Ezekiel 16:4-9

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 16:1-5

Ezekiel is now among the captives in Babylon; but, as Jeremiah at Jerusalem wrote for the use of the captives though they had Ezekiel upon the spot with them (Ezek. 29:1-21), so Ezekiel wrote for the use of Jerusalem, though Jeremiah himself was resident there; and yet they were far from looking upon it as an affront to one another's help both by preaching and writing. Jeremiah wrote to the captives for their consolation, which was the thing they needed; Ezekiel here is directed to write to... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezekiel 16:6-14

In there verses we have an account of the great things which God did for the Jewish nation in raising them up by degrees to be very considerable. 1. God saved them from the ruin they were upon the brink of in Egypt (Ezek. 16:6): ?When I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thy own blood, loathed and abandoned, and appointed to die, as sheep for the slaughter, then I said unto thee, Live. I designed thee for life when thou wast doomed to destruction, and resolved to save thee from death.?... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 16:4

And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born ,.... Which refers either to the time when Abraham was called out of Ur of the Chaldeans, who had before been an idolater; or rather to the time when the children of Israel were in Egypt, and there grew and multiplied, and became a numerous body of people; who, upon their coming out of it, were brought into some form, and became a nation or body politic, which may be called the day of their birth as a people; see Hosea 2:3 ; thy navel... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 16:5

None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee ,.... Or, "one of these" F11 אחת מאלה "unum ex istis", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Polanus; "unum ex his", Pagninus, Montanus, Starckius. ; not so much as one of them: sad must be the case of an infant, when it meets with no tender heart or kind hand from midwife, nurse, or mother, to do these things for it: this is expressive of the helpless, forlorn, and unpitied state of the Israelites in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 16:6

And when I passed by thee ,.... Alluding to a traveller passing by where an infant lies, exposed, and looks upon it, and takes it up; or it may be to Pharaoh's daughter walking by the river side, when she spied the ark in which Moses was, and ordered it to be taken up, and so saved his life: and saw thee in thine own blood ; keeping up the simile of a newborn infant, that has nothing done to it, but is all over covered with menstruous blood; denoting the wretched and miserable estate the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 16:7

I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field ,.... Or, "made thee millions" F13 רבבה "millia dedi", Pagninus, Montanus; "in multa millia", Tigurine version; "in myriadem te auxi", Piscator; so Ben Melech. ; like the spires of grass in the field. This refers to the multiplication of the children of Israel in Egypt, especially after the death of Joseph, and even while they were sorely afflicted, and likewise in later times. Jacob went down to Egypt with seventy five persons... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 16:8

Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee ,.... Which the Targum refers to the Lord's appearance to Moses in the bush; See Gill on Ezekiel 16:6 ; behold, thy time was the time of love ; which the Targum explains of the time of redemption of the people of Israel out of Egypt, which was an instance of the great love of God unto that people; and which time was fixed by him; and when it was come, at the exact and precise time, the redemption was wrought; see Genesis 15:13 ; and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezekiel 16:9

Then washed I thee with water ,.... Brought the Israelites out of the mean, abject, servile, and sordid state in which they were, when among the mortar, bricks, and pots, into a state of liberty; so the Targum, "and I redeemed you from the servitude of the Egyptians; and I removed the strength of dominion from you, and brought you into liberty;' perhaps some reference may be had to the ceremonial ablutions enjoined them; they were washed before the covenant was made with them at Mount... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 16:4

As for thy nativity, etc. - This verse refers to what is ordinarily done for every infant on its birth. The umbilical cord, by which it received all its nourishment while in the womb, being no longer necessary, is cut at a certain distance from the abdomen: on this part a knot is tied, which firmly uniting the sides of the tubes, they coalesce, and incarnate together. The extra part of the cord on the outside of the ligature, being cut off from the circulation by which it was originally fed,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezekiel 16:5

Thou wast cast out in the open field - This is an allusion to the custom of some heathen and barbarous nations, who exposed those children in the open fields to be devoured by wild beasts who had any kind of deformity, or whom they could not support. read more

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