Ezekiel 16 56

Ezekiel 16:56 kjv

For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,

Ezekiel 16:56 nkjv

For your sister Sodom was not a byword in your mouth in the days of your pride,

Ezekiel 16:56 niv

You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride,

Ezekiel 16:56 esv

Was not your sister Sodom a byword in your mouth in the day of your pride,

Ezekiel 16:56 nlt

In your proud days you held Sodom in contempt.

Ezekiel 16 verses

Ezekiel 16 56 Meaning

Ezekiel 16:56 means that in Jerusalem's period of self-assured prosperity and spiritual arrogance, her people refused to even speak of the infamous city of Sodom. This deliberate omission was rooted in their profound pride, believing themselves to be morally superior and immune to similar judgments, even as their own abominations surpassed those of Sodom. It highlights Jerusalem's spiritual blindness and hypocrisy, as she scorned a city whose sins she herself was actively exceeding.

Ezekiel 16 56 Context

Ezekiel 16 is an extended allegorical indictment against Jerusalem, depicted as a child God rescued, nurtured, and made glorious, only for her to become an unfaithful "prostitute" committing unparalleled abominations. The chapter meticulously details Jerusalem's privileged origins, God's lavish care, her subsequent apostasy, and her ultimate fate of judgment and future restoration. Verses 44-59 specifically intensify this indictment by comparing Jerusalem's wickedness to that of her "sisters," Samaria (the Northern Kingdom) and Sodom. The shocking conclusion is that Jerusalem has surpassed both in depravity, essentially "justifying" their less severe sins by committing even greater ones. Verse 56 underscores the extreme hypocrisy and spiritual blindness of Jerusalem, highlighting how her immense pride prevented her from acknowledging Sodom as a warning, even while Jerusalem herself plunged deeper into sin than Sodom ever did. This period of "pride" refers to Jerusalem's confident, pre-exilic phase when she felt secure, bolstered by the presence of the Temple and a perceived unbreakable covenant with God, despite her rampant idolatry and moral decay.

Ezekiel 16 56 Word analysis

• For (כִּי, kiy): This conjunction introduces the reason or explanation for the preceding statements, particularly why Jerusalem is found to be more abominable than her "sisters." It points to a direct causal link: Jerusalem's pride caused her to ignore Sodom.
• your sister (אֲחֹתֵךְ, ’aḥōṯēḵ): A powerful metaphorical connection. While not blood relatives, Sodom is here linked to Jerusalem as a figurative "sister." This connection underscores their shared human condition and, more critically, their shared trajectory towards divine judgment due to severe wickedness, yet Jerusalem chose to disregard this commonality in her pride.
• Sodom (סְדֹם, səḏōm): The city eternally synonymous with egregious sin and devastating divine judgment. Mentioning Sodom evokes immediate recognition of extreme depravity, moral corruption, and a comprehensive end by God's hand, making her the ultimate negative example.
• was not mentioned (לֹא נִשְׁמָעָה, lō' nišmə‘āh): The verb nišmə‘āh is from šāma‘ (שָׁמַע), meaning "to hear," "to obey," or in this passive form, "to be heard" or "to be mentioned." The negation lō' ("not") emphasizes a deliberate suppression. It's not that Sodom was unknown, but Jerusalem actively chose not to speak of her, avoiding any uncomfortable comparison or lesson. This reflects an intentional refusal to learn from history.
• by your mouth (בְּפִיךְ, bəp̄îḵ): Literally, "in your mouth." This emphasizes the verbal and public nature of the omission. It was not just an unacknowledged thought, but an unstated truth, perhaps reflecting an institutional denial or a collective refusal within the city to discuss or even reflect upon Sodom's fate. This detail highlights Jerusalem's self-deception and arrogant dismissiveness.
• in the day (בְּיוֹם, bəyōm): "In the day of" here indicates a specific period or era, not just a literal single day. It refers to a prolonged season when Jerusalem's pride was flourishing and her security seemed unquestioned, before the full force of God's judgment descended.
• of your pride (גְּאֹונֵךְ, gə’ônēḵ): Derived from ga'on (גָּאוֹן), meaning "majesty," "arrogance," "pride." This is the core sin identified as the driving force behind Jerusalem's spiritual blindness. Her ga'on was not a humble acknowledgment of God's majesty but a self-exalting, defiant, and deluded sense of superiority, leading her to believe she was above judgment and beyond comparison to cities like Sodom.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "For your sister Sodom": This phrase introduces the central comparison, firmly establishing Sodom as Jerusalem's spiritual counterpart in wickedness. The familial term "sister" is ironic, given Jerusalem's disdain.
• "was not mentioned by your mouth": This directly points to the deliberate act of omission. Jerusalem, out of pride, would not acknowledge the moral precedent set by Sodom's destruction, thereby insulating herself from introspection.
• "in the day of your pride": This clarifies the specific era and psychological state that allowed for such a denial. It connects Jerusalem's spiritual blindness and denial of shared depravity directly to her overarching sin of pride, during a time she perceived herself to be secure and great.

Ezekiel 16 56 Bonus section

The concept of "not being mentioned" extends beyond a simple lack of conversation; it represents a wilful suppression of historical memory and moral benchmarks. Jerusalem deliberately edited out a crucial part of the divine record, precisely because acknowledging Sodom would expose the trajectory of her own increasing sinfulness. This active denial allowed Jerusalem to sustain a false narrative of her own righteousness and unique standing with God, despite her actions telling a very different story. It reveals how corporate or national pride can manifest as a refusal to engage in self-critique or compare current practices against the stark warnings from the past, effectively creating an echo chamber of self-validation that eventually leads to catastrophic consequences. This selective memory highlights the depth of Israel's covenant unfaithfulness – not only disobeying God's laws but actively disengaging from the very lessons God had established throughout history.

Ezekiel 16 56 Commentary

Ezekiel 16:56 serves as a profound indictment of Jerusalem's profound spiritual blindness and self-righteous hypocrisy. At a time when Jerusalem should have been taking solemn lessons from the fate of Sodom, whose very name was a byword for ultimate wickedness and divine wrath, she instead chose to erase Sodom from her verbal consciousness. This was not merely forgetfulness, but an active, arrogant refusal to acknowledge a moral precedent, born from an inflated sense of her own virtue and perceived invincibility, often stemming from her unique covenant with God and the presence of the Temple.

The verse pinpoints pride ("in the day of your pride") as the root cause of this moral and intellectual obfuscation. Jerusalem, basking in a deceptive sense of superiority, considered herself beyond comparison with such notorious sinners. Yet, the broader context of Ezekiel 16 reveals that Jerusalem had actually exceeded Sodom's sins, adding to Sodom's "pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease" (Ezek 16:49) the further evils of idolatry, child sacrifice, and widespread spiritual harlotry. The irony is tragic: her pride kept her from learning from a city whose moral depravity she had actually surpassed, ensuring a judgment even more severe than Sodom's. This is a timeless warning about the deceptive nature of pride, which can blind individuals and communities to their own deteriorating condition, preventing repentance and inviting destruction.