Ezekiel 16 52

Ezekiel 16:52 kjv

Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.

Ezekiel 16:52 nkjv

You who judged your sisters, bear your own shame also, because the sins which you committed were more abominable than theirs; they are more righteous than you. Yes, be disgraced also, and bear your own shame, because you justified your sisters.

Ezekiel 16:52 niv

Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters. Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous than you. So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.

Ezekiel 16:52 esv

Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have intervened on behalf of your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.

Ezekiel 16:52 nlt

Shame on you! Your sins are so terrible that you make your sisters seem righteous, even virtuous.

Ezekiel 16 verses

Ezekiel 16 52 Meaning

Ezekiel 16:52 declares that Jerusalem, because of its extreme wickedness and abominable acts that surpassed even those of Samaria and Sodom, must bear its own deep shame. Far from being a righteous judge, Jerusalem's actions were so severe that, by comparison, they made its "sisters" (Samaria and Sodom) appear righteous. The verse underscores God's severe judgment on Jerusalem for its unparalleled covenant unfaithfulness and spiritual prostitution.

Ezekiel 16 52 Context

Ezekiel 16 is a profound and lengthy allegory where God recounts Jerusalem's entire history, personifying the city as an ungrateful and adulterous woman. Beginning as an abandoned infant, God rescues, raises, and covenants with her, bestowing immense blessings and beauty. However, Jerusalem consistently turns away from Him, becoming a "harlot" to every passing nation, practicing detestable idolatry, and even sacrificing her own children. This verse (16:52) falls within a specific section (16:44-59) where God compares Jerusalem to its "sisters": Samaria (representing the Northern Kingdom of Israel) and Sodom. These two were proverbially sinful nations, despised by Judah. The comparison serves to strip Jerusalem of any lingering self-righteousness, arguing that its abominations were not only similar but exceeded the wickedness of both Samaria and Sodom. This intense polemic justifies the coming judgment upon Jerusalem, setting the stage for subsequent promises of ultimate restoration based purely on God's covenant faithfulness.

Ezekiel 16 52 Word analysis

• You also, bear (וְאַתְּ גַּם־שְׂאִי - ve'at gam se'i):
  • וְאַתְּ (ve'at): "And you" (feminine singular). A direct address to Jerusalem. The conjunction 'and' (וְ) often implies a continuation or inclusion, emphasizing Jerusalem is also being held accountable.
  • גַּם־ (gam): "also," "even." It highlights that Jerusalem, like its sisters, must now face its consequences, but with an added weight due to its previous self-righteous judgment.
  • שְׂאִי (se'i): Imperative "bear," "carry," "take up." From the verb נָשָׂא (nasa), it implies carrying a heavy burden, suffering the consequence or enduring the weight of the coming judgment and public disgrace.
• your disgrace (כְלִמָּתֵךְ - khelimmatekh):
  • From כְלִמָּה (kelimmah), meaning "shame," "disgrace," "dishonor," "humiliation." It's not just internal embarrassment but a public and profound loss of reputation and standing, a just recompense for its unfaithful deeds.
• you who have passed judgment on your sisters (אֲשֶׁר שִׁפַּטְתְּ אֶת־אֲחוֹתַיִךְ - asher shifatt et-akhōtayikh):
  • אֲשֶׁר (asher): "because," "that," "who." It introduces the reason or basis for the command to bear disgrace.
  • שִׁפַּטְתְּ (shifatt): "you judged," "you passed judgment." From שָׁפַט (shafat), meaning "to judge," "govern," "condemn." This word is pivotal, as Jerusalem previously condemned Sodom and Samaria as unrighteous, thereby highlighting its profound hypocrisy.
  • אֶת־אֲחוֹתַיִךְ (et-akhōtayikh): "your sisters." Refers primarily to Samaria (Northern Kingdom of Israel) and Sodom, viewed as morally inferior nations by Judah.
• because of your sins in which you behaved more abominably than they (בְּחַטֹּאותַיִךְ אֲשֶׁר הִתְאוַּבְתְּ מֵהֶן - b'chaṭṭo'tayikh asher hit'avt mehrén):
  • בְּחַטֹּאותַיִךְ (b'chaṭṭo'tayikh): "by your sins." The direct cause and catalyst for Jerusalem's greater culpability and subsequent judgment.
  • הִתְאוַּבְתְּ (hit'avt): "you acted abominably," "you made abominable" (Hithpael of תָּעַב, ta'av). This is a strong verb often associated with detestable idolatry, cultic prostitution, and severe moral offenses, acts utterly repugnant to God. The Hithpael stem indicates an intensified, self-directed, or reflexive action—Jerusalem deliberately made itself an abomination.
  • מֵהֶן (mehrén): "than them." A direct, unambiguous comparative, stating Jerusalem's acts of abomination exceeded those of its 'sisters.'
• and thereby justified your sisters. (וַתְּצַדְּקִי אֶת־אֲחוֹתַיִךְ - va'tṣaddeqi et-'akhōtayikh):
  • וַתְּצַדְּקִי (va'tṣaddeqi): "you justified," "you made righteous" (Hiphil of צָדַק, tsadaq). This is not an absolution or declaration of their actual righteousness by God, but a stark, rhetorical comparison. By acting with such extreme depravity, Jerusalem made Samaria and Sodom appear less sinful or comparatively righteous in the eyes of others, or even in God's eyes relative to Jerusalem's heightened responsibility. It reverses Jerusalem's earlier judgment.

Ezekiel 16 52 Bonus section

• The prophetic comparison here isn't a literal absolution for Sodom and Samaria's sins but a rhetorical device to underscore Jerusalem's exceptional guilt, often referred to as "relative justification." Jerusalem's moral freefall was so extreme that it altered the perceived baseline of wickedness.
• The choice of Sodom and Samaria as "sisters" to Judah is a masterstroke in Ezekiel's rhetoric. These were peoples Judah considered utterly detestable and inferior, solidifying Judah's supposed theological and moral superiority. To then be declared worse than them was a profoundly humbling and shaming experience for the exiles in Babylon.
• This verse is foundational to understanding the New Testament's warnings against hypocrisy and judging others while being guilty of greater sin oneself (e.g., Jesus' woe to Capernaum in Matthew 11, and Paul's discourse in Romans 2). The principle of greater revelation leading to greater accountability remains a timeless truth in God's economy.

Ezekiel 16 52 Commentary

Ezekiel 16:52 serves as a deeply cutting pronouncement against Jerusalem, dismantling its entrenched self-righteousness. By equating Jerusalem's depravity with, and even surpassing, that of Sodom (the paradigm of divine judgment for egregious sin) and Samaria (the northern kingdom notoriously infamous for idolatry), God reveals the profound hypocrisy of His chosen city. Jerusalem, having enjoyed unprecedented divine favor, blessing, and covenant knowledge, abused its position more grievously. Its greater light brought greater responsibility, leading to an even more repulsive defilement in God's sight. The verse is a severe indictment: Jerusalem, the self-appointed judge, becomes the supremely guilty party whose wickedness makes others appear virtuous by comparison, ensuring it must now endure an even more profound, public shame. It demonstrates God's consistent standard of judgment, intensified by a people's privilege and revelation.