Ezekiel 16 6

Ezekiel 16:6 kjv

And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.

Ezekiel 16:6 nkjv

"And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' Yes, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!'

Ezekiel 16:6 niv

"?'Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, "Live!"

Ezekiel 16:6 esv

"And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' I said to you in your blood, 'Live!'

Ezekiel 16:6 nlt

"But I came by and saw you there, helplessly kicking about in your own blood. As you lay there, I said, 'Live!'

Ezekiel 16 verses

Ezekiel 16 6 Meaning

Ezekiel 16:6 reveals God's profound, undeserved compassion for Israel in her initial state of abject defilement and helplessness. Through the allegory of an abandoned newborn, God recounts His sovereign act of grace, discovering Israel "polluted in her own blood" and, in an act of divine power, commanding her to live, thereby imparting life where there was only abandonment and the stench of death. This pivotal moment signifies God's election of Israel, not based on her merit, but solely on His initiative and loving purpose, saving her from certain demise and establishing the foundation of His covenant relationship with her.

Ezekiel 16 6 Context

Ezekiel 16 is an extended allegory delivered by the prophet to the exiled Israelites in Babylon, vividly portraying the history of Jerusalem (symbolizing Israel) from her origins to her present apostasy, and finally her promised restoration. The chapter opens with God revealing Israel's ignoble beginnings as an abandoned, unwashed newborn left to die. This verse, Ezekiel 16:6, is the turning point within this initial narrative: the moment of divine intervention. It precedes the details of God's care, adoption, adornment, and covenant marriage with Jerusalem, emphasizing that Israel's very existence and covenant relationship with God were initiated purely by His sovereign, unsolicited grace, rather than any inherent worth or goodness on her part. Historically, the harsh imagery resonates with ancient Near Eastern practices of exposing unwanted infants to death, amplifying the depth of Israel's vulnerability and God's astounding compassion. It implicitly contrasts the caring God of Israel with pagan deities who often demanded child sacrifice or were depicted as indifferent.

Ezekiel 16 6 Word analysis

• And when I passed by thee:
  • וָאֶעֱבֹר (va'e'evor): From the root עָבַר ('avar), meaning "to pass over," "pass by." This indicates a divine, intentional movement towards the vulnerable infant, not an accidental encounter. It signifies God's initiative to observe Israel's plight.
  • עלַיִךְ (alayikh): "Upon/by you." Implies close proximity and direct observation.
• and saw thee:
  • וָאֶרְאֵךְ (va'er'ekh): From the root רָאָה (ra'ah), "to see," "perceive." God's sight is comprehensive, recognizing the full extent of the pitiful condition. This is not a casual glance but an attentive gaze of compassion and concern.
• polluted in thine own blood,
  • מִתְבּוֹסֶסֶת (mitbossethet): A Hitpael participle from the root בּוּס (bus), "to trample," "tread down." In this form, it means "wallowing," "trampling oneself," or "being trodden upon." It conveys a state of deep degradation, self-inflicted defilement, and utter helplessness. The infant is not just bloody but wallowing in her own birth-blood and fluids, symbolic of complete ritual uncleanness, an unhygienic and repulsive state of abandonment.
  • בְּדָמַיִךְ (bedamayikh): "In your blood." This explicitly refers to the blood of childbirth, which under Mosaic Law (Leviticus 12) rendered a mother and newborn ritually unclean for a period. Here, it signifies the state of utter defilement, lack of care, and proximity to death, as well as a representation of unwashed life, untouched by human compassion or care.
• I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live;
  • וָאֹמַר (va'omar): From the root אָמַר ('amar), "to say," "speak." This denotes a divine decree, a powerful spoken word that brings about creation or change.
  • לָךְ (lakh): "To you." The command is directly addressed to the helpless infant.
  • בְּדָמַיִךְ (bedamayikh): "In your blood." The reiteration emphasizes that God's life-giving command came precisely while Israel was in this most repugnant and defiled state, highlighting the absolute gratuitousness of God's grace, unprompted by any improvement or cleansing on Israel's part.
  • חֲיִי (chayi): An imperative verb from the root חָיָה (chayah), "to live," "be alive." This is a sovereign, life-imparting command. It transforms the state of imminent death and abandonment into life. This declaration initiates Israel's very existence as a viable entity.
• yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.
  • The complete repetition serves as an emphatic reinforcement of the divine life-giving decree. It stresses the certainty, power, and permanence of God's word, underscoring the miraculous and undeniable nature of Israel's rescue from a hopeless situation. The repeated "in thy blood" underscores the depth of God's condescending grace to rescue in such a condition.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And when I passed by thee, and saw thee": This highlights God's intentional action and compassionate observation. It’s the initial step of divine intervention where God initiates the rescue.
• "polluted in thine own blood": This phrase paints a gruesome, vivid picture of utter degradation, abandonment, and ritual impurity. It symbolizes Israel's inherent lack of worth and self-generating defilement at her "birth" or beginning.
• "I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live;": This segment reveals God's authoritative, creative word spoken directly into a context of death and defilement. The command "Live" is a divine declaration overriding the natural course of abandonment, signifying a sovereign impartation of life.
• "yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.": The powerful repetition emphasizes the certainty, decisiveness, and irresistible force of God's life-giving word. It powerfully stresses that God’s grace intervenes despite and directly within the state of uncleanness.

Ezekiel 16 6 Bonus section

• The imagery of an unwashed, untended infant would have been profoundly shocking and disgusting to the original audience, who would have understood the common, cruel practice of infant exposure. This serves to maximize the contrast between humanity's capacity for cruelty and God's limitless compassion.
• The Hebrew concept of chay (life) is holistic, encompassing not just physical existence but also well-being, prosperity, covenant relationship, and vitality. God's command "Live!" (חֲיִי) therefore implies the bestowal of all these aspects for the fledgling nation.
• The repetitive phrase "when thou wast in thy blood" is a key rhetorical device. Its insistent repetition magnifies the magnitude of God's grace by showing He acted not after the defilement was removed, but within it, highlighting that His love precedes any act of cleansing or righteousness from the recipient.
• This verse sets the stage for the entire allegory in Ezekiel 16, where God outlines His transformative care for Israel, from finding her utterly destitute to adorning her with riches and marrying her in a covenant. It establishes that all her subsequent blessings derived from this initial, unearned act of divine rescue.
• This verse can be seen as a microcosm of redemption in Christian theology, where sinful humanity, spiritually "dead in trespasses" and "wallowing in defilement," is given spiritual life by God's sovereign, life-giving word (Rom 6:13; Eph 2:1, 5).

Ezekiel 16 6 Commentary

Ezekiel 16:6 profoundly illustrates God's sovereign, unsolicited grace. It describes Israel (personified as an abandoned newborn) in her most wretched, defiled state – left uncleaned and near death, a condition repugnant by human and Mosaic standards. Yet, it is precisely in this state that God intervenes. He "passes by," "sees," and then, with divine authority, commands, "Live!" This is not a response to any plea or merit but an outflow of God's initiative and compassion alone. The repeated command emphasizes the irresistible power of His word, bringing life out of spiritual and existential death. This verse underscores that Israel's very existence, and indeed salvation for all people, begins not with human effort or goodness, but with God's pure grace and His powerful life-giving word. It serves as a foundational declaration of God's unconditional love and election, demonstrating His nature as the one who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

• Practical example: Just as God reached Israel in her helplessness, He reaches individuals dead in sin (Eph 2:1-5), speaking life and offering redemption, entirely independent of their previous state or deservingness.