Ezekiel 16 55

Ezekiel 16:55 kjv

When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

Ezekiel 16:55 nkjv

When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters return to their former state, then you and your daughters will return to your former state.

Ezekiel 16:55 niv

And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before.

Ezekiel 16:55 esv

As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former state, and you and your daughters shall return to your former state.

Ezekiel 16:55 nlt

Yes, your sisters, Sodom and Samaria, and all their people will be restored, and at that time you also will be restored.

Ezekiel 16 verses

Ezekiel 16 55 Meaning

Ezekiel 16:55 declares that Jerusalem's restoration will occur in conjunction with or parallel to the restoration of Sodom and Samaria and their dependent towns. This verse is a profoundly humiliating statement for Jerusalem, asserting that her sin was so grievous it surpassed even the notoriously wicked Sodom and the idolatrous Samaria. It highlights the depth of Jerusalem's depravity in God's eyes and underscores the unexpected, vast scope of God's future redemptive plan, suggesting a restoration so improbable that it is likened to the return of Sodom and Samaria to a prior state of grace or prominence.

Ezekiel 16 55 Context

Ezekiel chapter 16 is a powerful, extended parable in which Jerusalem is portrayed as an unfaithful bride, detailing her spiritual prostitution and moral depravity. God recounts Jerusalem's history, starting from her "birth" as an abandoned orphan, rescued and lavished with grace, culminating in a covenant marriage. Despite God's abundant provision and steadfast love, Jerusalem prostituted herself to every passing nation, practicing idolatry and even child sacrifice. The preceding verses (Ezek 16:44-54) establish Jerusalem's sin as far exceeding that of Samaria (the Northern Kingdom) and Sodom (the notoriously wicked city). This severe indictment culminates in the stunning declaration of verse 55, where God promises a future restoration for Jerusalem, but juxtaposes it with the idea of a simultaneous restoration of Sodom and Samaria, thereby highlighting the profundity of Jerusalem's humiliation and the boundless, yet mysterious, nature of God's redemptive plan.

Ezekiel 16 55 Word analysis

• When: Hebrew: כְּשׁוּב (k’shuv). This adverb introduces a conditional clause, establishing a precise temporal or consequential relationship. It sets a condition for Jerusalem's restoration, implying that her return to a former state will not occur independently but in tandem with these other, seemingly impossible, restorations.
• your sisters: Hebrew: אֲחוֹתַיִךְ (achotayich). While literally meaning "sisters," in this context (Ezek 16:44-48), it is used polemically to signify close kinship in sin and shared spiritual depravity. It undermines Jerusalem's perceived unique holy status by associating her with these condemned entities.
• Sodom: Hebrew: סְדוֹם (Sedom). An archetypal city renowned for its extreme wickedness and divine judgment (Gen 19). Mentioning Sodom immediately evokes utter destruction and hopelessness, emphasizing the extraordinary nature of any implied restoration.
• and her daughters: Hebrew: וּבְנוֹתֶיהָ (u'venoteiha). Refers to the surrounding towns, dependent settlements, or people belonging to Sodom. This signifies the wider sphere of influence and complicity in the sin and subsequent judgment, but also potential scope of restoration.
• return to their former state: Hebrew: וְשׁוּבֵי אֶל־קַדְמָתָן (v'shuveh el-kadmatan).
  • וְשׁוּבֵי (v'shuveh) from the verb שׁוּב (shuv), meaning 'to turn, return, restore'.
  • אֶל (el), meaning 'to'.
  • קַדְמָתָן (kadmatan), from קַדְמָה (kadmah), meaning 'first state, original condition, antiquity'.
  • The phrase implies a reversal of their desolate status, suggesting a restoration of some kind, whether it's their original physical condition, population, or even a re-establishment of a more "normal" state. For Sodom, whose very location is largely a mystery, this leans towards a more figurative or profound eschatological reordering rather than a literal rebuilding.
• and Samaria: Hebrew: וְשֹׁמְרוֹן (v'shomron). The capital city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, infamous for its syncretistic idolatry, calf worship, and apostasy from Yahweh, leading to its destruction by Assyria (722 BC).
• and her daughters: Hebrew: וּבְנוֹתֶיהָ (u'venoteiha). Similar to Sodom's daughters, referring to the surrounding towns and populace of the Northern Kingdom, signifying the widespread nature of their idolatry and their share in the impending judgment or promised restoration.
• then you and your daughters: Hebrew: וְאַתְּ וּבְנוֹתַיִךְ (v'at u'venotayich). "You" refers to Jerusalem and Judah. The possessive pronoun highlights her direct accountability. Her "daughters" similarly refer to the cities and inhabitants of Judah, affirming that the entire kingdom is implicated.
• will also return to your former state: Hebrew: תָּשֻׁבְנָה אֶל־קַדְמַתְכֶן (tashuvnah el-kadmatchen). Parallels the phrase used for Sodom and Samaria. The repetition emphasizes that Jerusalem's restoration is presented not as unique but as part of a broader, encompassing, and initially unexpected divine plan for redemption, despite her immense guilt.

Ezekiel 16 55 Bonus section

The idea of "return to their former state" (qadmatan) is deeply significant. While Sodom's "former state" could allude to a time before its utter destruction, perhaps even to its initial blessed location (Gen 13:10), it likely functions here more as a rhetorical device to underscore the shocking extent of God's redemptive power and Jerusalem's abased status. The language echoes themes of creation and recreation found throughout prophetic literature, suggesting God's ability to undo all consequences of sin, even for the most condemned. This challenging theological statement prepares the audience for the radical and unmerited restoration prophecies to come, particularly in later chapters of Ezekiel, which are entirely dependent on God's initiative, not human deservingness. It also potentially points to a reordering of the cosmos or a restoration for all peoples and places touched by sin, brought about through the witness of a truly restored Israel.

Ezekiel 16 55 Commentary

Ezekiel 16:55 presents a divine declaration that at first appears to intensify Jerusalem's condemnation before subtly shifting towards the profound mystery of God's future grace. By linking Jerusalem's restoration to that of Sodom and Samaria, entities epitomizing extreme wickedness and definitive judgment, the verse conveys the staggering depth of Jerusalem's sin. Her pride in being God's chosen city is shattered, revealing her moral decay to be worse than her pagan counterparts. Yet, within this indictment lies a glimpse of God's limitless sovereignty and an unexpected universal dimension to His restorative plan. It's not a prediction of the literal physical re-establishment of wicked cities to their prior sinful states, but a hyperbolic statement stressing Jerusalem's extreme downfall and the equally extreme, almost unimaginable, grace of God that would be required for any of them to experience restoration. It foreshadows a time of unprecedented divine intervention where all former desolation will be undone, bringing a holistic renewal rooted not in human merit, but in God's sovereign will and covenant faithfulness.