Ezekiel 16 44

Ezekiel 16:44 kjv

Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.

Ezekiel 16:44 nkjv

"Indeed everyone who quotes proverbs will use this proverb against you: 'Like mother, like daughter!'

Ezekiel 16:44 niv

"?'Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: "Like mother, like daughter."

Ezekiel 16:44 esv

"Behold, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you: 'Like mother, like daughter.'

Ezekiel 16:44 nlt

Everyone who makes up proverbs will say of you, 'Like mother, like daughter.'

Ezekiel 16 verses

Ezekiel 16 44 Meaning

Ezekiel 16:44 proclaims Jerusalem's undeniable moral degradation by employing a well-known proverb: "Like mother, like daughter." This devastating statement signifies that Jerusalem has fully embodied, and even surpassed, the wickedness, idolatry, and unfaithfulness of her spiritual "mothers." These "mothers" represent the original pagan inhabitants of the land (Hittites, Amorites) and the surrounding idolatrous nations whose practices Jerusalem eagerly imitated. The proverb highlights public disgrace, proving Jerusalem's deep-seated apostasy and revealing that her treachery is a perfected echo of past depravity.

Ezekiel 16 44 Context

Ezekiel chapter 16 delivers one of the Bible's most graphic and extended allegories, portraying Jerusalem's spiritual history as an unfaithful wife. God recounts rescuing Jerusalem as a vulnerable, abandoned infant, providing her with sustenance, cleansing, ornate garments, and jewels, ultimately entering into a marriage covenant with her (Eze 16:1-14). This symbolizes God's gracious election and covenant with Israel at Sinai, bestowing unparalleled favor. However, Jerusalem, relying on her beauty and adorned by God's gifts, then turned to spiritual prostitution. She committed egregious idolatry with pagan nations, sacrificing her children, and engaging in perverse acts of harlotry far exceeding other peoples (Eze 16:15-34). God describes her as the "prostitute who preferred strangers to her husband." The prophet underscores Jerusalem's unparalleled wickedness in verses 35-43, detailing the severe judgment awaiting her. Verse 44 serves as a climactic, damning summary of this indictment, preparing the way for a direct comparison between Jerusalem's iniquity and the sins of her "sisters," Samaria and Sodom, in the verses that follow, ultimately showing that Jerusalem was far more wicked than both.

Ezekiel 16 44 Word analysis

• "Behold" (הִנֵּה, hinnēh): This emphatic interjection calls for immediate attention, signaling that a crucial and often surprising statement is about to be made. It underlines the gravity and certainty of the following declaration.
• "everyone" (כָּל, kol): Denotes universality and widespread recognition. Jerusalem's shame is not confined to internal knowledge; it will be acknowledged and discussed publicly by all.
• "who uses proverbs" (מֹשֵׁל מְשַׁלִים, moshēl mᵉshālîm):
  • "Proverbs" (מָשָׁל, mashal): Refers to a concise, wise, or illustrative saying, often reflecting popular wisdom, a parable, or a taunt. Here, it indicates a widely accepted, albeit cutting, adage.
• "will use" (יִמְשֹׁל, yimshol): The future tense indicates an inevitable public consequence and a future reality. Jerusalem's condition will become the textbook example for this particular proverb.
• "this proverb": Specifically refers to the immediately subsequent phrase, making it a direct and inescapable commentary on Jerusalem's state.
• "about you": A direct, confrontational address to Jerusalem (personified), emphasizing the personal nature of her disgrace and God's direct accusation.
• "saying, 'Like mother, like daughter.'" (לֵאמֹר כְּאִמּהּ בִּתָּהּ, lēmōr kᵉʾimmāh bittāh): This common Semitic proverb implies the perpetuation of character traits or behaviors across generations or through close association.
  • "Like mother" (כְּאִמּהּ, kᵉʾimmāh): The "mother" figure can refer to:
    1. Ancestral heritage: The Amorite and Hittite peoples, mentioned in Eze 16:3 as Jerusalem's actual origin by descent, known for their pagan practices.
    2. Spiritual influences: The surrounding Gentile nations (Egyptians, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians) whose idolatrous worship and corrupt customs Jerusalem adopted and assimilated.
    3. Israel's past apostasy: The continuous historical pattern of unfaithfulness within Israel, despite God's covenant.
  • "like daughter" (בִּתָּהּ, bittāh): Refers to Jerusalem herself, highlighting her active participation and willing embrace of these ungodly patterns. This is not passive inheritance but a chosen identification with wickedness.
• Words-group by words-group analysis:
  • "everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you": This phrase underlines the profound and pervasive shame of Jerusalem. Her corruption will not be a private matter but a publicly acknowledged and scorned fact, serving as the epitome of the proverb's truth. It reflects God's judgment making her condition a visible object lesson for all to see.
  • "'Like mother, like daughter.'": This proverbial statement is a stinging indictment of Jerusalem's failure to maintain her unique covenant relationship with God. Instead, she chose to replicate the most vile aspects of her "mothers" (pagan cultural and religious practices), demonstrating a deeply ingrained pattern of apostasy rather than faithfulness. It points to a deep, familial likeness in moral and spiritual corruption.

Ezekiel 16 44 Bonus section

The proverb "Like mother, like daughter" functions as a reversal of ideal expectations. A covenant community, meant to reflect the holiness of its God, instead mirrors the defilement of the ungodly. This highlights Jerusalem's complete deviation from her divine calling. Furthermore, the statement prepares the audience for the explicit comparison that follows in Ezekiel 16, where Jerusalem's sins are shockingly portrayed as being worse than those of Sodom and Samaria. The proverb lays the groundwork by establishing a clear lineage of iniquity that Jerusalem not only maintained but escalated. It underscores the severity of Jerusalem's chosen path and the justice of her impending judgment.

Ezekiel 16 44 Commentary

Ezekiel 16:44 serves as a crushing, undeniable indictment against Jerusalem. God, through the common adage "Like mother, like daughter," shatters any illusion of Jerusalem's uniqueness or special status in her apostasy. Far from being distinct as a covenant nation, she has become a perfected reflection of the very idolatry and moral depravity that characterized the surrounding pagan cultures and the land's original inhabitants. This verse conveys profound public humiliation; her wickedness is so blatant it has become a textbook illustration of a universally understood proverb. It signifies not merely a slip into sin but a deep-seated spiritual character molded by ungodliness. Her unfaithfulness, born from covenant betrayal, escalated to the point where her actions mirrored and exceeded even those whom Israel was meant to be separate from. The proverb encapsulates God's verdict: Jerusalem embraced her pagan lineage in spirit and deed, validating the public's judgment against her.