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 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel | and made you increase like the produce of the field | Ezek 16:7 (further development) |
| Hosea | When Israel was a child, I loved him | Hos 11:1 (God's fatherly love) |
| Deuteronomy | The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your walk through this great wilderness. | Deut 2:7 (God's provision) |
| Isaiah | Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.” | Isa 48:17 (God as guide and teacher) |
| Psalm | You crown the year with your bounty; your paths drip with abundance. | Ps 65:11 (God's abundant provision) |
| Jeremiah | But from my mother’s womb he has said, “Let us throw the wood in her bread, and with her water let them drink.” | Jer 11:19 (Contrast with opposition) |
| Genesis | I will bless those who bless you | Gen 12:3 (Promise of blessing) |
| Deuteronomy | For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. | Deut 7:6 (Chosen people) |
| Joshua | not one of the good promises that the Lord your God made to the house of Israel failed. All came to pass. | Josh 21:45 (Faithfulness of God) |
| Isaiah | Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines... yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. | Hab 3:17-18 (Faithfulness amidst hardship) |
| Numbers | For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your walk through this great wilderness. | Deut 2:7 (God's sustenance in the desert) |
| Psalm | By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept, when we remembered Zion. | Ps 137:1 (Remembering past blessings) |
| Amos | "I despise your religious festivals..." | Amos 5:21 (Rejection of superficial worship) |
| Zechariah | This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. | Zech 4:6 (Spirit's role in growth) |
| John | He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. | John 16:14 (Christ's glorification) |
| Acts | And when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. | Acts 4:13 (Association with Jesus) |
| Galatians | But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, | Gal 4:4 (Divine timing of action) |
| Romans | For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. | Eph 2:10 (Created for God's purpose) |
| 1 Corinthians | Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. | 1 Cor 12:27 (Corporate identity) |
| Colossians | and he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. | Col 1:18 (Christ as the head) |
Ezekiel 16 verses
Ezekiel 16 6 Meaning
God declares His everlasting love and commitment to Israel, stating, "I made you grow." This signifies His active role in nurturing Israel from its beginning into a nation.
Ezekiel 16 6 Context
Ezekiel chapter 16 presents a vivid allegory of Jerusalem. God refers to Jerusalem as an abandoned infant whom He found and brought up. Verse 6 transitions from the state of abandonment to God's active intervention and blessing in fostering her growth. This chapter addresses Jerusalem's profound unfaithfulness and idolatry, contrasting it with God's persistent love and care. The historical context is during the Babylonian exile, a time when Jerusalem’s spiritual and national ruin was evident. This verse, therefore, serves to highlight the stark contrast between God’s initial intentions and actions versus Jerusalem’s subsequent apostasy.
Ezekiel 16 6 Word Analysis
- אֲנִי (ani):
- Meaning: "I".
- Significance: Emphasizes God's personal involvement and agency. The "I" is paramount in His declaration of love and action.
- וְהִנֵּה (ve-hineh):
- Meaning: "and behold" or "and lo".
- Significance: A particle introducing something significant or surprising, drawing the listener's attention to a profound truth or a pivotal moment. It signals a dramatic shift from her abandoned state to God's discovery.
- בָּךְ (bach):
- Meaning: "in you" or "to you".
- Significance: Indicates that the object of God's affection and action is directly upon her.
- לְעֵת (le'et):
- Meaning: "for the time" or "at the time".
- Significance: Points to a specific opportune moment when God intervened. It suggests divine timing.
- לְעֵת (le'et):
- Meaning: "the time of birth" or "the time of love".
- Significance: Could refer to her actual birth or the moment God chose to manifest His love and care. It sets the stage for a developmental phase.
- רְגָלַיִךְ (regalych):
- Meaning: "your feet".
- Word Level Analysis: The word regel (foot) can also carry connotations of walking, the manner of one's gait, or one's footsteps, implying God nurtured her progress and "walk."
- Significance: Symbolically refers to her beginning and helplessness, emphasizing that she was found at a primitive, nascent stage of existence, unable to stand or walk independently.
- בְּעֵת (be'et):
- Meaning: "at the time".
- Significance: Reinforces the notion of specific, opportune intervention.
- לְעֵת (le'et):
- Meaning: "the time" or "season."
- Significance: Indicates a propitious time for development and nurturing.
- לְהִלּוּלִים (lehilulim):
- Meaning: "for praise," "for exultation," or "for revelry."
- Significance: This is a critical term. It points to the intended purpose of God's action: that she might be a source of His praise. The implication is that she was intended to be a testimony to His glorious power and grace. Her unfaithfulness subverted this purpose. The Hebrew word halal relates to shining, boasting, or praising.
- Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "I made you grow like the produce of the field": This phrase encapsulates God's agricultural analogy for His nurturing. Like a farmer sowing seed, tending the soil, watering, and waiting for harvest, God did the same for Israel. The "produce of the field" suggests natural growth and development provided by God’s diligent care.
Ezekiel 16 6 Bonus Section
The allegory of Jerusalem as an abandoned infant is rich. It emphasizes her complete dependence and utter helplessness before God intervened. The "produce of the field" imagery is also found in the New Testament when Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God "like a man who throws seed on the ground... and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear" (Mark 4:26-28). This echoes God's hidden but effective work in bringing about growth. The "time of praise" points to a theological concept: that all of creation, especially redeemed humanity, is called to glorify God. Israel, however, often glorified itself or other deities.
Ezekiel 16 6 Commentary
This verse powerfully declares God's sovereign grace and loving intervention in the life of Israel. It's not that Israel earned God's attention, but that God, out of His abundant love, chose to bestow His favor. He "made" them grow, highlighting His active role. This growth was likened to "the produce of the field," implying natural, developmental, and fruitful expansion that only God's deliberate action could bring about. The term "for praise" indicates the ultimate purpose of this nurturing – for Israel to be a testament to God’s glory. This sets up the poignant contrast with Israel's subsequent deviation from God's path, failing to live up to the divine purpose for which she was so meticulously nurtured. It underscores that God’s faithfulness precedes and persists despite human unfaithfulness.