Ezekiel 16 5

Ezekiel 16:5 kjv

None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.

Ezekiel 16:5 nkjv

No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.

Ezekiel 16:5 niv

No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.

Ezekiel 16:5 esv

No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.

Ezekiel 16:5 nlt

No one had the slightest interest in you; no one pitied you or cared for you. On the day you were born, you were unwanted, dumped in a field and left to die.

Ezekiel 16 verses

Ezekiel 16 5 Meaning

Ezekiel 16:5 vividly depicts the desolate and abandoned state of Jerusalem, personified as a newborn girl, at her moment of birth. It portrays her as completely unprovided for, devoid of any compassionate care from human hands. She was left exposed and repulsive in the open, indicating a deliberate and universal rejection. This verse emphasizes her utter helplessness and worthlessness in the eyes of others, highlighting a beginning that was without hope or prospect of survival apart from divine intervention. It serves as a stark foundation for the narrative of God's later, undeserved grace and covenant with her.

Ezekiel 16 5 Context

Ezekiel 16 is a lengthy, powerful, and deeply disturbing allegory in which God uses the image of a foundling child, personified as Jerusalem, to describe the city's origins, upbringing, sin, and eventual judgment. This chapter directly addresses Jerusalem's spiritual harlotry, drawing a stark contrast between her humble, abandoned beginnings and the glorious status God bestowed upon her, only for her to then engage in gross unfaithfulness. Verse 5 is the climax of the introductory section (16:1-5), establishing Jerusalem's original state of absolute unworthiness, demonstrating that any good she received came entirely from God's undeserved favor. Historically, the imagery might allude to Israel's non-distinct or even "pagan" (Amorite and Hittite) origins as stated in verse 3, or simply emphasize her desperate and unremarkable start as a people group, living among idolatrous nations before being singled out by God's grace. The portrayal directly challenges any notion of inherent superiority or deservingness on the part of Jerusalem or the people of Judah, emphasizing their complete dependency on God's initial and ongoing mercy.

Ezekiel 16 5 Word analysis

• No eye pitied you, (וְלֹא־חָסָה עָלַיִךְ עַיִן - wělo-ḥāsāh ‘alayikh ‘ayin)
  • "No eye pitied you": The Hebrew ḥāsāh (חָסָה) means to have compassion, show mercy, or to spare. The negation ("no") underscores the absolute absence of pity or care from any observer. It signifies complete, universal human indifference. This is not merely neglect, but a deliberate lack of sympathetic intervention.
  • Significance: This highlights the foundational premise that Jerusalem, like Israel, had no natural claim to special status or care from mankind. Her very survival would be a miracle of grace. It sets the stage for the dramatic entrance of God's compassion.
• to do any of these things for you out of compassion, (לַעֲשׂוֹת־לָךְ אַחַת מֵהֵלֶּה לְרַחֲמֶיךְ - la‘aśoṯ-lakh ’aḥaṯ mēhellâ lĕraḥămeyikh)
  • "these things": Refers to the prenatal and post-natal care described in verses 3-4 (e.g., cutting the umbilical cord, washing, rubbing with salt, swaddling clothes). These were standard care for newborns, making their absence here a strong indictment of neglect.
  • "out of compassion" (lĕraḥămeyikh): Derived from the root raḥam (רחם), which often refers to deep, womb-like pity or tender mercy. Its absence here emphasizes the lack of basic human kindness typically afforded to even the most vulnerable.
  • Significance: This phrase accentuates the active, willful withholding of care, rather than passive oversight. It wasn't an accident, but a conscious choice not to help.
• but you were cast out into the open field, (וַתֻּשְׁלְכִי אֶל־פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה - wattushləkī ’el-pəney haśśāḏeh)
  • "cast out" (wattushləkī): A passive form of shālakh (שָׁלַךְ), "to throw, to cast off, to dismiss." This implies a deliberate and violent expulsion, an act of active rejection rather than mere abandonment. It denotes an intention to dispose of something unwanted.
  • "into the open field" (’el-pəney haśśāḏeh): Literally, "to the face of the field" or "on the surface of the field." This signifies an exposed, unprotected, and desolate place. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, this was a common method of disposing of unwanted infants or waste, leaving them to the elements, scavengers, or death.
  • Significance: This imagery starkly depicts the vulnerability and lack of value assigned to the newborn. It’s a metaphor for Israel’s initial state as a seemingly insignificant and unprotected people in a harsh world.
• to your loathing, (בְּגֹעַל נַפְשֶׁךְ - bəḡo‘al nafšekh)
  • "to your loathing" (bəḡo‘al nafšekh): The word go‘al (גּוֹעַל) comes from the root qūṣ (קוּץ), meaning to abhor, detest, or loathe. It describes a state of repulsion or disgust. The phrase likely means she was cast out as a loathsome thing, or that her very presence invoked revulsion. It is an objective state, reflecting how others viewed her.
  • Significance: This word underlines the deep repugnance of her state. It wasn't just neglect; she was actively despised. This deep sense of repulsion accentuates the magnitude of God's later, gracious intervention.
• on the day you were born. (בְּיוֹם הֻלַּדְתֵּךְ - bəyōm hulladtēkh)
  • "on the day you were born": This temporal marker emphasizes that her state of rejection and destitution was from the very beginning of her existence. It was her birthright condition.
  • Significance: It nullifies any claim of inherent merit or prior good deeds. Her story begins with absolute nothingness and negative value, entirely dependent on an external, unmerited act of rescue.

