salt" suggests a pre-covenant, completely unbound and unprotected state.
- nor wrapped in swaddling cloths (Hebrew: החתלת, ḥuttāltā): Swaddling cloths were strips of cloth used to tightly bind newborns, thought to provide warmth, security, prevent limb deformity, and comfort. The lack of swaddling represents the absence of nurture, protection, security, and the inability for the child to thrive or develop properly. It highlights vulnerability and utter lack of care.
Ezekiel 16 4 Bonus section
The intense graphic detail of Ezekiel 16:4 was designed to be deeply shocking and provocative to the original audience. The explicit enumeration of neglected post-natal care rituals would have struck a visceral chord, highlighting an abandonment so severe it bordered on infanticide by omission. This deliberate use of shocking imagery underscores God's deep pain and anger at Israel's betrayal, contrasting it with the immense compassion He showed in rescuing such a "defiled and unlooked-upon" people. This level of descriptive depravity sets the ultimate foundation for understanding the magnitude of God's redemptive work and, consequently, the grievousness of Israel's subsequent spiritual infidelity described throughout the chapter.
Ezekiel 16 4 Commentary
Ezekiel 16:4 is a profoundly graphic and poignant statement about Israel's spiritual origin and utter dependence on God's unmerited favor. The description of a newborn utterly abandoned, left without basic, life-sustaining care (uncut umbilical cord, unwashed, unsalted, unswaddled), paints a picture of extreme helplessness, defilement, and a near-certain death sentence. This horrifying scene is designed to evoke revulsion and pity, laying bare the truth of Jerusalem's original state, stripped of any inherent pride or glory. It fundamentally establishes that Israel's very existence, let alone its subsequent exaltation (described later in the chapter), was not due to its own worth or actions but entirely to the merciful, salvific intervention of God (as detailed in verse 6 onwards). The metaphor strongly underscores the themes of sovereign grace, human depravity, and the severity of ingratitude.
- Practical application: This reminds us that our spiritual beginning before God is often one of utter destitution and spiritual uncleanness, making His redemptive love all the more profound. We, like the metaphorical infant, bring nothing to the table, and any life, cleansing, or protection we experience is entirely by His gracious intervention.