Ezekiel 16:26

26 Thou hast also committed fornication with the sons of Egypt, thy neighbours, great of flesh, and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.

Ezekiel 16:26 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 16:26

Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians
By entering into leagues and alliances with them, and seeking to them for help and assistance against their enemies; from whose bondage they had formerly been delivered, and whose society they were cautioned against; and yet they forsook the Lord, and joined themselves to them by solemn covenant; and not only so, but fell into the worship of their idols, who were a people of all others the most superstitious, and given to idolatry; and many of their idolatrous rites and ceremonies were received and retained by the Jews, as the worshipping of Tammuz, and other idols: thy neighbours, great of flesh:
being their neighbours, and full of power and strength to assist them, they courted their friendship and alliance; and their idolatries being many and monstrous, were the more courted by them: the allusion is to women of shameless impudence and insatiable lust, who covet men, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and their issue as horses, ( Ezekiel 23:20 ) ; flesh here signifies the privy parts of men; so Ben Melech; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke my anger;
multiplied their idolatries, which they learned of the Egyptians, a people much given thereunto; and which were abominable and highly provoking to God, ( 1 Peter 4:3 ) . The Targum is,

``thou hast increased thine idols.''

Ezekiel 16:26 In-Context

24 that thou hast also built unto thee a high place and hast made thee an altar in every street.

25 Thou hast built thy altar at every head of every way and hast made thy beauty abominable and hast opened thy thighs to every one that passed by and multiplied thy whoredoms.

26 Thou hast also committed fornication with the sons of Egypt, thy neighbours, great of flesh, and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.

27 Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee and have diminished thy liberty and delivered thee unto the will of those that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of thy lewd way.

28 Thou hast played the whore also with the sons of Assyria because thou wast insatiable; thou hast played the harlot with them and yet could not be satisfied.