Words-group analysis:

• "No eye pitied you... to do any of these things for you out of compassion": This collective phrasing intensifies the portrayal of abandonment. It signifies not just an individual oversight, but a universal societal rejection of the helpless child. No one—not family, not strangers, not society—extended basic human kindness or performed the expected rites. This sets up the exclusivity of God's later compassion.
• "but you were cast out into the open field, to your loathing": This pairing directly connects the active expulsion with the state of being abhorrent. The "casting out" is the deliberate act of removing something detestable, emphasizing the perceived worthlessness and undesirability of the infant. The imagery is visceral and conveys complete helplessness and exposure to peril.

Ezekiel 16 5 Bonus section

• The graphic depiction of the neglected newborn child would have resonated deeply and disturbingly with the ancient audience, as the care of infants was a sacred responsibility, often tied to family honor and religious practices. The imagery draws on the practice of infanticide or exposure, common in various ancient cultures when an infant was deformed, illegitimate, or simply unwanted, thereby amplifying the shock and shame.
• The phrase "Amorite... your father and a Hittite... your mother" in verse 3 provides a specific ethnic context, further emphasizing that Jerusalem's roots were intertwined with historically Gentile, idolatrous nations. This contrasts sharply with Israel's self-perception as having a pure, covenantal lineage, thus setting the stage for the narrative that their spiritual purity came solely from God, not their birth. This also serves as a subtle polemic against any notion of racial or inherent superiority based on origin.
• The concept presented in Ezekiel 16:5 (utter human inability and God's unilateral initiation of salvation) forms a crucial theological precursor to the New Testament's teachings on election and grace (e.g., Eph 2:8-9, Tit 3:3-5). Just as Jerusalem was "dead" and loathsome from birth, humanity is depicted as spiritually dead and deserving of nothing from God's hand, yet He extends His mercy and new life.

Ezekiel 16 5 Commentary

Ezekiel 16:5 powerfully lays bare Jerusalem's original, utterly desperate, and unworthy state. The verse establishes the foundational principle that her existence and any prosperity she knew did not stem from inherent merit, deservingness, or human kindness, but solely from God's undeserved, sovereign grace. The vivid description of the newborn infant—unwashed, unswaddled, repugnant, and abandoned to perish in an open field—is shocking and intentional. It aims to demolish any pride or sense of self-sufficiency the people might possess. This abject beginning serves as a dramatic backdrop against which God's subsequent, boundless love, covenant, and lavish provision will be highlighted. The complete absence of human compassion underscored here makes God's intervention, described in the following verses, not merely a kindness, but a miraculous rescue from certain death, demonstrating that salvation is always initiated by a merciful God reaching out to the utterly helpless. This setup forms the moral core for understanding Jerusalem's profound ingratitude and spiritual prostitution later in the chapter.